The Last Wonderboltby Skylarking the StargazerChaptersA Newbie Without Wing PonyTo Eat Her DustWhere of Such Guilt?Hollow RedemptionThe Best, The Worst and The KudosA Newbie Without Wing Pony"... if that's what it means to be a Wonderbolt, then I don't want any part of it." "What are you saying, newbie?" "I quit." Maybe those words were not what the Captain of the Wonderbolts wanted to hear, but they rang in her head loud and clear. The Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash, stormed out of her office door before she could even blink. Let it be known that many ponies had their dreams crushed, and that does not exclude the pegasi race. Those who have made it into the Wonderbolts were merely the lucky ones who have not lost their hopes; the will to grasp and cherish for their own desires. And when they do, they rejoice and sing to the heavens, hoping that one day they may arrive to such aesthetic rate of impression on everypony else. Up in Cloudsdale there is an eternal conflict between pride and morality, and whichever side is chosen with bias, that pegasus shall succumb to the bottom of the dirt, or have her feathers burnt out by the unsympathetic sun. If your dreams are always hiding behind the clouds, it will be either a hit or miss situation. However, there are those who have made a shortcut for themselves, and failed to swallow the guiding light that were supposed to shine on them when the time comes. But instead, they put their ego ahead of everything else, whether it be alive or dead. Consequently on their way, the path of destruction is set. Spitfire, frustrated and unwillingly admitted to fear, slammed her desk, knocking her shades, paper files and Rainbow's wing pony badge off onto the floor. Her guards quickly arrived to clean up her mess. She took awhile to contemplate on what the former newbie had said to her. Lightning Dust is an outstanding dark horse, that is for sure, but creating a tornado that could have potentially harmed innocent lives was unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable. A selfish mare like her should immediately be cut from the Wonderbolt academy. However, the captain of the Wonderbolts had not seen such rising talent for ages. Ever since she first joined the academy, all of the flyers there only reached to their top potential through years of hard work and honorable sweat. The two newbies were exceptional geniuses, with the rainbow one having performed a sonic rainboom once in a blue moon, saving her friend Rarity from the verge of a violent death, but also Spitfire herself. Not only that, she had performed it again during Princess Mi Amore Cadenza's wedding with Shining Armor, also a captain of his own army, so it would be reasonable for Spitfire to break down when the young mare had officially declared the end of her desires. Now if one prodigy left, was it worth to lose another one? That was the question lingering on and about over Spitfire's head. But like Rainbow Dash had just told her: putting her team ahead of her own ambitions is what makes the Wonderbolts the Wonderbolts. Lightning Dust was not an exception to such morals as Rainbow had reported to her. Maybe she needed a miracle, as Spitfire's ears perked up in response to the voices outside. She slid her chair by the wall, and leaned her head as close to the windows as possible. "I'm sorry, I truly am." "Look Lightning Dust, we already forgave you awhile ago, but you have to watch your recklessness that may harm other ponies too." "I didn't know what I was capable of, and I didn't want to hurt anypony." "Alright, Sugarcube, take it easy. As long as ya realized your mistakes, you're set to become a better pony." "B-but, why would you speak in such manner to Rainbow Dash earlier?" "Fluttershy's right, darling, I was awestruck by how your... Pompous way came to an end so easily." "Well, I-I..." The voice clearly belonging to Lightning Dust stammered. Even from a distance away, Spitfire's heart raced like it never had before, as if she was still a trainee participating in those overrated competitions. Money, media and public ignorance were all what the hosts wanted. But right now she just wanted the newbie to say the right words, and be kept on the fast lane pitch. "... I didn't want to admit this, but I just hate submitting to ponies and being corrected by them, especially when I'm the lead pony. Do you know how much it hurts your pride when you're constantly judged by others?" "I had to toughen up my soft and sensitive side into what I am now, and guess what? Captain Spitfire was impressed! Many ponies were impressed! Your friend Rainbow Dash, a rising talent herself, was impressed! That is why she hung out with me all the way during the academy until now." "From all my past experiences I knew I had to give it all, I had nothing to lose!" "But guess that did not work out too. Either way I was still the victim, and now you guys too." Irresistible, Spitfire put her face against the window to take a better view of the drama ongoing outside. There she observed Lightning Dust with her head hung low, a miserable and regretting frown carved on her face as well. She slid across the clean grass grown only in Cloudsdale with her foreleg. She bit her lips and tossed her goggles onto the ground, her hooves moved closer toward each other. She did not expect to hear all of this from Lightning's perspective. Based on what she heard, the young mare did have a rough past, and she still managed to make it all the way here. Is it even morally right for the captain of the Wonderbolts to just take her efforts away, and leave her to waste? "Look Lightning Dust," said Twilight again, "I know how hard this is for you to go through everything only to make another severe mistake, but everypony has their imperfections. Don't be too hard on yourself over the past." "I-I-I don't know, I bet that they'll dismiss me for my attitude..." "You know what, Sugarcube?" Applejack walked over to Lightning Dust and wrapped a hoof around her. "Ah think you need a break, why don' you go inside and make yourself home for now, and then maybe talk it out with your boss." "That sounds wonderful if you ask me, although I'm no athlete." Fluttershy added. "Marvelous idea, darling!" Rarity followed, "Lightning, dear, listen to Applejack. The last thing you would want to do right now is make a fuss out of yourself over such... case. We already have forgiven you, darling, so now all you have to do is forgive yourself." "Maybe even a party would do!" Pinkie jumped in. Lightning stared at the Mane Five, then to her teammates who were glaring at her this whole time. They were still unforgiving of what she has done to them. But she did not want to care for them any longer, she did not come all the way here just to have her dreams crushed. She had to do something other than waiting for her doom. Taking a shallow breath, she sighed and quickly thanked the five mares before heading into the academy cafeteria. On the way, however, she bumped into a familiar face who was unaware of the apologetic event that just occurred. "Oh, look who it is. Lightning-eat-your-Dust, how bad did you feel for our team? Oh right, zero, because they're supposed to recover quickly, right?" The lead trainee wanted to retort, but she was curious of what others wanted to say for the first time in her life. So she continued with her hostile eye contact with the cyan pegasus. "The fact that Spitfire actually allowed a son-of-a-bitch like you to remain on the team just shows how corrupted these Wonderbolt idiots are. They only give a damn at their own expenses." Lightning Dust was heart-struck by Rainbow Dash's sudden words. She knew what she did was a little overboard, but nevertheless she had to stay strong and remain superior. She did not know why it was necessary for her to act this way, but her pride comes in before anything else. Even more than Rainbow Dash standing before her. "Oh yeah? And what's your idea, wing pony?" "Tough luck for you, bastard." The cyan pegasus put her goggles into Lightning's mane without care, and took off the team suit before sticking it into her chest. "You won't have an awesome wing pony like me anymore, better off if you're on your own. Otherwise you'll just hurt more ponies." "Hmph!" Lightning Dust snorted before walking away, indirectly cursing at Rainbow Dash as they distanced apart. Gripping tightly onto Rainbow Dash's goggles, she squeezed them until the lenses cracked. A rush of anger and determination washed over her like a pot of hot water. She growled until her veins popped out. Her eyes closed in at the goggles as they began to red. Ego was her middle name after all. "I'll show you that I don't need a damn wing pony, I can make it to the top without anypony's damn help." As she trotted to the Wonderbolts main office, Lightning Dust could not help but think over on her uncontrollable attitude. From the windows, she looked up into the white sky dense of clouds, which was the fresh place that she should be at. Trainees were practicing their laps and committing on other activities. The more she observed their actions, the more external information she was able to get out of them, and that was what she was going to use for judgement call. She sneered at them, just in time as her superior trotted out of the office door. "Lightning Dust, I have heard a bunch of commotions about you from other newbies at the academy." The younger pegasus shivered, her wings folded back into her body, not daring to come out. The sunlight bounced from Spitfire's shades and into Lightning's eyes, shocked and temporarily blinded, she stumbled back. But in those quick two seconds of reaction was enough for her to see things, and the more she saw, the more she wanted to get away from it all. "Lightning Dust." "What are you? Some kind of wasted fraud?" A young Lightning Dust cowered as three older pegasi started kicking her gut, plucking out her precious feathers one by one. Her tears held back as they continued to beat her sadistically and recklessly. A Wonderbolt poster rolled out of the filly's grasp. She tried to reach for the paper, only to be stomped on by one of the older colts. They snickered, before picking up the poster, unwrapping it to see her only hero. "Oh look, what's this dumbo doing on the poster?" "Hey, don't you dare touch that! That's my idol Wind Rider you goofruns!" One colt, known as Hard Wheel, grabbed Lightning Dust by her head and smashed her into the dirt, cutting off her air supply. "Wind Rider?" He cracked, "He sounds like a joke who rides away into the wind when the tough guy shows up!" Everypony else around the filly laughed along, and they began tearing up the poster. Bursting with tears, Lightning Dust bit on Hard Wheel's hoof. He yelped in pain as he let go of the filly, who charged forward with her wings open to save the poster. Before any of the older ponies can react, Lightning Dust already grabbed the halfway torn poster from their hooves. Their hearts stopped and they turned around to gawk at the sleek little pegasus flapping her wings in the air, who did not seem to realize her own innate speed as she responded with frightful glares that could send anypony cold shivers down their spines. One colt wanted to be brave and step forward, but in turn he only slid into the puddle of mud as the freezing raindrops hailed. Lightning Dust's indignant eyes flashed as the lightning struck behind her; an enormous white bolt beating the floor, followed by a hysterical cackle of the thunder. "Don't. Fuck. With me." Those were the last words before the three colts fled away in fear. Right after another flash of lightning, this time it hit her directly from atop. The immense static flowing through her veins had temporarily stopped her heart, but even for a second, Lightning Dust felt a glow of a new experience. Once she noticed that she was all burnt and dirtied from the mud and the wild storm, she looked down at her flank. A white lightning bolt, with three yellow stars below it. Grinning a roguish smile, to the top of her lungs Lightning Dust let out a childish scream of victory. Her voice was lost in the uncaring nature, wicked winds and the violent weather. By the end, she was shouting at nothingness... "Are you alright?" Spitfire's voice broke off the mare's reminiscing, she shook her head to clear everything out. "Um, yeah, I am ma'am. Sorry about that." "Don't apologize, it's only an excuse for those who can't make up to their expectations." She replied. Such response left Lightning Dust lingering in thought about whether what Spitfire said would apply to her own life. She was somewhat shocked herself to hear her captain even say such a thing. "Oh. Well, so you know what I'm here for then?" "By any chance, yes." She gulped in response. "Lightning Dust," She began, but hesitated as she reached