A Fearful Stroll Down Thunder's Laneby BlabideeblahMLPChaptersTonight, 6:45Smashed BottleUncertain FutureTonight, 6:45 "Fuck off!" Lightning Dust said through her laughter. She spread her turqouise wings and took to the sky, hoping to leave her tormentor behind her. A quickly-fading streak of lightning was left in her wake. The cyan stallion rolled his eyes with a defeated sigh. Can't catch her till this wing heals. He thought, looking over unhappily at his bandaged wing, damaged curteousy of a collision with a branch during bad weather. It would be better within the hour, but Lightning would probably be across this plane of reality by then, doing whatever mares did. Rainbow Blitz was his name, and he was the less-than-renowned cousin of Rainbow Dash, the egotistical bearer of the Element of Loyalty. Lightning Dust, an even more overconfident opal Pegasus sporting a short, slicked-back orange mane and tail, was his fillyfriend, and though neither would admit to other ponies for fear of sounding mushy, they meant the world to each other. For both, no moment had felt more extreme than their first kiss. Lightning was grateful for daring to try, and Blitz overjoyed. Blitz looked down at his hooves, which were used to tickle Lightning's sides so much he had scraped off a few hairs. Figuring Lightning Dust would be asleep for a while, he turned and looked for an arcade machine. Meanwhile, Lightning Dust was arcing through the skies gleefully, shooting here, darting there, and enjoying herself everywhere. "Hell yeah!" She cried out as she sped towards the ground, folding her wings in and slowly approaching the sound barrier. At the last second, just before it was broken, Lightning threw open her wings and rocketed back up into the sky, saving her from death and making anypony around marvel. That was, of course, at the cost of extreme pain where her wings connected with the rest of her body. "OW! Motherfucker!" Cursed Dust. Sporting an ego dampened by pain, she settled for an easy glide to Dash's house, stilling her wings so she didn't intensify the agony near her spine. She never noticed the black Pegasus staring at her bitterly. Without Rainbow Blitz there to tease her, she eventually found herself less and less sulky as Dash's house came into view. She landed at the door, coming to a clumsy halt. She wasn't used to gliding at such a slow, boring pace, and had spaced out too much for her to recover her senses early enough. At this point, the pain in her left wing had died down somewhat, but her right wing was on fire, and felt odd. Not the broken kind of odd, but simply out of place. As fate would have it, she was right. It was out of place. "You wrenched your wing half a foot backwards," Rainbow Dash informed her later, looking under Lightning's feathered appendage and seeing the obvious dislocation of the joint. "Shit, mare. What were you doing? Even I haven't pulled something that far out of place!" "Well..." Dust began awkwardly. "You know what a Vertical Snap is?" "You mean when you throw yourself at the ground and shoot back up? Yeah, done a million o' those." "Well, I did one at..." Lightning Dust did some aerocalculating, crossing over the integrals of air resistance with her mass and propelled launch. "...about five hundred and ninety-three point six-six-seven miles per hour." Rainbow promptly fell backwards. "You did a Vertical Snap near Rainboom-speed?!" She asked incredulously. Rainboom-speed was how Rainbow Dash referred to breaking the sound barrier: moving at six hundred and one miles per hour. "How come you've done that before me?! How come I've never done that before?!" Lightning facehoofed. "Can we just get my wing back in place, please?" She begged exasperatedly. "Oh, right." Rainbow trotted over to Lightning's front, ordering her to sit down. She threw her hooves loosely around her shoulders, leaned forward, and took Lightning's wing in her teeth. "Thith ith gonna hurt like hell," she said around a mouthful of feathers. Lightning nodded and plucked a covert from her other wing, holding it between her teeth. Rainbow pulled backwards, extending the wing and then pulling it forward. The pain increased with each passing second, and Lightning Dust's plucked feather cracked in one place between her teeth, filling her mouth with foul-tasting oil. She thought it would never end, and her eyes grew slightly moist from the intensity of the hurt in her wing joint. Finally, there was a click. Lightning's feather snapped at both ends, and her wing shot out of Rainbow's mouth. "HOLY FUCKING DONKEY DICK!" She screamed, flapping both her wings incessantly. She waited impatiently for the pain to die down before actually acknowledging Rainbow was talking to her. "I'm no egghead, but as a Pegasus, I should know the basics if wing anatomy, which luckily, I do," she told Dust. "And I can safely say you won't be able to do more than glide for the next twelve hours while your wing re-situates itself." "Damn." Lightning sighed and sat down in the living room. "Can I stay around for an hour or so? I need to stop and eat." "Sure, but I don't see why it would take an hour to eat a meal." "You know, I might just wanna hang out, too. Got anything?" "Daisies and petunias." "Got it." Lightning headed for what she guessed was the pantry. Fortunately, she was correct, and pulled out two pieces of white bread. Laying petunias on a slice and sprinkling it with hay shavings, she finished her sandwich within two minutes. Rainbow Dash fixed herself her own, and they evidently launched into typical mare-talk. "So, how's it going with Blitz?" Rainbow asked. Lightning shrugged nonchalantly. "It's great," she replied. "He's a really sweet stallion, and he's not overly clingy. I can definitely tell this is going somewhere, because he's not acting like one of...those stallions." "The ones just lookin' for a bang?" "Yeah." Lightning rubbed her still-hurting wing. "What's it to you?" "Well, let's see." Dash tapped her chin in mock thought. "You're one of my best friends, and he's my cousin." She smirked. "Yeah, I can totally see why I shouldn't get involved." Lightning groaned and punctuated her defeat with an eye roll and "Okay, you win!" Attempting to reverse the conversation, she asked Rainbow, "Anypony got the hots for you?" "Soarin." She smirked again. "I got a bit of it for him, too." Lightning nodded. "Oh, speaking of which," she quipped suddenly. "I heard that when the Wonderbolts performed in Ponyville last week, Spitfire found Soarin covered in Zap Apple Jam. Where do ya think he got it from?" Much to her confusion, Rainbow blushed. "Um...I dunno," she