Firelight

Chapters

The Captain's Home
It Began With A Letter
Walk In The Park

The Captain's Home

Chapter 2: The Captain's Home

The thunderous downpour of rain echoed across Ponyville, the sound of a rainstorm kicked off by the weather team just a few minutes earlier. It was the first heavy rainfall of the season, and as such needed to be completely on point. Thankfully for Ponyville, the talented weather team had known exactly what they were doing to get it going. The rain fell evenly across the town itself and the farmlands around, bringing with it a release from the heat of the day.

Landing in front of the weather office, Lightning quickly slipped inside the building, giving her whole body a shake to get the excess rainwater off of her coat. Before letting the door shut, she glanced up at the sky one final time, letting her gaze wander critically over the layout of the cloud cover as well as the speed of the rain coming down. Satisfied that they were both up to the specs the team had been given, she gave a nod and let the door swing closed, finally able to get out of the rain and start drying off.

It had been a full month since she had started working on the weather team, and she had taken to it like... well, like a pegasus takes to their wings. Much of her first few weeks had been spent learning the basics of the facility storage system as well as the weather patterns that they would be using. Rainbow had provided her a plethora of training and learning materials, and she had made sure to pour over them in detail. She didn't have a lot going on other than her job and the weekly trips between Ponyville and Pinegrove, so Dust had ended up memorizing practically every study resource she had been given, especially the information on the town's weather patterns and, in some cases like the farms, highly specific needs.

Putting the knowledge into practice had been a bit more difficult, as they couldn't just set up an entire weather pattern simply to practice on. Lightning's own attempts to practice back at home had been a bit of a mixed bag: unlike Ponyville, the weather in Pinegrove was entirely on the whims of nature itself, and thus much harder to be controlled. Even so, she had managed to get some hooves-on experience with basic cloud types, their consistencies, and how to handle them effectively, which had only made her training period that much easier to get through.

Looking to the team's meeting room on the left, she saw her trainer waiting inside, a pegasus named Cloud Kicker. True to Rainbow's word, the pale grey-blue pegasus had been a bit of a goofball and a sass since day one, but other than Dash she was probably the most knowledgeable pony of the entire weather team. Lightning had admittedly been a bit wary of her at first, partly because she was worried that she might accidentally cross a line before she was familiar enough with the rest of the team to be cracking jokes or pulling pranks. That fear had swiftly been put to rest at the end of her first week when the pair of them had stuffed the leftover fog clouds inside of Rainbow's office. The weather captain had merely chuckled and rolled her eyes as the two had snickered quietly from the side room.

Stepping inside the meeting room, Lighting threw a salute to the other mare. "Rain is self-sustained, cloud cover is consistent, and rainfall speed is within parameters."

Cloud kicked back from the desk slightly, her chair rolling a few inches. "Perfect! Let's update the map and the work chart, and we should be good to go for the day." Grabbing a marker in one wing and an eraser in the other, Kicker hopped up and began to edit the necessary details. "So, this is it then huh? No longer my little fledgling trainee, you're a full-blown weather pony!" With a fake sniffle, she pouted at her trainee. "My little mare is all grown up and making her own weather patterns."

Dust chuckled as she leaned against the table. "Like I could get rid of you that easily." She teased back. "Besides, storm season starts in a couple weeks and I'll still need your help to get certified for handling thunderheads, and hopefully as a lightning wrangler."

"Never a moment to rest, hmm?" Cloud chuckled, tossing the marker aside. "Yeah, if you're interested, we can definitely get you trained up for that stuff. It takes a might longer than what we've done so far, there's a lot of safety rules around it all for obvious reasons. Not only is the handling and manipulation a lot of work, storage of cumulonimbus' is much more complicated as well" She sat back down at the table, pulling the paperwork closer. "You've been picking it all up incredibly quickly though, almost as fast as Rainbow Dash did when she and I first started here. You could go pretty far in weather, if you wanted to."

Before Lightning could respond, there was a knock on the door. "Oh hi Lightning Dust! Hi Cloud Kicker!" Even as she turned around, the bubbly voice told her exactly who it was: Derpy Hooves, Ponyville's resident mail mare. When she first arrived, Dust had been surprised that a single mare handled the mail delivery for the entire town and the surrounding farms. But after watching the mare work, she had been thoroughly impressed with her stamina and the sheer strength it took to carry that amount of mail around on her own. With the frequent letters with Spitfire causing their paths to constantly cross, she and Derpy had become friends quite quickly.

"Heya Derpy," Lightning greeted, "how's the mail going today?"

"It's going great, I'm just about done!" She replied happily, digging into her mailbag. Lightning idly wondered if they were made waterproof or had an enchantment on them to keep them dry, she'd have to try and find a pair like that for saddlebags at some point. "In fact, this was my last stop before going to pick up Dinky from school." Pulling out a letter, she hoofed it over. "And here you go! Have a great day you two!" With a quick wave, the grey mare turned and trotted her way out of the weather center.

"Another letter from Spitfire, eh?" Lightning jumped slightly, not realizing that Cloud had moved to stand beside her. "Gotta say, you have good taste in mares." She teased, waggling her eyebrows. "She's certainly got the looks, right?" She let out a soft oof as Dust gently elbowed her in the side

"Because Celestia forbid two ponies are just friends, Cloud." She said with a roll of her eyes, receiving a gentle nudge of her own in retaliation. The two chuckled as they elbowed each other back and forth several times, before Cloud Kicker finally conceded the battle.

"Well in any case I'm going to head out, enjoy your afternoon and your letter, Dust. I'll see ya next week!" The two shared a hoofbump, before Cloud slipped out into the rain. Flopping down in the nearest chair, Lightning opened up the letter and slipped it out of the envelope.

Hey Dust,

Glad you're almost done with weather training! I never learned much beyond basic cloud manipulation myself, plus whatever misc. stuff we pick up through our stunt work with the Bolts. Super cool that you'll be an official weather pony now, congrats!

We just got back from the west coast, so it's been a pretty dry couple of days going over the show routine, the stuff that worked, stuff that didn't, blah blah blah. It's super useful, don't get me wrong, but sitting down in meetings looking over news articles and conducting interviews is just... I don't like being still for this long. Makes my wings itch.

Oh hey, I know it's a little last minute, but the opening ceremony for the flight museum we were supposed to attend got moved back a few weeks. I think one of the donors for the place pushed their bits back to get some kind of tax incentive out of it. Friggin' stupid if you ask me, but I guess that's for other ponies to worry about.

The point is, me and the Bolts have a free weekend now, and I think it'd be cool if you could come hang out. I wouldn't plan anything tonight, but you'd be free to stay at the guest room I have at my place. I figure then we can hang out during the day tomorrow, maybe grab lunch and hit the Canterlot Gardens or something? Weather here should be pretty nice for that. And then a few of us were going to crash the VIP section at the "Trot Step", we're a bit overdue for a visit there. Dunno if bars or social drinking are your thing, but you'd totally be free to tag along with that. And then I think on Sunday you'll have to grab the train back to Ponyville so you can get back for your weather job?

If not I totally understand, it's last minute. I'll drop my address at the bottom, just tell the stallions at the door your name and they'll let you through, in case you can. Otherwise I look forward to your next letter!

Your friend,

Spitfire.

Slipping the note into her saddlebag excitedly, Lightning poked her head around the door, calling out to the office in the back. "Hey, Rainbow, how late does the train run to Canterlot?"

The train shook gently as it traversed the countryside, working its way towards the city of Canterlot. Luckily for Lightning, it turned out that trains ran practically all day from Ponyville to the capital city, since the town was right along the main rail line. Since she only carried her saddlebags between Pinegrove and Ponyville, she hadn't had to worry about packing or storing anything, and had flown straight from the weather center to the train station. One day she'd be willing to fly the distance between the two cities, but that was still a little out of her range for the time being.

Bouncing on the seat in anticipation, she couldn't quite tell if she was nervous, excited, or perhaps both? It was the first time they were physically meeting since their incident in the cave, after all. Spitfire had enjoyed their correspondence, but what if meeting physically didn't go as well? What if she was super awkward, or said something stupid, or just wasn't as interesting as Spitfire thought? Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Lightning pushed the thoughts away. No, it's going to be fine. You're going to have a good time hanging out with your friend, and nothing will go wrong.

The train shuddered as the brakes began to kick in, slowing it down as they entered the mountain tunnel leading to the station. A few moments later, they came to a standstill as they reached the platform proper. The stress and worry of the visit had prevented her from finding a way to sit comfortably, so she took a moment to stretch out her back and legs while the other creatures began to disembark. She shook her entire body, as if she could simply shake the stress and worry away from her, and made for the nearest set of doors. Stepping out into the station, she looked around to take it all in.

The look of the station caught her by surprise, having never been to Canterlot before. Built into the side of the mountain, it was a colossal, bright marble structure. The ceiling was far above them, stained glass and murals adorning the entire surface wherever she looked. A large spiral staircase led to the roof far above, a landing point for dirigibles and sky carriages that carried creatures from towns and lands far away. With an impressed whistle the mare tried to keep moving, not wanting to block the constant milling ponies all around her. Several murals of the Princesses had been painted along the walls, a bit abstract but still quite recognizable as to which each one was a tribute to. How much they had cost, or how long they had taken, Lightning could only guess. Weaving her way between ponies, benches, and storefronts, she managed to make her way out the doors without incident.

It was a beautiful day in Canterlot, a warm wind blowing gently across the town under the perfectly clear skies above. Stepping off to the side to clear the path, Lightning paused to enjoy the sun for a few moments, letting the rays soak into her coat and warm her nicely. Many ponies joked that pegasi were basically just large cats, and while Lightning never really saw the comparison, she couldn't deny there was something satisfying about just standing, or laying, in the sun's warmth. Especially if she could curl up on a cloud and nap.

As she exited down the steps and into the city proper, Lightning realized she was going to need directions from somepony to get where she was heading. She had never been to Canterlot after all, and the town was quite massive, especially compared to the likes of Ponyville and Pinegrove. Looking down the staircase and around the street, she spotted one of the cities, likely many, mail couriers and quickly crossed the street to reach them.

She approached the dark brown pegasus, waving slightly to get his attention. "Hey, I'm really sorry to be a bother while you're working, but by any chance could you tell me which way it is to the Diamond Plaza?"

Straightening his uniform, the stallion nodded. "Oh, the Diamond Plaza? Yeah it's about a ten minute walk from here, just head down that road," he gestured to her right, "take a left when you get to Canterlot Way, it'll be down there a bit on your right. Big building, name on the front, fancy, impossible to miss. But they won't let anypony in without clearance from one of their tenants, so you better have an invite."

