When Lightning Strikes Twice

Chapter 3: They Can't Be Red...

"I can't thank yah' enough for helpin' him Fluttershy." Applejack said, hovering over her pegasus friend as she examined the fallen blue pegasus in the barn.

Fluttershy shook her head and flashed a shy smile to her orange friend.

"I-It's really nothing... how long has he been here?" The shy pegasus asked.

Applejack placed a hoof under her chin.

"About 2 days, ah'd say." She replied.

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow as she continued to look over the damaged pegasus that lay before her. She quickly glanced back to Applejack, her expression concerned.

"You... didn't get help?" She asked as quietly as she could.

"Well, ah got you. He seems... different." Applejack replied.

"D-Different?"

"Touch him, you'll see."

Fluttershy raised her eyebrow yet again, but Applejack simply nodded to reassure her.

Hesitantly, the yellow pegasus raised her shaking hoof, inching closer to Static's coat. After a few lengthy seconds, she made contact and instantly felt a gentle hum of vibration. Her expression went completely blank as she blinked in disbelief. Applejack circled around the unconscious pegasus and stifled a chuckle at her friend's reaction.

"I don't know what's goin' on with him, but it aint' normal." Applejack said, kneeling down beside him as well.

The pain was numbing and constant. It continued raging through Static's veins, even as he lay unconscious. It was like the massive amount of lightning bolts were still there, keeping their electric grasp on him. Along with the horrific feeling of being electrocuted over and over again, a pounding headache continued pummeling his brain with every heartbeat. All he could remember was pain, the burning sensation of the bolts, the numbing feeling of constant electric energy, and his sore body from the harsh landing.

"Is he gettin' up?" Applejack asked as Static began to stir slightly.

Fluttershy continued staring intently at the dark-blue pegasus, not hearing her friend's question. Static began grimacing and stirring even more. After a few seconds, his eyes finally shot open, revealing two glowing red irises. Fluttershy immediately jumped backwards and elicited a small eep before hiding behind her mane. Applejack simply took a step back and watched as the pegasus slowly lifted his torso off of the indented dirt floor of the barn. Almost instantly, Static screamed in pain and set his head back on the ground. It wasn't a usual scream though, his voice was altered in some way. It had a ghostly tone under it, that sent chills down Applejack's spine and caused Fluttershy to sink farther. Static grimaced again and placed a hoof to his head.

"W-Was that my voice?!" He asked, his voice no longer holding it's ghostliness.

Applejack was still stunned by the sound of his scream, and even more so as he opened his eyes again, revealing that they had turned to a dull grey.

"Th.... Thunderlane?" Static asked nervously, trying to regain his vision.

Fluttershy stopped shrinking for a moment and glanced towards Applejack.

"T-Thunderlane...?" She asked.

Applejack simply shrugged.

Static looked around frantically, taking in the sight of the barn, and the hole that he had put in the roof. Nervously, he backed into the pile of hay behind him as much as he could, looking worriedly between the two ponies on opposite sides of him.

"W-Who... are...." He tried to say.

He quickly grimaced again and placed a hoof to his head once more as the headache continued crushing his skull. Applejack hesitated slightly, but took a step towards him.

"Well.... I'm Applejack, and this is Fluttershy." The orange earthpony said, trying to keep a calm demeanor.

Fluttershy... the name bounced around Static's mind for a moment, along with waves of pain. He knew he'd heard the name recently, but couldn't put his hoof on it.

"W-where am I?... And where's Thunderlane?" He asked, trying to regulate his breathing.

"Uhh... well, there's nopony here named Thunderlane, sugar cube." She said nervously. "And you're at Sweet Apple Acres right now."

"Sweet Apple... outside of Ponyville?"

Applejack nodded.

Static glanced around once more and let his head rest on the hay with slightly relieved, slightly pained sigh.

"Can you... walk?" Applejack asked, her tone concerned.

Static looked down to his hooves, which were singed and sore, but not broken. He shook his head, still trying to rid it of the awful headache and hesitantly made his way to his hooves.

"I... maybe." He said weakly.

