A gagged scream was heard from the inside of a raincloud. “Get me out of here! Somepony get me out,” a childish voice pleaded. The young pegasus had been trying to push a cloud out of the way when she was sucked into it. She felt herself choking on essence and kicked feverishly. A leg broke free and poked out of the fluffy particles, but her light blue coat covering it camouflaged with the sky. After some trials, failures and squirming about the pony managed to yank her head out with a pop.
Finally unrestricted she drew cold air down to the bottom of her lungs. She found her balance on top of the trickster cloud while scouting for the older ponies. A cooperatively gust of wind brushed amber locks of hair away from her face, and the rays of sun made her mane shine like the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.
“Hello?” Her puzzled voice vanished into the aloofness of the empty sky before her. The other pegasi had already finished herding the clouds, apart from the few forgotten ones still scattered in the blue scape. She knew if she had been faster and better they wouldn’t have neglected her.
Prodding the cloud with her hoof she dumped down on it and comforted herself with how low the salary was anyway. It probably wouldn’t be of much help to her target, but she would take every bit she found to fill her shoebox with more than buttons and pocket fluff. When the management noticed how much time she spent around the racing tracks they had said she could help gather clouds for the next obstacle course, and that there might be a little reward. Of course she said yes. She wanted the tickets badly.
Absentmindedly she massaged the cloud. It was hard to keep tears at bay and the lump in her throat was hurting her. She had lost her way, but it didn’t matter, because she didn’t want to go home. The filly was too occupied biting her lips to notice how the particles beneath her gradually took shape. Her hooves scraped dust-balls off the cloud, little by little revealing another figure inside.
It was a somepony’s head. A new kind of energy overflowed the filly. Using her entire body she gave the cloud a shape. She was caught in a swipe of locomotion, engraving the Wonderbolt logo at the flanks with one hoof while molding its back with another. The pegasus finished by smoothening the sculpture’s surface with her brushing tail. She dried sweat off her forehead before looking down on a hoof stained with aerosol.
When she looked up again the surroundings had renewed. The troposphere became limitless. Playful wind groomed the cloud pony’s mane, making it stand on edge, looking shaggy but fierce. Then the current of air encouraged the cloud to drift forward, its legs gliding in slow motion. The young pony threw herself forward while her underdeveloped wings struggled to catch up. As she sailed in a race against the lifeless contestant the only sounds were the polishing air and her heart pounding with the knowledge that she was closer to light years beyond the Wonderbolts with every wing flap and lost feather.
She decided that a wall of fog ahead was the finish line and strained her wings to go faster. She adjusted her outstretched legs and swung back and forth, trying to find an opening past the racing cloud. Not a moment too late or early she slipped past it. Everything was a haze in her teary eyes, but fear and exhilaration kept her propelling forward.
It wasn’t time to slow down for the fog crashing towards her. She tried spreading her hind legs, but it resulted in her body spinning out of control. As the world rotated she wasn't sure who was in the lead. She slammed into something and her vision altered to white.
A tooth fell out of her wide grin, plummeting unsteadily down through clouds. The intensity of it all made the drops of blood clear as they tailed the tooth's roots. A thunderous snap followed. All of her limbs went numb and she forgot how to breathe. Her gushing tail left a static spiral of lightning. The flash of white died out. Her knees gave away and she curled up in mid-air. Still revolving she shot her legs and wings out in a release of power.
Another realm surfaced. Flying through a void she was surrounded by clouds displaying true darkness. A raindrop was crushed in the pupil of her unblinking saffron eyes, gluing her lashes together. She felt the short hide on her face gather in viscous barbs. A flawless storm surrounded her like glass ensnaring a goldfish. The cloud she had been sprinting with had followed her through the hole she left when plunging inside the hollow vapor.
She realized she was flying upside down and evoked how to breathe. An inhale of oxygen had never been so seamless and intact. With a determined wing beat she rolled over. The black space in the tempest’s clearing seemed infinite. With lightning above and thunder in her ears she continued to dash forward. The glimpses of light lingered in the air long enough for her to spot different tunnels, gaps and exits in the clouds. She was inside a maze.
The filly was showered in electricity. Quick as a scorpion's tail it glided through the trickles of sweat and rain on her coat. Her muscles couldn’t function. Her hooves were lugged in different directions, as if the northerly and southerly winds were arguing about a suicide.
The pony was blinded but felt the fall. She was equal to any raindrop or tooth. Like them she didn't think about how lost she was, the consequences of the downfall or that she couldn't move. Her body and thoughts were stunned with electrocution, but she felt a spark expanding inside. A paralyzed smile of satisfaction accompanied her lips.
The cloud pony dissolved into a mattress and tossed itself beneath her. The atoms seemed stitched together, making her bounce somewhat instead of falling through. The consistence was familiar to her skin.
A bolt of lightning and three stars were left on her scorched flank. Shivering she stacked her body parts in a snug position and gazed at the outburst of electricity. She was inside herself.