"That won't be a problem. Thank you sir!" With a thanks and a friendly wave she turned and headed off, opting to stay on the ground for the time being. The placement of streets and their signs were geared towards the higher population level of unicorns and earth ponies in not just the town but Equestria as a whole, thus they were placed closer to the ground. This meant anyone on wings who wasn't already comfortably familiar with the city could easily miss a sign and get turned around and lost. She trotted quickly down the street the mail pony had indicated to her, weaving her way through the slower moving groups. While she was still working on building back up her stamina and flight ability, agility was something she thankfully hadn't lost her touch with since leaving the Washouts.

Turning down the road onto Canterlot Way, her steps became slower and quite a bit more uncertain. The buildings along this road were much fancier than the street she had just been on, the amount of bits and clout evident even from the outside of the structures. Shop windows held clothes and jewelry far beyond what Lightning could possibly ever afford, and restaurants had very well-dressed ponies outside to greet their patrons, and likely to turn others away. The looks she received, while not hostile, were at least ones of confusion as to why this pegasus who clearly wasn't upper class was wandering down their street. Dust merely lowered her head, trying to avoid meeting their gaze and picked up the pace again to get out as soon as she could.

It only took her another minute to find the building she was looking for, and she froze in her steps as she looked up at it. While it wasn't as big as many other famous Canterlot buildings, the eight stories still stood out among the mostly smaller buildings that surrounded it. The words Diamond Plaza were emblazoned on the front, and while Lightning doubted the name was spelled with actual diamonds, it certainly looked the part with the pale color and the sheen across the lettering. Standing outside the bright gold-colored doors to her left was a large earth pony stallion, quite a bit taller than Lightning and much buffer. On the other side stood a griffon, just as large as the stallion but the talons and beak made him look far more intimidating.

Taking a deep breath and trying not to visibly shake, she approached the door to the building. As she drew near, the stallion stepped to his left to partially block the front door.

"Sorry miss, but we're only permitted to let residents and their approved guests into the building. I'm sure you understand."

"O-Oh yeah I know that." Dust stuttered, shifting her stance slightly with apprehension. "I do have an invite, her name is Spitfire? I'm Lightning Dust, I think she's expecting me."

Glancing down at a notepad for a long moment, the stallion finally gave a nod and stepped back to the side. "Yup, she gave us your name earlier today actually, said to hopefully expect you dropping by." Opening the door for her, he bowed slightly. "My companion and I would like to welcome you to the Diamond Plaza, Miss Dust. The elevator is straight back against the wall, and the attendant will take you where you need to go. Miss Spitfire is.... floor seven, room three. And we hope you enjoy your time here."

With a sigh of relief, Lightning passed between the two imposing creatures. "Thanks guys, I really appreciate it." Slipping inside as the stallion continued to hold the door for her, she paused mid-stride and let out a soft whistle as she looked over the interior of the complex.

The main hall she had entered was incredibly vast, the ceiling vaulted up several stories above her head. She couldn't be sure, but it looked like it ran the entire eight stories from floor to roof. Statues of the Princesses lined the halls, the space between them filled up with artwork created by highly popular and sought after artists, names that even Lightning was able to recognize. The vaulted ceiling had some abstract mural on it, likely another famous painter that Dust recognized by name only. This was hooves-down probably the most upscale building other than the Princess' castles she had ever looked at, let alone been inside of. Despite the clear amount of bits spent on every square inch, it somehow managed to not quite cross the line into gaudy or tasteless; these tenants had money, and the building was an outward display of exactly how much income the residents living there had access to.

I don't belong here. The doubts began to echo through her head, louder and more insistent by the moment, and she nearly took a step back towards the door. This is too much, this is too nice, I don't deserve to be inside here, I'm not good enough for this, this is so far above me. She felt her breathing quicken, her body shaking harder, and for a moment she even entertained the thought of running out the door, going back to Ponyville and pretending she hadn't gotten the letter in time.

Fighting hard against the instinct, she instead took a long, deep breath. Letting it out slowly, she did her best to calm down and regain her composer. Spitfire had asked her here, clearly she was at least wanted. Giving herself a shake from mane to tail to try and release the spiral of thoughts, she stepped forward and began to cross the soft, lush lavender carpet leading to the elevators. A pair of elevators sat at the end of the walkway, and she slipped inside the open doors of the left one

The inside of the lift, while much simpler compared to the outside entry hall, still felt like it went with the upper class theme of the complex. The carpet inside was ruby red, and equally as soft as the floor she had just left. The walls were covered in cushions of a similar color, the only gap in them to serve for the hoofrail to hold onto. Just inside the door on the left, there sat an older unicorn stallion, operating the mana crystal that served to power the lift up and down. He smiled at her kindly, tipping his red bellhop hat to her and bowing slightly.

"Good afternoon ma'am, so kind of you to visit our fine living complex. What floor can I take you to?"

Lightning fidgeted slightly. I really don't want to stand here and order him around... "Oh, uhm, I'm here to visit Spitfire. I think they said she was on floor seven?"

A smile and another kindly nod. "Indeed she is, she'll be the door marked '3' on the left." He gave the mana crystal in the corner a gentle poke, and with a gentle shudder the magic began to lift them upward. She stood there in silence, shifting from side to side, unsure if she was supposed to strike up a conversation with the stallion or remain quiet. He seemed to catch her gaze, and with a chuckle waved her off.

"Don't worry miss, many of the patrons don't usually chat to me, so I'm quite used to a quiet ride. I don't take it personally."

When the lift finally came to a gentle halt, the stallion reached across and pulled the gate open for her. "Floor seven, enjoy your evening." With a nod of thanks, Lightning stepped through the open gate and set off down the hallway. Like the ground floor, the carpeting here was a beautiful lavender, soft swirls of soft rose-gold splashed across them like waves. The light fixtures she passed were pristine and spotless, and Dust was quite sure they were made out of actual gold. Towards the end she finally spotted the door labeled "3" along the left side. With a nervous, shaky breath, she reached out and knocked gently on the door. After waiting for a moment without receiving an answer, she knocked again with a bit more intensity.

A crashing sound and a very choice string of expletives floated out the door, followed by a familiar voice calling out "Just a second!"After what sounded like a chair hitting the ground, and a scampering of hooves, the door flew open to reveal Spitfire, panting softly as she leaned against the doorframe.

"H-hey Lightning! I'm really glad you could make it out here. I wasn't sure to expect you or not and I had meetings all morning so I sped back here to grab a shower and then I was trying to clean up and then I had to run out to stock the fridge and then I was trying to clean some more..." Her voice trailed off as she brushed a few strands of mane out of her face, a broad but embarrassed smile on her muzzle. "It's good to see you, Dust."

Lightning's stance loosened considerably now that she and the captain were face-to-face, the fear and uncertainty suddenly a very distant memory. "Yeah, turns out trains run pretty late out of Ponyville, so it was pretty easy to snag a ride when work was done." Stepping forward the two embraced tightly for a long moment. She's really warm.

Stepping back and out of the way, the Wonderbolt gestured with a foreleg. "Come on in! Feel free to find a seat and grab it, Luna knows there's enough spots to perch on." Slipping inside, she heard the door click shut behind her and lock.

The living room was a massive open space, chairs and couches and beanbags scattered all over the carpeted flooring. A huge section of wall was taken up by a projector screen, the projector itself hanging from the ceiling towards the back of the room. The entire far wall was covered with curtains, which Lightning assumed meant the length was one massive window, or maybe a series of smaller windows? Either way, it undoubtedly would give a breathtaking view of Canterlot when they were open.

"Lotta seats." Lightning commented. "Get a lot of company?"

Stepping up beside her, Spitfire gave a nod. "As the captain, and the one with the biggest living space, I tend to host any of the smaller hangouts and 'Bolt parties. I don't really mind, they're usually a good time, and even better I don't actually have to travel anywhere after the party is over." The pair stood in silence for a moment. "Feel free to grab a seat, the chairs don't bite." She joked.

"Actually, if it's okay with you, could I snag a shower? I grabbed a quick one after weather duty, but I was worried about catching the train so I only did a real quick once-over."

"Sure, that's no problem. Here, lemme show ya." Lightning followed her a short way down the hall, before Spitfire gestured to a door on their left. "This is the guest bathroom here, it's fully stocked with towels and everything else you need. Shower handle you just turn clockwise to get the water going, further it goes the hotter it is."

The smaller pegasus nodded, giving the captain a grateful smile. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

"Oh!" Spitfire exclaimed. "Before you slip in, you good with pizza for dinner? There's plenty of other stuff I could get us too, if you have a craving. My diet gets to be a little more lax coming home from a show tour, so I tend to splurge a little bit."

Dust rubbed the back of her neck, glancing away. "Whatever is easiest for you, I don't want to be a bother about it. Pizza does sound pretty good, if it's not too much trouble."

With a chuckle, Spitfire gave her a small shoulder pat. "Don't worry, it's no trouble at all. The building keeps a number of staff on hand for running simple errands, perks of living somewhere this expensive. I'll just toss one of them a couple of bits to go get the food for us. Feel free to take your time, holler if you need anything." With that she turned and headed back into the main room, humming a tune quietly to herself. Letting her gaze linger for a moment on the retreating mare, Lightning turned and slipped inside the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Turning the handle as instructed, the shower sprang to life with a torrent of water cascading down. She fiddled with the handle for a minute to find the perfect temperature, before stepping in under the waterfall. She let out a soft groan of approval as the hot water sprayed against her coat, warming her up as she simply closed her eyes and enjoyed it. She had taken a brief shower after her weather duties, but she had been so eager to catch the train she had only done enough to not look like a disaster. And while she didn't want to spend too much of her evening in here, she wasn't about to completely forego a full, cleansing shower.

Dust closed her eyes as she sat down on the floor to enjoy the moment, the only sound she could hear that of the falling water. Showers were always peaceful, and for most of her life the only moments of quiet and being away from others that she had ever been able to experience. More recently with things having calmed down, and being able to spend time in her quiet hometown, Lightning had found she rather enjoyed a slower-paced, less stressful life. Not always of course, she would forever have a streak of daredevil and competition, but it no longer consumed her as once it had. That, however, led to the question of "what now?" with her life.