With a thrust of all the energy he had, he pushed himself onto his hooves and stumbled for a moment before gaining balance. Despite the sheer pain coursing through his veins and bones, he could stand, which was a good sign. The dark-blue pegasus glanced up to the roof of the barn again and sighed at the appearance of the massive hole as the sunlight shone through it, bathing the floor of the barn in a bright glow.

"I... uh.... I'm really sorry about that..." He said, keeping his voice as quiet as he could.

"Shush, it's no big deal. Just glad to see nopony got hurt... too much anyway." She said, happy to see that, for the most part, Static was alright.

"Yeah... uhh... thanks for that." He said, still keeping a nervous demeanor.

"Don't mention it..." Applejack said nervously, looking to the gaping hole in her barn.

Maybe it was going to be a problem...

"Might I, ask your name?" Applejack asked.

"S-Static Wings...." The pegasus replied, keeping his view on the floor.

"Well... Static. How do you feel?"

"Pretty... good..."

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Applejack nervously ran a hoof through the back of her mane and pointed a hoof to Fluttershy, who was still sinking in the corner.

"Uhh, have you met Fluttershy?" The earthpony asked with a nervous smile.

Fluttershy shrank again at hearing her name and trembled slightly. Static still couldn't quite remember where he had heard the name, but turning around he could instantly remember the face. Upon seeing the shy pegasus, he stumbled backwards, his eyes flashing to a glowing red again.

"Uhm... h-hello." He said.

Applejack raised an eyebrow at his reaction, and to the the fact that he was now shrinking as well.

"I think you two are gonna get along just fine..." Applejack said, glancing between the two nervous pegasi.

It was then Applejack noticed that Static's eyes had changed for the third time. She decided it was time to speak up.

"S-Static?" The orange earthpony asked.

The pegasus shakily glanced to her and remained quiet.

"Your... eyes." Applejack continued awkwardly.

Static paused and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah... what about them?" He asked.

"Have they always... y'know, changed?"

"Changed?"

"Changed."

"Changed."

Static thought for a moment and shook his head.

"No, they've always been blue." He replied.

Applejack shot him a nervous smile.

"W-what?" He asked, growing slightly more worried.

"They're... red." The earthpony said.

Static paused for a moment.

"Red?"

"Red."

"Red."

"D-do you have... like... A mirror?"

* * *

"Red?! How... how can they be red?!" Static asked, his voice accented by ghostliness yet again.

The pegasus stumbled backwards and away from Applejack, who was holding a small mirror to his face. Almost instantly, his coat was engulfed in a shower of glowing blue sparks, glowing brighter as his fear rose. This instantly caused both Fluttershy and Applejack to stumble backwards as well.

"What in tarnation?!" Applejack asked, dumbfounded by the sparking pegasus in front of her.

Fluttershy simply fainted.

Glancing down to his coat, he realized that it was in fact, sparking. He instantly stumbled back further and shook his head.

"No no no no! What the hell is going on?!" He asked as glow grew brighter.

"Ah.... ah have no clue!" Applejack replied frantically. "Just... try and calm down."

Static continued trembling slightly for a moment before trying to calm himself.

I'm alive... I'm alive, and I'm breathing... He thought.

Slowly, the glow of the sparks started to fade until nothing was left, and his coat simply continued with the soft hum of vibration. Static glanced up to Applejack who was completely awestruck.

"Have you... ever seen this before?" Static asked worriedly.

Applejack simply shook her head.

"Ah can honestly say I haven't..." Applejack replied.

After a short, awkward silence, Static made a quick realization.

"I-I... need to go do something. I'll come back later and help fix the barn, I promise." He replied, briskly trotting
to the front door of her home.

"Well it's really nothin'. I'm just glad-"

"I-I insist." Static replied.

Applejack hesitated for a moment, but nodded a few seconds after. Static replied with his own nod and continued out of the front door as the orange earthpony glanced down towards her fainted friend. With a chuckle and a shake of her head, she heaved Fluttershy onto her back and across the living room.

"What am ah gonna do with you?" She said jokingly. "He's nothin' to faint over... just a... sparking... eye changin'... pegasus... that fell from the... sky."