her hoof into her suit. "I hoped that you were aware of your own problems and your potential influence on your teammates." Both mares bit their lips in high tides of tension. For some reason neither pony trusted the other at the moment, and that it was only by the fates that the results may fare. After a full minute of their confrontation and a fair smile, Spitfire finally managed to take out a silver piece of metal with shades of blue on it. She put it onto Lightning Dust with a stamp of her hoof. With joy, Lightning accepted her superior's praise by the means of standing strong in her golden pride. She knew that Spitfire knew, that she was better off working by herself. Considering she is the top notch of the current Wonderbolt Academy roster, no other pony can possibly even keep up with her. "Congratulations, lead plus wing newbie. You sure are a rarity of a kind." "Thank you, ma'am." Lightning Dust grinned as the two mares began to trot towards their opposite directions. Her sclera grew a faintly visible shade of red as she tried to hold in her depraved laugh. Clouds began to move quicker than before as the wind picked up more speed. Opening her wings wide, she had never felt so powerful in her life before. She could feel the burning excitement rushing through her cold blood. Her rise to reputation at only the academy was more than enough for her first week, she could do more with ease. "Looks like I'm a hoof ahead of you, Rainbow Dash, that is why I am the lead pony." Author's Note Just to note, I will not have a consistent schedule with updating the chapters (though my original plan was to have around twenty to thirty chapters or so) due to my attention + motivation span. Moreover, junior life isn't easy for someone that struggles to stay positive all the time. I know the first chapter may seem a bit too basic, simple-minded and kid-friendly, as if it was a slice of life stuff with a "good ending"... But don't expect the meat right away, it's a mildly long buildup and soon "stuffs" will happen Critics are welcome! I'm not a huge fan of grimdark stories, but after reading a couple from TheLostNarrator, I've decided to try one out! To Eat Her DustOnce breakfast time was over, many pegasi went out to stretch themselves and enjoy the cool breeze tinging through their furs. They were eager to keep their routine on the behalf of being a pre-Wonderbolt member, and their honor stands before anything else. There are those who were not in the mood to crowd in with everyone else, of course. Especially for those who are outliers that are either the apex player who can perform magic in her teammates' eyes, or those who mindlessly gawk at her teammates with no consent from herself that she will one day, be just like a fantastic flyer herself. Apparently, these outliers are roommates of extreme opposites. "What's wrong, Lightning Dust?" Meadow Flower called by the door, "Still not feeling all too well?" And as much as she had to admit it, Lightning Dust knew that Meadow was only trying to be nice to her, as she is an idol to the pink pegasus. But because she was an idol to someone who was a clumsy failure made the athletic mare reevaluate her beliefs. The eventual response was another growl at her timid roommate. Scratch scratch scratch. "I'm fine, alright? Just need to write something up real quick." "Alright newbies! Today we're gonna do something different! See those clouds placed diagonally across each other?" Everypony drooped their eyes from Spitfire and looked up. From their viewpoint were the enormous white giants warning them to back away like cowards. It was not only the clouds that sent shivers down their fragile spines, but the heavy gusts of high winds available only in Cloudsdale were of no less frightening. Many juveniles bit their lips as they shakily looked at one another, some gulped, some choked, but regardless they had to go through the hardships in order to just maybe qualify as a true flyer. The title of a Wonderbolt was incorporated within their tiny hearts and wings after all. "I'm not done there just yet. Asides from doing five hundred laps around those giant cotton clouds, which are hard to fly through as they trap you with dense moisture; and the wild winds that you're all incapable of dealing with right now, I'm sure." "Once you're done with this obstacle course, an hour break is more than enough to prepare you for your cross country flight around a couple of towns or so, total distance should be about fifty thousand meters, or a good thirty-one miles." Ignoring the newbie groans, Spitfire narrowed her eyes in sudden realization that two obvious mares were not here when supposed to. With a blow on the whistle, she quickly began the rigorous training on her trainees and trotted for a search on the absent roommates. Scratch. "What are you planning on doing, Lightning Dust?" Scratch scratch. "Meadow Flower please, just shut up for a second and let me concentrate." Cringing, the average flyer did nothing but obey the order. 'Now where the hell is that damn piece of paper and the pencil?' She thought to herself as she flipped through closets and shelves, disruptive sounds banged through Meadow's eardrums, but she was already too frightened to say anything. But what Lightning expected to be truly disrupting was the uncalled scribbling that took control of her mind. No matter how hard she tried, futility remained to be the case. Scratch scratch scratch. "UGH!" She knocked a desk over, causing sound loud enough for Spitfire to detect. She saw Meadow Flower standing by her room's doorstep. Right off the instant Spitfire knew something was wrong, and immediately she stormed into the room, only to find her elite flyer rampaging through the room like a wild Everfree beast. "Lightning Dust! For damn sake are you trying to do?!" Ceasing to a halt from that familiar voice, Lightning Dust quickly trotted over to her superior, her head hung low in embarrassment. In the past, she would have retaliated verbally and perhaps even ruthless violence, but that was then, this is now. Scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch. "Sorry ma'am, I couldn't help but get rid of something that was bothering me this whole time—" "I do not want to hear your excuses!" I don't want to hear your damn excuses!" Staggered by his outburst of anger, Lightning Dust had herself onto the ground in almost submission and fear. Her father, Ethereal Cloud, moved in onto the filly as he knocked the chairs and the table aside, giving his daughter a glare that Death had once resided in. A bodybuilder and former world class athlete himself, he chose to retire for his family's sake, and create somepony who will one day surpass himself. But right now, that pony he created will have to overcome an obstacle. "B-but daddy, I—" "Shut the hell up! How many times have you promised to me that you will get your grades up in school? You've been failing in numerous academic classes and major exams, how the hell would any damn sports team even take you in for your slacking attitude?!" On the verge of tears, Lightning Dust wanted to break free, but she knew she couldn't with such a fearsome warden who had been known to pick fists with whoever that cheated in a competition against him, and eventually emerge as victorious. Not even Lightning's mother dared to stop him, because he had been the one raising the family with his incredulous income. Without him, they will suffer financial crisis and fall apart altogether. Not knowing what to say, Lightning bit her lips in shame and walked into her bedroom. On the way she knocked a pot of flowers aside, shattering it into pieces. Ethereal Cloud noticed this but took no response, for he knew what was to happen if anything more serious. Lightning Dust shook her head, she wondered whether the uncanny pencil scribbling was behind these dark folded memories. Spitfire's raising voice was merely above the buzz of a mosquito in her ear. She tilted her head, wondering why her captain was barking at her in such a way. "Hey, hey! Lightning Dust! Are you paying attention for Celestia's sake?!" "U-u-u-uh!" She stammered, "I-I-I-I can hear you, y-y-y-yes m-ma'am!" "How the hell are you even gonna pass today's obstacle courses if you can't even talk to someone straight, damn it!" She turned around, and whispered quick rounded breaths into Meadow Flower's ear. The juvenile nodded her head, and stormed off was the disappointed captain, calling to them without ever turning back, "Do not be late to today's training, you have caused me much trouble, newbie." Gritting her teeth, the response was Lightning Dust's hoof onto the desk, shattering it into pieces. Meadow gulped, before slipping quietly away to meet her other comrades. Scratch. Author's Note Meh, I got a bit lazy and don't want you to wait for too long, so I decided to throw a "curve ball" to keep y’all a heads up. Where of Such Guilt?”It’s not fair! Why does he always get to do whatever he wants with us?” “It’s okay my little lighting bulb, your father is only trying to ensure your success as a good mare.” Dark shadows crept their way through the jungle lairs of the house. Lightning Dust sobbed quietly lest her father hears her again. She was in her mother, Star Dust’s clutch. Star Dust was a medium sized pegasus gifted with proustite fur and a beautiful product of her family’s tangerine-maned allele. She originated from a middle class community on the outskirts of Cloudsdale called Lintucolto1. A peaceful and pure town, Lintucolto boasts high living standards, as well as one of the highest satisfaction reports from the pegasi race. A tradition is held when leaving from the town for work or just in general: The ponies would travel through this strict “Milky Way” in order to make their exits. This pathway is bounded by heavy gusts that an ordinary pegasus cannot go against. As they go through the Milky Way, the pegasi would experience a cosmic hallucination of their emotions, worries, and expectations of what might stand before them. Star Dust exited Lintucolto in search of a mate to start her family, and has not been back home since. “No he hasn’t, mom!” Lightning Dust cried, “He hurts you too!” Star Dust gently shushed her daughter and stroke her golden mane. The mane was already done by her this morning and quickly stumbled into a muddy mess after flight school. “Oh deary, did you pick a fight with those bullies again?” “Mooooom! I said I’ll be fine! And here I am.” “But you can’t just waste your mommy’s effort to make you look more like yourself. You’re a beautiful little girl admired by everyone.” Lightning squinted her eyes. “You mean some teachers whom I don’t even talk to plus yourself?” “Nonsense silly!” She gave the filly a kiss on the forehead. Though, Lightning Dust was still gloomy from what happened earlier. “When I mean everyone. I mean everyone.” On the massive grass field of the Wonderbolt Academy, all trainees, including Lightning Dust and Meadow Flower, lined up for their first grand obstacle course. And after this, it's another thirty-one miles. Frightening as it might sound, Spitfire assured them that no casualties over this event had occurred throughout the academy’s history. “It’s safe.” She pressed on the large group of over thirty juvenile flyers. “There won’t be such thing as a giant alien rock bowling another crater out of nowhere.” Several trainees giggled. A small flock of older pegasi with navy blue and yellow attires landed around the inexperienced youths, creating an exciting commotion. Spitfire continued, “These Wonderbolt members will watch your backs in case anything happens to you lot. But don’t be dependent on them! The point of this obstacle course is to test your endurance. If you didn’t complete it, that’s okay. It simply means you need to work harder than your fellow peers.” Meadow Flower nudged Lightning on the shoulder. She managed to get the speedy mare’s attention despite the latter’s reluctance to even put an eye on her. “Do you think we can make it? I don’t want to pull your heels”— “Remember! This is not a race!” — “Then make sure to keep up! I better not hear whining from you if tired.” Lightning Dust bared her teeth with a soft growl. “On your mark!” Spitfire’s call put the trainees’ distractions to sleep. Every pegasi was ready to take off and prove their Wonderbolt-made quality. Smirking, Lightning Dust flexed her wings and hooves, adrenaline pumped fresh warm blood all over her veins. She licked her lips as if her prey was only meters from her eyes. She didn’t bother to care one word Spitfire had said. “Get set!” She was here to win. “GO!” Once she left her mother’s warmth, Lightning Dust shivered with cold blood in frozen arteries as she walked past her father’s bedroom. But what doubled her intense curiosity was the heavy scribbling Ethereal Cloud was producing with his quill. Scratch scratch scratch. Scratch scratch scratch. It was loud, at least it rang loud enough within her mind. Trembling hooves met the narrow gap of the door. Her father did not shut the door tight. Lightning Dust slowly opened the creaky door; but fortunately for her, Ethereal Cloud was too focused on the piece of paper. He was furiously writing, even accidentally knocking some of his group of items off the table. “Crap my fucking ink ran out!” He slammed the table and got off his chair. Panicking, Lightning Dust quickly shuffled away into her own bedroom, which was next door. Stomping against the wooden floor (also creaking), Ethereal Cloud grabbed some bits and opened the front door. “Star, I’m getting some quills. Watch the house while I’m gone!” Star Dust responded casually, but Lightning Dust frowned in anger. To her, he treated his wife with a tone as if she was an irresponsible child. The filly mumbled under her hot breath. “Mom is the one who cooks and keeps the house clean. What the hell have you ever done?” She went inside Ethereal’s room. Nothing of it impressed her asides the piece of paper on his desk with a dry quill. She got on the chair and squinted at the thick lines emphasized on every single letter. A gulp plunged down Lightning’s throat as her eyes moved up to the first word wrote. Author's Note I deeply apologize for my inactivity. I had a ton of one-shot ideas spurring from my head for awhile and it distracted me from continuing this series. I don’t know if I should force myself to plan a chapter per week, considering I’m preparing to enter college next year plus SYEP work hours throughout the summer . P.S. Your questions revolving around the town of Lintucolto will be revealed in the later chapters! 