“Let’s meet again here tomorrow, then we can play some more!” the cloud was told by the filly. She was about to leave it beneath the terrace of clouds when she had a better idea. Holding onto one of its swabs she flew up to the roof, where a brick chimney towered. There was only one floor in the inviting house. The little pegasus positioned the cloud on top of the chimney and began to hop on it. The cloud was pressed down towards the heart of the home in a resistant manner. It crawled along the bricks while the filly whispered coordinates to her room. Pleased with her ingenious plan she flew down to the door and walked inside.
The consistent rattling of a sewing machine stopped and a dusky blue unicorn appeared in the hallway. Her black hair and mane looked Saddle Arabian, and her hip bared a symbol of a fashionable top hat.
“Baby, what happened to you?” the unicorn exclaimed petrified.
“I’m not your baby, look!” The pegasus responded by showing off her flank. Burnt flesh crossed her side like the northern lights. A dark tone of blue edged her crispy cutie mark.
“My gem, my Lightning Dust…” The mare nestled her head in her daughter’s wet mane. “Does it hurt?” she murmured while closing her azure eyes. She smelled motherly and of old forests.
“No, it tickles,” she giggled. “I never imagined my special talent would tickle.” It was supposed to be a happy moment and she had expected her mother to be ecstatic. Instead she had to smile reassuringly to her. Maybe she was too flabbergasted.
“My jaw aches though,” she continued. Her tongue fumbled around inside of her mouth, feeling the silhouettes of her teeth, followed by a warm unfilled space. A tooth hadn’t just dropped out, she had actually lost it. If she still had it she could have put it back, but she didn’t have a clue to where it was. She didn’t know about anypony toothless, especially not the Wonderbolts. She stepped away from the hatter and looked guiltily up at her. Standing there she felt tiny and meaningless.
“My gem, what’s wrong?” Lightning stared at her hooves, hoping her mother wouldn’t notice the chasm in her mouth. She studied a crack on her left one. It was from the time she tripped in one of their doorframes. Lightning Dust never got quite used to walking on firm terrain. She was meant for clouds and air, but they had all agreed to bring a house up in the sky so she could grow up close to Cloudsdale, even if her mother was a unicorn. “Nothing. I’m sleepy.”
“Just go and brush your teeth and I’ll be right there.” After making the promise she disappeared into a door. Lightning Dust cocked her round head before she dashed inside another room. She leapt past the cloud exiting the fireplace. Waving her hoof alluringly she glided by a bookshelf, and the knowledge from all of Equestria was gone in a blur as she advanced into her room. She crash landed on her bed, hard enough for the pillow to smack into the window. The cloud took the shape of a pony and closed the door behind them. It got the pillow for her.
“Thank you for taking me home,” the filly said. Then she thoughtfully placed a hoof on her lips. “Does this mean that we’re best friends?” The cloud pony didn’t get a chance to respond before she heard steps outside the door. “Hide,” she hissed and her friend dodged beneath the bed simultaneously as she did with her quilt. If the patches of shadows connecting in the ceiling weren’t scary enough, Lightning Dust could feel the tension as she imagined the cloud watching her mother’s hooves stepping over to the bedside.
“Nighty Lighty.” The filly felt lips brush her temple gently. Whisperings came through them and spread across the furry field that was her forehead. “I’ve never been so proud of anypony.” Lightning Dust turned over. “Will dad come home soon? I want to show him my cutie mark…”
“I just sent the Peregrine for him,” she said. “Can I wait till he gets home?” Her mother sighed, and as if the action made her light enough, she rose to her hooves. “We’ll wake you up when he gets here.”
“Is that a promise?”
“Yes, my gem.” She left the room.
Lightning Dust waited for her father. An hour passed. And another. Knowing she would be awoken in time she still wasn’t able to catch any sleep, and dark rings lumped together beneath her electrified eyes. The cloud floated in the ceiling next to a poster of the Wonderbolts, defending her against shadows. “…and that is Soarin. Even with his sweet tooth…” In between words she felt for the missing tooth with her tongue. “…he is not to be underestimated in a race.” Her pointing hoof wandered to the next aviator. “And that…” Lightning yawned. “…must be you.”
***
The small body twitched as the blanket was removed. She sluggishly lifted her head. A familiar face slowly put itself together in front of her, and a spur of awareness hit her. “Father,” she said and threw her front legs over his neck. “Hey there little buddy,” he said and patted her on the head. “Looks like you’ve been struck by lightning.”
Before he could chip in his admiration she rambled on in an outburst of energy. “And before that I was racing against my new best friend. Her name is Spitfire! You remember her, right?”
“From the Wonderbolts?” he said quizzically. “Then I was struck by lightning because I beat her to the finish line.” She was ignoring him completely. “And I got my cutie mark.” Finished wrapping up her story she suddenly noticed how exhausted she was. Her head fell back to the pillow. A barrier blocked her legs from moving and her wings were throbbing. Together with knowing the enigma under her bed it was the most violent sensation in the night.
“You’re the most remarkable little pony I know,” he said warmly and ruffled her mane before letting his hoof fall back to his side. But she was already dreaming about racing through monsoons of clouds stitched together by clattering money raining teeth.