Lightning shook her head to clear the thoughts away, not wanting to get lost in them while Spitfire was waiting on her. Reaching out with a hoof she grabbed the container of shampoo, taking a soft whiff: lavender, perfect. Squeezing a healthy amount onto her shoulders and barrel, she set the container aside and began to rub and lather it all across herself from neck to flank until she was completely covered in a light layer of suds. It wasn't that she really needed to get rid of muck or grime or anything, her previous shower had pretty much done that; this was more about making sure she smelled nice for the rest of the evening.

Having coated the majority of her form, she let it sit for just a few short moments before getting back onto her hooves and stepping forward so the water crashed against her back and wings. Eager to spend time with Spitfire she sped through the rest of the washing process, spending just the bare amount of time she needed to make sure every bit of the shampoo and lather were washed off of her body. Reaching up to turn the shower off, she gave her form a vigorous shake to dislodge the extra water before reaching out to grab a towel hanging from a hook. It didn't take long as she kept her coat rather short to be more aerodynamic, which had the added benefit of also being quite easy to dry and maintain. Hanging the towel up on one of the wall hooks, she slipped out of the bathroom and back into the main room.

"Good shower?" Her host asked.

Lightning nodded, rolling her neck slightly. "The water pressure is amazing, Luna I gotta get me one of those back home somehow."

Spitfire smiled, leaning against the counter between the living room and kitchen. "Great to hear. Pizza is on its way, shouldn't be much longer. Can I get you something to drink?" She turned around going deeper into the kitchen, and Dust heard what was likely the door to the refrigerator opening. The captain called out from around the corner "I've got water, lemonade, tea, coffee, juice, think I have a few cans of soda in here too."

Grabbing a seat on the nearest couch, Lightning let herself sink comfortably into the cushions. "Oh, uhm, juice is fine, thanks. Apple juice if you have it, but I'm not super picky." She wiggled slightly to adjust the pillow behind her, resting her head back. "Man, I feel like I could sink my entire body into this couch and not even care, it's just so comfy."

Spitfire chuckled as she made her way out of the kitchen, setting a large cup of apple juice on the side table near Lightning's hoof. "Yeah, these things are great. Too soft for me to sleep on, I'm used to the beds the Wonderbolts provide, but it's great for company and just relaxing on." Setting her own drink on the coffee table on the opposite side of the couch, she trotted away once more. "Should be here in a second, I'll be right back."

Glancing around the room, she noticed the walls were covered with posters of various well-known musicals that had performed in Canterlot over the past two decades. Band posters also dotted the wall, far less in number, mainly rock and metal bands, though she noticed one or two from the yearly Canterlot Symphonic concerts. How many of these were visited by choice versus ones the Wonderbolts had been expected to show up for, she had no way of knowing. Every single one had signatures decorating them, most likely those of the main actors, band members, and lead chairs. One section had what looked like personal photographs, but they were a bit too far away to make out exactly who was on them or where they were from.

"Hey pizza's here!" Breaking out of her visual exploration of the room, she turned to see Spitfire trot back into the room with a pair of very large pizza boxes on her back. "Feel free to have as much as you want, I ordered heavy since I wasn't sure how hungry you were." She set the boxes on the coffee table in front of them.

"Thanks, I really appreciate the meal."

"Like I was just going to let my friend go hungry." Spitfire joked. Each mare grabbed a slice, and dug in with gusto. Swallowing, she leaned over and grabbed a remote from the side table. "Mind if I turn something on? I'm not trying to be rude or shut you out, it's mostly background noise. For me it feels a little weird sitting in silence and eating."

Dust nodded. "Yeah I don't mind, go on ahead." The projector whirring and coming to life, the pair of mares settled back against the couch to enjoy their meal together. As the movie started, Spitfire turned the volume down slightly to make sure the pair could still converse over it with ease when they wanted to.

"So," Spitfire said around a mouthful of pizza, "did all your weather stuff today go well?"

Lightning nodded. "Yeah, we had the first major rain of the season to set up, and it went off without a hitch, so it should be a good start to the farming season. Last day of training for me too, at least for now, so I'll actually have my own workload to take care of every day. And then when it gets into the actual storm season, I'll be going through the safety training to handle thunderheads and lightning and then I'll be fully certified as a wrangler."

"That sounds pretty cool stuff, well done!" Spitfire congratulated. "Are you thinking of doing this stuff long term? Or were you going to try and go back to stunt flying when you got back into shape and trained up?"

Lightning squirmed a bit, looking at the ground. Mumbling quietly, she answered "I... I don't know if I can be comfortable again with stunt flying, after... well, you know. I don't think I'll ever trust myself again like that." She fell silent for a moment, her hoof idly pawing at the couch. "But the weather stuff, it's actually kind of fun, more than I would have thought it would be. I enjoy hashing out the details, setting up the systems, setting it all together in a chain, being on my wings all day without it being so exhausting." She paused, rubbing the back of her neck gently. "It's definitely not what I imagined I'd be doing at this point in my life, but honestly it's a pretty nice gig, and I wouldn't mind sticking around to see where it goes."

Glancing over, Spitfire gave her a warm smile. "Sounds like it's something you really enjoy."

Giving it a moment of thought, the teal pegasus nodded slowly. "Yeah, yeah I think I do actually." Falling into a comfortable silence, they continued to watch the movie and slowly make their way through the large amount of pizza. Spitfire was grateful she was able to indulge after her marathon of performances, it was definitely more enjoyable than the usual strict diet she would follow.

"You know," Lightning interrupted her thoughts, "you never really realize how much of the movie is just shots of them running across the countryside your first few times through the film."

"Oh yeah." Spitfire agreed. "Don't get me wrong, they chose a beautiful part of Neighgra Falls and the Crystal Mountains to show off for their world, absolutely breathtaking. It just... aren't there other film tricks for showing off how far they're traveling than just wide sweeping shots of them running across open fields and mountains over and over?"

"Yup." Lightning leaned over to poke Spitfire with a chuckle. "Hey, hey Spitfire, did you know in the second film when he kicks the helmet..."

Rolling her eyes, she playfully swatted at Dust's hoof. "Yes, he's yelling so loudly because he actually breaks his hoof on the metal, we all know." Spitfire let out a chuckle of her own, shoving Lightning back to her half of the couch, the pair falling back into comfortable silence.

Several hours later, as the film drew to a close, Spitfire stood up and stretched with a soft grunt. "I think it's about bedtime for me, you're free to stay up though if you'd like."

Yawn. "Nah, I'm good to crash, especially if you have a full day planned tomorrow. Weather duty we tend to wake up a bit early, so I'm a bit tired as it is." Getting up on her hooves, she followed the Wonderbolt out of the room.

"I mean, I have general plans yeah," Spitfire said over her shoulder, "but it's not going to be time or energy intensive, it's meant to be a nice relaxing time for two friends just hanging out. I was thinking we could sleep in a little bit, head out to this nice quiet diner that we could get brunch at. From there we could wander the Canterlot Gardens until dinner, they're massive I doubt we'll see most of them in one day. After dinner the Bolts were planning to hit a club for a few hours, sort of... not sure 'expected' is the right word, but it's the only one I can think of that works."

"Yeah, that all sounds great. I don't go to clubs or anything often, but I don't mind having a drink or two socially." If she was being honest with herself, Dust wasn't quite sure if the club would be something she enjoyed; from what she knew, it would be a lot of noise and a lot of ponies. Maybe being with Spitfire in a more-secluded section would help though?

Opening a door on their right, Spitfire gestured inside. "This is the guestroom, I think I got everything in there you'll need? Pillows, blankets, sleep mask if that's your thing. If you need anything else, just knock on my door and ask." With a quiet snicker, she shot Dust a playful wink. "I'll try and make sure I'm not in any compromising positions when you walk in."

Lightning tilted her head, taking a moment to parse out exactly what she meant. When it finally clicked, her eyes widened and her cheeks burned red. With a laugh, Spitfire gently bumped Dust's shoulder with a hoof. "Easy to fluster, good to know! Love being able to tease my friends. Have a good night, Lightning, I'll see you in the morning."

As the captain turned and made her way into the room, Dust couldn't help but let her eyes follow after her until the door shut and broke her out of her thoughts and embarrassment. Turning to the guestroom with a grumble, she made her way inside. "Easy to fluster, well two of us can play that game... I think." She mumbled, shutting the door behind her as she flopped onto the bed, wiggling under the covers. Sure, she'd never tried to do that sort of thing intentionally before, but if that's what good friends did, she would absolutely give it her best shot.

Tomorrow was definitely going to be interesting.

It Began With A Letter

Firelight

Chapter 1: It Began With A Letter

With a loud yawn, Lightning slowly stirred in bed as she woke from her sleep. Cracking open an eye to glance outside, the angle of the sun through her window told her it was still pretty early in the morning. Knowing she wasn’t about to fall back asleep at this point she rolled over, careful to avoid her still-injured wing, and flopped out of bed onto her hooves. Briefly running a hoof through her disheveled mane to keep it out of her face, she made her way out of the bedroom and down the hall to the kitchen. Her grandmother, Misty Showers, was already over the stove, and the scent of oat pancakes wafted through the air.

“Morning Grandma.” She yawned.

The sky-blue pegasus turned, smiling gently as she adjusted a large pair of glasses on her muzzle. “Good morning Dusty, did you sleep well?”

With a nod, and another yawn, Dust grabbed plates and glasses to set up the table. The two had shared breakfast for as long as Lightning could remember, and to her it was one of the most pleasant ways to start any day. “It kinda sucks not being able to sleep on my side because of the wing, but I did alright.”

Her grandma turned to continue cooking on the stove, but tilted her head slightly back towards her granddaughter as she spoke. “You know, the mailmare will be stopping by Hack Saw’s today.”

Lightning fidgeted in her chair, her good wing ruffling anxiously. “I know, I know. But what if she was just being nice, when she said to write? Maybe she didn’t actually mean it. What would I even say? ‘Hey sorry I almost got us crushed to death’?” Resting her chin on her forelegs, she let out a heavy sigh. “It’s not that I don’t want to, I guess I just don’t know how to.”

Bringing over a platter full of pancakes, Misty set them on the table, sitting opposite of her granddaughter. “She seemed like a very nice mare, and you said she sounded sincere.” Lightning didn’t answer, so she reached out and gently placed a hoof on her foreleg. “Dusty, dear, you know I worry about you. I just want to see my little fluffball find her happiness again.”

Blushing lightly at her foalhood nickname being brought out, Lightning rubbed the back of her neck with a free hoof. “I guess it’s hard to picture myself not screwing this up too, you know?”

With a chuckle, Misty leaned back in her chair. “Lightning, when I met your grandfather I was a waitress and had just spilled a plate of spaghetti onto his brand new suit during a business meeting. If that can be how we start, I’m sure you’re going to be just fine.”