1 Reference to lintukoto, a home for the birds during the winter to stay warm in Finnish mythology. Hollow RedemptionSoarin folded his wings back into his torso. A crisp boost of refreshment was generated from a tiny fan and into his nostrils. He turned back and observed the other Wonderbolt members, who supervised the obstacle course, entering the room. Fleetfoot, Fire Streak and High Winds chatted among themselves over the trainees who struggled with the activity. “Did you see Maize Flour tripping over one of the cloud rings while attempting a three-sixty twirl? She was soooo ambitious!” “Haha yeah! I saw her hanging over the thing before going to Kernel Flake and helping him get his direction right.” “Boy, it’s such a struggle to help others become one of us. I wonder how our seniors thought about us when we screwed up so much.” They laughed, giggled, did whatever to keep themselves happy. The stallion wanted to join in and find out more from them, but the quench for information quickly drowned when he noticed two mares’ silhouettes standing outside. They were having a conversation as well, but it seemed furious. One droplet off his muzzle vaporized into insignificant substances. Going through the backdoor, he trotted closer towards the two voices. As he finally found the duo, Soarin immediately noticed something wasn’t right. There was a cherry furred pegasus, curled up against the building Soarin was just in. She sobbed, sobbed and sobbed more. Hadn’t the Wonderbolt helped her get back on her own hooves, the cold wall would erode with agonizing cries. “Hey don’t cry now, what happened?” Wiping the remaining tears from the corner of her eye, her hiccups had yet to cease. Soarin grimaced as if he saw gaps surrounding her reddened sockets. He decided that it would be best if they started walking so the mare can focus on other movements than crying. “I’m Soarin, a Wonderbolt flyer. I have access to all of the academy and our headquarters if you need help. Spitfire knows me better than anypony else.” The mare eyed to Soarin. “I’m... Meadow Flower.” “What happened to you? I heard and saw another mare yelling at you from my room.” “T-that was m-my lead pony, Lightning Dust...” Her voice ran cold and quiet. Aware of this new piece of information, Soarin’s relaxed position tensed. His rib cage spiraled into a cord. He knew about the speedy mare’s recent infamy too well. He wasn’t for Spitfire’s decision to keep Lightning Dust in the academy. “What did she do to you?” She took a deep breath and sighed. “I dragged her hooves down, and she had to slow down just to help me. T-that was what she was upset about...” The stallion raised his voice in anger. “That’s not how a Wonderbolt should act! Putting yourself before others? Hasn’t she learned from her mistakes?!” “N-no.” Meadow Flower stopped in her tracks, persuading Soarin to follow along. “That’s not it...” He furrowed his eyebrows. “What?” “She was, like, really angry at first... But she gave me a huffy apology and encouraged me to do better next time...” Meadow stopped in thought for awhile. “It was strange, because of how quickly her mood had swung from down to up.” “Mood shift huh?” Soarin rubbed his muzzle. "Coming from somepony like Lightning Dust?” "She was verbally swearing a lot at first, but she seemed to calm down with an assertive voice." Meadow continued. "I just hope that she'll be fine, I might have caused her too much trouble..." Soarin looked away into the melting creamed sky. His fur stood in the icy particles of the cold breeze, yet quivered like algae. 'It seems I have to speak to her personally about the essence of attitude and humility... Right after what she had done to Rainbow Dash's friends. But it shouldn't be that bad'. "No... No way..." The young Lightning Dust whispered to herself, "That can't be right!" Scratches and scratches entangled the fabrics of space... Scratch scratch scratch... Scrat— A door slammed open in the most disgraceful manner. She let out a tiny shriek. But it didn't matter, for she had read enough to know a shard of the truth. With her athletic reflexes scuttering on the oaken floor, Lightning quickly dashed out of her father's room with a single flap of her wings and into her own room. The house's entrance was just around the corner, Ethereal Cloud could've heard or walked up and noticed his daughter intruding his privacy. Lightning Dust knew this, as she could've got beaten, leaving another long term scar across her face. Domestic violence was nothing new in the family. "The hell? I swore I left the door shut..." He nevertheless walked back into his room and placed the quills into his utensil cup. Lightning Dust stared blankly into the ceiling above. She was worried, for nopony will be her savior. She wished she had elsewhere to reside in, but all hope seem to be clenched into specks of dust, lost in time. Unwilling to the filly, her ears perked straight into the rigid and cracked wall, towards the room where she was just in. "What the hell am I gonna tell my boss now...?" He sat on the chair, and continued "scratching"... Whatever she once placed her mark on, she won't let go of her grip until she's there. Such determination leaks recklessness and immaturity, like a green banana that could not be consumed in satisfaction. Once she entered her academy room from a shower, Lightning Dust cleared the floor with a single swipe of her hoof. She finished the obstacle course in fifth place, thanks to that— one brat who could not keep up with me. She wanted to slam the door behind her, but for some reason she decided it was best to keep it open at a nose gap, in case she suspects of anypony else trespassing her privacy. 'Now I don't have to fuss over who opened the goddamn door...'. She lied on her bed, and attempted to take a peaceful nap. But whatever she tried, there's always that feather fluttering above her in a disturbing manner: a panicking butterfly... "Quills..." She muttered. Lightning Dust rolled over her bed like an insomniac madmare. The torrent passion for fiery hatred remained within her heart. She wanted to scold her, slap her, beat her... No... 'I will kill her. I'll make her know what she will get for messing with me!' She rolled to face the wall. 'But then again, did she mean to harm me? I kinda promised to help her become a Wonderbolt...' 'Should I even bother...?' Three wooden knocks snapped her brain back like a plastic ruler. Grunting, she reluctantly trotted towards the door. Even as she was walking, the knocks continued on impatiently. Blood once again pumped through her thick veins, how many pests does she have to still tolerate? 'It could be Spitfire again,' she reminded herself, so she continued walking towards the door without stopping. Yet, such action only resulted in regret as she was now face-to-face with another Wonderbolt at her doorway. Meadow Flower sat silently in the cafeteria. She hid her face from the trainees nearby, but would occasionally look up to check her hooves. She knew what she did today, and according to somepony who is capable of changing the flight rules at her own will, she failed. Her pink cherry fur was almost pale compared to her original self. The same depression briskly blanched her golden mane, as if she was aging. How much time she remained on her hooves was still a question, but it was no short of a sweat's droplet between her muzzle and the ground. Soon, a mysterious voice would overtake her as she asked herself, 'Had I sinned?' As guilty as she was, Meadow Flower would never speak in such tone. She started eyeing on other trainees. Ponies were ignorant of her depressing presence. They chattered about like another day in life, not caring nor aware of how long they'll be around. Then, a gray furred mailmare was outside the window writing on an envelope with her black marker. Meadow Flower was soon entangled in the cross-eyed pony's movements. Every stroke the mailmare traced down left evidence screeching in her mind. Scratch. Scratch scratch scratch. Scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch. Panicking with excessive sweat, Meadow Flower ducked below her table and covered her ears. The marker's disturbing echoes continued. Subconscious, she kicked the metal bars of the table to distract herself from the noises, only to leave her with a cracked limb. Scratchscratchscratchscratchscratch Scratchscratchscratchscratchscratchcratchscratchscratchscratchscratch Stuttering helplessly, she felt as if she was backed into a corner. And in her Maya blue pupils, a dilapidated wooden doll in the size of a giant towered over the mare with two carmine dots screaming for death, was evident after its sadistic smile hanging below. It looked ancient, prehistoric and maybe terrifyingly impressive, but nothing would describe the doll as innocently amiable. Soon, the doll's eerie voice would tear her skin and fur away. "Meadow Flower..." And then she would see a bonfire for corpses flickering bright. Piles of them stared at her with voided darkness between their eyelids. Scratchscratchscratchscratchscratchcratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchcratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchcratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratch— "Meadow Flower..." The voice emphasized for attention once more. The poor pony did not know what to do. She curled up against the imagined corner waiting for the demonic spirit to splash its crimson painting. Scrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttch! "Meadow Flower!" She tried grasping for air. She tried holding her breath. And it was working thanks to the turquoise figure holding her shoulders under the table. "L-Lightning Dust...?" The other mare groaned, "What the hell are you even doing down here? I'm working my ass off just to get your attention." "What are you doing here?" "To tell you something important, kinda..." Meadow blinked, confused as ever. Lightning Dust took a deep breath. The air was intolerable of such extreme heat and pressure. They both could feel it burning well within them. It was only the two of them standing face to face. One mare was injured behind her thin layers of skin as well as abrupt fear; the other one was psychologically distraught in her own closed off comfort zone. "Look, just because I've raised my voice over you, doesn't mean I hate you. It's just, you and I are leagues apart and it's hard for both sides to accept it." A boulder slumped down her throat as she tried to articulate yet another inspirational sentence. Yet, Meadow Flower bit her lips as if she was in the wrong. Lightning Dust released a huffy breath before continuing, "I could've been less harsh on you, honestly. I thought my peer-pressure influence thing could'a... uh, make you go faster." Meadow raised a brow. "Faster?" "Erm," she took a quick pause, "as in, making you put in more effort to break your limits." "Oh..." the novice flyer looked away, bringing her pale-colored wings to her chest and staring down at them. Her scleras caved inwards, leaving slightly more gaps between her eyelids and pupils than