muttered, looking away. Lightning promptly grinned. "It wasn't Zap Apple Jam, wasn't it?" She asked. Rainbow Dash went even redder. "Yeah it was!" She denied, a little too quickly. Inside, she vaguely remembered how long it had taken her to stop panting. Lightning smiled. "It's okay if you did it," she told Rainbow Dash. "Just make sure ol' Spitsy doesn't find-" "Oh, for the love of Celestia!" The thought of what would happen if Spitfire found out about her and Soarin's little escapade was enough to scare even her. "Can you get out?" "Whatever." Lightning Dust trotted to the front porch, flapped her wings stiffly, and eased into the breeze, sliding away in the wind. Rainbow Dash watched her disappear, then muttered, "Honestly, though, sometimes I wonder about that mare." A small house on the edge of Ponyville was interrupted from its silence by a hateful Pegasus covered in long, black fur hitting the door so hard he practically smashed it off its hinges, causing the pony inside to give a start. This one was also a Pegasus, but this one was coated in jasmine hairs and a Tiffany blue mane, possessing a cutie mark of three raindrops. She turned her head at the sound, taking a split second to notice her coltfriend's demeanor. "What's wrong, Thunderlane?" she asked. The black Pegasus said nothing, only storming past the mare and into the living room. Concerned now, the mare followed Thunderlane, the sound of their clopping forming a strange four-four beat. "Thunderlane! I asked you a question!" Thunderlane paused. Without turning around to look, he hissed, "I saw Lightning Dust today." This earned a gasp from the mare. They both had hated Lightning Dust with a burning passion since the timberwolf incident. The fact that they had nearly...she couldn't finish the thought. Thunderlane continued. "I just want to give that stupid, cowardly bitch what she deserves, Raindrops. She's worth less than worthless. I can't believe she just fled like that. She deserves worse than death." Raindrops remained motionless, before a small smirk spread across her face. "Well, let's give her what she needs." "Huh?" Raindrops snorted. "Haven't you heard?" She asked. "Lightning Dirt's just moved into town." "You're kidding." "Nope." The Pegasus' smile grew wider, almost maniacal. "Knowing her, she probably drinks about a glass a day, if not more. Why don't you deliver her some cider..." Raindrops paused. "And stick it in her face?" Thunder stared at her expressionlessly, then chuckled without mirth. "I like the way you think, Drops. When do we start?" "Tonight," she replied. "Six forty-five." Raindrops laid a hoof on Thunderlane's shoulder. "And I think you should do the honors. We'll make sure Lightning gets what she pays for." Smashed Bottle Rainbow Blitz hung up his guitar, deciding he might as well apologize to Lightning Dust for the uncalled-for tickling earlier today. She wouldn't think any differently of him, but he couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit guilty, whether or not it was in good fun. Just before he headed outside, he checked the time out of curiosity. It was approaching 6:45 P.M. Rainbow turned and set off for Lightning's place. Lightning Dust landed on her front balcony, her wings numb from sticking straight out stiffly for so long. She waited for feeling to return to them, then folded them in and headed inside. It was an average house, really. Much like most of the other houses in Ponyville, with a traditional hay roof, two stories, and a basement, Lightning's house was nothing to brag about, and while she couldn't complain, it was a little boring. Inside, Lightning Dust sat down, figuring at would be a good idea to write to her mother about everything that's happened. Lightning glanced over at a conveniently placed paper and pencil on a small desk which a lamp sat atop of. Smiling to herself, Lightning Dust picked up the pencil in her mouth and began to write. Hey, Mom! she began. I just moved into this nice little town called Ponyville. It's a quiet place, and everypony likes everypony. It's definitely better than Vanhoover, what with Princess Canadance not being too big of a flying fan back there. In fact, I kind of dislocated my wing by about more than I thought was possible, and even though I got it back in place thanks to Rainbow Dash, I can't do more than glide for the next half a day. Lightning looked up at the clock. It's about 6:45 right now, so I'm guessing I can fly again once I'm asleep. Cue sarcastic yippee, am I right? Anyway, I was writing to let you know about stuff that's happened since I hooked up with Rainbow Blitz. Sorry for not writing in a while- A knock on her door interrupted her writing. Lightning Dust glanced up, surprised. The visitor knocked again, twice this time. Lightning blinked, before shaking out of her stupor and walking towards the door. When she opened it, she saw a vaguely familiar black Pegasus holding something under his wing. "Thunderlane?" Lightning gasped. The colt nodded, as if to say, Yep, it's me. he glanced away awkwardly, before asking, "Can I come inside? I brought you something." Lightning stared, in another dazed state, before shaking herself out and nodding. Thunderlane brushed past her without another word. Lightning, still confused, absently closed the door and followed. Thunderlane reached a hoof under his wing and pulled out a red box, placing it on the table next to Dust's letter. "My marefriend Raindrops and I heard about your move to Ponyville, and we decided to gift-wrap you a little bit of cider to occupy a couple of nights." He opened the small box, revealing what was indeed a two-liter bottle of cider. Lightning grinned. "Hey, thanks! I remember Sunshower! Always knew you two were up to something!" Thunderlane smiled softly before turning away from Lightning Dust. "Yeah, she's a sweet mare. Glad I fell for her," he murmured. "Oh, and Lightning?" "Yeah?" Thunderlane, his back still facing Dust, grabbed the bottle by the neck. "You shouldn't be thanking me," he said, before spinning around and swinging the bottle into the side of Lightning's head. The glass shattered, forming several incisions into Dust's flesh and spilling alcohol into them. She tumbled to the ground with an expulsion of breath, hitting her plot. At first, Lightning Dust was dazed. What had happened? What hit her? Then her brain registered that Thunderlane had just hit her in the cranium with a bottle of cider. Only then the pain came. It was like none other she had ever experienced, worse than even the relocation of her wing. It was a deadly mixture of agony, throbbing, stinging, and