Ponyville || 10/12/2018
"So, the Map's called me here to go out to Manehattan?"
"No, I don't believe so, Rainbow Dash. It's flickering between two different locations. It's there, and in Cloudsdale, and judging by the reaction of your Cutie Mark, it seems as if the map wants you to go to the cloud city first."
"Two places at once... That's never been seen before, right, Twilight? I thought the Map only tells us where to go with one location. What could be out in Manehattan that I have to make a pit stop at Cloudsdale first?"
"I'm not sure, Rainbow, but if this Map is acting this way, it must be important. Think you can handle it?"
"Hah! Do you even know who you're talking to? Don't worry, if this hunk of magical rock's got my back, then I got this! I'll be back in a flash."
"OK... Be careful up there... We don't know if this can turn bad."
Cloudsdale || 10/12/2018
"Ah, you must the squirt I gotta help out."
"Huh? Who are you?"
"Pfft-! Like you haven't heard of me. Good one, kid."
"... Erm..."
"... You really don't know who I am...? Well, that's a first. Anyway, name's Rainbow Dash, and I've been sent by the Cutie Map to come and help you out with a friendship problem!"
"A... friendship problem?"
"You betcha! So, what's the scoop here, kid? A fight between friends? A lost mare you wanna get back? Oooooooor maybe a mare you wanna go get?"
"What? No, I have a mare. In fact, I was gonna propose to her really soon."
"Really? That's awesome!"
"Yeah... It... It really is."
"You don't seem so ecstatic about it. What's up? Don't like her or something...?"
*GASP*
"Or is it that she's seeing somepony else behind your back?!"
"No! No. God no, calm down, Ms. Dash. I know she's loyal. Always had been, and the same with me. My issue stems from a... different problem."
"What's that?"
"I don't want to propose with a ring. I want something special, something that she knows it's from me. There's something just like that back at my old home. It was a heirloom, given to me by my grandmother before she passed. She told me to give it to my special somepony when I thought the time was right. It's a very old, yet very valuable ruby."
"Wow. That sounds like it would do the trick in getting her to say yes. So, where is this ruby at? You said your old home?"
"Mm-hmm. My old house, where I grew up at. It's just outside of Manehattan."
"Huh... Well, that's convenient. At least I know now why the Map told me to go to Manehattan next."
"It told you to go to my home city?"
"Something along the sort, yes. Don't worry, you're not the only one weirded out by how it works. But, enough of that! You got a ruby to go get, and I'm your new escort, squirt! So let's get moving!"
"Wait... There's a reason why the thought of getting that ruby bugs me... My family, my sister and my papa... I... I don't think I can..."
"... You're afraid... But... Why would you be afraid of...?"
"... I just... Whenever I muster up the courage to go, I back out before I even leave Cloudsdale. Going back there, it's... too much to bare."
"Well... You need that ruby, right? You need it, for that special somepony?"
"Yes. I... I do."
"Then you gotta make a choice. You go and face your fears, and get that ring back, or you turn away and abandon the most precious thing your family has given you, and you lose your mare, too. What's it gonna be?"
"... ... I'll get my coat."
"Great. Hey, speaking of which, what's your name?"
"My name? It's Thunder. Thunder Dust."
The Train to Manehattan || 10/13/2018
"..."
"You alright, squirt?"
"Mm? Yeah, yeah. I just... I'm nervous."
"Nervous...? Ah, right. Your old home. Well, listen. You wouldn't be going if it wasn't for something important, I'd bet. That ruby is special to you, and to your family. You were given it. Nopony else. Just you. You should be allowed to retrieve your rightful possessions, right?"
"I guess, but... When I left my home, it wasn't on the best terms. Then again, nothing was on good terms with my papa and I anyway. Neither with my older sister. Always belittling me, bullying me into doing things I never wanted to do simply because they thought I was never gonna make it as a Pegasus."
"Well, I seen ya fly. You're doing alright."
"That still doesn't change what happened in the past, Ms. Dash. I had NO support from my family. They thought I was going to fail the second I became of age to understand their words."
"Then why didn't you just leave when you could? You do know the legal age to live on your own is thirteen, right?"
"Yeah, I know, and yes, I stayed, Ms. Dash... I stayed because every time they said I was a failure, or threw a rock at my wings, it hurt, but it would never hurt worse than every day I would live proving them right after I left."