before. "But goddamn, just look at me!" She shook Meadow's shoulders. "You can do better. I know you can!" The mare's eyes slowly returned to normal as she heard those words. "I-I can?" "Yeah! Even if it... ruins my reputation..." "Huh?" "Nothing. Forget about it." Lightning took a deep breath and continued. "The trick to get you to start flying again instead of worrying about what others think of you, is to remind yourself how far you have arrived to. You successfully became a Wonderbolt trainee, and is capable of handling speeds faster than any normal pegasus. Most ponies haven't even tasted a single dew of a Wonderbolt life yet." Her amber gaze glistened on and off. She seemed lusting for a great passion that was more than athleticism. A faint voice loomed around them, followed by more scripts on paper. But they kept talking, because why would they believe in such foalish fantasy? "Do you believe in ghosts... or paranormal activities?" "I, don't." Meadow frowned." But as fillies most of us must had." Lightning Dust looked away with a blush puffing on her cheeks. "What is it?" "I... still do." "Really?" Closing her eyes, the speedy mare nodded. "Ponies would laugh at me for believing such bullcrap. What's worse was that I didn't have anything to prove to them." She wrapped her hoof around her chest. "But deep down I'm not ready to accept that. I will one day make sure they will pay for their mistakes." "But why are you so stubborn to keep this up?" "B-because," she stammered, "I hate losing! If I stopped believing in ghosts, then what was the point of putting my front hooves against everypony else? What defines me if I jump on the stupid bandwagon with them?" Meadow Flower scratched her head. "So... how exactly did you come up with such theory of paranormal events?" "I..." she sighed in defeat. "I hear scratches in my head..." She paused. A locked stare, like a sharp hook piercing her eyelids, was Meadow's only response. "... I..." She bit her lip. "I heard them too... when I saw Derpy delivering mail right outside the cafeteria door." "You don't say?" She nodded depressingly. Sweating, Lightning Dust took another deep breath. "Look, that's not the point here. All I'm saying is that despite not being able to prove stupid ghosts, I proved them wrong when they called me frail, slow, whatever. Because by being the best of the best, I outclassed every other pegasus in flight school. So far, the only pony who barely reached my level was Rainbow Dash." "What's different between me and you, is that the only obstacle is yourself. You think you're a good-for-nothing showpony. You have no faith in yourself. You care about what others think of you. Everything's revolved around you, and now you can't think outside the box." She put a hoof on Meadow's shoulders once more. "But that one obstacle is harder than a bunch of others putting you down. Where are you going to get respect if you can't even respect yourself?" "... I guess you're right on that one." She grinned slightly. "Thank you." "Yeah of course... that's what a lead pony's for." "Hey you two!" Both mares turned around and saw the giant hooves of the chef standing by them. "Stop hiding under the table!" Author's Note Sorry about the scratches, I couldn't help but use them :3 The Best, The Worst and The KudosA week had passed by since Lightning Dust received her wing pony badge, along with the fact that she was also a lead pony. Working alone by herself is perhaps the best way to keep her skills consistent and well developed. At least that was what Spitfire originally had in mind. There were no "commotions" this time about the rash pegasus creating tornadoes or innocent bystanders involved this time around, and the whole academy seemed calm enough, lacking of any conflicts or hot jealousy enough for potential violence. Morning yawned across Equestria when the sky was forged with ocean blue and useless armor of clouds, perhaps to cover its nudity, insecure that it is not what everypony deemed it to be. Maybe the sky was not as good as it had sounded. Rumors come and go, and fly away or then come back when a similar controversy has been leaked. White lies either blind the eyes, or they illuminate the obvious truth that attempts to hide behind. The mare's pupils gripped onto the passing leaves ascending into the upper air, before consumed by the blunt patches of white clouds. A hoof on her chin, she leaned against the window of the academy dorm. She looked as if she was either deep in thought, or that she was deeply lost with confusion. For the first time she had to pause and hesitate on her past behaviors and the ups and downs she had to go through with them. She earned herself enough honor, yet she has lost many from other ponies, who just turned their backs on her and walked away without care. How she ever ended up like now was no longer an option to ponder on, for she can only see what was ahead of her. "Hey Dust," another mare who shared the same dorm room with her called over from her bunk bed, "you up for today?" As much as she wanted to ignore her roommate, Lightning Dust took a glance at her from the corner of her eye. She was a pink pegasi with a well brushed tail and mane, whose colors resembling to that of the fictional filly named *Girthilocks. Whenever Lightning saw her, she always thought of her to be a stallion, due to the short length of her recently cut mane as the mare had once told her. She was also the pony who was first chosen to try out the Dizzitron, where she took a decent time of fifteen seconds. From then and on, she has improved her speed, agility, strength, and stamina. Even then, she was nowhere close to Lightning Dust's capabilities, and she was definitely not worth to be her "wing pony" ever since she once partnered up with Rainbow Dash. Snorting, she let out a small sigh and responded, "Yeah sure, Meadow Flower. I'll be there in a moment. Just give me some time on my own right now, okay?" Struck by awkwardness, Meadow Flower turned her head back in disappointment, another chance to get in touch with a popular figure has failed because of her own social clumsiness. Then again, Meadow had not completely forgotten about when Lightning Dust shoved her aside in the obstacle course, and the ugly tornado that was attempted to blow her away. But selfishness replaces selfishness, as her own desires to get along with her roommate far exceeded how Lightning had once mistreated her. The pink mare opened her wings to stretch herself before walking out of the room for breakfast. Once she took a step out of the doorway, she stretched her head back. "You sure you don't want to come eat with us? It'll be fun." "..." Was all the lead pony responded with, and as a result of that her roommate reluctantly left without another hoof step to be heard. As her thoughts followed her impatient and fast paced vision, scribbles of a pencil vibrated in her eardrums. Scratch scratch scratch. She turned around to check whether she was hearing things, but not a soul was seen near her. Once silence returned, the same noise repeated itself at a subtler rate, as if a propaganda was being planned. "So have you heard of that recent news on Equestria Daily? There was a mysterious crater located near Macintosh Hills!" "You're kidding! That thing was huge! It just mysteriously appeared without any signs of asteroids hitting there!" "I heard that a nearby scout of the Nature Perseverance Organization went to investigate a couple of days ago, and still haven't heard anything from him." "You're not serious—" "Was he writing letters as reports though? "He kept it to a consistent schedule, which is freakin' daily!" "Are you still being serious right now?" "Yeah obviously!" As the news heated up the cafeteria like wildfire, Lightning Dust entered to grab food the second she stepped into the cafeteria. A cup of milk and an egg were good enough for the morning, until lunchtime she had enough energy to outlast everypony else with ease. That was all she cared about so far, regardless of a couple of others glaring at her as she walked by. She went to an empty table near the window, and she placed herself by the window just so she can continue her train of thought from earlier today. However, that was ruined once again as history repeats itself. Irritated, she quickly slammed the table with her fork before Meadow Flower came over to sit across from her. "Hey again Lightning Dust." She greeted her happily. But Lightning Dust grumbled under her breath, continuing to stare outside the window. Meadow Flower sucked her teeth, she did not expect another greeting ignored by her roommate again. The two mares sat under the gleaming sunlight. To Meadow Flower, however, it felt as if Lightning Dust has shone more than she ever has, particularly was because of her golden striped mane that glinted at least five times a second. 'Maybe just another academy record, why is being good so challenging for me?' She eventually lost her initial idea to socialize and created a bubble that shielded her from insecurity. Soon she no longer had the warm welcoming face and expressed her feelings of perhaps an emotional breakdown. Noticing Meadow's distress, and did not want to be condemned as guilty. Lightning Dust sighed in annoyance before attempting to comfort her. "What now?" As much as she knew it would not work because she never had sympathy for other ponies, Meadow Flower looked up to the turquoise mare and put her hooves onto the table. Lightning Dust slowly backed off in disgust. She was not used to showing much feelings, not that she actually cared. But they are roommates, and she realized that she must deal with her every day from now and then. So why not just give it a shot? "Lightning Dust, I know that you are one of the best flyers in the academy, and I know that I'm one of the mediocre ones" — "Change it to the best for me, and the worst for you, annoying prick." The zapping mare muttered under her breath, leaning her elbow and head towards the windows as she could not help but hear every word Meadow articulated in her eardrums, her veins popped out in response. — "but I just want you to know, that I'm lucky to get the opportunity of knowing you better. Maybe with you by my side, I can always seek guidance and extra practice from a fine flyer like you..." She blushed while she merely yapped away like wild animals calling for their mates, a "herbivore" to be exact, for Lightning Dust can easily swallow her whole and it will be the end for poor Meadow Flower. But Lightning did not pluck one petal of sympathy for her roommate at all. Instead, she grunted and took another bite of her cornbread. Though, Lightning did feel a gist of ingenuity coming from this underachiever. Day by day, Meadow Flower constantly broke her personal record each time the trainees repeated their activities despite the fact that she was still a weak flyer. She still lagged behind other ponies during laps and always had something coming up such as a hamstring injury or a mild collision. If she can train Meadow Flower and promote her to the second best flyer in the academy after her, she would take more than majority of the credit, and others will honor her even more than ever. 'Perhaps, I can even make my name printed onto Equestria Daily!' The mare giggled in her mind. When Meadow suddenly gave a suspicious look, Lightning Dust adjusted her sitting posture and took a deep breath to control her ambitious excitement. Grinning, she opened her mouth to reply to Meadow's indirect request. "Then come." Meadow was too retarded to respond. "W-w-what?" "I said come, what are you waiting for then? I doubt anypony else can be as lucky as you are, Meadow Flower. With me by your side, we can achieve the impossible and break through even the limits of the sky. By then, Spitfire will definitely take notice of your innate talent." "Y-you think?" "Yeah, sure!" Lightning Dust paused for a short while, not used to such welcoming acceptance of other ponies. "I mean, think about it!" And they talked on and on about the dull and simple minded topic for a quarter of an hour more. Sooner than thought these mares fell victim to the ignorant and meaningless chit-chattering of random topics through the deceitful mouths of other ponies. Scratch scratch scratch. Scribbles on paper continued to rumble across Lightning Dust's eardrums, but low and quiet enough to avoid even her keen senses. The clouds began to slip away at a quicker speed than usual. Still, these signs were not enough to prove anything yet so far. Author's Note This was a short one. I initially decided to write more here, but I figured that separating this whole chunk of idea into two chapters would do fine likewise *"Girth" is an equestrian term meaning a flat leather/canvas/cord strap to secure different types (mainly English and Australian) of saddles on a horse's back. And of course, Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