burning all at once. Then it occurred to her that if he had just whacked her with a bottle, then he was obviously planning to hurt her. Before she could even scramble to her hooves, however, pain lanced up her muzzle, and she found herself flat on her back, a trickle of red leaking from her nose. Her vision still hazy from the bottle smash, Dust made out the amorphous silhouette of Thunderlane kneeling over her. Without warning, she felt a pressure on her throat. Thunderlane was choking her. He brought her face up to his, glaring wrathfully into her eyes. "You left us to die!" he hissed, throwing a punch at her left cheek. "You ran away and nearly killed us!" Another punch, this one at her nose again. The trickle of blood became a river streaming down her face, accompanied by a sickening crunch. Lightning flew to the ground again, hitting the back of her head on the wooden floor. She shook herself, and looked confusedly at the glaring Pegasus holding her down. "I-I don't know what you're talking abou-" "SHUT UP!" Thunderlane screamed. This was enforced by a piece of glass from the shattered bottle being shoved into her mouth. Thunderlane smashed her in the jaw, breaking the glass in her mouth and filling it with metallic-tasting blood. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Another punch. More cuts along Lightning's gums and tongue. She desperately fought to keep the glass from going down her throat. Lightning was on the brink of terror. She frantically shoved Thunderlane with all of her might in the left shoulder, throwing him off of her. Spitting out the glass and several globules of crimson liquid, Dust scrambled to her hooves and dashed for the door. I have to fly away. she thought, flapping her wings with all of her might. Immediately, her right wing cramped up. Fuck! Lightning tried to break into a dead gallop for help, only to be grabbed by the back of the neck. "You're not going anywhere," Thunderlane snarled into her ear. Forcing her back to the floor, Thunderlane stabbed two long shards of glass through her hooves, sticking them into the wooden floor and grounding Lightning. "AAARRGH!" Lightning shrieked. "THUNDERLANE, STOP!" "What part of 'shut the fuck up' do you not understand, bitch?" Thunderlane growled through gritted teeth. "I don't have to stop. I can do whatever I want till your heart stops beating." He promptly grabbed another piece of shattered bottle and shoved it into Lightning Dust's stomach. She cried out in pain. Slowly, one centimetre at a time, he removed the makeshift shiv from Lightning Dust's body. It was all the more agonizing for her. Everything hurt: the head injuries, her nose, her wing, and now her stomach was red-hot with pain. Lightning was beginning to tear up. "Oh, don't you cry yet," Thunderlane whispered, relishing in her agony. "You see, I'm willing to accept you might make it out of this alive, but if you do, I want to make sure you don't really live." He grinned sadistically. "Spread your wings." Almost immediately, Lightning realized what he was planning to do. Her pupils dilated in horror. "Thunderlane, no. Please don't," she begged tearfully. Thunderlane socked her in the stomach, right next to her stab wound. "I said, spread. Your. Wings." Lightning gulped in fear, then shut her eyes, turned her head away from the silicon shard in Thunderlane's hoof, and slowly opened her wings. Rainbow Blitz gazed down at the house before him. Lightning Dust's place of residence had not taken long at all to get to, and hopefully she was awake doing something. Clearing his throat, Rainbow Blitz set out at a walk down the hill towards the small building. "Thunderlane," Lightning Dust sobbed. "Why are you doing this?" Thunderlane smiled, raising his weapon over Lightning's head. "Oh, you know exactly why," he murmured, and brought down the small, blood-covered glass. It stabbed directly into the center of Lightning Dust's wing joint. Agony flared through the opal mare. Her other wing shot out, erect with pain. Thunderlane sawed the glass through her wing, sending blood everywhere. Half of the connecting tendons between Lightning's wing and body were now severed. Blood and tears streamed down Lightning Dust's face. She vainly tried to squirm her way free. It was hopeless. Thunderlane held her tight, making sure she didn't escape. Besides, her hooves were stuck to the floor. She thought she was going to die, and she would have if it weren't for the creaking of the door being opened. Lightning looked over to see, through the tears clouding her vision, a blue-and-rainbow shape standing in the doorway. "Hey, Lightning, I just came to - GET THE FUCK OFF OF HER!" The next thing Lightning knew, Rainbow Blitz was lunging for Thunderlane, throwing him off her chest. Rainbow ripped the glass from Thunder's hoof, and stabbed the stallion mulitilple times. Blood spilled from the wounds, but not enough to be fatal. Throwing the glass aside, Blitz pulverized Thunderlane's face with hoof after hoof until he sported a black eye, bloody nose, missing tooth, and Rainbow's hooves were dyed red. Blitz stood up and grabbed Thunderlane by the neck, pulling him off of the floor. Hurling him through the door with a strength that would make Big Mac jealous, Rainbow glared daggers at the dark Pegasus with a look that could seriously kill. "GET OUT OF HERE IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!" Blitz roared, baring his teeth in a doglike fashion. Thunderlane growled briefly, then reluctantly turned and flew off. He didn't even get to sever Lightning's wings. Rainbow Blitz immediately knelt beside Lightning Dust, tearing the glass from her hooves and leaving two gaping holes behind. "Lightning, what happened?" He asked, his anger dissipating into alarm. Lightning weakly reached up and touched Blitz's face with a shaking hoof. "Blitz..." She rasped, before her hoof dropped away and her vision faded. The last thing she heard was Rainbow Blitz begging her to stay awake. Then, everything became nothing. Uncertain Future "Lightning! Come on, Dusty, wake up!" Rainbow Blitz desperately shook the dying mare's shoulder. She didn't respond. More and more blood poured from her wounds. Tears were pouring from Rainbow Blitz's eyes. He didn't know what to do or where to go. His light's light was fading, and he was too distraught to think. He wasn't going to be able to save Lightning Dust, and had no choice but to watch her die. Rainbow Blitz shook his head violently. Get yourself together! the Colombia blue stallion commanded himself, furious at his own thoughts. There's still time! Get her to Ponyville