Thunder and Lightning

by DiabeticBrony

Rating: everyone
Tags: Thunderlane, Lightning Dust, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Adventure, Rumble, Wonderbolts
Length: 2990

Lightning Dust was a winner. Best flyer in one of the best flight schools in Cloudsdale. Her flying was second only to professional Wonderbolts. But, why does she feel like such a loser?

"Winning isn't everything, it's just the only thing that matters."

She had been a star student of some of the best flight teachers in Equestria. She claimed victory in so many schoolyard races. Her name spoke of speed unmatched.

For the first time in her life, she had lost.

She found herself weeded out of the crop of new rookies accepted for the second stage of training. She couldn't understand, she was the best at everything a Pegasus was known for since she was a child.

But now, she's in it for more than first place.

Recent note: So, I was given some advice on my story that I found needed to be followed. Soooo, I followed it. I edited chapter one and will be re-releasing chapter two soon.

Thanks for dealing with this.

Published 2013-04-12 20:00:03 UTC
Last updated 2013-04-25 21:47:49 UTC

Chapter 1

"You can't just kick me out! I'm the best flyer you have!" Two uniformed stallions escorted her through the inner workings of the Academy Plateau. She pleaded, on the verge of screaming hoping they might listen.

These stallions were used to such reactions, and ignored her. They came to the tourist entrance, and Lightning begged for another chance.

They gave her a shove out the gate, and she found her knees weak. She toppled over just outside the door, and watched from her side as the two pegasi shut the gate.

"They call it the tourist entrance, but it's really the earth pony entrance."

She remembered her father joking to her about the use of the tourist gate as an entrance for earth ponies. She thought of his voice again, and tears escaped her eyes. She shouldn't be crying, he hated it when she cried.

She got to her hooves as the cloud cover began to trickle drops of rain. A small drop hit her muzzle as she composed herself. She flapped her wings, but as she felt herself lift off the ground her wings locked up.

She hit the ground, thinking about her wings. She looked back to the gate, the open sign swiveled to the closed position. Then she just stared at her wings in the rain, and there she stood. Just watching rain run over her expertly preened wings, how she always kept them.

She thought of her "wing pony", someone who she was told to trust. She couldn't put how she felt into words. Pangs of betrayal and defeat consumed her mind, only able to focus on how cheated she was. Rainbow Dash was her friend, and her only real competition.

Lightning scoffed, after all this time a worrywort of a pegasus would be her end. Removed from the Academy because a group of earthbound ponies flew into restricted air space. If Rainbow had helped stablize the tornado, it would never had careened into the hot air balloon in the first place.

This wasn't her fault, she knew it. She wouldn't be knocked down because she was seen as reckless.

"I'll show 'em reckless, I'll show 'em all. Ecpecially that two-timer Dash." Lightning swore at the clouds above.

Then she heard the gate open.

"Lightning Dust?" His voice sounded familiar.

Lightning, try as she might, couldn't conceal the anger in her voice. "What, Thunderlane?"

Thunderlane came up beside her and looked her over. "Why are you out here in the rain? All the recruits are supposed to be in the bunkhouses."

Lightning Dust just looked at the ground in front of her, and didn't respond. Thunderlane slowly pieced it together. "Do...Do you need a place to stay tonight Lightning?"

She nodded, not wanting to return home a failure.

Thunderlane put his wing over Lightnings back to guide her and protect her form the rain. Lightning swatted the wing away with her own. "OK then, lets get you someplace warm."

Thunderlane and his house-guest stood outside a small home just outside of Ponyville.

Thunderlane bucked the door, "Rumble! Open the door!"

The two waited a moment, and soon a little pegasus opened the door for both of them. The second the little colt saw her, he turned and yelled into the house.

"Mom! Thunder has a mare-friend!" Thunderlane blushed, an chuckled a little bit. Thunderlane entered first, swatting his brothers face with one wing while guiding Lightning with the other.

"Welcome to the Thunder household, the loudest house in all of Ponyville." Rumble rubbed his face with his hoof as Thunderlane gestured around the room with his.

"Whats all that racket!? It sounds like someone let Discord himself wander through our front door!" A homely looking mare stuck her head out what Lightning could infer from the smell of food being prepared, the kitchen. Rumble ran to her side and stuck his tongue out at Thunderlane.

"Mom, this is Lightning Dust. She needs a place to stay tonight."

"Well of course! She can stay as long as she needs to. Now Rumble, come help me in the kitchen. Thunderlane, can she stay in your room? You can grab some some spare sheets from the storage closet and sleep in the guest room." Thunderlane's mother turned and ran her hoof through Rumble's mane as she returned to the kitchen.

