It was a normal day in Ponyville, the sun was out, and a certain mare was clearing the clouds.
"Take that!" Rainbow Dash said, kicking a cloud into nonexistence. She had been clearing the clouds the entire morning, looking for a perfect cloud to take a nap in. She had found a big, fluffy cloud when a green, black, and yellow blur flew into her, knocking her over.
"Hey! Watch where your flying!" Rainbow Dash said angrily, shaking herself.
"Sorry!" the pegasus apologized, standing up, "I was flying really fast, and I didn't see- hey, wait a minute, I know you, your Rainbow Dash!"
"The one and only," Rainbow Dash said, sticking her chest out proudly, then scrutinized the other pony. "Hey, who are you? I haven't seen you around Ponyville."
"My name is Lightning Flash," she said, "You haven't seen me because I just moved here from Cloudsdale."
"You're from Cloudsdale?" Rainbow Dash asked, "That's where only the coolest pegasi are from!"
"You know it!" Lightning Flash agreed, then changed the subject, "Do you know where I could get a bite to eat? I'm starving!"
"Yeah, just follow me to Sugarcube Corner," Rainbow Dash replied, "It's the best place to eat in all of Ponyville! Maybe I can introduce you to some of my friends, if they're there."
"Wanna race?" Lightning Flash asked mischievously.
"Try to keep up!" Rainbow Dash laughed, "I'm the fastest flier in all of Equestria!" She sped off, leaving a rainbow streak behind her. Lightning Flash streaked after her, leaving a trail of storm clouds spiraled by lightning beside the rainbow. She caught up to her opponent, who quickly flew ahead. The two racers flew into a dive, then landed smoothly in front of Sugarcube Corner, Rainbow Dash slightly ahead.
"Nice moves," Rainbow Dash complimented, "You're faster than most ponies I know."
"Thanks!" Lightning Flash beamed, "I practice a lot. My cousin helps me."
"Cool," Rainbow Dash said, leading her into Sugarcube Corner, "Great! They're all here!"
She trotted ahead of her new friend and called out, "Hey guys! Come over here! There's someone I want you to meet!"
Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Rarity all trotted over, curious looks on their faces.
"This is Lightning Flash," Rainbow Dash said, "She just moved here from Cloudsdale, the coolest place in the sky!"
Pinkie Pie bounced over to Lightning Flash, peering at her cutie mark.
"Three lightning bolts, huh?" she asked, "You must be fast!"
"Oh, thanks," Lightning Flash said, blushing slightly, "I got it whenever I was flying during a storm on a dare. When I flew around the storm clouds, I saw lightning bolts up close, and they were so awesome! I loved to fly around them, and that's when this here appeared. I knew I wanted to be as fast as the lightning bolts I flew with."
"That was a beautiful story dear," Rarity commented, taking out her lace hankie and dabbing her eyes, "Oh, I can't wait to spend some more time with you! Think of all the new fashion possibilities!"
"Me too," Twilight said, "Maybe you can increase my knowledge about stormy weather, since you fly around in it so much."
"Oooh! Oooh! Me three!" Pinkie squealed, then her eyes widened, "I have a totally fabulous pony-tastic idea! This situation is perfect for a party! I'll invite everyone one in Ponyville, and you can have all kinds of friends! We'll have cake, and ice cream, and-"
"Don't forget me!" Rainbow Dash interrupted, "You should totally hang out with me sometime. I can show you all the cool places to fly in Ponyville!"
"And I would love to show you around Sweet Apple Acres, sugar cube," Applejack added, "Best apples you'll ever see in Equestria."
"I'm sure my animal friends would like to meet you," Fluttershy said softly, "Oh, but only if you want to, of course."
"I would love to do all those things!" Lightning Flash said eagerly, "Oh, I can't wait to tell cousin Soarin about all the friends I'm making!"
Suddenly, all the ponies went silent, and Rainbow Dash's mouth dropped open.
"Cousin... Soarin?" she gasped, "Like, Soarin of the Wonderbolts? You're his cousin? That explains why you're so fast, and why you leave a trail of storm clouds with lightning!"
"Yeah, I may have left that part out," Lightning Flash said, looking down at her hooves, "When I tell that to most ponies, they only want to be friends with me because of the publicity. I hope this doesn't change anything."