Urgent Care! Thinking fast, he scooped Lightning's bloody form in his forehooves, electing a small moan of pain from the unconscious Pegasus. Flapping his wings, he shot like a bullet from a rifle towards the hospital. "Hold on, baby," Blitz murmured to Lightning. "I'll keep you alive." Darting past any equine that obstructed him - from Unicorn stallions to Earth Pony fillies - Rainbow refused to let anything get in his way. Lightning Dust needed him right now. Within seconds, the looming medical center was within sight. Blitz came to an abrupt halt outside the door, pushing his way through with his head. Dropping Lightning on the floor, he raised his head up. "She's dying!" He cried out. He didn't need to say anymore. Within seconds, Dust was raised onto a cot against her unconscious protests and wheeled into a room. Rainbow Blitz stared at the place where she disappeared, a lump rising in his throat. Salty drops of water continued to flow down his cheeks as he sat in one of the waiting chairs. Why? he thought. Why did this have to happen? Answer me, Celestia. Why? Rainbow buried his face in his hooves and sobbed, ignoring the five pairs of eyes trained onto him. Let them think what they wanted. His marefriend was on the brink of death. He didn't care about anypony or anything else right now. "Mr. Blitz?" a marine-colored nurse bearing a Cutie Mark of a roll of gauze poked her head through the doorway. Said stallion looked up from the floor tiredly, staring blankly at the mare. "Mm?" "Lightning Dust is awake, and she wishes to see you," the nurse murmured. "She doesn't look too good, but she managed to regain consciousness when we were through with our medical procedures. However..." She looked away. "She has sustained a permanent injury." She beckoned for Rainbow to follow her, then turned and headed for Lightning's room with a blue Pegasus trailing behind her, filled with a renewed uneasiness. They pushed through some double doors with the words Room 114 engraved into the area above it. Inside the bleach-white room lay Lightning Dust. Rainbow Blitz gasped at what he saw. Crimson-stained bandages covered Lightning's midsection and head, while a small oxygen mask hooked up to a supply and a respirator kept her breathing and monitored it. A heart monitor sat next to the respirator, keeping track of her heartbeat. Tears trickled down her face. But what shocked Rainbow even more even more than anything, more than the bandages, more than the machines, and more than her tears, was the thing causing those tears. Lightning's wings were gone. Not a single feather poked through her bandages, let alone an entire appendage. They had been cut so close to the base that there were hardly even stumps protruding from her body. Rainbow Blitz couldn't even see anything against the gauze. The nurse, noticing his stupefied expression and stare, explained. "We couldn't save her wing," she told him sadly. "Too much had been severed. We cut off her other wing, so she might be labeled as an Earth Pony from now on, but she will never fly again." "B-but it wasn't her whole wing!" Rainbow stuttered. "C-couldn't you have...?" His voice trailed off as the nurse shook her head. "Many of the nerves and tendons were broken beyond repair," she sighed. "Whoever cut her wing was very clumsy in their work, and mangled everything they severed." Turning away from Rainbow Blitz, she called out to the sobbing mare. "Lightning? Somepony's here to see you." Lightning Dust slowly turned her head in their direction. Her gaze was filled with anguish, her eyes bluntly focused. Tears blurred her vision, and her voice was raspy when she called out, "What?" "I said, somepony's here to see you." She let Rainbow Blitz dash for Lightning Dust, coming to a halt at her bedside. "L-lightning?" He choked out. Lightning bought a hoof to her face, vainly attempting to mask her tears. Rainbow gripped her other hoof, tightening his grip with every passing second. "D-did they really t-take off your wings?" His voice broke. Lightning nodded, filled with grief for herself. Not pity, but simply grief. A dark, depressing, choking grief. Rainbow's own tears forced their way out of his eyes despite his effort to keep them inside. "I'm so, so sorry," he whispered. "If I'd just been there sooner, I could've...could've..." Rainbow Blitz could take no more. He collapsed on top of Lightning, burying his head into the area directly above her bandaged body, sobbing into her chest and soaking her fur. "It's all my fault!" He whinnied. "It's all my Celestia-damned fault!" The nurse hurriedly pulled Rainbow Blitz off of the now-shocked Lightning, having to keep weight off of her chest so she could breathe properly. "Be careful!" she warned as Blitz fell backwards. Ignoring everything that happened around him, Rainbow continued to openly sob. "I'll never forgive myself for this!" He cried. Lightning reached a hoof out. She could feel herself fading, and needed to say this before it got into Blitz's head. If he honestly thought this, he could only get worse than she was without reassurance. "Rainbow," she rasped, her voice still mysteriously hoarse. Almost ashamed to even be with her now, Rainbow slowly looked up, just bringing himself to stare Lghtning in the face. She gazed at him with ever-closing eyes. Her hoof began to droop. "It's not...your...fault," Lightning sighed, before her eyes closed and her hoof dropped. Rainbow gasped. "Lightning!" He galloped forward, but was stopped by the nurse. "It's okay, sir!" The nurse assured him. "She is merely unconscious." She pressed a small button, then said into some sort of intercom, "Patient Lightning Sleekfeather Dust has fallen mysteriously unconscious in Room One-fourteen. E.D.C.T. Two, please report to Room One-fourteen." She removed her hoof from the button and turned back towards a sobbing, out-of-it, curious Rainbow Blitz. "E.D.C.T.?" He asked. "Equinal Distress Correction Team," the nurse answered matter-of-factly. "Speaking of, you'll have to leave so they can investigate." As if on cue, a team of four burst through the double doors, one of them a Unicorn holding a defibrilation machine with her magic. Three nearly trampled Blitz, but he spun away at the last second, his multicolored locks blowing into his face. Turning away from the team as they checked Lightning's heart, Rainbow Blitz turned and plodded out of the hospital. Who should he tell first? No matter who he told, they were going to cry. It came down to a very tough decision between Lightning's mom and Rainbow Dash. In the end, though, he decided on the mare closest to Lightning Dust and the one who was always there for her. Rainbow Dash.