A Newbie Without Wing Pony"... if that's what it means to be a Wonderbolt, then I don't want any part of it." "What are you saying, newbie?" "I quit." Maybe those words were not what the Captain of the Wonderbolts wanted to hear, but they rang in her head loud and clear. The Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash, stormed out of her office door before she could even blink. Let it be known that many ponies had their dreams crushed, and that does not exclude the pegasi race. Those who have made it into the Wonderbolts were merely the lucky ones who have not lost their hopes; the will to grasp and cherish for their own desires. And when they do, they rejoice and sing to the heavens, hoping that one day they may arrive to such aesthetic rate of impression on everypony else. Up in Cloudsdale there is an eternal conflict between pride and morality, and whichever side is chosen with bias, that pegasus shall succumb to the bottom of the dirt, or have her feathers burnt out by the unsympathetic sun. If your dreams are always hiding behind the clouds, it will be either a hit or miss situation. However, there are those who have made a shortcut for themselves, and failed to swallow the guiding light that were supposed to shine on them when the time comes. But instead, they put their ego ahead of everything else, whether it be alive or dead. Consequently on their way, the path of destruction is set. Spitfire, frustrated and unwillingly admitted to fear, slammed her desk, knocking her shades, paper files and Rainbow's wing pony badge off onto the floor. Her guards quickly arrived to clean up her mess. She took awhile to contemplate on what the former newbie had said to her. Lightning Dust is an outstanding dark horse, that is for sure, but creating a tornado that could have potentially harmed innocent lives was unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable. A selfish mare like her should immediately be cut from the Wonderbolt academy. However, the captain of the Wonderbolts had not seen such rising talent for ages. Ever since she first joined the academy, all of the flyers there only reached to their top potential through years of hard work and honorable sweat. The two newbies were exceptional geniuses, with the rainbow one having performed a sonic rainboom once in a blue moon, saving her friend Rarity from the verge of a violent death, but also Spitfire herself. Not only that, she had performed it again during Princess Mi Amore Cadenza's wedding with Shining Armor, also a captain of his own army, so it would be reasonable for Spitfire to break down when the young mare had officially declared the end of her desires. Now if one prodigy left, was it worth to lose another one? That was the question lingering on and about over Spitfire's head. But like Rainbow Dash had just told her: putting her team ahead of her own ambitions is what makes the Wonderbolts the Wonderbolts. Lightning Dust was not an exception to such morals as Rainbow had reported to her. Maybe she needed a miracle, as Spitfire's ears perked up in response to the voices outside. She slid her chair by the wall, and leaned her head as close to the windows as possible. "I'm sorry, I truly am." "Look Lightning Dust, we already forgave you awhile ago, but you have to watch your recklessness that may harm other ponies too." "I didn't know what I was capable of, and I didn't want to hurt anypony." "Alright, Sugarcube, take it easy. As long as ya realized your mistakes, you're set to become a better pony." "B-but, why would you speak in such manner to Rainbow Dash earlier?" "Fluttershy's right, darling, I was awestruck by how your... Pompous way came to an end so easily." "Well, I-I..." The voice clearly belonging to Lightning Dust stammered. Even from a distance away, Spitfire's heart raced like it never had before, as if she was still a trainee participating in those overrated competitions. Money, media and public ignorance were all what the hosts wanted. But right now she just wanted the newbie to say the right words, and be kept on the fast lane pitch. "... I didn't want to admit this, but I just hate submitting to ponies and being corrected by them, especially when I'm the lead pony. Do you know how much it hurts your pride when you're constantly judged by others?" "I had to toughen up my soft and sensitive side into what I am now, and guess what? Captain Spitfire was impressed! Many ponies were impressed! Your friend Rainbow Dash, a rising talent herself, was impressed! That is why she hung out with me all the way during the academy until now." "From all my past experiences I knew I had to give it all, I had nothing to lose!" "But guess that did not work out too. Either way I was still the victim, and now you guys too." Irresistible, Spitfire put her face against the window to take a better view of the drama ongoing outside. There she observed Lightning Dust with her head hung low, a miserable and regretting frown carved on her face as well. She slid across the clean grass grown only in Cloudsdale with her foreleg. She bit her lips and tossed her goggles onto the ground, her hooves moved closer toward each other. She did not expect to hear all of this from Lightning's perspective. Based on what she heard, the young mare did have a rough past, and she still managed to make it all the way here. Is it even morally right for the captain of the Wonderbolts to just take her efforts away, and leave her to waste? "Look Lightning Dust," said Twilight again, "I know how hard this is for you to go through everything only to make another severe mistake, but everypony has their imperfections. Don't be too hard on yourself over the past." "I-I-I don't know, I bet that they'll dismiss me for my attitude..." "You know what, Sugarcube?" Applejack walked over to Lightning Dust and wrapped a hoof around her. "Ah think you need a break, why don' you go inside and make yourself home for now, and then maybe talk it out with your boss." "That sounds wonderful if you ask me, although I'm no athlete." Fluttershy added. "Marvelous idea, darling!" Rarity followed, "Lightning, dear, listen to Applejack. The last thing you would want to do right now is make a fuss out of yourself over such... case. We already have forgiven you, darling, so now all you have to do is forgive yourself." "Maybe even a party would do!" Pinkie jumped in. Lightning stared at the Mane Five, then to her teammates who were glaring at her this whole time. They were still unforgiving of what she has done to them. But she did not want to care for them any longer, she did not come all the way here just to have her dreams crushed. She had to do something other than waiting for her doom. Taking a shallow breath, she sighed and quickly thanked the five mares before heading into the academy cafeteria. On the way, however, she bumped into a familiar face who was unaware of the apologetic event that just occurred. "Oh, look who it is. Lightning-eat-your-Dust, how bad did you feel for our team? Oh right, zero, because they're supposed to recover quickly, right?" The lead trainee wanted to retort, but she was curious of what others wanted to say for the first time in her life. So she continued with her hostile eye contact with the cyan pegasus. "The fact that Spitfire actually allowed a son-of-a-bitch like you to remain on the team just shows how corrupted these Wonderbolt idiots are. They only give a damn at their own expenses." Lightning Dust was heart-struck by Rainbow Dash's sudden words. She knew what she did was a little overboard, but nevertheless she had to stay strong and remain superior. She did not know why it was necessary for her to act this way, but her pride comes in before anything else. Even more than Rainbow Dash standing before her. "Oh yeah? And what's your idea, wing pony?" "Tough luck for you, bastard." The cyan pegasus put her goggles into Lightning's mane without care, and took off the team suit before sticking it into her chest. "You won't have an awesome wing pony like me anymore, better off if you're on your own. Otherwise you'll just hurt more ponies." "Hmph!" Lightning Dust snorted before walking away, indirectly cursing at Rainbow Dash as they distanced apart. Gripping tightly onto Rainbow Dash's goggles, she squeezed them until the lenses cracked. A rush of anger and determination washed over her like a pot of hot water. She growled until her veins popped out. Her eyes closed in at the goggles as they began to red. Ego was her middle name after all. "I'll show you that I don't need a damn wing pony, I can make it to the top without anypony's damn help." As she trotted to the Wonderbolts main office, Lightning Dust could not help but think over on her uncontrollable attitude. From the windows, she looked up into the white sky dense of clouds, which was the fresh place that she should be at. Trainees were practicing their laps and committing on other activities. The more she observed their actions, the more external information she was able to get out of them, and that was what she was going to use for judgement call. She sneered at them, just in time as her superior trotted out of the office door. "Lightning Dust, I have heard a bunch of commotions about you from other newbies at the academy." The younger pegasus shivered, her wings folded back into her body, not daring to come out. The sunlight bounced from Spitfire's shades and into Lightning's eyes, shocked and temporarily blinded, she stumbled back. But in those quick two seconds of reaction was enough for her to see things, and the more she saw, the more she wanted to get away from it all. "Lightning Dust." "What are you? Some kind of wasted fraud?" A young Lightning Dust cowered as three older pegasi started kicking her gut, plucking out her precious feathers one by one. Her tears held back as they continued to beat her sadistically and recklessly. A Wonderbolt poster rolled out of the filly's grasp. She tried to reach for the paper, only to be stomped on by one of the older colts. They snickered, before picking up the poster, unwrapping it to see her only hero. "Oh look, what's this dumbo doing on the poster?" "Hey, don't you dare touch that! That's my idol Wind Rider you goofruns!" One colt, known as Hard Wheel, grabbed Lightning Dust by her head and smashed her into the dirt, cutting off her air supply. "Wind Rider?" He cracked, "He sounds like a joke who rides away into the wind when the tough guy shows up!" Everypony else around the filly laughed along, and they began tearing up the poster. Bursting with tears, Lightning Dust bit on Hard Wheel's hoof. He yelped in pain as he let go of the filly, who charged forward with her wings open to save the poster. Before any of the older ponies can react, Lightning Dust already grabbed the halfway torn poster from their hooves. Their hearts stopped and they turned around to gawk at the sleek little pegasus flapping her wings in the air, who did not seem to realize her own innate speed as she responded with frightful glares that could send anypony cold shivers down their spines. One colt wanted to be brave and step forward, but in turn he only slid into the puddle of mud as the freezing raindrops hailed. Lightning Dust's indignant eyes flashed as the lightning struck behind her; an enormous white bolt beating the floor, followed by a hysterical cackle of the thunder. "Don't. Fuck. With me." Those were the last words before the three colts fled away in fear. Right after another flash of lightning, this time it hit her directly from atop. The immense static flowing through her veins had temporarily stopped her heart, but even for a second, Lightning Dust felt a glow of a new experience. Once she noticed that she was all burnt and dirtied from the mud and the wild storm, she looked down at her flank. A white lightning bolt, with three yellow stars below it. Grinning a roguish smile, to the top of her lungs Lightning Dust let out a childish scream of victory. Her voice was lost in the uncaring nature, wicked winds and the violent weather. By the end, she was shouting at nothingness... "Are you alright?" Spitfire's voice broke off the mare's reminiscing, she shook her head to clear everything out. "Um, yeah, I am ma'am. Sorry about that." "Don't apologize, it's only an excuse for those who can't make up to their expectations." She replied. Such response left Lightning Dust lingering in thought about whether what Spitfire said would apply to her own life. She was somewhat shocked herself to hear her captain even say such a thing. "Oh. Well, so you know what I'm here for then?" "By any chance, yes." She gulped in response. "Lightning Dust," She began, but hesitated as she reached her hoof into her suit. "I hoped that you were aware of your own problems and your