"Well of course it doesn't!" Applejack spoke up, "We're friends with you because of who you are, not because you're related to some famous pony."
"Do you think I could meet him?" Rainbow Dash asked, "This could be my chance to show him my moves, and then he'll tell the other Wonderbolts how awesome I am, and-"
Applejack cut her off with an angry glare, but Lightning Flash laughed.
"Don't be angry, Applejack," the green pegasus chuckled, "Soarin told me about Rainbow Dash. You know, he's still really grateful about you saving his apple pie at the Gala. He knows you're a big fan. I'm sure I can introduce you to him."
Rainbow Dash flew up into the air triumphantly.
"Yes!" she exclaimed, "Finally! This is going to be so awesome!"
"Are you sure you really want to do that, sugar cube?" Applejack asked, a worried look in her eyes, "Rainbow can go a little bit... you know, overboard sometimes."
"Of course I want to do it!" Lightning Flash said, "It's her dream to become a Wonderbolt.With my help, there's a better chance of her dream coming true."
Rainbow Dash landed back on the ground and squealed with excitement.
"Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!" she said excitedly, her eyes shining, "Thank you so much! When do you think I'll be able to meet him?"
"Hmmm, I don't know yet," Lightning Flash said thoughtfully, "I'll have to get him sometime when he isn't practicing for the Wonderbolts, or doing signings somewhere in Canterlot. I have his schedule somewhere at my house. You can come with me if you want, but first let me get something to eat."
"Already on it!" Pinkie Pie announced from the kitchen. She bounced towards her friends, and in her hoof was a cupcake that was larger than an orange. It was chocolate with chocolate fudge icing on top, sprinkled with dark chocolate chips. Lightning Flash's eyes widened at the sight of it.
"Oh wow, Pinkie," she gaped, "That looks absolutely delicious! How'd you know chocolate is my favorite flavor?"
"My Pinkie Sense told me!" Pinkie sang, handing the cupcake to her new friend, "And it's on the house. Think of it as a "Welcome to Ponyville" present."
"Thank you so much!" Lightning Flash said, taking a bite of the cupcake. Her eyes widened in delight. "This is one of the best cupcakes I've ever eaten!" She quickly ate the cupcake, finishing it with famished bites.
"It was really nice seeing you all, and I can't wait to hang out with you!" Lightning Flash said.
"Us too!" the other six ponies said unison.
The two pegasi walked out the door and flew up into the air.
"Just follow me!" Lightning Flash called to Rainbow Dash. She began to fly west of Sugarcube Corner, speeding up until she was only a streak in the sky. Rainbow Dash was right next to her, glad to have a friend who she could race in the sky with. A two story cloud home appeared in the distance, growing larger by the second. They landed by the front door. Lightning Flash pushed down the door handle and walked in. Rainbow Dash followed and saw there were boxes almost everywhere, all of them open.
"Sorry it's so messy," Lightning Flash apologized, "I haven't really had time to unpack much."
"It's okay, my house is much messier than this," Rainbow Dash replied. She felt something furry rub against her leg and looked down. It was a black and white cat. He was white on his belly, paws, and face. It was clear he was very friendly, for he was rubbing against Rainbow Dash's leg, purring loudly.
"Who's this?" she asked, reaching down to pet his head.
"Oh, that's Oreo," Lightning Flash said. Oreo stopped rubbing Rainbow's leg and jumped on Lightning Flash's back. It looked as if that was his usual perch by the way he settled himself.
"He's the complete opposite of Opal, Rarity's cat," Rainbow Dash said, "She hates everyone, except for Rarity and Fluttershy. She suddenly thought of something alarming. "Hey, shouldn't Oreo have fallen through the floor just now? I mean, it's a cloud home, and he's clearly not a pegasus."
"Oh, I took care of that problem when he was just a kitten," Lightning Flash said, looking in boxes, "Every few days I would fly down from Cloudsdale to a nearby town and have a more advanced unicorn cast a cloud walking spell on him. Speaking of unicorns, I heard that Twilight is a really talented one. Can she perform that spell?"
"Of course she can!" Rainbow Dash said proudly, "She's the most talented unicorn in all of Equestria!"