Tonight, 6:45 "Fuck off!" Lightning Dust said through her laughter. She spread her turqouise wings and took to the sky, hoping to leave her tormentor behind her. A quickly-fading streak of lightning was left in her wake. The cyan stallion rolled his eyes with a defeated sigh. Can't catch her till this wing heals. He thought, looking over unhappily at his bandaged wing, damaged curteousy of a collision with a branch during bad weather. It would be better within the hour, but Lightning would probably be across this plane of reality by then, doing whatever mares did. Rainbow Blitz was his name, and he was the less-than-renowned cousin of Rainbow Dash, the egotistical bearer of the Element of Loyalty. Lightning Dust, an even more overconfident opal Pegasus sporting a short, slicked-back orange mane and tail, was his fillyfriend, and though neither would admit to other ponies for fear of sounding mushy, they meant the world to each other. For both, no moment had felt more extreme than their first kiss. Lightning was grateful for daring to try, and Blitz overjoyed. Blitz looked down at his hooves, which were used to tickle Lightning's sides so much he had scraped off a few hairs. Figuring Lightning Dust would be asleep for a while, he turned and looked for an arcade machine. Meanwhile, Lightning Dust was arcing through the skies gleefully, shooting here, darting there, and enjoying herself everywhere. "Hell yeah!" She cried out as she sped towards the ground, folding her wings in and slowly approaching the sound barrier. At the last second, just before it was broken, Lightning threw open her wings and rocketed back up into the sky, saving her from death and making anypony around marvel. That was, of course, at the cost of extreme pain where her wings connected with the rest of her body. "OW! Motherfucker!" Cursed Dust. Sporting an ego dampened by pain, she settled for an easy glide to Dash's house, stilling her wings so she didn't intensify the agony near her spine. She never noticed the black Pegasus staring at her bitterly. Without Rainbow Blitz there to tease her, she eventually found herself less and less sulky as Dash's house came into view. She landed at the door, coming to a clumsy halt. She wasn't used to gliding at such a slow, boring pace, and had spaced out too much for her to recover her senses early enough. At this point, the pain in her left wing had died down somewhat, but her right wing was on fire, and felt odd. Not the broken kind of odd, but simply out of place. As fate would have it, she was right. It was out of place. "You wrenched your wing half a foot backwards," Rainbow Dash informed her later, looking under Lightning's feathered appendage and seeing the obvious dislocation of the joint. "Shit, mare. What were you doing? Even I haven't pulled something that far out of place!" "Well..." Dust began awkwardly. "You know what a Vertical Snap is?" "You mean when you throw yourself at the ground and shoot back up? Yeah, done a million o' those." "Well, I did one at..." Lightning Dust did some aerocalculating, crossing over the integrals of air resistance with her mass and propelled launch. "...about five hundred and ninety-three point six-six-seven miles per hour." Rainbow promptly fell backwards. "You did a Vertical Snap near Rainboom-speed?!" She asked incredulously. Rainboom-speed was how Rainbow Dash referred to breaking the sound barrier: moving at six hundred and one miles per hour. "How come you've done that before me?! How come I've never done that before?!" Lightning facehoofed. "Can we just get my wing back in place, please?" She begged exasperatedly. "Oh, right." Rainbow trotted over to Lightning's front, ordering her to sit down. She threw her hooves loosely around her shoulders, leaned forward, and took Lightning's wing in her teeth. "Thith ith gonna hurt like hell," she said around a mouthful of feathers. Lightning nodded and plucked a covert from her other wing, holding it between her teeth. Rainbow pulled backwards, extending the wing and then pulling it forward. The pain increased with each passing second, and Lightning Dust's plucked feather cracked in one place between her teeth, filling her mouth with foul-tasting oil. She thought it would never end, and her eyes grew slightly moist from the intensity of the hurt in her wing joint. Finally, there was a click. Lightning's feather snapped at both ends, and her wing shot out of Rainbow's mouth. "HOLY FUCKING DONKEY DICK!" She screamed, flapping both her wings incessantly. She waited impatiently for the pain to die down before actually acknowledging Rainbow was talking to her. "I'm no egghead, but as a Pegasus, I should know the basics if wing anatomy, which luckily, I do," she told Dust. "And I can safely say you won't be able to do more than glide for the next twelve hours while your wing re-situates itself." "Damn." Lightning sighed and sat down in the living room. "Can I stay around for an hour or so? I need to stop and eat." "Sure, but I don't see why it would take an hour to eat a meal." "You know, I might just wanna hang out, too. Got anything?" "Daisies and petunias." "Got it." Lightning headed for what she guessed was the pantry. Fortunately, she was correct, and pulled out two pieces of white bread. Laying petunias on a slice and sprinkling it with hay shavings, she finished her sandwich within two minutes. Rainbow Dash fixed herself her own, and they evidently launched into typical mare-talk. "So, how's it going with Blitz?" Rainbow asked. Lightning shrugged nonchalantly. "It's great," she replied. "He's a really sweet stallion, and he's not overly clingy. I can definitely tell this is going somewhere, because he's not acting like one of...those stallions." "The ones just lookin' for a bang?" "Yeah." Lightning rubbed her still-hurting wing. "What's it to you?" "Well, let's see." Dash tapped her chin in mock thought. "You're one of my best friends, and he's my cousin." She smirked. "Yeah, I can totally see why I shouldn't get involved." Lightning groaned and punctuated her defeat with an eye roll and "Okay, you win!" Attempting to reverse the conversation, she asked Rainbow, "Anypony got the hots for you?" "Soarin." She smirked again. "I got a bit of it for him, too." Lightning nodded. "Oh, speaking of which," she quipped suddenly. "I heard that when the Wonderbolts performed in Ponyville last week, Spitfire found Soarin covered in Zap Apple Jam. Where do ya think he got it from?" Much to her confusion, Rainbow blushed. "Um...I dunno," she muttered, looking away. Lightning promptly