Author's Note
This is my first fan fiction, so give me any tips or corrections you have.
Thank you, and enjoy.
Prologue: Part One
Somewhere near a small village in Equestria, there lived a dragon. She had light yellow scales and bright yellow underscales, with dark blue spikes along her neck, back, and tail. Her name was Torrent, and she wasn't like other dragons. She couldn't breathe fire like other dragons, but instead she could radiate electricity, which was just as deadly. She was also kinder than most other dragons, hence why she lived near a pony village. She had an agreement with the ponies of the village. Most of the ponies who lived there were farmers, and their animals had a tendency to escape, so they would brand their animals with their cutie marks. If Torrent found one of these animals, she would return it to its owner, and they would give her a small reward.
Torrent was just sitting in her cave one day, biting into a beautiful ruby, when she heard a faint flapping sound near the mouth of the cave. She followed the source and found a light yellow pegasus pony with a dark brown mane and tail, and an ink pot for a cutie mark. He was writing something down on a scroll. "Who are you?" She growled at him.
He fell to the ground in surprise, dropping the quill and the scroll. "M-My name is Q-Quick Quill".
She stopped growling, "Why are you here?".
He relaxed a little,"I need to study dragons".
She thought for a moment, "Why dragons specifically?" With so many different species in Equestria, why would he want to study dragons specifically?
"Because I have studied every other species in Equestria, and I mean EVERY other species, I'm talking griffons, hydras, timber wolves, diamond dogs, bat-ponies, changelings, and man, that one was a pain-"
Torrent cut him off before he could continue, "I get it, but why would you study me specifically?"
"The ponies from the nearby town told me you were much nicer than most other dragons", he said as he picked up his scroll and quill, placing them both into his saddlebags.
That was true, the other dragons she met were much more aggressive, to say the least. "Alright, that makes sense".
"I need to ask you something".
"Go ahead", even if they had just met, she wanted to know what he wanted.
"Can I stay at your cave for a little while? You know, for my studies".
"Sure, as long as it's just for studying".
A few weeks passed, and the two began to grow close. Quick Quill would ask questions and Torrent would answer, listening to him write everything down. For the first time in her life, she was genuinely happy. She wasn't sure why this stallion made her feel this way, but to be honest, she didn't care. She liked this feeling.
One day, Quick Quill asked, "If you don't mind my asking, are you...", he trailed off.
"If you are asking whether or not I have a mate, then no. I never have found the right guy for me. Plenty of dragons have tried, but I fought them off. I have the scars to prove it", she chuckled, "Why?".
He blushed, "I-I was just curious".
"I can tell that you're blushing, what's the real reason?".
He blushed even more, "You want to know the real reason?", Torrent nodded patiently. He took a deep breath, "I like you, as more than just a friend".
Torrent blushed a bit due to his response, "That was... straightforward. Why do you bring this up now? We haven't known each other for more than a few weeks...".
He took another deep breath, "I have some sort of disease, none of the doctors know what it is. They do know one thing though".
Something clicked in her head, "Oh my... how long do you have?".
"The doctor said I have at least a year, a year and a half if I'm lucky".
A year? That is such a short amount of time... He continued, "It was also because Hearts and Hooves Day is tomorrow and I can't bear to spend it alone anymore".
"Hearts and Hooves Day?"
"A day when couples spend a day together, saying and doing romantic things with each other. I couldn't spend another year walking around town like everything is fine". He looked on the verge of tears.
"If you want, I could spend tomorrow with you", she blushed quite a bit.
"How? Look at you. You are too large to go walk around town with me".
"I forgot, I haven't shown you", switching a few seconds, she was about his size.
His jaw dropped, "How?".
"Most dragons can't do this, but my family has this power, to shrink and grow as we please".
"I would be honored if you would accompany me tomorrow".
The next day, they flew down to town together. They tried many treats, and exchanged many stories, and generally had a magnificent time together. Then, at dinner, Quick Quill one else in front of Torrent, and pulled out a ring.
Torrent, I haven't known you for very long, but every moment we spent together has been a blessing", he took a deep breath, "Torrent, will you marry me?"
"Are you sure about this? Most ponies will not accept this."
"We only have a year to worry about that", he had the silliest grin on his face.