Slowly taking a bite of pancake, Dust let out a quiet chuckle. “I guess what’s the worst that could happen.”

Tossing another wad of paper over her shoulder, she let out a heavy sigh and slumped. “This is the worst thing that could happen.”

She had started nearly a dozen different letters, and each of them now littered the ground around her. She had tried multiple ways of writing, sometimes using humor and other attempts keeping it serious and to the point. Every time she had rambled off, or written herself into a corner that felt pathetic and forced. Glancing out at the sky, she figured there were only a few minutes at this point before she missed the window. And without working wings, she’d be forced to either walk the distance or wait for another full week for the next mail delivery.

“Guess I just have to take whatever falls out of my muzzle at this point.” She mumbled, taking quill to paper one final time.

Hey Captain Spitfire,

I wasn’t sure if you were actually being serious about the whole “writing letters” thing, so I guess feel free to ignore this if you weren’t? This is all new to me… I guess I’ve been stressing over it for a while, cuz I wasn’t sure what to say or how to approach this.

But yeah, if you were serious, I guess this is the first letter then? I’m healing up pretty well, doc took a look yesterday, said I’m still on track to start flying again in a week. I’ll have to take it easy at first, but considering I’m still pretty underweight I shouldn’t be pushing it too much anyway.

Hope everything went fine in Canterlot. I heard the Pages are back where they belong, so no more crazy adventures going on. Hope that means it went well for you and the Princesses? And that no one else got hurt like we did.

I feel like I should write more, but I also don’t know what else to say? I’ll be out here for a while with my grandmother, I still have a lot of Thoughts going on, so I think I’m just rambling again now.

Anyway, yeah… uhm… it’d be cool to hear from you, if you were still interested in being friends. Does this sound needy? I feel like I sound needy. I’ve rewritten this letter like a million times but at this point if I don’t finish one I’ll miss the mailmare and it’ll have to wait a whole week. So uh, sorry if it feels weird. But you seemed pretty cool when we were chatting, and I think it’d be nice if we could keep doing that. Except in letters.

Best wishes.Good luck.Cool to be friends. Hope to hear from you soon.

-Lightning Dust

Reading it back over quickly, Lightning let out a heavy sigh and muttered to herself “Yeah, this sounds just as awful.” But like she had written, the mailmare would be grabbing the town’s mail any moment. Spitfire had enjoyed her raw, unfiltered self back in the cave, maybe writing like that would help them connect further? Shaking the thoughts from her head, she hopped up from her desk and headed back to the kitchen.

“Oh, you did it?” Her grandma asked from a large cushioned chair, a smile on her muzzle.

“I guess?” Dust responded, grabbing an envelope and stuffing it inside. “Honestly, it sounds pretty awkward when I read it…” she trailed off.

The older mare nodded a bit. “You always were uncomfortable around new ponies.” Lightning grimaced, remembering how her desire to overcome that discomfort had led to a personality that eventually got her booted from the Wonderbolts Academy. “A real friend will understand, just have a little faith in yourself Dusty.”

Putting the stamp and the Captain’s cutiemark on the back, she paused and looked down. “A real friend… she did say we were friends now, hugged me. I guess that should tell me what I need to know, huh?” A nod from her grandmother helped put her at ease, and she trotted towards the door. “Guess I won’t know until I try.”

Slipping outside, it only took her a few brief moments to quickly trot across the small village to her destination. Pinegrove didn’t have an official post office, an official anything really, so Hack Saw’s residence served as the de facto spot for most functions. In today’s case, it served as the gathering point for all the village’s outgoing mail until the weekly visit from the Equestrian Post Office. On rare occasion they would visit more frequently, but only if they had something marked ‘Priority’ to deliver: Pinegrove wasn’t exactly a hotbed of activity, after all.

As she approached the house, she saw the familiar blue vest denoting an employee of the EPO stepping out with a full bag of letters slung over her shoulder. “Hey!” She called out to get the mare’s attention. “One sec, I got another for ya.”

“Just in time, I was about to take off.” The pegasus replied, taking the letter from Lightning. Glancing at the back to make sure it was marked and stamped with postage, she slipped it in with the rest. “I’ll see you all next week then, take care!” And with that, she spread her wings and took off. Watching her fly off over the trees, Dust let out a heavy sigh.

“Guess I just wait now.”

Four days later

Lightning had spent most of the morning out behind her grandmother’s house, doing some of the old pre-flight stretches she had learned from her time at the Academy. She wasn’t supposed to fly just yet, she still had a few days left of healing, but she knew better than most that her wings and body needed to stay flexible regardless. As she was carefully finishing up with her injured wing, her ears perked up as Misty called from the doorway.

“Dusty! You got a letter! That nice mare wrote you back.”

Tilting her head, the mare turned to face her grandmother. “A letter? But we don’t get mail for another three days.”

With a smile, she flourished the letter in question. “Seems your friend sent it with a priority marker, so they made a special trip out. I’ll leave it on your desk for when you’re ready.” She disappeared back inside, leaving the younger mare alone with her thoughts.

Spitfire and mailed it priority? Sure, as the Wonderbolt Captain she probably had a lot of leeway to do that sort of thing. But was she really that interested in keeping in touch she’d go through the extra trouble? A small grin crossed her muzzle at the thought, and she sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. “Hopefully she won’t get in trouble doing that for personal mail.” Heading back inside, she paused for a moment to hug her grandma. “Thanks for pushing me into this, Gran.”

Patting her granddaughter’s back, the older mare smiled. “Anything to see you happy, Dusty.” With that, Lightning headed down the hall to her room.

Sitting down at her desk, she stared down at her own cutiemark inked onto the envelope, with Spitfire’s sitting in the upper corner with the gold-colored “Priority” sticker next to it. Taking a deep breath in both excitement and worry, she slid the envelope open, took out the letter, and began to read.

Hey Dust,

I was absolutely serious! I don’t feel like that cave situation is the sort of thing you go through with somepony and then just walk away. Probably the most awkwardweird different way I’ve ever made a friend, but you seemed like a cool mare to get to know. Not many ponies are willing to open up about that sort of stuff, it takes a lot of courage, and I admire that.

It’s great to hear you’re healing up, I was hoping there weren’t any complications with the wing. After I got back to Canterlot and got everything sorted, I ended up grounded for a few days myself by the medic to finish recovering on my end, but by the time you get this I’ll probably be back in the air. Hopefully you won’t be too far behind on that, though I know wing injuries can really hold you back for a while.

The whole Pages situation is taken care of, wasn’t exactly the ideal ending I’d hoped for but at least they’re gone and no longer a problem. Or I guess no longer MY problem, which is sort of the same thing in my opinion. Everything’s back to normal now, which is a pretty big relief for us Wonderbolts; we don’t mind the adventures, but at the end of the day we prefer to show off our flying skills, you know?

Not to be presumptuous or anything, but we still have your file here from your physical at the Academy, and I got a pretty good look at you in the cave, so would you be alright if I passed it along to the nutritionist we have on staff? I’m sure he could work up a pretty good plan to get you back to a healthy weight. Offer’s there if you want it, I won’t force the issue, just thought I’d give you the option.

You have any plans once your wing heals up? Kinda curious what you get up to in your free time. I don’t get a lot of that around here as the Captain, but honestly I don’t mind too much. Like I said, the Wonderbolts are kind of like family, so it’s all worth it. And I enjoy the work and the shows and the flying.

Hope to hear from you soon!

-Spitfire

Sliding open a drawer on her desk, Lightning felt herself wiggle in excitement as she brought out paper and a quill. Cracking open the top on an ink vial, she dipped the quill in and began to write.

Hey Spitfire,

It’s good to hear from you again! I hope you won’t get in trouble for sending personal stuff on ‘Priority’, but I have to admit it makes me feel good to know you’re that interested with keeping in touch.

I’ve been doing extra stretches lately to make sure when the wing is good to go I can get back in the air pretty quickly. I’ll probably still be a little lopsided for a couple days after, while it gets back to 100%, but that won’t be a huge deal. Pretty used to flying under conditions that aren’t exactly “ideal”, after all.

Oh, uhm, I don’t want to put you out or anything, but if it’s not much trouble that’d be really neat. I know some of the basics of maintaining a healthy weight, but I have no experience coming back from the state I’m in. So yeah, if that offer is on the table I’d appreciate it a lot.

As you can probably guess there isn’t a lot to do around Pinegrove if you aren’t working with the loggers, so I’ve been trying to take it easy and get myself back together. You probably remember the cave well enough I don’t have to go back over it all… I have been stretching every day, getting some cardio in. And my grandma is making sure I have more than enough food, she’s been really great with all this. The mental stuff is probably going to take a while though...

Once I’m healed, I was thinking of hopping the train over to Ponyville. I heard they were looking for a few new weather ponies. I don’t know a lot about that stuff, but I’d be willing to learn. It’ll let me get some bits under my belt while I figure things out and finish getting back to actually healthy. I think I’m actually pretty close to your body type? Or was, I guess is the better word. I don’t get muscular, but I get a really nice toned look and feel like you do. I really like the way I used to look, not to sound weird about it, so I’d love to get back to form.

Ponyville is also along the train route to Canterlot, so if we ever end up with free time it’d be an easy visit. I know the ‘Bolts are traveling out west soon for a hoofull of shows, but maybe by the time you get back ponies won’t be able to see my ribs anymore!

Sorry, I use dark humor sometimes to help, lemme know if it’s a bit much.

I don’t know if the ‘Bolts mail gets forwarded when you’re out, so let me know if I should hold off on sending notes or something while you’re away. I’d hate to leave you with a pile to come back to.

Your friend,

Lightning Dust

Setting the personal letter to the side for the moment, Lightning pulled out another fresh sheet of paper. Taking a deep breath, and turning her mind professional, she touched quill to paper once more.

To: Ponyville Weather Department

My name is Lightning Dust. I saw in the paper recently that you were filling open positions on your weather team, and I wish to apply for a spot.

I do not have weather experience directly, however I have nearly six years of stunt-flying experience, which includes training at the Wonderbolts Academy. As such, I have had a good amount of training in creating and adhering to strict safety standards, including the handling of stunt-level Thunderclouds for theatrics. Flying at such a level means I am no stranger to a strict schedule, am able to follow directions directly and to the letter, and have the endurance for handling longer weather patterns.

I live at the nearby village of Pinegrove, and would commute as often as necessary to perform my duties. I understand that, as a farming town, there will be times that an “all hooves on” is necessary, and in such case would also be willing to rent a room when needed.