potential influence on your teammates." Both mares bit their lips in high tides of tension. For some reason neither pony trusted the other at the moment, and that it was only by the fates that the results may fare. After a full minute of their confrontation and a fair smile, Spitfire finally managed to take out a silver piece of metal with shades of blue on it. She put it onto Lightning Dust with a stamp of her hoof. With joy, Lightning accepted her superior's praise by the means of standing strong in her golden pride. She knew that Spitfire knew, that she was better off working by herself. Considering she is the top notch of the current Wonderbolt Academy roster, no other pony can possibly even keep up with her. "Congratulations, lead plus wing newbie. You sure are a rarity of a kind." "Thank you, ma'am." Lightning Dust grinned as the two mares began to trot towards their opposite directions. Her sclera grew a faintly visible shade of red as she tried to hold in her depraved laugh. Clouds began to move quicker than before as the wind picked up more speed. Opening her wings wide, she had never felt so powerful in her life before. She could feel the burning excitement rushing through her cold blood. Her rise to reputation at only the academy was more than enough for her first week, she could do more with ease. "Looks like I'm a hoof ahead of you, Rainbow Dash, that is why I am the lead pony." Author's Note Just to note, I will not have a consistent schedule with updating the chapters (though my original plan was to have around twenty to thirty chapters or so) due to my attention + motivation span. Moreover, junior life isn't easy for someone that struggles to stay positive all the time. I know the first chapter may seem a bit too basic, simple-minded and kid-friendly, as if it was a slice of life stuff with a "good ending"... But don't expect the meat right away, it's a mildly long buildup and soon "stuffs" will happen Critics are welcome! I'm not a huge fan of grimdark stories, but after reading a couple from TheLostNarrator, I've decided to try one out!
To Eat Her DustOnce breakfast time was over, many pegasi went out to stretch themselves and enjoy the cool breeze tinging through their furs. They were eager to keep their routine on the behalf of being a pre-Wonderbolt member, and their honor stands before anything else. There are those who were not in the mood to crowd in with everyone else, of course. Especially for those who are outliers that are either the apex player who can perform magic in her teammates' eyes, or those who mindlessly gawk at her teammates with no consent from herself that she will one day, be just like a fantastic flyer herself. Apparently, these outliers are roommates of extreme opposites. "What's wrong, Lightning Dust?" Meadow Flower called by the door, "Still not feeling all too well?" And as much as she had to admit it, Lightning Dust knew that Meadow was only trying to be nice to her, as she is an idol to the pink pegasus. But because she was an idol to someone who was a clumsy failure made the athletic mare reevaluate her beliefs. The eventual response was another growl at her timid roommate. Scratch scratch scratch. "I'm fine, alright? Just need to write something up real quick." "Alright newbies! Today we're gonna do something different! See those clouds placed diagonally across each other?" Everypony drooped their eyes from Spitfire and looked up. From their viewpoint were the enormous white giants warning them to back away like cowards. It was not only the clouds that sent shivers down their fragile spines, but the heavy gusts of high winds available only in Cloudsdale were of no less frightening. Many juveniles bit their lips as they shakily looked at one another, some gulped, some choked, but regardless they had to go through the hardships in order to just maybe qualify as a true flyer. The title of a Wonderbolt was incorporated within their tiny hearts and wings after all. "I'm not done there just yet. Asides from doing five hundred laps around those giant cotton clouds, which are hard to fly through as they trap you with dense moisture; and the wild winds that you're all incapable of dealing with right now, I'm sure." "Once you're done with this obstacle course, an hour break is more than enough to prepare you for your cross country flight around a couple of towns or so, total distance should be about fifty thousand meters, or a good thirty-one miles." Ignoring the newbie groans, Spitfire narrowed her eyes in sudden realization that two obvious mares were not here when supposed to. With a blow on the whistle, she quickly began the rigorous training on her trainees and trotted for a search on the absent roommates. Scratch. "What are you planning on doing, Lightning Dust?" Scratch scratch. "Meadow Flower please, just shut up for a second and let me concentrate." Cringing, the average flyer did nothing but obey the order. 'Now where the hell is that damn piece of paper and the pencil?' She thought to herself as she flipped through closets and shelves, disruptive sounds banged through Meadow's eardrums, but she was already too frightened to say anything. But what Lightning expected to be truly disrupting was the uncalled scribbling that took control of her mind. No matter how hard she tried, futility remained to be the case. Scratch scratch scratch. "UGH!" She knocked a desk over, causing sound loud enough for Spitfire to detect. She saw Meadow Flower standing by her room's doorstep. Right off the instant Spitfire knew something was wrong, and immediately she stormed into the room, only to find her elite flyer rampaging through the room like a wild Everfree beast. "Lightning Dust! For damn sake are you trying to do?!" Ceasing to a halt from that familiar voice, Lightning Dust quickly trotted over to her superior, her head hung low in embarrassment. In the past, she would have retaliated verbally and perhaps even ruthless violence, but that was then, this is now. Scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch. "Sorry ma'am, I couldn't help but get rid of something that was bothering me this whole time—" "I do not want to hear your excuses!" I don't want to hear your damn excuses!" Staggered by his outburst of anger, Lightning Dust had herself onto the ground in almost submission and fear. Her father, Ethereal Cloud, moved in onto the filly as he knocked the chairs and the table aside, giving his daughter a glare that Death had once resided in. A bodybuilder and former world class athlete himself, he chose to retire for his family's sake, and create somepony who will one day surpass himself. But right now, that pony he created will have to overcome an obstacle. "B-but daddy, I—" "Shut the hell up! How many times have you promised to me that you will get your grades up in school? You've been failing in numerous academic classes and major exams, how the hell would any damn sports team even take you in for your slacking attitude?!" On the verge of tears, Lightning Dust wanted to break free, but she knew she couldn't with such a fearsome warden who had been known to pick fists with whoever that cheated in a competition against him, and eventually emerge as victorious. Not even Lightning's mother dared to stop him, because he had been the one raising the family with his incredulous income. Without him, they will suffer financial crisis and fall apart altogether. Not knowing what to say, Lightning bit her lips in shame and walked into her bedroom. On the way she knocked a pot of flowers aside, shattering it into pieces. Ethereal Cloud noticed this but took no response, for he knew what was to happen if anything more serious. Lightning Dust shook her head, she wondered whether the uncanny pencil scribbling was behind these dark folded memories. Spitfire's raising voice was merely above the buzz of a mosquito in her ear. She tilted her head, wondering why her captain was barking at her in such a way. "Hey, hey! Lightning Dust! Are you paying attention for Celestia's sake?!" "U-u-u-uh!" She stammered, "I-I-I-I can hear you, y-y-y-yes m-ma'am!" "How the hell are you even gonna pass today's obstacle courses if you can't even talk to someone straight, damn it!" She turned around, and whispered quick rounded breaths into Meadow Flower's ear. The juvenile nodded her head, and stormed off was the disappointed captain, calling to them without ever turning back, "Do not be late to today's training, you have caused me much trouble, newbie." Gritting her teeth, the response was Lightning Dust's hoof onto the desk, shattering it into pieces. Meadow gulped, before slipping quietly away to meet her other comrades. Scratch. Author's Note Meh, I got a bit lazy and don't want you to wait for too long, so I decided to throw a "curve ball" to keep y’all a heads up.
Where of Such Guilt?”It’s not fair! Why does he always get to do whatever he wants with us?” “It’s okay my little lighting bulb, your father is only trying to ensure your success as a good mare.” Dark shadows crept their way through the jungle lairs of the house. Lightning Dust sobbed quietly lest her father hears her again. She was in her mother, Star Dust’s clutch. Star Dust was a medium sized pegasus gifted with proustite fur and a beautiful product of her family’s tangerine-maned allele. She originated from a middle class community on the outskirts of Cloudsdale called Lintucolto1. A peaceful and pure town, Lintucolto boasts high living standards, as well as one of the highest satisfaction reports from the pegasi race. A tradition is held when leaving from the town for work or just in general: The ponies would travel through this strict “Milky Way” in order to make their exits. This pathway is bounded by heavy gusts that an ordinary pegasus cannot go against. As they go through the Milky Way, the pegasi would experience a cosmic hallucination of their emotions, worries, and expectations of what might stand before them. Star Dust exited Lintucolto in search of a mate to start her family, and has not been back home since. “No he hasn’t, mom!” Lightning Dust cried, “He hurts you too!” Star Dust gently shushed her daughter and stroke her golden mane. The mane was already done by her this morning and quickly stumbled into a muddy mess after flight school. “Oh deary, did you pick a fight with those bullies again?” “Mooooom! I said I’ll be fine! And here I am.” “But you can’t just waste your mommy’s effort to make you look more like yourself. You’re a beautiful little girl admired by everyone.” Lightning squinted her eyes. “You mean some teachers whom I don’t even talk to plus yourself?” “Nonsense silly!” She gave the filly a kiss on the forehead. Though, Lightning Dust was still gloomy from what happened earlier. “When I mean everyone. I mean everyone.” On the massive grass field of the Wonderbolt Academy, all trainees, including Lightning Dust and Meadow Flower, lined up for their first grand obstacle course. And after this, it's another thirty-one miles. Frightening as it might sound, Spitfire assured them that no casualties over this event had occurred throughout the academy’s history. “It’s safe.” She pressed on the large group of over thirty juvenile flyers. “There won’t be such thing as a giant alien rock bowling another crater out of nowhere.” Several trainees giggled. A small flock of older pegasi with navy blue and yellow attires landed around the inexperienced youths, creating an exciting commotion. Spitfire continued, “These Wonderbolt members will watch your backs in case anything happens to you lot. But don’t be dependent on them! The point of this obstacle course is to test your endurance. If you didn’t complete it, that’s okay. It simply means you need to work harder than your fellow peers.” Meadow Flower nudged Lightning on the shoulder. She managed to get the speedy mare’s attention despite the latter’s reluctance to even put an eye on her. “Do you think we can make it? I don’t want to pull your heels”— “Remember! This is not a race!” — “Then make sure to keep up! I better not hear whining from you if tired.” Lightning Dust bared her teeth with a soft growl. “On your mark!” Spitfire’s call put the trainees’ distractions to sleep. Every pegasi was ready to take off and prove their Wonderbolt-made quality. Smirking, Lightning Dust flexed her wings and hooves, adrenaline pumped fresh warm blood all over her veins. She licked her lips as if her prey was only meters from her eyes. She didn’t bother to care one word Spitfire had said. “Get set!” She was here to win. “GO!” Once she left her mother’s warmth, Lightning Dust shivered with cold blood in frozen arteries as she walked past her father’s bedroom. But what doubled her intense curiosity was the heavy scribbling Ethereal Cloud was producing with his quill. Scratch scratch scratch. Scratch scratch scratch. It was loud, at least it rang loud enough within her mind. Trembling hooves met the narrow gap of the door. Her father did not shut the door tight. Lightning Dust slowly opened the creaky door; but fortunately for her, Ethereal Cloud was too focused on the piece of paper. He was furiously writing, even accidentally knocking some of his group of items off the table. “Crap my fucking ink ran out!” He slammed the table and got off his chair. Panicking, Lightning Dust quickly shuffled away into her own bedroom, which was next door. Stomping against the wooden floor (also creaking), Ethereal Cloud grabbed some bits and opened the front door. “Star, I’m getting some quills. Watch the house while I’m gone!” Star Dust responded casually, but Lightning Dust frowned in anger. To her, he treated his wife with a tone as if she was an irresponsible child. The filly mumbled under her hot breath. “Mom is the one who cooks and keeps the house clean. What the hell have you ever done?” She went inside Ethereal’s room. Nothing of it impressed her asides the piece of paper on his desk with a dry quill. She got on the chair and squinted at the thick lines emphasized on every single letter. A gulp plunged down Lightning’s throat as her eyes moved up to the first word wrote. Author's Note I deeply apologize for my inactivity. I had a ton of one-shot ideas spurring from my head for awhile and it distracted me from continuing this series. I don’t know if I should force myself to plan a chapter per week, considering I’m preparing to enter college next year plus SYEP work hours throughout the summer . P.S. Your questions revolving around the town of Lintucolto will be revealed in the later chapters! 1 Reference to lintukoto, a home for the birds during the winter to stay warm in Finnish mythology.