"Alright, I accept", immediately after she said that, Quick Quill pulled her into a tight embrace.
"We shall be married tomorrow!!!"
The two danced throughout the night, and were practically bursting with anticipation for their wedding the next day. Neither of them cared that their time together would be limited, neither of them needed to, because they would be together until the end.
Lightning Chaser got on the train quickly and sat down, looking out the window. She was nervous, of course, but also excited to meet some ponies who might not judge her for her appearance. She was so deep in thought that she didn't notice when the train stopped. One of the ponies near her had to shake her to get her out of her strange trance. She got out of the train and looked around. There were ponies all around her, but she couldn't help but notice none of them were staring at her. 'Maybe this will be different from Canterlot', she thought to herself. She then looked at the scenery. There was a lot more greenery here than in Canterlot. There were trees and flowers all over the place. And the town was so lively, with foals running around the place, and salesponies making bargains with the passing ponies. She walked through town, admiring the sights, still amazed that she wasn't getting any strange looks. She finally reached her new home, which was good, because she really wanted to unpack. Her home was cozy. It was a one story house with only three rooms, a living room, a bedroom, and a kitchen. 'It's perfect', she smiled at her thought and went to the bedroom to unpack.
When Lightning was finished unpacking, she went to her living room and sat on the sofa to read a book. A few moments later, she heard a loud knock on the door. 'Who could that be? I haven't met anypony in Ponyville yet', she thought to herself. She opened the door and was greeted by a bright pink earth pony with a slightly darker pink mane and three balloons as her cutie mark. She was jumping up and down and had a great big grin on her face.
"Hiya! I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name?", the pink pony asked, practically shouting in Lightning's face.
"Uhh, my name is Lightning Chaser, but-", she was cut off by Pinkie.
"Nice to meet ya, Lightning Chaser. I've never seen anypony like you before, why do you look so different?", she was talking so fast that it was hard for Lightning to even understand her.
Lightning shook her head, "First of all, you can just call me Lightning. Second, I look this way because I am half pony half dragon. Third, you really aren't afraid of me?".
"Of course not, silly! I have never met a hybrid before! What's it like?", Pinkie was really surprising Lightning.
"Well, it's mostly getting weird or disapproving looks, ponies make me feel like I should not be allowed to exist. But that is why I moved here. I heard that ponies here are really accepting, so I thought this would be a nice change from Canterlot".
"Well, I hope you like it here! I have to run, but I'll see ya around!", they waved goodbye and Lightning shut her door. 'Looks like the rumors are true, ponies here are more accepting', she sighed and realized how high the moon was. She decided it was time for her to go to sleep.
The next morning, she headed out to meet some more ponies in town. When she heard there was a library, she decided to head there first. Lightning was a total bookworm, so she was naturally drawn to the library. When she got there, she was greeted by a lavender unicorn with an indigo mane which had purple and fuchsia stripes, and her cutie mark was a large magenta star with five small white stars around it.
The lavender unicorn didn't notice her immediately, as she was sorting books, but she soon turned around and saw Lightning.
"Hello!", the lavender unicorn said joyfully, "Are you new here in Ponyville?".
"Yes, actually. I was informed that this was the library and, being the bookworm I am, I thought I should take a look".
"That's wonderful! My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I live here in the Golden Oak Library", she stated, "Oh, I nearly forgot. SPIKE!", she shouted at the top of her lungs, causing Lightning to cover her ears.
"Coming Twilight!", came a voice from upstairs. A few seconds later, a purple and green baby dragon came running down the stairs. "Yes Twilight?".
"Spike, I want you to meet the new pony in town, Miss...", she trailed off, not knowing her name.
"Oh, right. sorry! My name is Lightning Chaser, but you can just call me Lightning", she blushed, since she forgot to mention her name earlier.
"It's nice to meet you, Lightning", Spike said.
"Can I ask a quick question?", Twilight asked.
"Go ahead, I won't mind", Lightning guessed what it would be about, and she was right.
"What are you? If you don't mind my asking. I have just never met a pony with horns, or a tail like yours", Twilight was holding a quill and a scroll eagerly, waiting to write this down.