If you require any further information, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

-Lightning Dust

“Ugh.” Lightning grimaced, pushing it away as well. She disliked having to sound so professional, but also figured it wouldn’t hurt her chances. While she would have preferred to join up with stunt fliers again, her flying wouldn't be at that level for several months at least. Besides, if nothing else it’d give her a couple bits to help contribute to her grandmother, as well as help her get physically back into shape. She hummed for a moment, thinking back to her time at the Academy. Rainbow had said she’d been a part of the weather team, maybe she could use her as a reference? With a shake of her head, she dismissed the idea: she didn’t feel comfortable using somepony as a reference without asking first.

Plus the whole “balloon” incident with Dash’s friends.

Sealing both into separate envelopes and making sure to address each one correctly, Lightning placed them under her good wing. Mail wasn't picked up for three more days, and by the time she got a response back the following week she’d be able to fly again, so she wasn’t worried about meeting any criteria they might have. She was patient, she could wait, and the extra time to get back in the air would definitley be welcome with her wing.

Five Days Later

She had been shocked to get a reply almost immediately from the weather office of Ponyville, but that quickly changed to dread as she saw it was addressed from Rainbow Dash herself. Had Dash seen her name and just immediately turned her down? Tearing it open, she had been met with only five words on the paper:

Dust,

Come interview Sunday.

-Dash

And so, late Saturday night, she had taken the very short flight to a junction station out west and hopped on the train to Ponyville. Normally she would have just flown out early in the morning directly to the town itself, but that was off the table for another week or so while she got her previously injured wing back into shape. Even so, with practically no stops between the junction and Ponyville, the trip had been a relatively quick one.

Dust arrived a little after sunrise, and found a good portion of the town was already up and about for their day. Even though the ponies didn’t recognize her, that didn’t stop them from wishing her a ‘good morning’ or just giving her a pleasant smile and a nod for a greeting. Even being used to it from the folk of Pinegrove, it still caught Lightning off guard to find such sincere friendliness and familiarity in another town. She certainly wasn’t going to complain about friendly ponies being around, especially when all she was expecting was disaster.

One pony who did recognize her was one of Rainbow’s friends, a pink ball of vibrating energy that rivaled the sun itself.

“HI LIGHTNING DUST!” Pinkie yelled from behind her, causing the poor pegasus to jump in surprise. “Oh! Did you wanna have a jumping contest? That was a pretty good one you had there!”

Trying to still her racing heart, Lightning turned to face the pony. “Hi, uh…” she rubbed the back of her neck as she paused in thought, “sorry, I don’t remember actually learning your name.”

Pfft. “Oh that’s okay silly, you can learn it now! My name’s Pinkie Pie, and I am the premiere professional party pony of Ponyville!” How was her grin that big? On any pony else it would be very disconcerting. “So, whatcha doing here Dusty? Oh! Did you come to crash more balloons? I could help with that, as long as there aren’t ponies on board! Popping balloons can be just as fun as inflating them!”

With a heavy sigh, Lightning looked down and pawed at the ground. “Look, Pinkie, I am really sorry about that. I swear I-I’m not like that anymore.”

“Hmm, okay I believe you!” Dust looked up with confusion at the casual acceptance, hoping for a more detailed response, but all she was met with was Pinkie bouncing in place, humming happily. “So where are you headed? Need directions?”

She hesitated for a moment, but decided she may as well be upfront about it. “I saw the town needed weather ponies, and… well, I could use a job, so I was hoping I’d be a good fit.”

“Oh, you’re looking for the weather office! Let me show you.” Pinkie stuck a hoof straight down the road. “Okay, so take your first left,” her foreleg bent left “then you take your next right” without straightening out, the leg now also bent back to the right “and it’ll be right after the mail office on the left!” the foreleg bent left once more, the sight of the misshapen leg making Lightning queasy. After a moment it straightened out, and Pinkie smiled broadly. “Rainbow should already be there planning the showers for this week!”

Dust nodded, running her hoof through her mane. “Thanks, I’m sure I can find it from here.” Her stomach rumbled, and she realized she hadn’t actually eaten today. Still, the interview was too important to let herself get distracted from, she’d just find something later. Before she could take a step, a small box of donuts was suddenly in her hooves. “Where did…”

“Oh I have donut boxes hidden all over town!” Pinkie interrupted her. “You know, for donut emergencies! Good luck with the interview! Oh, maybe if you get in we can throw you a ‘welcome to the weather team’ party!” And with that, she hopped off down the road, humming a nameless tune to herself. Turning to the nearest pony on her left, a sunburn-orange pegasus, Dust opened her mouth in a silent question of what had just occurred.

“That’s just Pinkie Pie.” The mare said with a chuckle. “Don’t question it, you’ll get used to it.”

Lightning nodded slowly. “Guess that’s fair.” Taking one of the donuts out to munch, she set off down the road as the party pony had directed her. Not wanting to walk into the weather office with a mouthful of donut, she decided to slow her gait and take in the town around her. She had to admit, Ponyville had a really cozy feel to it. While it was certainly bigger than Pinegrove, she still felt the same sense of closeness and personability from the ponies around her. It was comforting to know that there were still other towns that kept the sense of community outside of her hometown.

It took her several minutes to wind her way down the dirt roads to the weather office, but thankfully as she drew closer it was hard to miss; mainly on account of the giant wooden sun and cloud that sat above the door. While it was only one story tall, the perimeter was actually quite large, the size of a few of the nearby houses slapped together. Wrapping her good wing around the box of donuts to hold them, she took a deep breath to steady herself before stepping inside.

The inside of the room she stepped into was surprisingly small for what was the main entrance to the facility, taking up only a tiny fraction of the building’s actual size. To her left sat what looked like a meeting room, a large and highly detailed map of Ponyville and the surrounding area set against the wall, markers with various names and symbols scrawled across the surface. Straight back from her was a pair of wooden doors, one of which was sitting ajar and looked like it led to a small office. The other was merely labeled ‘Warehouse’. Her ears perked up as a stallion to her right spoke up.

“Welcome to the Ponyville Weather Center, can I help…” Sitting near the entrance was a large wooden desk covered with paperwork and office supplies, behind it was the stallion that had spoken up. He was a pegasus with a very dark grey coat, a light cyan mane with white streaks that looked almost like a mohawk. Lightning recognized him from the Academy, but she had never actually learned his name. It was clear that he recognized her though, by the way his question had trailed off and the now-glare he was giving her. “What are you doing here, Lightning Dust?”

Great, that’s just great, I am so totally screwed. She had half a mind to just turn around and leave right then and there, call the entire attempt off. Shaking her head to try and clear out those worries, Dust decided to remain professional in the moment; there’d be time for an anxiety attack later. “I was asked by Miss Dash to come in for an interview about an open position on the weather team.”

She heard a chuckle float out of the office. “Miss Dash huh? Didn’t know you could sound so formal. Send her back, Thunderlane! She’s expected.” Staring her down a moment longer, Thunderlane jerked his head in the direction of the office, muttering something under his breath. Not wanting to cause a scene, Lightning merely trotted over to the open door without a word. She knocked on it twice, before slipping inside.

Rainbow Dash sat behind a wooden desk, a quill in her muzzle as she glanced over and signed multiple forms. Filing cabinets surrounded the room labeled as ‘weather data’ with a year and a season, some of them dating back to nearly a decade ago. A pair of chairs faced the desk itself, and the weather mare gestured to one of them with a foreleg. Taking the hint, Lightning shut the door behind her and sat down, waiting as calmly as she could while Rainbow finished signing the work in front of her.

Setting down the quill, Dash reached over and pulled out a file, flipping it open. “So, you’re looking to fill one of our missing weather pony slots. Doesn’t look like you have any experience with actual weather manipulation, but that’s what training is for. That being said, some of your work with stunt displays will carry over and make the process easier.” She flipped a page. “Your current residence is still in Pinegrove, are you planning to commute every day? That’s quite the flight.”

“No ma’am, at least not every day. I would fly out for my first shift of the week, and rent a room until the final shift, when I would fly back home.” Dust squirmed slightly. “I would be available for all seasons, and be willing to pull any extra time required during the peak seasons for farm irrigation and Winter Wrap Up.”

“Did your research, good job.” Flipping another page, Dash frowned slightly. “Says here you’re still on restrictive duty, how bad?”

Lightning rubbed a hoof along the back of her neck. “Well, ma’am, with the way mail is delivered in and out of Pinegrove, I had actually expected to be nearly recovered before I had even heard back from the weather office. Rest assured, I’ll be given full clearance in about a week and a half, and I’m willing to do any groundwork I can to learn until then.”

Shutting the file, Rainbow flicked it off to the side. “Okay Dust, off the record, what’s actually going on here? This seems… kiiiiinda out of left field.”

Deflating slightly, she leaned back in the chair. “I… caused an accident. With the Washouts I mean.”

Rainbow nodded. “I read about that. Nasty stuff, but even fillies know that stunt flying is risky, even on the best of days. Getting the boot seems kinda crazy.” Dust raised an eyebrow, head tilting slightly in an unasked question. Dash shrugged, answering “I kept tabs on you. Even with the attitude and ego, you were one hell of a flier, and I wanted to see how far you’d go. The Ponyville weather office waaaaaasn't really where I saw us meeting again, though.”

Looking down at the floor, Dust nodded. “So you know what happened then. After the accident, things went downhill for me physically and eventually I got kicked out, washed out of the freaking Washouts. Things have been pretty tough since then, but I've been living with my grandma to help sort things out. I did make a new friend a few weeks ago, she’s been helping get my head back on straight, and I thought a good step would be to get back in the skies and actually work, give me something to focus on while I sort my life back out.”

Rainbow nodded, resting her forelegs on the table. “Princess Celestia had a big debrief with everypony over the Pages situation, so I did hear about what happened with you and Spitfire out in Pinegrove. She didn’t give a lot of specifics, but I know Discord messed you both up pretty bad. Spitfire also spoke quite highly of you and the way you handled yourself, it’s actually part of why I gave you the interview in the first place. Not that was her goal, just... she's a good judge of character.” She looked Lightning in the eyes, her face flat and serious. “I’m also all for giving ponies a chance, to show they've changed. But most importantly, I also have to protect my weather team. So, Lightning Dust, can I trust your word that you won’t be reckless with my town? You’ll follow directions, obey any and all safety regulations, and be an asset to the team and our town? No showboating, no risky stunts, you play it safe and by the book.”

Dust threw up a salute. “Ma’am, yes ma’am. I’ll do whatever I can to prove I’m not that same mare anymore.”