Hollow RedemptionSoarin folded his wings back into his torso. A crisp boost of refreshment was generated from a tiny fan and into his nostrils. He turned back and observed the other Wonderbolt members, who supervised the obstacle course, entering the room. Fleetfoot, Fire Streak and High Winds chatted among themselves over the trainees who struggled with the activity. “Did you see Maize Flour tripping over one of the cloud rings while attempting a three-sixty twirl? She was soooo ambitious!” “Haha yeah! I saw her hanging over the thing before going to Kernel Flake and helping him get his direction right.” “Boy, it’s such a struggle to help others become one of us. I wonder how our seniors thought about us when we screwed up so much.” They laughed, giggled, did whatever to keep themselves happy. The stallion wanted to join in and find out more from them, but the quench for information quickly drowned when he noticed two mares’ silhouettes standing outside. They were having a conversation as well, but it seemed furious. One droplet off his muzzle vaporized into insignificant substances. Going through the backdoor, he trotted closer towards the two voices. As he finally found the duo, Soarin immediately noticed something wasn’t right. There was a cherry furred pegasus, curled up against the building Soarin was just in. She sobbed, sobbed and sobbed more. Hadn’t the Wonderbolt helped her get back on her own hooves, the cold wall would erode with agonizing cries. “Hey don’t cry now, what happened?” Wiping the remaining tears from the corner of her eye, her hiccups had yet to cease. Soarin grimaced as if he saw gaps surrounding her reddened sockets. He decided that it would be best if they started walking so the mare can focus on other movements than crying. “I’m Soarin, a Wonderbolt flyer. I have access to all of the academy and our headquarters if you need help. Spitfire knows me better than anypony else.” The mare eyed to Soarin. “I’m... Meadow Flower.” “What happened to you? I heard and saw another mare yelling at you from my room.” “T-that was m-my lead pony, Lightning Dust...” Her voice ran cold and quiet. Aware of this new piece of information, Soarin’s relaxed position tensed. His rib cage spiraled into a cord. He knew about the speedy mare’s recent infamy too well. He wasn’t for Spitfire’s decision to keep Lightning Dust in the academy. “What did she do to you?” She took a deep breath and sighed. “I dragged her hooves down, and she had to slow down just to help me. T-that was what she was upset about...” The stallion raised his voice in anger. “That’s not how a Wonderbolt should act! Putting yourself before others? Hasn’t she learned from her mistakes?!” “N-no.” Meadow Flower stopped in her tracks, persuading Soarin to follow along. “That’s not it...” He furrowed his eyebrows. “What?” “She was, like, really angry at first... But she gave me a huffy apology and encouraged me to do better next time...” Meadow stopped in thought for awhile. “It was strange, because of how quickly her mood had swung from down to up.” “Mood shift huh?” Soarin rubbed his muzzle. "Coming from somepony like Lightning Dust?” "She was verbally swearing a lot at first, but she seemed to calm down with an assertive voice." Meadow continued. "I just hope that she'll be fine, I might have caused her too much trouble..." Soarin looked away into the melting creamed sky. His fur stood in the icy particles of the cold breeze, yet quivered like algae. 'It seems I have to speak to her personally about the essence of attitude and humility... Right after what she had done to Rainbow Dash's friends. But it shouldn't be that bad'. "No... No way..." The young Lightning Dust whispered to herself, "That can't be right!" Scratches and scratches entangled the fabrics of space... Scratch scratch scratch... Scrat— A door slammed open in the most disgraceful manner. She let out a tiny shriek. But it didn't matter, for she had read enough to know a shard of the truth. With her athletic reflexes scuttering on the oaken floor, Lightning quickly dashed out of her father's room with a single flap of her wings and into her own room. The house's entrance was just around the corner, Ethereal Cloud could've heard or walked up and noticed his daughter intruding his privacy. Lightning Dust knew this, as she could've got beaten, leaving another long term scar across her face. Domestic violence was nothing new in the family. "The hell? I swore I left the door shut..." He nevertheless walked back into his room and placed the quills into his utensil cup. Lightning Dust stared blankly into the ceiling above. She was worried, for nopony will be her savior. She wished she had elsewhere to reside in, but all hope seem to be clenched into specks of dust, lost in time. Unwilling to the filly, her ears perked straight into the rigid and cracked wall, towards the room where she was just in. "What the hell am I gonna tell my boss now...?" He sat on the chair, and continued "scratching"... Whatever she once placed her mark on, she won't let go of her grip until she's there. Such determination leaks recklessness and immaturity, like a green banana that could not be consumed in satisfaction. Once she entered her academy room from a shower, Lightning Dust cleared the floor with a single swipe of her hoof. She finished the obstacle course in fifth place, thanks to that— one brat who could not keep up with me. She wanted to slam the door behind her, but for some reason she decided it was best to keep it open at a nose gap, in case she suspects of anypony else trespassing her privacy. 'Now I don't have to fuss over who opened the goddamn door...'. She lied on her bed, and attempted to take a peaceful nap. But whatever she tried, there's always that feather fluttering above her in a disturbing manner: a panicking butterfly... "Quills..." She muttered. Lightning Dust rolled over her bed like an insomniac madmare. The torrent passion for fiery hatred remained within her heart. She wanted to scold her, slap her, beat her... No... 'I will kill her. I'll make her know what she will get for messing with me!' She rolled to face the wall. 'But then again, did she mean to harm me? I kinda promised to help her become a Wonderbolt...' 'Should I even bother...?' Three wooden knocks snapped her brain back like a plastic ruler. Grunting, she reluctantly trotted towards the door. Even as she was walking, the knocks continued on impatiently. Blood once again pumped through her thick veins, how many pests does she have to still tolerate? 'It could be Spitfire again,' she reminded herself, so she continued walking towards the door without stopping. Yet, such action only resulted in regret as she was now face-to-face with another Wonderbolt at her doorway. Meadow Flower sat silently in the cafeteria. She hid her face from the trainees nearby, but would occasionally look up to check her hooves. She knew what she did today, and according to somepony who is capable of changing the flight rules at her own will, she failed. Her pink cherry fur was almost pale compared to her original self. The same depression briskly blanched her golden mane, as if she was aging. How much time she remained on her hooves was still a question, but it was no short of a sweat's droplet between her muzzle and the ground. Soon, a mysterious voice would overtake her as she asked herself, 'Had I sinned?' As guilty as she was, Meadow Flower would never speak in such tone. She started eyeing on other trainees. Ponies were ignorant of her depressing presence. They chattered about like another day in life, not caring nor aware of how long they'll be around. Then, a gray furred mailmare was outside the window writing on an envelope with her black marker. Meadow Flower was soon entangled in the cross-eyed pony's movements. Every stroke the mailmare traced down left evidence screeching in her mind. Scratch. Scratch scratch scratch. Scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch. Panicking with excessive sweat, Meadow Flower ducked below her table and covered her ears. The marker's disturbing echoes continued. Subconscious, she kicked the metal bars of the table to distract herself from the noises, only to leave her with a cracked limb. Scratchscratchscratchscratchscratch Scratchscratchscratchscratchscratchcratchscratchscratchscratchscratch Stuttering helplessly, she felt as if she was backed into a corner. And in her Maya blue pupils, a dilapidated wooden doll in the size of a giant towered over the mare with two carmine dots screaming for death, was evident after its sadistic smile hanging below. It looked ancient, prehistoric and maybe terrifyingly impressive, but nothing would describe the doll as innocently amiable. Soon, the doll's eerie voice would tear her skin and fur away. "Meadow Flower..." And then she would see a bonfire for corpses flickering bright. Piles of them stared at her with voided darkness between their eyelids. Scratchscratchscratchscratchscratchcratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchcratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchcratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratchscratch— "Meadow Flower..." The voice emphasized for attention once more. The poor pony did not know what to do. She curled up against the imagined corner waiting for the demonic spirit to splash its crimson painting. Scrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttch! "Meadow Flower!" She tried grasping for air. She tried holding her breath. And it was working thanks to the turquoise figure holding her shoulders under the table. "L-Lightning Dust...?" The other mare groaned, "What the hell are you even doing down here? I'm working my ass off just to get your attention." "What are you doing here?" "To tell you something important, kinda..." Meadow blinked, confused as ever. Lightning Dust took a deep breath. The air was intolerable of such extreme heat and pressure. They both could feel it burning well within them. It was only the two of them standing face to face. One mare was injured behind her thin layers of skin as well as abrupt fear; the other one was psychologically distraught in her own closed off comfort zone. "Look, just because I've raised my voice over you, doesn't mean I hate you. It's just, you and I are leagues apart and it's hard for both sides to accept it." A boulder slumped down her throat as she tried to articulate yet another inspirational sentence. Yet, Meadow Flower bit her lips as if she was in the wrong. Lightning Dust released a huffy breath before continuing, "I could've been less harsh on you, honestly. I thought my peer-pressure influence thing could'a... uh, make you go faster." Meadow raised a brow. "Faster?" "Erm," she took a quick pause, "as in, making you put in more effort to break your limits." "Oh..." the novice flyer looked away, bringing her pale-colored wings to her chest and staring down at them. Her scleras caved inwards, leaving slightly more gaps between her eyelids and pupils than before. "But goddamn, just look at me!" She shook Meadow's shoulders. "You can do