"I'm fine with that question, and the reason I look like this is because I am a hybrid. Half pony, half dragon. It's strange though, most ponies run from me or call me an abomination", she zoned out, lost in thought. Twilight speaking again snapped her out of her trance.
"I must say, I have never heard of a pony-dragon hybrid before. Hey, Spike, I know exactly what is going through your head right now", she looked at the small dragon, who was staring off into space.
He tuned back into reality, "Oh yeah? What is it then?", he said with a taunting voice.
"You are thinking 'This means I can finally go out with Rarity!'", Lightning chuckled at Twilight's amazing impression of Spike.
Spike blushed and said, "N-No, that isn't it!", he ran quickly back upstairs, still blushing.
After Lightning stops laughing, she starts to speak again, "Who is Rarity? I'm trying to make some friends here so that I can feel like a normal pony".
"Oh, Rarity is just a friend that I have had since moving here. She runs Carousel Boutique, in case you wanted to go say hello to her. It was nice meeting you, Lightning", Twilight said as she went back to sorting.
"It was nice to meet you too, Twilight", she trotted back outside and decided to fly overhead to try and find the boutique. She flew up until she had a nice view of the town, until she spotted a building that looked like a boutique. She flew down and walked inside. She was greeted by a white unicorn with an amethyst colored mane and long eyelashes. Her cutie mark was three diamonds. 'This pony has style', she thought, as she noticed all the gorgeous designs around the room.
"Hello, how may I help you?", the white unicorn said as she turned to face Lightning.
"Hello. Are you Rarity?", Lightning asked.
"I most certainly am. And what is your name darling?"
"I am Lightning Chaser, and Twilight told me that I should come here to meet you. You see, I'm new here in Ponyville, so I am just looking to introduce myself to some ponies around town", Lighting said, still looking around at the room, which was filled with sewing supplies.
"That is lovely, Lightning Chaser. I wish I could give you one of my outfits, but I'm afraid I don't have any that fit your... body type", Rarity said.
"That's fine, I am unique. I am a hybrid, so I wouldn't expect you to have a design for me", Lightning assured her.
"If you would like, I could make you an outfit. I always do love a challenge", Rarity offered.
"Are you sure? It might be a bit difficult, considering I am half dragon".
"It's fine darling. Leave the difficulties to me", Rarity was already drawing a sketch on a piece of paper.
"If you say so", Lightning said, "It was nice meeting you, Rarity, but I should get going".
"Farewell!", Rarity said, going back to her sketch.
She trotted outside and flew up, taking note of the layout of the entire town. The school, the library, the boutique, the apple orchard, the town hall, etc. When she looked back up, she saw a cyan pony flying straight at her. Before she had time to react, the pony crashed into her, sending her falling and flailing her wings. She caught herself just before hitting the ground, and landed to catch her breath.
The cyan pony landed beside her, rubbing her head a bit before speaking, "I am so sorry! I didn't see you there". She had a rainbow mane and tail, and a cloud with a red, yellow, and blue lightning bolt coming out of it for her cutie mark.
"It's fine", Lightning assured her, "I should have been paying more attention to the sky around me".
"The name's Rainbow Dash, and I'm the fastest flier around", she said, puffing out her chest.
"My name is Lightning, it's nice to meet you".
"You look pretty fast yourself, we should hang out sometime", Rainbow said.
"That sounds great!", Lightning shouted as Rainbow flew away.
Lightning flew back up, this time landing on a cloud so that she wouldn't get crashed into again. She continued looking around until she spotted a cottage that was fairly close to the forest. She was curious about who would live so close to the forest, so she decided to head over. She knocked on the door, and a few moments later, a pale yellow Pegasus with a light pink mane and three butterflies for her cutie mark opened the door.
"Hello?", she said. Her voice was soft, and soothing.
"Hello there, I am new to Ponyville, so I thought I'd introduce myself around town. My name is Lightning Chaser", Lightning said, as politely as she could.
"I'm Fluttershy", she said, stepping outside, "I couldn't help but notice your horns and tail. What are you? If you don't mind me asking", she almost mumbled that last sentence.
"I'm a hybrid. Half dragon, half pony. And I just wanted to ask, why do you live so close to the forest?"
Fluttershy stepped aside letting various animals outside, "I live here because I adore the animals that leave near the edge of the forest".