“Well, then you’re hired.” Rainbow opened up a drawer, digging around inside for a minute before pulling out a small stack of paperwork and setting it in front of the mare. “While you’re still finishing healing, we’ll get you familiar with the warehouse out back, as well as train you in the fundamentals of weather and cloudhandling.” She flicked some of the pages over, gesturing with a hoof. “We’ll set you up with a schedule to train, I’ll pair you up with Cloud Kicker; she can be a whole bag of sass, but she’s also one of the best weather ponies I’ve ever worked with. Questions?”

Nod. “Yeah, renting a room while I’m here during the week, where would you suggest?”

Humming for a moment, Rainbow tilted her head in thought. “I’ll talk to Twilight, see if we can set you up with a guest room at the Castle of Friendship.”

“O-oh no, t-there’s no need to go that far.” Lightning stuttered.

Dash let out a laugh, waving a hoof. “Dust, that castle has like a bajillion rooms in it, I’m sure it won’t be an issue if you borrow one three or four nights a week. Besides, it’d be hard to rent a room before you got paid, right?” The other mare nodded slowly. With a soft sigh, Rainbow leaned a bit further forward. “Look, I don’t know what you’ve been through, but judging by Spitfire’s account and how you currently look, no offense, it’s been a lot. I can forgive you for the accident at the Academy, just prove to me you aren’t the same pony that only looked out for herself.”

“I can do that, Rainbow. Thank you.”

Squinting slightly, Dash tilted her head as she looked under Lightning's wing. “Is… that donuts?”

“Oh, this?” Lightning pulled the box out. “Yeah, your friend Pinkie just shoved this into my hooves. Something about storing them around for ‘donut emergencies’ or something?”

“Bahaha! Oh yeah, that’s claaaaassic Pinkie Pie! You’ll get used to her after a while. Now c’mon, let me show you the storage warehouse.”

Hey Spitfire,

I got the job! I was worried that after everything, Rainbow would hold a grudge, but she was actually pretty chill about it. She has her reservations, and… I can’t really blame her. After the Academy, after the Washouts near-incident with Scootaloo, after the accident I caused, I’d be shocked if she WASN’T worried. I heard you spoke pretty nicely about me when you reported to Princess Celestia, that really means a lot to me. Thank you, really.

I’ll be bouncing between Ponyville and Pinegrove for a while, spending around half of the week at each. You can probably just send letters to Ponyville itself, since the mail there is so much more frequent than Pinegrove.

When you get back from the shows out west, maybe we could find time to hang out again? I’m sure we can find a time that lines up or something. I mean, if you want to, you don’t have to, if you wanna hang out that’d be super cool. If not that’s cool too, letters are neat also! Just like, if you wanted to and the time worked out and stuff…. Sorry I’m rambling again.

Oh, I’m going to include a picture in here, Rainbow insisted: while showing me the warehouse where they store the cloud shipments and equipment, she pranked me with a rain cloud and soaked me. One of the other pegasi, Blossomforth I think her name was, snapped the pic; you can even see Rainbow on the cloud laughing her flank off.

I… I think this is going to be really good for me. I hope it’s really good for me, I haven’t had a lot of ‘wins’ lately, you know?

Good luck with the shows! I can’t wait to hear from you soon.

Your Friend,

-Lightning Dust.

Walk In The Park

Chapter 3: Walk In The Park

Giving a quiet yawn, Lightning blinked out of her slumber and into the waking world. Being met with unfamiliar surroundings, it took her brain several moments to clear enough of the fog to remember where she was: Spitfire's apartment. Squirming slightly, and with a soft grunt, the mare stretched out her limbs to ward off the lingering sleepiness from her body, before she rolled over and hopped onto her hooves, brushing a few errant strands of amber mane from her face. Taking a brief moment to make the bed, she poked her head around the curtain hanging across the window to look out over the city.

The sun had been up for a few hours now, which meant she had actually managed to sleep in this morning. The exact time she needed to be up for her job would vary depending on the needs of the weather team and how early they had to get started; sometimes it was even before the sun had fully risen above the horizon. Lightning had decided a week into the job that she wanted to set a consistent schedule to her sleep so she wouldn't feel exhausted on the early days of weather duty. It was nice to snag an extra few hours every now and again, and today was apparently one of those days. Looking up at the clear skies above, she gave a nod of approval and turned to the door, slipping out to the hallway.

It didn't take her long to find Spitfire in the kitchen, scanning across the morning paper with a mug of coffee beside her. Ears flicking slightly as she entered the room, Spitfire looked up with a smile. "Morning Lightning. Sleep well?"

Lightning gave a small yawn, nodding as she sat across the table. "Yeah, the extra few hours was really nice." She glanced over at the daylight flowing in through the nearby window, her wings fidgeting slightly against her back. "I uh, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

Waving a hoof in response, the Wonderbolt set the paper aside. "Oh no you're fine, I slept in too. All those shows in a row is really exhausting, so taking the time to rest and actually recover is important." Hopping off the stool, she took her mug and placed it in the sink. "Did you need to shower or anything? We can head out whenever you're ready."

Tilting her head, she thought for a brief moment. "No, I got a good shower last night, and this" she gestured at her mane with a hoof "is pretty much the extent of my morning maintenance." She paused again. "Unless we're going somewhere nice, then I can brush it and look a bit less... this."

Spitfire shook her head. "Oh don't worry about it, we aren't going anywhere that would require us to dress up or anything." Taking a small brown saddlebag off the counter, she slung it across her back. "And don't worry about the bits, this trip is on me." Lightning opened her muzzle to protest, but Spitfire held up a hoof. "I dragged you out here at the last minute, it's the least I can do."

"At least let me pay for my breakfast or something..."

"Nope!" She replied happily. "I'm paying and that's the end of the story." Seeing Dust's face, she put a hoof on her shoulder. "Trust me, we aren't going anywhere that's going to be expensive or break the bank, so let me treat you. If nothing else, consider it my thanks for carrying me out of that cave a few months ago."

Lightning sighed, looking down as she pawed at the ground with a hoof as her wings ruffled gently. "Well, when you put it like that..."

"Perfect!" Spitfire beamed. "Let's get going then!" As the pair headed to the door, she used her wing to snag the keys off a small hook on the wall. Entering the hallway, she turned and locked the door behind them, slipping the keys securely into one of the bag's smaller pockets.

"It's a little bit of a walk to the diner," Spitfire said as they headed down to the elevator, "but absolutely worth the trip I promise. It happens to be a bit hidden away too, which makes it perfect for ponies like the 'Bolts to visit and relax without being bothered."

Lightning nodded as they waited for the elevator to reach their floor. "I guess that makes sense. I imagine there isn't a way to nicely say 'hey leave me alone I'm in my off time'?"

The captain shook her head. "Not really. Thankfully, out of uniform, there are less ponies that recognize us, and the ones that do will usually avoid holding us up for more than just exchanging pleasantries. We have lives and stuff to get to, after all. But you take a dozen short encounters, and suddenly you're missing an hour of your day. And I want every hour of time I can get my hooves on." The elevator gave a soft rumble as it came to a stop in front of them, the stallion inside sliding the door open for the pair.

"Morning ladies." He greeted with a broad smile.

Spitfire gave a small wave as the mares entered. "Hey Brass, how's the weather today?"

Closing the door and activating the mana crystal, the compartment rumbled as they began their descent. "Going to be a beautiful day out there, Captain. Sun is out to keep it warm, but the breeze will stop it from getting too out of hoof. Got any plans for the outdoors?"

She nodded. "Lightning has never been to the Canterlot Gardens, figured it would be a great place to wander around for the day, especially if the weather is going to be so nice."

"Excellent plan!" He replied with a nod. "Word of warning, I do believe the primary schools are taking the kids to the fruit orchards of the Gardens, so if you were hoping for some quiet I would avoid them just for today." The lift shuddered to a halt on the ground floor, Brass reaching to pull the door open for the mares.

"Thanks for the heads up!" Spitfire reached into her bag and hoofed a few bits to him that he placed in his pocket. "You're a lifesaver on that one." Waving as they departed, the two made their way towards the large doors of the entrance.

"He seems like a really nice guy." Lightning commented, once she was sure they were out of earshot.

"Oh, Brass Alloy? Yeah, he's great." Spitfire agreed. "He's been running the elevator since long before I got here, seems to really enjoy it. He also keeps track of the weather, local events, pretty much anything you would need to know for your day. Saved my flank more than once from walking out into a downpour without realizing it." Holding the door open for her friend, the two stepped out into the sun.

As the stallion had said, it was an absolutely beautiful day outside; even without any clouds in the sky to cover the sun hanging high overhead, the consistent breeze blowing across their coats kept them from feeling too warm. They made their way lazily down the streets, neither in any rush to get to their destination any quicker. They walked beside each other, with Lightning keeping a short half-step slower so she could easily follow if Spitfire made any turns or stops.

"It's a couple roads down from my place, so it's not too far." Spitfire explained as they traveled. "I try not to eat directly around my flat too often, the prices are... well, let's just say they clearly cater to the elite of Canterlot. And especially being an athlete, it's just too many bits to get the intake and specific diet I need for flying and staying in shape."

"Makes sense." Lightning nodded. "I imagine for them it's a lot more about the artistry and the quality ingredients than the amount of food they're giving you."

"More like keeping the 'non-elites' out of their stores." She grumbled in response. "Speaking of getting in shape though, seems like the diet suggestions are working out for you. Your body's looking a lot nicer than back in the cave." She glanced over. "Please don't take that the wrong way."

Lightning chuckled, shaking her head. "Trust me, I get it: I looked awful back then, even if I didn't want to admit it out loud." They paused at a corner briefly to let a carriage roll by, before continuing on. "But yeah, it feels good to be getting back in shape. With weather work I'm focusing more on getting my stamina back rather than speed or power: it's just more useful for the job."

"Makes sense, it always looked like more of a long-haul sort of job than one you muscle through." They continued crossing town at a gentle pace, chatting idly as they weaved along streets and around other ponies. The pair gladly soaked in the sun, letting it warm and relax their wings as the breeze continued to gently brush across them. It didn't take them long after to reach their destination.

Many buildings in Canterlot were meant to draw your eye; either through unique architecture, fancy signs and lights, or just their sheer size and scale. The obvious intent was to entice the eye and draw you inside to indulge in whatever goods and services they were selling.

This place, simply called Flan's Diner, was very much the opposite.