better. I know you can!" The mare's eyes slowly returned to normal as she heard those words. "I-I can?" "Yeah! Even if it... ruins my reputation..." "Huh?" "Nothing. Forget about it." Lightning took a deep breath and continued. "The trick to get you to start flying again instead of worrying about what others think of you, is to remind yourself how far you have arrived to. You successfully became a Wonderbolt trainee, and is capable of handling speeds faster than any normal pegasus. Most ponies haven't even tasted a single dew of a Wonderbolt life yet." Her amber gaze glistened on and off. She seemed lusting for a great passion that was more than athleticism. A faint voice loomed around them, followed by more scripts on paper. But they kept talking, because why would they believe in such foalish fantasy? "Do you believe in ghosts... or paranormal activities?" "I, don't." Meadow frowned." But as fillies most of us must had." Lightning Dust looked away with a blush puffing on her cheeks. "What is it?" "I... still do." "Really?" Closing her eyes, the speedy mare nodded. "Ponies would laugh at me for believing such bullcrap. What's worse was that I didn't have anything to prove to them." She wrapped her hoof around her chest. "But deep down I'm not ready to accept that. I will one day make sure they will pay for their mistakes." "But why are you so stubborn to keep this up?" "B-because," she stammered, "I hate losing! If I stopped believing in ghosts, then what was the point of putting my front hooves against everypony else? What defines me if I jump on the stupid bandwagon with them?" Meadow Flower scratched her head. "So... how exactly did you come up with such theory of paranormal events?" "I..." she sighed in defeat. "I hear scratches in my head..." She paused. A locked stare, like a sharp hook piercing her eyelids, was Meadow's only response. "... I..." She bit her lip. "I heard them too... when I saw Derpy delivering mail right outside the cafeteria door." "You don't say?" She nodded depressingly. Sweating, Lightning Dust took another deep breath. "Look, that's not the point here. All I'm saying is that despite not being able to prove stupid ghosts, I proved them wrong when they called me frail, slow, whatever. Because by being the best of the best, I outclassed every other pegasus in flight school. So far, the only pony who barely reached my level was Rainbow Dash." "What's different between me and you, is that the only obstacle is yourself. You think you're a good-for-nothing showpony. You have no faith in yourself. You care about what others think of you. Everything's revolved around you, and now you can't think outside the box." She put a hoof on Meadow's shoulders once more. "But that one obstacle is harder than a bunch of others putting you down. Where are you going to get respect if you can't even respect yourself?" "... I guess you're right on that one." She grinned slightly. "Thank you." "Yeah of course... that's what a lead pony's for." "Hey you two!" Both mares turned around and saw the giant hooves of the chef standing by them. "Stop hiding under the table!" Author's Note Sorry about the scratches, I couldn't help but use them :3
The Best, The Worst and The KudosA week had passed by since Lightning Dust received her wing pony badge, along with the fact that she was also a lead pony. Working alone by herself is perhaps the best way to keep her skills consistent and well developed. At least that was what Spitfire originally had in mind. There were no "commotions" this time about the rash pegasus creating tornadoes or innocent bystanders involved this time around, and the whole academy seemed calm enough, lacking of any conflicts or hot jealousy enough for potential violence. Morning yawned across Equestria when the sky was forged with ocean blue and useless armor of clouds, perhaps to cover its nudity, insecure that it is not what everypony deemed it to be. Maybe the sky was not as good as it had sounded. Rumors come and go, and fly away or then come back when a similar controversy has been leaked. White lies either blind the eyes, or they illuminate the obvious truth that attempts to hide behind. The mare's pupils gripped onto the passing leaves ascending into the upper air, before consumed by the blunt patches of white clouds. A hoof on her chin, she leaned against the window of the academy dorm. She looked as if she was either deep in thought, or that she was deeply lost with confusion. For the first time she had to pause and hesitate on her past behaviors and the ups and downs she had to go through with them. She earned herself enough honor, yet she has lost many from other ponies, who just turned their backs on her and walked away without care. How she ever ended up like now was no longer an option to ponder on, for she can only see what was ahead of her. "Hey Dust," another mare who shared the same dorm room with her called over from her bunk bed, "you up for today?" As much as she wanted to ignore her roommate, Lightning Dust took a glance at her from the corner of her eye. She was a pink pegasi with a well brushed tail and mane, whose colors resembling to that of the fictional filly named *Girthilocks. Whenever Lightning saw her, she always thought of her to be a stallion, due to the short length of her recently cut mane as the mare had once told her. She was also the pony who was first chosen to try out the Dizzitron, where she took a decent time of fifteen seconds. From then and on, she has improved her speed, agility, strength, and stamina. Even then, she was nowhere close to Lightning Dust's capabilities, and she was definitely not worth to be her "wing pony" ever since she once partnered up with Rainbow Dash. Snorting, she let out a small sigh and responded, "Yeah sure, Meadow Flower. I'll be there in a moment. Just give me some time on my own right now, okay?" Struck by awkwardness, Meadow Flower turned her head back in disappointment, another chance to get in touch with a popular figure has failed because of her own social clumsiness. Then again, Meadow had not completely forgotten about when Lightning Dust shoved her aside in the obstacle course, and the ugly tornado that was attempted to blow her away. But selfishness replaces selfishness, as her own desires to get along with her roommate far exceeded how Lightning had once mistreated her. The pink mare opened her wings to stretch herself before walking out of the room for breakfast. Once she took a step out of the doorway, she stretched her head back. "You sure you don't want to come eat with us? It'll be fun." "..." Was all the lead pony responded with, and as a result of that her roommate reluctantly left without another hoof step to be heard. As her thoughts followed her impatient and fast paced vision, scribbles of a pencil vibrated in her eardrums. Scratch scratch scratch. She turned around to check whether she was hearing things, but not a soul was seen near her. Once silence returned, the same noise repeated itself at a subtler rate, as if a propaganda was being planned. "So have you heard of that recent news on Equestria Daily? There was a mysterious crater located near Macintosh Hills!" "You're kidding! That thing was huge! It just mysteriously appeared without any signs of asteroids hitting there!" "I heard that a nearby scout of the Nature Perseverance Organization went to investigate a couple of days ago, and still haven't heard anything from him." "You're not serious—" "Was he writing letters as reports though? "He kept it to a consistent schedule, which is freakin' daily!" "Are you still being serious right now?" "Yeah obviously!" As the news heated up the cafeteria like wildfire, Lightning Dust entered to grab food the second she stepped into the cafeteria. A cup of milk and an egg were good enough for the morning, until lunchtime she had enough energy to outlast everypony else with ease. That was all she cared about so far, regardless of a couple of others glaring at her as she walked by. She went to an empty table near the window, and she placed herself by the window just so she can continue her train of thought from earlier today. However, that was ruined once again as history repeats itself. Irritated, she quickly slammed the table with her fork before Meadow Flower came over to sit across from her. "Hey again Lightning Dust." She greeted her happily. But Lightning Dust grumbled under her breath, continuing to stare outside the window. Meadow Flower sucked her teeth, she did not expect another greeting ignored by her roommate again. The two mares sat under the gleaming sunlight. To Meadow Flower, however, it felt as if Lightning Dust has shone more than she ever has, particularly was because of her golden striped mane that glinted at least five times a second. 'Maybe just another academy record, why is being good so challenging for me?' She eventually lost her initial idea to socialize and created a bubble that shielded her from insecurity. Soon she no longer had the warm welcoming face and expressed her feelings of perhaps an emotional breakdown. Noticing Meadow's distress, and did not want to be condemned as guilty. Lightning Dust sighed in annoyance before attempting to comfort her. "What now?" As much as she knew it would not work because she never had sympathy for other ponies, Meadow Flower looked up to the turquoise mare and put her hooves onto the table. Lightning Dust slowly backed off in disgust. She was not used to showing much feelings, not that she actually cared. But they are roommates, and she realized that she must deal with her every day from now and then. So why not just give it a shot? "Lightning Dust, I know that you are one of the best flyers in the academy, and I know that I'm one of the mediocre ones" — "Change it to the best for me, and the worst for you, annoying prick." The zapping mare muttered under her breath, leaning her elbow and head towards the windows as she could not help but hear every word Meadow articulated in her eardrums, her veins popped out in response. — "but I just want you to know, that I'm lucky to get the opportunity of knowing you better. Maybe with you by my side, I can always seek guidance and extra practice from a fine flyer like you..." She blushed while she merely yapped away like wild animals calling for their mates, a "herbivore" to be exact, for Lightning Dust can easily swallow her whole and it will be the end for poor Meadow Flower. But Lightning did not pluck one petal of sympathy for her roommate at all. Instead, she grunted and took another bite of her cornbread. Though, Lightning did feel a gist of ingenuity coming from this underachiever. Day by day, Meadow Flower constantly broke her personal record each time the trainees repeated their activities despite the fact that she was still a weak flyer. She still lagged behind other ponies during laps and always had something coming up such as a hamstring injury or a mild collision. If she can train Meadow Flower and promote her to the second best flyer in the academy after her, she would take more than majority of the credit, and others will honor her even more than ever. 'Perhaps, I can even make my name printed onto Equestria Daily!' The mare giggled in her mind. When Meadow suddenly gave a suspicious look, Lightning Dust adjusted her sitting posture and took a deep breath to control her ambitious excitement. Grinning, she opened her mouth to reply to Meadow's indirect request. "Then come." Meadow was too retarded to respond. "W-w-what?" "I said come, what are you waiting for then? I doubt anypony else can be as lucky as you are, Meadow Flower. With me by your side, we can achieve the impossible and break through even the limits of the sky. By then, Spitfire will definitely take notice of your innate talent." "Y-you think?" "Yeah, sure!" Lightning Dust paused for a short while, not used to such welcoming acceptance of other ponies. "I mean, think about it!" And they talked on and on about the dull and simple minded topic for a quarter of an hour more. Sooner than thought these mares fell victim to the ignorant and meaningless chit-chattering of random topics through the deceitful mouths of other ponies. Scratch scratch scratch. Scribbles on paper continued to rumble across Lightning Dust's eardrums, but low and quiet enough to avoid even her keen senses. The clouds began to slip away at a quicker speed than usual. Still, these signs were not enough to prove anything yet so far. Author's Note This was a short one. I initially decided to write more here, but I figured that separating this whole chunk of idea into two chapters would do fine likewise *"Girth" is an equestrian term meaning a flat leather/canvas/cord strap to secure different types (mainly English and Australian) of saddles on a horse's back. And of course, Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