"That's nice", Lightning said, petting a small bunny, she noticed how low the sun was getting and decided that she should head home, "I should get going, I'll see you later", she said to Fluttershy as she flew away.
When she returned home, she realized she hadn't eaten anything all day. She quickly made herself a quick daisy sandwich, knowing that it would satisfy her hunger for the time being. She ate quickly and then climbed into bed. 'I wonder how Mom is doing. I hope she's okay. I should write to her soon, maybe have her come for a visit.', she sighed, and finally drifted off to sleep.
She woke up late the next morning. She started off her day as usual, brushing her mane out and brushing the hair on her tail which, as usual, was a pain. When she was comfortable with her appearance, she went outside. She wasn't up for pony food this morning, so she went to the forest to hunt. She soon came across a deer. She killed it quickly and as painlessly as possible. She didn't like her prey to suffer. 'Fluttershy won't like this. I hope we can make a deal or something', she thought as she bit into the deer. When she was satisfied with her meal, she flew through the forest a bit, wondering why everypony was so afraid of this place.
When she returned to town, she decided to go visit Rarity. She walked into the boutique and found Rarity waiting for her. The white unicorn was hiding something behind her back.
"Lightning! There you are darling, I have something for you", she giggled before revealing an outfit made specially for Lightning.
It was stunning. It was a long, flowing, light blue gown with bright purple lace at the ends and deep blue sapphires on it.
"Oh, Rarity. This is amazing! How much do I owe you?", she asked as she pulled out a small bag filled with bits.
"Nothing at all, dear. I love making outfits for my friends. Now go! Try it on!", she pushed Lightning into a dressing room before she could reply.
Lightning put it on quickly and walked back out, showing it to rarity. It fit her body perfectly, which was surprising because Lightning was taller than normal mares. It even went around her tail.
"Oh my Celestia! You look absolutely gorgeous!"
"Thank you, Rarity. This was very kind of you. But I wanted to ask, do you have any gemstones I could eat? It's alright if you don't, but I am half dragon and I sometimes crave dragon food over pony food.".
Lightning just wanted a light snack, but Rarity opened a chest full of gems of all shapes and sizes, "Take your pick, darling. I have plenty. You can take a few if you like".
Lightning took a sapphire, a ruby, an emerald, and a topaz. "Thank you so much, Rarity. I owe you".
"Don't mention it. I'm just helping a friend", Rarity assured her, "Now, I must get going. I promised I'd help Applejack on the farm".
"Can I come with you? It would be a great opportunity to get to know each other better", Lightning asked hopefully.
"Of course, dear. If you want to come then you can".
Lightning followed Rarity to the apple orchard where they encountered an orange earth pony with a straw colored mane and wearing a fedora, with three apples on her flank.
She walked up to them, "Thanks a million, Rarity, for offerin' to help on the farm".
"It was nothing. Oh, and I brought a friend", she gestured to Lightning.
"Hello, my name is Lightning Chaser, and I'm new to Ponyville. Rarity offered to let me come with her", Lightning held out her hoof for Applejack to shake.
Applejack shook her hoof and replied, "Well, I hope ya like it here in Ponyville. Say, would ya mind helping us out? You look like you could help out on the farm".
"Sure, I would love to help", she smiled.
They spent the next few hours working to harvest apples, and Lightning got a good chance to get to know them better. Lunch finally came around, and Lightning took this as a great opportunity to write a letter to her mother. She pulled out a quill and a scroll and started writing.
"What'cha got there, sugarcube?", Applejack asked, pointing to the scroll.
"I'm just writing to my mother. I might invite her for a visit soon", Lightning told her.
"Ah reckon she'd love to come visit you. What is she like?", Applejack asked.
"Well, for starters, she's a dragon. She can change her size, something I didn't inherit. And she can't breathe fire. She radiates electricity if you make her mad though".
"A dragon?! No wonder, you are stranger than anypony I've ever seen, no offense".
"None taken", Lightning giggled a bit.
"And what about your father? What's he like?", Rarity asked.
Lightning didn't say anything, she only had flashbacks of her father. Her silence was enough to answer Rarity's question.
"Oh my. I'm so sorry for bringing it up, darling. I had no idea", she said.