grinned. "It wasn't Zap Apple Jam, wasn't it?" She asked. Rainbow Dash went even redder. "Yeah it was!" She denied, a little too quickly. Inside, she vaguely remembered how long it had taken her to stop panting. Lightning smiled. "It's okay if you did it," she told Rainbow Dash. "Just make sure ol' Spitsy doesn't find-" "Oh, for the love of Celestia!" The thought of what would happen if Spitfire found out about her and Soarin's little escapade was enough to scare even her. "Can you get out?" "Whatever." Lightning Dust trotted to the front porch, flapped her wings stiffly, and eased into the breeze, sliding away in the wind. Rainbow Dash watched her disappear, then muttered, "Honestly, though, sometimes I wonder about that mare." A small house on the edge of Ponyville was interrupted from its silence by a hateful Pegasus covered in long, black fur hitting the door so hard he practically smashed it off its hinges, causing the pony inside to give a start. This one was also a Pegasus, but this one was coated in jasmine hairs and a Tiffany blue mane, possessing a cutie mark of three raindrops. She turned her head at the sound, taking a split second to notice her coltfriend's demeanor. "What's wrong, Thunderlane?" she asked. The black Pegasus said nothing, only storming past the mare and into the living room. Concerned now, the mare followed Thunderlane, the sound of their clopping forming a strange four-four beat. "Thunderlane! I asked you a question!" Thunderlane paused. Without turning around to look, he hissed, "I saw Lightning Dust today." This earned a gasp from the mare. They both had hated Lightning Dust with a burning passion since the timberwolf incident. The fact that they had nearly...she couldn't finish the thought. Thunderlane continued. "I just want to give that stupid, cowardly bitch what she deserves, Raindrops. She's worth less than worthless. I can't believe she just fled like that. She deserves worse than death." Raindrops remained motionless, before a small smirk spread across her face. "Well, let's give her what she needs." "Huh?" Raindrops snorted. "Haven't you heard?" She asked. "Lightning Dirt's just moved into town." "You're kidding." "Nope." The Pegasus' smile grew wider, almost maniacal. "Knowing her, she probably drinks about a glass a day, if not more. Why don't you deliver her some cider..." Raindrops paused. "And stick it in her face?" Thunder stared at her expressionlessly, then chuckled without mirth. "I like the way you think, Drops. When do we start?" "Tonight," she replied. "Six forty-five." Raindrops laid a hoof on Thunderlane's shoulder. "And I think you should do the honors. We'll make sure Lightning gets what she pays for."
Smashed Bottle Rainbow Blitz hung up his guitar, deciding he might as well apologize to Lightning Dust for the uncalled-for tickling earlier today. She wouldn't think any differently of him, but he couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit guilty, whether or not it was in good fun. Just before he headed outside, he checked the time out of curiosity. It was approaching 6:45 P.M. Rainbow turned and set off for Lightning's place. Lightning Dust landed on her front balcony, her wings numb from sticking straight out stiffly for so long. She waited for feeling to return to them, then folded them in and headed inside. It was an average house, really. Much like most of the other houses in Ponyville, with a traditional hay roof, two stories, and a basement, Lightning's house was nothing to brag about, and while she couldn't complain, it was a little boring. Inside, Lightning Dust sat down, figuring at would be a good idea to write to her mother about everything that's happened. Lightning glanced over at a conveniently placed paper and pencil on a small desk which a lamp sat atop of. Smiling to herself, Lightning Dust picked up the pencil in her mouth and began to write. Hey, Mom! she began. I just moved into this nice little town called Ponyville. It's a quiet place, and everypony likes everypony. It's definitely better than Vanhoover, what with Princess Canadance not being too big of a flying fan back there. In fact, I kind of dislocated my wing by about more than I thought was possible, and even though I got it back in place thanks to Rainbow Dash, I can't do more than glide for the next half a day. Lightning looked up at the clock. It's about 6:45 right now, so I'm guessing I can fly again once I'm asleep. Cue sarcastic yippee, am I right? Anyway, I was writing to let you know about stuff that's happened since I hooked up with Rainbow Blitz. Sorry for not writing in a while- A knock on her door interrupted her writing. Lightning Dust glanced up, surprised. The visitor knocked again, twice this time. Lightning blinked, before shaking out of her stupor and walking towards the door. When she opened it, she saw a vaguely familiar black Pegasus holding something under his wing. "Thunderlane?" Lightning gasped. The colt nodded, as if to say, Yep, it's me. he glanced away awkwardly, before asking, "Can I come inside? I brought you something." Lightning stared, in another dazed state, before shaking herself out and nodding. Thunderlane brushed past her without another word. Lightning, still confused, absently closed the door and followed. Thunderlane reached a hoof under his wing and pulled out a red box, placing it on the table next to Dust's letter. "My marefriend Raindrops and I heard about your move to Ponyville, and we decided to gift-wrap you a little bit of cider to occupy a couple of nights." He opened the small box, revealing what was indeed a two-liter bottle of cider. Lightning grinned. "Hey, thanks! I remember Sunshower! Always knew you two were up to something!" Thunderlane smiled softly before turning away from Lightning Dust. "Yeah, she's a sweet mare. Glad I fell for her," he murmured. "Oh, and Lightning?" "Yeah?" Thunderlane, his back still facing Dust, grabbed the bottle by the neck. "You shouldn't be thanking me," he said, before spinning around and swinging the bottle into the side of Lightning's head. The glass shattered, forming several incisions into Dust's flesh and spilling alcohol into them. She tumbled to the ground with an expulsion of breath, hitting her plot. At first, Lightning Dust was dazed. What had happened? What hit her? Then her brain registered that Thunderlane had just hit her in the cranium with a bottle of cider. Only then the pain came. It was like none other she had ever experienced, worse than even the relocation of her wing. It was a deadly mixture of agony, throbbing, stinging, and burning all at once. Then it occurred to her that