"Oh... I-I didn't mean-"
"I STAYED because I thought that if anypony could change me into a pony that they would approve of. If there was anyone out there who make me NOT me, it was them, or moreover, the big sister that treated me like trash because I never could be her on my own."
"B-Bu-... Dude, you're an amazing flyer."
"An amazing flyer? Get real, Ms. Dash. I'm just like everypony else. To the eyes of my family, that means I failed, and even if the day I left took a thousand years to come, it wouldn't make a difference. I mean, if somepony as amazing and dedicated as my sister couldn't teach me, how could a professional train me?"
"Mm..."
"How...? How, Ms Dash...? HOW?!"
"I DON'T KNOW...!!! I don't know, OK...? I'm not the best teacher out there, either. I just only recently became a Wonderbolt... but, listen. You're too... close to this. Too connected to the past. Choices like quitting on a passion or not. Thunder, you're too concerned with what was and what WILL be. You still got a whole life ahead of you. I... I think I remember my own mother saying to me that... yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That's why it's called the present."
"... I mean... maybe."
"Hhhaha!~ Yeah, you better 'maybe' that phrase, buddy, because that's the last time I quote my mom for you."
Outskirts of Manehattan || 10/14/2018
The flapping of wings gently descended from the air, two pairs of them coming to a stop and folding in on the bodies of two Pegasi. One was a cyan mare with rainbow hair laced in her mane and tail. Her eyes bore a striking and courageous magenta, and she had an overall presence of confidence. The other was a yellow stallion with a curled-back green mane and a loose tail. His stance was... unsure, and his eyes were a once-innocent blue, now a pained, yet developed turquoise.
The mare, whom by her color scheme alone, could be identified as the Element of Loyalty: Rainbow Dash, stared up at the old plot of land, an aged forestry greeting her as it overtook the property fences. The stallion, the youngest of a family that Rainbow Dash intended to help in order to solve this friendship problem, Thunder Dust, trotted slowly to the front gate. Brushing his hoof against the wood down to a latch, he unlocked the gate, letting it steadily cruise open and allow both him and Rainbow Dash entry onto the property.
Stepping onto a bridge after the gate, the two stopped at the rail when Thunder moved towards it, leaning over it to gaze down into the river, memories of old friends, little colts and fillies like him, greeting him and inviting him to play rushing into the forefront of his conscious. He had long since forgotten their names, save for one. A filly he had a crush on. A gentle soul she was, and Thunder was fortunate enough to remember her name.
'Cobalt Clouds... Are you still out there somewhere...? Inclined to this day, and having to endure as much as I do...?'
He looked up towards the sky.
'And grandmama... I remember the day you showed me that ruby... You wouldn't let my sis or papa take it... You entrusted it to me, and wanted me to wait till I found somepony...'
He turned his head back to the water.
'That day, I did... I found somepony that was taken away before I had the chance to confess...'
Shaking his head, he pushed off, trotting past Rainbow Dash and she followed, lagging behind only a bit. She wanted to give Thunder his space, let him explore his old home and reminisce. She knows she's done the same in the recent months, so the feeling was one she knew well.
Thunder approached a little cabin before the main house, one that was usually reserved for outdoor dining and barbecues. Smiling, his mouth slightly watered at the memory of his mother's cooking.
'She was always one for outdoor dinner times. Best hayburgers I've ever eaten...'
Looking away from the dining cabin, he turned his attention to the main house, trotting up the slope to it with Rainbow flying up beside him. Reaching the front of the porch, he saw a small makeshift grave off to the left of the steps, a place that buried his pet six-feet under when his sister's antics got out of control, and she went too far. Pursing his lips, he walked up the steps to the front door, finding the knob to be broken. Raising a hoof, he pushed open it open, letting it creak open as yet another memory came to mind. One that hurt him, and happened right here. He had been jumped one day in his youth, had all he had on him stolen. Priceless possessions, money, and even his own scooter. When he went to call upon the help of his family, he had only received reprimand and an order to take it back. He was never allowed back in the house until he got what was his back from the neighborhood bullies that came from Manehattan's slums and moved out there with them. Even his own sister as slapped him with her hoof for crying to them instead of ponying up and standing his ground.