"It's fine, Rarity", tears were forming in Lightning's eyes, "It was impossible for you to know".
"Oh sugarcube, we're here if ya want to talk about it", Applejack said, walking over to comfort Lightning.
"Thanks guys. I have never really been able to talk about it with anypony", she sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes. Lightning shared the whole story with them, and it helped ease the pain of her past.
Afterwards, she said goodbye to the two of them, and headed home. She had a long day, but it felt nice to finally get that burden off of her shoulders. When she returned home, she climbed into bed and read a book. She grew so tired that she fell asleep, and she really needed the rest.
Author's Note
I'm trying to decide whether Lightning is a full grown mare with no cutie mark, or if she is unable to have a cutie mark. Please post your thoughts in the comments. I will wait until I have a few comments to decide.
Lightning woke up late that night, confused about what had happened. Her book was opened to the same page it had been before, and her mane was a disaster. She blinked a few times, and realized that it was very late. Luna's moon was high in the sky, and she couldn't sleep. 'Great. I took a nap and now I won't be able to sleep tonight', she sighed. She realized that she never finished her letter to her mom, so she went to the living room and continued writing. She decided that she should invite her mother to town.
She then went to brush out her mane, which proved to be a pain in the flank. It was like a tsunami ran through her mane, followed by a hurricane. She walked outside, figuring it was a beautiful night for flying, and flew over the town, getting a great view of everything. She then spotted a small white bunny hopping along just outside of the forest. 'A quick midnight snack couldn't hurt', she thought, licking her lips. She swooped in silently and inched closer to the bunny. Lightning then heard some rustling in the bushes beside her, and Fluttershy came crashing through them.
"Lightning! What are you doing out here so late at night?", Fluttershy asked, startled that Lightning was there.
Lightning knew Fluttershy was an animal lover, and she also knew the truth would frighten her. "I was just out for a late night stroll", she lied, "What about you?".
"Angel Bunny escaped again, so I was looking for him. Although it would seem you found him already", she gestured to the rabbit in front of them.
Lightning gave a nervous chuckle, "Yeah, I guess I did".
"Lightning, I have something to ask you", Fluttershy said, a look of worry crawling onto her face.
"Of course, Fluttershy. What is it?", Lightning knew the answer already.
"One of my birds saw you kill and eat a deer yesterday. Is that true?", Fluttershy said, genuinely worried for the safety of her critters.
Lightning sighed, "Yes, it's true". Fluttershy gasped and pulled Angel closer, "Fluttershy, I know it's shocking to you, but I have to incorporate meat into my diet. My dragon side requires me to eat meat and gemstones sometimes instead of pony food. I can't live off of pony food alone". She opened her mouth to reveal a few pointed teeth for eating meat.
Fluttershy took a deep breath, "I think I understand, you have to eat meat sometimes to survive. But how much is the minimum you need to survive?".
"At least two good sized pieces a week, if I balance it out with a few gems. I wish I could live without eating meat, for your sake, but I just can't", Lightning looked down, thinking. "I have an idea. Put collars on all your animals, that way I'll know if they're yours", Lightning thought it was a good idea.
"O-Ok", Fluttershy said, turning to leave, "I'll see you later, Lightning".
Lightning turned and flew away, landing on a cloud to watch the sunrise. She had never seen the sunrise before, and it was beautiful. She watched the sun slowly rise over the mountains, eventually bathing the land in its golden light.
Suddenly, she heard somepony land beside her. She turned and found that it was a gray pegasus with light yellow hair and bubbles on her flank. Based on her uniform, Lightning guessed that this was the mailmare, but she asked just to be safe. "Are you the mailmare around here?".
"Yes. My name is Derpy Hooves, and I heard that you had a letter to deliver", Lightning got a good look at her face and noticed that she had walleyes.
"Well, here is my letter", Lightning said, handing the envelope to the mailmare, "Oh, and my name is Lightning Chaser".
"Thank you very much!", Lightning called to Derpy as she flew away. "She seemed nice", Lightning said to herself. 'I hope Mother can come visit soon', she thought.
Author's Note
I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I put the story on hiatus because I didn't know when I would get the time to continue writing. I also apologize that this chapter is much shorter than the others, but I couldn't find the time to continue it so I figured I would find a good place to end the chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!