if he had just whacked her with a bottle, then he was obviously planning to hurt her. Before she could even scramble to her hooves, however, pain lanced up her muzzle, and she found herself flat on her back, a trickle of red leaking from her nose. Her vision still hazy from the bottle smash, Dust made out the amorphous silhouette of Thunderlane kneeling over her. Without warning, she felt a pressure on her throat. Thunderlane was choking her. He brought her face up to his, glaring wrathfully into her eyes. "You left us to die!" he hissed, throwing a punch at her left cheek. "You ran away and nearly killed us!" Another punch, this one at her nose again. The trickle of blood became a river streaming down her face, accompanied by a sickening crunch. Lightning flew to the ground again, hitting the back of her head on the wooden floor. She shook herself, and looked confusedly at the glaring Pegasus holding her down. "I-I don't know what you're talking abou-" "SHUT UP!" Thunderlane screamed. This was enforced by a piece of glass from the shattered bottle being shoved into her mouth. Thunderlane smashed her in the jaw, breaking the glass in her mouth and filling it with metallic-tasting blood. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Another punch. More cuts along Lightning's gums and tongue. She desperately fought to keep the glass from going down her throat. Lightning was on the brink of terror. She frantically shoved Thunderlane with all of her might in the left shoulder, throwing him off of her. Spitting out the glass and several globules of crimson liquid, Dust scrambled to her hooves and dashed for the door. I have to fly away. she thought, flapping her wings with all of her might. Immediately, her right wing cramped up. Fuck! Lightning tried to break into a dead gallop for help, only to be grabbed by the back of the neck. "You're not going anywhere," Thunderlane snarled into her ear. Forcing her back to the floor, Thunderlane stabbed two long shards of glass through her hooves, sticking them into the wooden floor and grounding Lightning. "AAARRGH!" Lightning shrieked. "THUNDERLANE, STOP!" "What part of 'shut the fuck up' do you not understand, bitch?" Thunderlane growled through gritted teeth. "I don't have to stop. I can do whatever I want till your heart stops beating." He promptly grabbed another piece of shattered bottle and shoved it into Lightning Dust's stomach. She cried out in pain. Slowly, one centimetre at a time, he removed the makeshift shiv from Lightning Dust's body. It was all the more agonizing for her. Everything hurt: the head injuries, her nose, her wing, and now her stomach was red-hot with pain. Lightning was beginning to tear up. "Oh, don't you cry yet," Thunderlane whispered, relishing in her agony. "You see, I'm willing to accept you might make it out of this alive, but if you do, I want to make sure you don't really live." He grinned sadistically. "Spread your wings." Almost immediately, Lightning realized what he was planning to do. Her pupils dilated in horror. "Thunderlane, no. Please don't," she begged tearfully. Thunderlane socked her in the stomach, right next to her stab wound. "I said, spread. Your. Wings." Lightning gulped in fear, then shut her eyes, turned her head away from the silicon shard in Thunderlane's hoof, and slowly opened her wings. Rainbow Blitz gazed down at the house before him. Lightning Dust's place of residence had not taken long at all to get to, and hopefully she was awake doing something. Clearing his throat, Rainbow Blitz set out at a walk down the hill towards the small building. "Thunderlane," Lightning Dust sobbed. "Why are you doing this?" Thunderlane smiled, raising his weapon over Lightning's head. "Oh, you know exactly why," he murmured, and brought down the small, blood-covered glass. It stabbed directly into the center of Lightning Dust's wing joint. Agony flared through the opal mare. Her other wing shot out, erect with pain. Thunderlane sawed the glass through her wing, sending blood everywhere. Half of the connecting tendons between Lightning's wing and body were now severed. Blood and tears streamed down Lightning Dust's face. She vainly tried to squirm her way free. It was hopeless. Thunderlane held her tight, making sure she didn't escape. Besides, her hooves were stuck to the floor. She thought she was going to die, and she would have if it weren't for the creaking of the door being opened. Lightning looked over to see, through the tears clouding her vision, a blue-and-rainbow shape standing in the doorway. "Hey, Lightning, I just came to - GET THE FUCK OFF OF HER!" The next thing Lightning knew, Rainbow Blitz was lunging for Thunderlane, throwing him off her chest. Rainbow ripped the glass from Thunder's hoof, and stabbed the stallion mulitilple times. Blood spilled from the wounds, but not enough to be fatal. Throwing the glass aside, Blitz pulverized Thunderlane's face with hoof after hoof until he sported a black eye, bloody nose, missing tooth, and Rainbow's hooves were dyed red. Blitz stood up and grabbed Thunderlane by the neck, pulling him off of the floor. Hurling him through the door with a strength that would make Big Mac jealous, Rainbow glared daggers at the dark Pegasus with a look that could seriously kill. "GET OUT OF HERE IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!" Blitz roared, baring his teeth in a doglike fashion. Thunderlane growled briefly, then reluctantly turned and flew off. He didn't even get to sever Lightning's wings. Rainbow Blitz immediately knelt beside Lightning Dust, tearing the glass from her hooves and leaving two gaping holes behind. "Lightning, what happened?" He asked, his anger dissipating into alarm. Lightning weakly reached up and touched Blitz's face with a shaking hoof. "Blitz..." She rasped, before her hoof dropped away and her vision faded. The last thing she heard was Rainbow Blitz begging her to stay awake. Then, everything became nothing.