Thunder knew what the intent of their belittling was that morning, but it didn't hurt the impact any less. Stepping off to the side, he let the door slam shut, Rainbow standing next to him as the memory ended the same way. Staying there for a few moments, Rainbow Dash glanced at him as he looked... different in her eyes. His expression was empty, void of the vibrant colors of life. How hard was it for him to come back here? How much of it all scarred him to a breaking point like this? She watched him move up the stairs before following yet again, tailing behind him as he approached a door on the far side of the small corridor. Opening it, he moved inside, quickly searching the hiding spot his grandmother had cleverly set up for only him to find. Taking the ruby out, he let its glow shimmer in the sunset that cast through the window, Rainbow Dash marveling at the gem when she saw it.
"Wow... This is incredible..."
She continued to gaze over it as Thunder could practically feel the presence of another in the room with them. Sitting on the bed near the other end of the bedroom, Thunder slipped the ruby into his coat's pocket as he looked out the window.
"... You guys haven't been keeping the place real clean..."
A new voice huffed as she crossed her forehooves, the green coat being the only thing visible in the light, as the shadows of this building were dark.
"Nopony has been back here for a long, LONG time."
Rainbow Dash's ears perked up at the voice, recognizing it from one she heard about a month ago, during a stunt show.
"I founded a new team of elite flyers that were once Wonderbolts. Call ourselves the Washouts. We do things that nopony could ever do."
Rainbow Dash spun around, now seeing the full figure of the mare that came here before they did.
"Lightning Dust! What are you doing here?!"
Neither she nor Thunder said a word as the latter went towards the dresser, rubbing off the dust on the top and examining the scratches on it. Lightning kept her eyes solely upon him, and him alone.
"I had heard you were going through Hollow Shades by train and heading east. Seeing as Manehattan wasn't too far off there, it wasn't hard to realize you were coming back here."
"Pssh... This place... I ain't got nothing here but horrible memories and bad influences."
Lightning Dust narrowed her eyes, uncrossing her hooves and placing them on the edge of the bedside.
"So why did you come back? After so long, you show your face here again, and for what?"
Thunder Dust scoffed back as he moved away from the dresser, looking at Lightning with a dead glare.
"It sure as hell wasn't for you, big sis..."
Rainbow widened her eyes as he said this, hovering in the air above him.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! LIGHTNING DUST is your sister?"
Rainbow's rival rolled her eyes.
"Uhm, yeah! We have the same last name, after all."
"Yet, being related to you makes me shiver."
Thunder strolled to the side, looking into the closet, which had a bunch of his parents' old clothes.
"Nothing you offer or do now can make up for a childhood ruined."
He looked back at her over his shoulder, flicking his tail in her direction.
"I think, and look, at my sister, and all I can see is a 'f*** you' and a hoof flying at my face."
Lightning hardened her glare, standing up from the bed.
"Oh, sure, and when did you ever saddle up and fly straight for the family? You were a disobedient, thick-headed failure with the sense of a goldfish and a mouth like a dump. We tried EVERYTHING to put you on the path of a Pegasus worthy of the name: Dust, and you kept disappointing us. We did everything, and you wanted more, and more, and more."
"No... No, I didn't. You wanna know what I wanted, Lightning Dust?"
Thunder turned to face her, staring into her soul through her eyes as he was now in front of her, Rainbow kept off to the side with weary glances shot at the green Pegasus mare.
"I wanted you to treat me like I mattered. I wanted you to see me as a little brother, not a heir to a name I couldn't attain. I wanted to be seen as something that wasn't an inconvenience to you, like a piece of gum stuck to the bottom of your hoof."
"... We did our best for you, Thunder... but you were always going to be a broken mess to us. You were the moment the doctors told us something had gone wrong with your delivery the day mama birthed you."
She poked him in the barrel.
"And what are you NOW? Some mediocre Pegasus making it with an ordinary life? Such a way is a disgrace to our papa, to our grandpapa, and I've spent YEARS banging my head against the floor trying to change you, but you wouldn't!"
"I didn't change because I didn't want to be nasty like you wanted me to be. I wanted to be great, but I didn't want to rub it in ponies' faces."