The diner stood barely a story tall, opaque windows stretching across the length of the building; when Lightning squinted, she couldn't make out anything other than vague shapes on the other side of the glass. A string of magic lights, almost like those you'd hang on a Hearth's Warming tree, ran along the edge of the roof above them. They were powered off, likely because it was daytime, but looked like they would shine a very soft neon red when ignited by the spell. She idly wondered how something that looked so plain and easy to miss in a city like Canterlot managed to survive; even in the less-rich areas of the city, it still had to be incredibly expensive to own anything compared to most of the other places she had visited.

Spitfire grabbed the silver handle of the entrance, opening the door and holding it for her companion. "After you."

"Thank you."

The interior of the diner was just as simplistic as the outside had been: the decorations were sparse, with some pictures and what looked like vintage vinyl records in protective frames filling the empty space. Several ponies sat in front of them at a long counter, cups of coffee and plates of food in front of most of them. Fanning out to either side of her against the front windows were booths, a few already occupied with ponies happily enjoying their meals together.

Lightning was met with the delicious aroma of pancakes, syrup, and haybacon, causing her stomach to rumble gently in anticipation.

"Hey Spitfire!" One of the waitresses behind the counter, a unicorn mare with an icy blue coat and a short aqua mane, waved at them with a hoof. "Feel free to grab a booth, I'll be with you two in just a second."

Nudging her companion, Spitfire nodded towards their right. "Think the one at the end is open, let's head there." Slipping past a few already-occupied booths, they slid into the empty one at the very end of the row facing each other, and got comfortable. Glancing at the window beside them, Lightning realized she could see through clearly without issue, and gave her companion a curious look. Catching her gaze, Spitfire waved a hoof. "Oh, don't worry about ponies looking in on us: the window panes are enchanted so you can look out without an issue, but you can't clearly see who is on the inside of the diner. Adds some natural light inside, without ruining the privacy of it all."

Lightning gave a nod, looking back outside as the ponies milled about their day. "Huh, that's pretty cool." Turning back to the table, she opened up the menu and started looking inside. "I don't exactly go out to eat very often, got any suggestions?"

"Hmm... Well I've been all around the menu here, and it's all pretty good: pancakes, omelets, haybacon, you really can't go wrong."

The unicorn waitress from earlier stepped up to their table, greeting the pair with a soft, genuine smile. "Well hey there you two, thanks for stopping in!" She turned to the Wonderbolt. "Not often you bring company, Spitfire, who is this lovely young lady?"

"Rosepetal, this is my friend Lightning Dust, she's come all the way from Ponyville and Pinegrove." Spitfire introduced. "Dust, this is Rosepetal, she runs the place now that her mom retired.” She turned back to the unicorn. “How is she by the way?"

"She's doing great!" Rosepetal answered. "She wasn't too sure about retirement, but I think that changed when she got to Las Pegasus and relaxed on the beach for the first time: pretty sure I'm never getting her off the sand again." She chuckled, levitating her pad and a pen in front of her muzzle. "So, what can I get the two of you today?"

"Just got back from my shows on the coast, so I'm getting my usual celebration breakfast: coffee, water, and the fully-loaded omelet."

"You got it hun!" She scribbled the order down, before looking at Lightning Dust. "Do you need a minute? I can come back."

Dust thought for a moment, shaking her head. "I'll just have what she's having. Apple juice instead of the coffee though, please."

"Sure thing you two, I'll get that right in!" Taking the menus out of their way, she trotted off with a soft hum.

Now that they were closer to the wall, Lightning saw that many of the photos appeared to be family pictures: she could pick out Rosepetal easily, following the images backwards to see her younger and younger. Another mainstay of most of the images was a light brown earth pony; based on the younger Rosepetal being held by the pony in the early images, she figured that must be Flan. The pair bore wide smiles in each image, the light sting of envy bubbling inside. Pulling her gaze away from the wall, she turned back to Spitfire. "So, sounds like you've been coming here a long time then?"

The captain nodded, leaning against the booth's back. "Mmm, probably for the last five years or so? Her mom, Grandma Flan, actually took over this place when the previous owners went bankrupt: she worked hard to clean up and improve it, and they've been really successful ever since. The location, and not-flashy décor, don't really bring in the Canterlot elite; that actually makes it a great place for visitors and ponies looking to avoid the snobbery and price gouging of the fine dining places around the city."

"That's pretty cool." Dust commented. "How did you end up finding it then?"

A light blush crossed Spitfire's cheeks, a hoof rubbing the back of her neck. "It's a little embarrassing. One day, when I was still pretty new to Canterlot, I got myself turned around and lost trying to find my way to one of the tailors around here; my uniform had gotten a bit dinged up at an after-party, and I uh... I figured since the uniform had been brand new, the 'Bolts wouldn't have been thrilled about having to pay for the repair or get me a new one so soon. So I had decided that I was going to go and get it fixed up on my own bits, save myself the embarrassment. I was still exhausted from the night before, which is how I got turned around trying to follow Soarin's directions. Deciding I needed a little help, I wandered in here to try and get pointed the right way. While Flan was trying to help me out, I see the biggest omelet I've ever laid eyes on get carried past me. Well, I hadn't eaten in nearly fourteen hours, so I ended up staring at the plate and losing track of the conversation."

"Flan got a good chuckle as my stomach rumbled loud enough to wake the dead, so she sat me down in a booth and served me one of those plates: a fully-loaded omelet." Spitfire chuckled softly at the memory. "Wouldn't take no for an answer, but I was so ravenous I don't think I'd have been able to fight the urge to dive in anyway. Once she got me fed, she sent me on my way to get my uniform fixed, and I've been coming back ever since; though during show-season I have to get something a bit... less big, to make sure I stay in shape. But like I said, we're off the route for a couple weeks, so I get to cheat for just a few days."

Lightning gave a soft chuckle. "That does sound pretty funny. Do the 'Bolts do a lot of parties like that?"

"Nah, we tend to be a bit more reserved than how hard we went that night; after all, we have a reputation to maintain, and it's too easy to end up injured doing something stupid. For instance, about a year ago, Rapidfire actually was put on the reserve team for a few months because he ended up getting in a stupid argument and shoving a bouncer at one of the clubs we were at." Another waitress dropped off their drinks, and the pair thanked her.

After taking a sip of water, Lightning responded "Oh, I think I remember reading about that! It was in the paper for a couple of days after, he had community service and missed the main run of shows that season.”

“Yup.” Spitfire confirmed. “And that was the end of any crazy parties for us, under threat of severe punishment.” The two continued to chat idly about the Wonderbolts over the next several minutes, until Rosepetal returned carrying a tray of food in the pink aura of her magic.

She set the plates down in front of the mares with a smile. "Alright, here you go ladies! Just let us know if you need anything else."

“Thank you!” The two mares said in unison. Looking down at the plate in front of her, the aroma of haybacon, onions, and peppers made Lightning salivate: this was going to be good. Seeing Spitfire dig in, Dust wasted no time in following suit and taking a bite off the edge, her eyes lighting up.

"Oh wow, this is amazing!" Dust exclaimed, happily shoving another forkful of omelet into her muzzle. Cheese oozed out of the side of the open omelet, carrying pieces of haybacon and tomatoes onto the plate, but were quickly scooped up by the next pass of her utensil.

Spitfire laughed, nodding in agreement. "Haybacon, onions, peppers, tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, and enough cheese to suffocate you. It's nearly as thick as my cannon, and it's all wrapped in egg that's almost impossibly fluffy." Conversation fell silent as they devoured their meals, both making sure to clean up any pieces that fell out onto the plate. In almost no time, the two mares had picked their plates completely clean of any omelet shreds, and leaned back against their seats satisfied.

"Buuuuuck that was good." Lightning groaned, patting her stomach lightly. "I'll have to remember where this place is, cuz I am definitely coming back here."

"Well I'll keep that in mind next time you come out to visit." She smiled, stretching slightly. "I'm ready to move on, but do you need to sit a few minutes to let it settle?"

"Nah." Dust shook her head. "I should be good, as long as we aren't going running... or flying, that might've made me too heavy for that." Spitfire slipped out of the booth, smirking as she very gently poked her friend's stomach, earning a soft squeak from Dust.

"It's not that bad, I think you could still manage.” She joked. "But trust me, I remember my first time with that omelet too, and I felt the exact same way." Leaving a small pile of bits on the table, Spitfire motioned to the door with her head. "No flying or running, just a nice walk. The east side of the Canterlot Gardens isn't too far from here, and then there'll be plenty of benches if you need to take a break." As they headed towards the exit, Spitfire gave a small wave to Rosepetal. "Thanks again! I'll be seeing you soon!"

She waved at the departing pair. "Thanks for stoppin' by hun! And make sure to bring your friend back soon too!"

"I will!" With that, the two slipped back outside.

The breeze had picked up slightly, gently blowing their manes and tails as they trotted down the road. Their pace was a bit slower than it had been, the delicious food from the diner slightly weighing them down. It was still a little before noon, so Spitfire wasn't in any hurry to get anywhere; they still had plenty of time.

"So," Lightning started, "the Canterlot Gardens, what exactly are they? Beyond being a giant garden, I mean."

"Well, the name sort of explains itself." Spitfire began. "I'm sure you've at least seen images of it from above?" Dust nodded. "While it is 'just a garden', it's a lot more than that too. The Princesses brought in plants from all over Equestria, and even other nations, and have them set up and organized mainly by climate and weather requirements. Some areas with similar needs are separated by knee-high fences, while much taller walls split up the main areas. They have a team of pegasi employed full time to make sure that the weather over each area is exactly where it needs to be, and unicorns keep the areas separated and protected from the Canterlot environment. Personally, I love the orchards and fruit trees the most; they're so bright and colorful and have the most beautiful fruits growing on them. But if Brass is right and all the fillies will be swarming around, we'll want to explore them another time." Chuckle. “Just another excuse to get you back out here.”

She nodded slowly as she took in the information. “Growing up in Pinegrove there wasn't a lot of need for a garden, or the spare time to take care of it. Guess it didn't make a lot of sense to have one anyway, being in the middle of a forest. It'll be neat to actually see stuff from all over Equestria.”

"And don't forget," Spitfire pointed out as they neared the eastern entrance to the gardens, "that the Princesses have imported plants from Saddle Arabia, Zebrica, Griffonstone, Yakyakistan, and several other places. So there are things in here you literally will not find growing in Equestria itself."