Uncertain Future "Lightning! Come on, Dusty, wake up!" Rainbow Blitz desperately shook the dying mare's shoulder. She didn't respond. More and more blood poured from her wounds. Tears were pouring from Rainbow Blitz's eyes. He didn't know what to do or where to go. His light's light was fading, and he was too distraught to think. He wasn't going to be able to save Lightning Dust, and had no choice but to watch her die. Rainbow Blitz shook his head violently. Get yourself together! the Colombia blue stallion commanded himself, furious at his own thoughts. There's still time! Get her to Ponyville Urgent Care! Thinking fast, he scooped Lightning's bloody form in his forehooves, electing a small moan of pain from the unconscious Pegasus. Flapping his wings, he shot like a bullet from a rifle towards the hospital. "Hold on, baby," Blitz murmured to Lightning. "I'll keep you alive." Darting past any equine that obstructed him - from Unicorn stallions to Earth Pony fillies - Rainbow refused to let anything get in his way. Lightning Dust needed him right now. Within seconds, the looming medical center was within sight. Blitz came to an abrupt halt outside the door, pushing his way through with his head. Dropping Lightning on the floor, he raised his head up. "She's dying!" He cried out. He didn't need to say anymore. Within seconds, Dust was raised onto a cot against her unconscious protests and wheeled into a room. Rainbow Blitz stared at the place where she disappeared, a lump rising in his throat. Salty drops of water continued to flow down his cheeks as he sat in one of the waiting chairs. Why? he thought. Why did this have to happen? Answer me, Celestia. Why? Rainbow buried his face in his hooves and sobbed, ignoring the five pairs of eyes trained onto him. Let them think what they wanted. His marefriend was on the brink of death. He didn't care about anypony or anything else right now. "Mr. Blitz?" a marine-colored nurse bearing a Cutie Mark of a roll of gauze poked her head through the doorway. Said stallion looked up from the floor tiredly, staring blankly at the mare. "Mm?" "Lightning Dust is awake, and she wishes to see you," the nurse murmured. "She doesn't look too good, but she managed to regain consciousness when we were through with our medical procedures. However..." She looked away. "She has sustained a permanent injury." She beckoned for Rainbow to follow her, then turned and headed for Lightning's room with a blue Pegasus trailing behind her, filled with a renewed uneasiness. They pushed through some double doors with the words Room 114 engraved into the area above it. Inside the bleach-white room lay Lightning Dust. Rainbow Blitz gasped at what he saw. Crimson-stained bandages covered Lightning's midsection and head, while a small oxygen mask hooked up to a supply and a respirator kept her breathing and monitored it. A heart monitor sat next to the respirator, keeping track of her heartbeat. Tears trickled down her face. But what shocked Rainbow even more even more than anything, more than the bandages, more than the machines, and more than her tears, was the thing causing those tears. Lightning's wings were gone. Not a single feather poked through her bandages, let alone an entire appendage. They had been cut so close to the base that there were hardly even stumps protruding from her body. Rainbow Blitz couldn't even see anything against the gauze. The nurse, noticing his stupefied expression and stare, explained. "We couldn't save her wing," she told him sadly. "Too much had been severed. We cut off her other wing, so she might be labeled as an Earth Pony from now on, but she will never fly again." "B-but it wasn't her whole wing!" Rainbow stuttered. "C-couldn't you have...?" His voice trailed off as the nurse shook her head. "Many of the nerves and tendons were broken beyond repair," she sighed. "Whoever cut her wing was very clumsy in their work, and mangled everything they severed." Turning away from Rainbow Blitz, she called out to the sobbing mare. "Lightning? Somepony's here to see you." Lightning Dust slowly turned her head in their direction. Her gaze was filled with anguish, her eyes bluntly focused. Tears blurred her vision, and her voice was raspy when she called out, "What?" "I said, somepony's here to see you." She let Rainbow Blitz dash for Lightning Dust, coming to a halt at her bedside. "L-lightning?" He choked out. Lightning bought a hoof to her face, vainly attempting to mask her tears. Rainbow gripped her other hoof, tightening his grip with every passing second. "D-did they really t-take off your wings?" His voice broke. Lightning nodded, filled with grief for herself. Not pity, but simply grief. A dark, depressing, choking grief. Rainbow's own tears forced their way out of his eyes despite his effort to keep them inside. "I'm so, so sorry," he whispered. "If I'd just been there sooner, I could've...could've..." Rainbow Blitz could take no more. He collapsed on top of Lightning, burying his head into the area directly above her bandaged body, sobbing into her chest and soaking her fur. "It's all my fault!" He whinnied. "It's all my Celestia-damned fault!" The nurse hurriedly pulled Rainbow Blitz off of the now-shocked Lightning, having to keep weight off of her chest so she could breathe properly. "Be careful!" she warned as Blitz fell backwards. Ignoring everything that happened around him, Rainbow continued to openly sob. "I'll never forgive myself for this!" He cried. Lightning reached a hoof out. She could feel herself fading, and needed to say this before it got into Blitz's head. If he honestly thought this, he could only get worse than she was without reassurance. "Rainbow," she rasped, her voice still mysteriously hoarse. Almost ashamed to even be with her now, Rainbow slowly looked up, just bringing himself to stare Lghtning in the face. She gazed at him with ever-closing eyes. Her hoof began to droop. "It's not...your...fault," Lightning sighed, before her eyes closed and her hoof dropped. Rainbow gasped. "Lightning!" He galloped forward, but was stopped by the nurse. "It's okay, sir!" The nurse assured him. "She is merely unconscious." She pressed a small button, then said into some sort of intercom, "Patient Lightning Sleekfeather Dust has fallen mysteriously unconscious in Room One-fourteen. E.D.C.T. Two, please report to Room One-fourteen." She removed her hoof from the button and turned back towards a sobbing, out-of-it, curious Rainbow Blitz. "E.D.C.T.?" He asked. "Equinal Distress Correction Team," the nurse answered matter-of-factly. "Speaking of, you'll have to leave so they can investigate." As if on cue, a team of four burst through the double doors, one of them a Unicorn holding a defibrilation machine with her magic. Three nearly trampled Blitz, but he spun away at the last second, his multicolored locks blowing into his face. Turning away from the team as they checked Lightning's heart, Rainbow Blitz turned and plodded out of the hospital. Who should he tell first? No matter who he told, they were going to cry. It came down to a very tough decision between Lightning's mom and Rainbow Dash. In the end, though, he decided on the mare closest to Lightning Dust and the one who was always there for her. Rainbow Dash.