"What's so wrong with showing off? We're made to be ponies of glory in the skies! We are the thunder and the lightning, crackling as we zip across Equestria like speeding bullets! When I came to realize that, everything became better for me, but you... you never understood. If you would have just played by the rules, you would have been just like me! Ask anypony around the country, and they will say that the name: Lightning Dust, is a name of righteousness and boldness! But you! Everything you touched when we lived here became worthless! Every pony you were sweet with held you back! Our family did not need a shitstain like you bringing us down!"
She spat at his hooves, turning and walking away from him and going towards a few photos on a nightstand.
"Tsk... I can't believe mama was actually sad you were gone."
Thunder watched her as she picked up a picture of them. Frowning, he glanced at the floor.
"... Where are our parents, Lightning?"
"Gone. They left the Kingdom several years ago. They aren't coming back either..."
"Wait... They left...? Why...?"
"..."
Thunder's eye twitched at his sister's lack of a response, his eyebrows furrowing as his mind was buzzing for reasons why they would leave somepony like Lightning Dust behind. Then, it hit him.
"... You're a failure to them too, aren't you...?"
The glass of the picture cracked immediately as Lightning Dust's hoof squeezed it tightly enough to break the frame. She said nothing as Thunder ushered to her.
"... They sold you out as well, didn't they? You were meant to go there, too... The Rainbow Factory."
Lightning Dust licked her lips as Rainbow Dash blinked.
"The Rainbow Factory? But, isn't that just some old pony's tale like Nightmare Moon used to be?"
"No... It's real, and it's a way for Cloudsdale to get rid of failures like u-"
"SHUT YOUR MOUTH!!!"
Lightning Dust threw down the picture as she whirled to Thunder.
"I am NOT a failure! I'm not! I was the best of the best! I flew faster, and better than anypony during that flying exam, but just because I grazed the wall, I was deemed a failure! I'm not like YOU, Thunder Dust! I'm a pony actually worthy of my last name!!"
"... Maybe... but perhaps wanting that name was the very thing that killed your chances at being great in the first place."
"You... take that back...!"
Lightning Dust slowly stalked towards him.
"Take it back, or I'll drag you back to the Factory myself."
"You wouldn't, Lightning. I'm your brother."
"You're NOTHING to me! You were ALWAYS NOTHING to me, to papa! The only one who even gave a damn about you was mama, and she was always wrong in the head!"
Thunder took a step back, stopping in the middle of the bedroom as Lightning continued storming towards him. Rainbow Dash tensed, looking between the two as Thunder gave no sense of fear or dread in the presence of his older sister. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and flared his wings in his own intimidation display.
"There was a time I WAS scared of you, scared of my father, and my own name. I couldn't grow up to be anypony great, and it wasn't because of a name, but the ponies that had it before me. If we were younger, I'd be crying in the corner begging you to stay away, but now? Now? I look at you..."
He leered downwards as Lightning Dust prepared to lunge.
"And I don't even feel a thing for you..."
He swiftly turned around as she jumped for him, bucking his hind legs back hard and sending Lightning Dust through the weak wall, making half the house crumble on down on top of her while Thunder and Rainbow quickly exited from the window, barely avoiding their own fate as the other half of the house teetered over and burst upon impact with the ground. Thunder looked down at his destroyed old home, his stare unwavering and showing no emotion. Rainbow Dash glanced his way before seeing her Cutie Mark glowing.
'That's why I was here...? To give him confidence to come back here?'
She turned to the rubble.
'This was no friendship lesson, or a mission about it. So... why would the Map...?'
Shaking her head of the thoughts, she figured she'd think on it later. For now, all she could do was console Thunder Dust, wrapping a hoof around his neck as she floated beside him.
"I'm, uh... I'm sorry, kid..."
"... I wish I was, too..."
Rainbow's expression fell as she ruffled his mane gently.
"C'mon. Let's go back to the train station. You still got a mare to propose to, right?"
He dug into his pocket, bringing out the ruby he retrieved from the house.
"Yeah... I do..."
The cyan mare beside Thunder smiled, nodding approvingly at him as the two hovered away from the property, leaving it behind to fade into the darkest pits of their happier memories. Seeing that Thunder Dust had it from here, Rainbow took to the higher skies, waving to him as she zoomed away across the land, heading back to Ponyville to give her report on the mission.
'I don't even wanna THINK about how Twi's gonna react to this...'