The Canterlot Gardens had entrances at every cardinal point, with the most elaborate designs and creations on the southern end of the area. By no means did this mean the other entryways were bare or boring: each of them was dedicated to a different pony race, with their archway dedicated to the unicorns of Equestria. Intricate lines were carved into the stonework, swirling and arcing gracefully along the entire surface; every color of the rainbow seemed to be present, some internal magic giving them a soft but brilliant sheen. On the very top of the arch were a pair of large unicorns, made in such perfect detail one could have mistaken them for being real... at least, if not for their enormous size.

The two pegasi passed under the arch and into the Gardens themselves, standing in a small cobblestone clearing surrounded by benches. Spitfire nudged her companion gently on the shoulder. "So Dust, left or right? The orchards are mostly along the far western side since the cooks use the ingredients fairly often for Canterlot Castle, so we shouldn't have to worry about straying into them and dealing with the fillies running around everywhere."

Lightning paused for a moment, before pointing a wing off to their left. "Not a fan of kids, huh?" She asked as they set off.

"It's not that." Spitfire said. "I really don't mind them normally, but I really wanted this to be a chance for us to hang out, and the gardens are just a convenient and relaxing place to do that outdoors away from the usual bustle of the city." She glanced over. “Besides, I was hoping I could maybe get to know you a little better? We didn't exactly have time for a meet and greet during the Pages incident.”

"Twenty questions, hmm?" Dust mused, nudging the other mare. "I guess I could answer a few from my favorite fan." They laughed and pushed each other playfully, ignoring the glances of the other ponies around them: this wasn't about them after all, today was for the pair of pegasi pals. "So, what's first on your mind then? Only fair for you to drop the first question when it's your idea."

Spitfire tossed her mane out of her face, still chuckling from their back-and-forth. "That's fair." She hummed for a brief moment, thinking. "Tell me about your family. You live with your grandmother, right? You said you didn't remember much about your childhood."

Lightning nodded slowly, mulling it over for a minute before responding. “I've been living with my grandmother for as long as I can remember; she wouldn't tell me much about my parents, other than they weren't in the picture. From what little digging I could do through her memory albums and the court system, she sued for custody of me when I wasn't even a year old. I guess my mom and dad were in pretty deep with some really unsavory characters from the rundown parts of Manehatten; she was worried I'd either end up in that circle too, or even worse.”

Spitfire nodded, but said nothing as she absorbed Dust's words.

“Soon as she found out they had a kid, she went straight to court to get custody and keep me safe. It lasted a few months, but the legal documents say they kept failing to show up for the hearings. And when they got caught up in a bust a few weeks later, that was all the judge needed to let my grandma take full custody of me; probably helped she was an ex-Wonderbolt, so her name was pretty well known. She moved us out to Pinegrove, and that's where I've lived ever since.”

“What about school?” Spitfire asked. “Doesn't seem like there would be a lot of teachers who would live in a logging town.”

“You're right.” Dust responded. “She ended up making a deal with one of the schools in Las Pegasus to have me learn there. We would take the train there on Monday and stay at one of her friend's houses for the week. Once it came to Friday, we'd take the train back to Pinegrove and spend the weekend together so I could learn to fly.” A small smile crossed her muzzle. “I know it couldn't have been easy, but she never seemed to let it bother her. As we both got older and she wasn't able to travel as easily, I'd make the trip on my own. After I graduated, she helped me build a training regiment so I could eventually apply to the Wonderbolts Academy, and hopefully follow in her hoofsteps.” She let out a heavy sigh, looking down. “But you know how all that went...” Her voice trailed off.

Stretching out a wing, Spitfire gave her a soft hug. “Sounds like you went through a lot.”

“I guess? But it was all I'd ever known, so I sort of just thought it was normal for the first few years, that it was the sort of life every filly lived. And then after that, it was normal for us, so it never actually felt weird.” She shook her head, letting out a soft chuckle. “Sorry, didn't mean to dump all that on you like that. But yeah, that's me and my grandma in a nutshell.”

“Hey now,” Spitfire responded, “there's no need to apologize: I'm the one who asked, and I'm glad you were willing to share with me.” The pair continued on in silence, more interested in each other's presence than the actual scenery around them.

Lightning cleared her throat. "Speaking of asking, you got more than one question snuck in there. Seems a bit unfair."

"Hey now, one was a question the other was asking for clarity!" She laughed, shaking her head a bit. "But you're right, have at it."

"All right. Well you know a bit about my family, tell me about yours?"

Tilting her head, Spitfire thought for a few moments. "I don't think there's much more beyond what I said in the cave. Grew up in Cloudsdale with my brother Rapidfire; though I'm sure you know about him, since he's a pretty big Wonderbolt too. He and I are kind of close, probably about as much as most siblings are I'd guess? As for my parents... well, I told you back then about the flight stuff, but my dad is an accountant and my mom is a teacher. They both wanted their kids to be good fliers, so they signed us up for all sorts of training, flight clubs, races... you name it, and if it involved flying and was accessible to young ponies, Rapid and I were there."

She nodded. "Do you regret it? Even now that you're a Wonderbolt?"

With a soft sigh, Spitfire looked down. "I enjoy where I'm at, it means the world to me... but I wish I'd had the chance to do kid stuff, you know? Silly stuff like play street hockey, go out for ice cream, things like that. I've always loved flying, and I like to think I'd have made it here even without all the forced practicing. Maybe not as fast as I had, but in my own time, and without the stress or missing out on just being a kid."

"Do you still keep in touch with them? Your parents?"

She was silent for a moment. "They... write me more than I write them, let's just say." She finally answered. "It's not that I've gone no contact, but I've definitely minimized it. I know they meant well with the choices they made, but it still stings." They trotted in silence for a moment, before she let out a laugh. "Look at us, getting all depressed and sad when we're supposed to be having a good time."

Lightning chuckled as well. "Well, how about something a little lighter then... do you have a favorite 'Bolts show that you've been a part of?"

The pair spent the rest of the warm afternoon pacing around the gardens, making idle conversation with whatever came to their heads: musicals, past relationships, their jobs, whatever struck their fancy. They had wandered until nearly sundown, much later than they had originally intended to, but both agreed it had been absolutely worth it. Lightning had never had the chance to spend time with another pony like this, and she couldn't deny there was something personal, and touching, about the entire experience. She decided to file it away in the back of her mind, wanting to do that again in the future.

Not wanting to be late for their rendezvous with some of the other Wonderbolts for the club, they had opted to grab some snacks from one of the food carts in the Gardens with the intent to eat a meal once they got there. Lightning wasn't sure if the type of food a club served would be very filling or good, but Spitfire assured her it wouldn't be an issue: the VIP section would absolutely have access to whatever kind of food she was feeling hungry for. Perks of having popularity and fame, I guess. Lightning thought.

And so, the pair made their way towards the club.

"So, is this one of those clubs we can hear from a couple blocks away?” Lightning inquired. “With huge lights flashing all over the outside?"

"Nah," Spitfire answered with a shake of her head, "there's too many regulations around noise and light when it gets dark in Canterlot. You can thank the upper class for that: didn't want their dinner parties and sleep to be bothered by 'all that noise'. The club is almost entirely soundproofed to follow the local laws, and except for the neon sign out front with the name, it doesn't have any huge strobes or floodlights decorating it. Trot Step has been one of the biggest clubs around the city for a while, and I can't imagine they want to ruin that by breaking the rules."

As they grew near the building itself, Lightning saw a decent line of ponies snaking down the street away from them waiting to get into the club, three large bouncers standing outside the entrance. I guess we can skip the line or something? She was about to continue down the road until Spitfire nudged her, tilting her head to the side.

"This way, there's a side entrance that we're allowed to use for the VIP area: stops us from getting pestered by the ponies in line, and it's a much shorter walk to where we're going to be sitting. Soarin' said they would wait outside for us, so they might already be here. Told them I wanted to do introductions outside, so we weren't battling over the noise." They passed quickly between the buildings, rounding the corner to the street that ran behind the club. Just as Spitfire had said, there was a pair of large earth ponies standing outside a smaller, more concealed looking door to the club they were walking around.

And a few meters away from the door stood a pair of stallions, one of which she recognized immediately as Soarin', second-in-command of the Wonderbolts. The other was a light-gold earth pony, sporting a tan cowboy hat and vest; he looked about as out-of-place as Lightning felt, and she was grateful she didn't seem to be the only one.

"Hey Cap!" Soarin' called out once he saw them, waving with a hoof. "I was starting to wonder if you would make it."

"Sorry about that." She replied as the mares trotted up to them. “We got caught up in the Gardens longer than I thought.” Her brow furrowed slightly as she glanced around. "No one else? Really?"

The sky-blue pegasus shrugged. "Fleet is still recovering from whatever flu she got during the after-party of our last show, Rapid took the chance to go out and visit your parents, Wave Chill said he didn't feel like it.

“And Surprise?”

“She drew the short straw for Optics tonight, so she's out schmoozing at a small hangout that Fancy Pants is having. So it's just going to be us tonight, sorry."

Spitfire waved a hoof. "It's okay, just as long as everyone is doing fine." Turning to her companion, she smiled. "Guys, this is my friend Lightning Dust. Dust, I'm sure you don't need any introduction to Soarin'."

The pair shook hooves. "No, I remember him pretty well."

He tilted his head slightly, looking her up and down. "Dust, Dust... Oh yeah, we had you at the Academy didn't we! I thought your name sounded familiar."

Not wanting to get into that particular topic and spoil the mood, Spitfire quickly moved on. "And this is Braeburn, Soarin's coltfriend. He lives all the way out in Appleloosa, so he's coming even further than you are." She smiled at the stallion. "Glad you could make it out, I know it was pretty last minute for us."

He smiled broadly, eagerly shaking Lightning's hoof, who fought back a wince at how strong his grip was. "Oh ah don't mind! Just glad I could catch the train when ah did!”

Tilting her head, Lightning glanced the stallion up and down. “The name and accent... you're part of the Apple family right?” He nodded enthusiastically, to which she smiled. “I spend half my week in Ponyville working for the weather team, so I've met Applejack and her family a couple of times.”

“Ah okay!” He said brightly. “She's a might of a stubborn mule, but Applejack has got a heart of gold. She's mentioned a tooooon of times how y'all weather ponies help her out with the farm weather.”

Lightning pawed at the ground, wings ruffling behind her. “H-heh, nice to know we leave a good impression.”

Sensing Lightning didn't want to be put on the spot, Spitfire cut in. “Alright, well if it's just us let's head on in!” She turned to Dust, nudging her slightly. “Don't feel like you have to drink if you don't want to, okay?”

Getting a nod of confirmation, Spitfire led the group past the security guards, and together they stepped inside Trot Step.