***
When Lightning Dust had slept in it was lunch time. She rubbed her eyes and flexed her sore wings. On her bedside table she found a little pouch on top of a paper. Before she investigated it she picked the pouch up in her mouth. It felt heavy, especially when lacking the strength of a tooth. She hadn’t been thinking about the missing mouthpiece since she had told the cloud about the Wonderbolts. Removing the jingling pouch she got a closer look on the note. Golden glitter was drizzled between the complicated letters.
“To Lightning Dust.
I found your tooth, but I’m in need of the ivory. I hope you understand and to repay you I left a few bits.
The Tooth Fairy.”
Lightning Dust looked into the pouch and gawked at the sight of riches. Every flicker of shame died out. She instantly jumped out of bed and searched for clues in the closet, in the drawers, in her shoebox and among old toys. Tripping over a trail of glittering powder she tracked it to her window, which was left half open. She was hoping to spot the alleged Tooth Fairy, but she could only see acres of clouds spread across the blue sky and a vibrant rainbowfall on the horizon.
The pegasus knelt next to her bed and tilted her head to get a better look into the dark below it. “Be right back,” she whispered to the cloud. Mystified by how the note, money and tooth somehow was connected she tried to grasp the fairy’s existence. She headed out of the bedroom. A sweet scent led her to the kitchen.
To her surprise, her father was still home. “I heard you were up, so I made hot chocolate.” The brown liquid had the soft tone of his coat which gradually soaked into the pure marshmallows plopping on the surface. She found her seat by the table and balanced the ultimate cocoa between her hooves. “I see your wound has almost healed,” he said as she involved herself in a sip.
“Where’s the nearest tooth shop?” Lightning Dust said with brown tinted lips wrapping around a marshmallow. “Why?” His eyes widened in amusement and expectation as she stared down into the cup. “A mysterious fairy gave me money to replace the one I lost,” she admitted in a ragged exhale. A drop of water unsettled the hot chocolate’s surface. She munched harder on the marshmallow. In the midst of her battle against tears the sound of laughter erupted from the bottom of her father’s broad chest.
“What’s so funny?” Drooping snot shot back into her nostril as she sniffed. “It will grow back,” he swore and placed a hoof on his heart, as if making an oath. The glee kept him from composing his poker face in the long run. The filly was even more confused. “What’s the money for?”
“It’s her job to collect little fillies’ teeth and return the favor with money.” He fell down to all of his four and his golden eyes had a glimmer which she recognized very well. It was time for a story.
He lowered his body and spread his wings like a deck of cards. “During the day she naps on stars. You remember what I said about the stars?”
“They’re only visible during the night, but are still there in the day!” she said, proud about the fact she remembered. “Correct. Well, she is allowed to take naps because of the important job she does during the night,” he said theatrically. A night sky spread across the kitchen’s floor, walls and ceiling, and the cupboards’ handles became stars. “Then she will watch over all the regular ponies below. The different perspective that all pegasi share gives her a superior sight no missing tooth will slip by.” His head had emerged from behind the edge of the table across Lightning Dust. His eyes darted suspiciously back and forth. “As soon as she spots one she will…” His eyes suddenly rested at the little Pegasus. “… sneak into the owner’s room to cast a treasure spell. And in the morning, the only thing left is bits and a trail of stardust.”
He rose abruptly and brushed away any dust-balls with his wings. In a heartbeat the kitchen switched back to normal.
“What does she need the teeth for?” Lightning Dust wondered. This silenced her father for a little while.
“Of course, she makes stars of them.”
“Is she the Princess?” she said eagerly, finally understanding.
“No, but she works for her.”
“Why doesn’t they keep the money?”
“If she didn’t pay for your tooth it wouldn’t be her tool to use.”
Lightning Dust supported her thoughtful head on a hoof. “Why don’t we rip out all of our teeth so you won’t have to work at the snowflake factory and we won’t be poor anymore?” she suggested.
“Who told you we were poor?” he asked immediately, raising a brow.
“Crane Wing in class said so.”
“We don’t rip our teeth out because we don’t need to and it would hurt very badly.” A sudden grimness appeared in his otherwise charming voice. She understood.
“Well, how much did you get?” He changed the topic as abruptly as his voice. “Umh, 13 bits.”
“Isn’t it what you needed for the tickets?”
Lightning Dust hadn’t realized it before. “Y-yes!” She was so excited that she fell out of the chair, but was rescued by her wings. “Is it alright if I bring a cup of cacao to my friend so we can celebrate?”
“You mean Spitfire?”
“How did you know?”
“You told me last night.”
“Oh.”
“Where is she?”
“I’m not supposed to say…”
“Here you go, one shot for Spitfire.” Lightning Dust cocked her head and carried the cup with her mouth. Then she crept beneath the bed and pushed it over to the cloud. Her words crossing the warm cup she told about the Tooth Fairy, the good news and at last she ran out of good ghost stories. There was nothing more to tell so they stepped outside to stretch their wings.
The colt found the cop beneath the bed and poured the now cold chocolate into the sink. The surface had an alien feeling. He washed it thoroughly. Nothing but a brown circle was left on the bottom.
