A Fearful Stroll Down Thunder's Lane

   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.