"Yes Ma," Thunderlane directed her up a flight of stairs and into his room. Lightning viewed the room as Thunderlane quickly cleaned his room.

"The bed isn't made, but it's more comfortable this way I think." Thunderlane examined his speedy handiwork. Looking around the room for any last second details.

"Thunderlane?" His mother called from downstairs.

"Yeah, Ma?" Lightning sat on the firm mattress as Thunderlane poked his head out the door.

"Would you come down here and finish making supper? I want to see if I have any spare PJ's around for her."

"Why?"

"Because. Did she have any when she came in?"

"We don't normally wear clothes, Mom." Lightning could almost imagine the glare he was receiving, and couldn't help but smirk.

"All right, I'm coming." Thunderlane looked back into the room,"Be right back."

Lightning examined her soaked rookie uniform, slightly torn and blown around by the storm outside.

"OK, time to get you some warm, dry clothes!" Thunderlane's Mom slipped in the door and shut it behind her.

Lightning was surprised by two things. The first, Thunderlane's mother sported the hospitality of a noble. And Second, she was a earth pony.

Without warning, the earth mare snatched her collar with her teeth and yanked as hard as she could. Lightning put her wings to her sides in protest, and Thunderlane's mom stopped pulling.

"What are you trying to do?! Pull my wings off?" Lightning snapped at her.

The mother paid no mind, "You need to keep your wings out so I can slip this off over your head."

Lightning flapped her wigs out in frustration, "Why don't you just unzip-"

Thunderlane's mother bit the collar and pulled hard, and Lightning didn't have the time to react. In a flash, the uniform slipped off over wings and head. Lightning just stared in disbelief.

"How did you-"

Thunderlane's mother interupted again, "I was running a bath for Rumble to take, but you should take one first. I'm sure he'll be just estatic when I say he won't have to take one tonight." She sighed, "I'm sure Thuderlane will be done with supper by he time you're done."

Lightning watched as she exited the room. She stopped on the threshhold and looked back. "The bathroom is the second to the left down the hallway. I'll have found some suitable clothes for you before you finish."

She started out, but stopped again. "And my name is Spring Breeze, you can call me Breezy. Everypony does."

Breezy left the room, and Lightning looked around the room again. This wasn't her family's appartment in Cloudsdale, but she really didn't want to go back there. At least, not as a failure.

She edged herself off the bed, and made her way toward the bathroom. It was smaller, with a tub and toiletries. The tub was beginning to fill with warm water, and Lightning closed the bathroom door and ran her hoof across the top of the water.

Lightning, slowly and carefully, slipped into the tub.

Lightning felt her muscles relax as the water inched up around her. Cloudsdale pegasi such as herself took showers from birth, with clouds absorbing water and all.

She was broken from her relaxation when she noticed she never turned the faucet off. She burst out of the tub, tripping and slamming to the floor. She stopped the flow from the faucet and grabbed all the towels she coud find and mopped up as much water as she could.

As she folded up the last wet towel, a hoof knocked on the bathroom door.

"I couldn't find any mare's clothes with wing holes so I grabed some of Thunderlane's old PJ's. I think they might fit!" Breezy said through the door.

Lightning opened the door and recieved the matching blue pajama top and bottoms.

"Thanks ma'am."

"Oh, no worries. They're to small for Thunder and to big for Rumble. At least you can get use out of 'em."

Thunder voice trailed up from down in the kitchen, "Mom! Lightning! Food's ready!"

Lightning put on the hoof-me-downs and accompanied Mrs. Spring Breeze down into the kitchen, where Rumble was still heckling Thinderlane for brining his "mare-friend" home.

"How's my cooking?" Thunderlane joked.

"Your mother's cooking was great, I've never felt so full after vegetable soup before." Lightning Dust joked back.

'OK, Lightning. I'll be across the hall if you need anything, don't be afraid to ask."

"Thanks, I'll be fine. Night."

"Yeah, you too."

Lightning entered her room, and slipped under the covers of the bed. She folded in her wings, and hoped her dreams may be a bit brighter than what happened today.

Chapter 2

Lighting galloped up to her father and mother, a blue ribbon dangling around her neck. She half flew half jumped into her parents forelegs.

They pulled her close as her father spoke, "We are so proud of you! First place in your first race ever! How do you feel?"

"All tingly, it feels...right." Lightning Dust hugged her parents tighter.

"It looked like Lightning out there sport." Her dad said.

Lightning felt the adrenaline of the the race rushing through her body still. She felt more proud than she had ever been before.

"Honey, look." Lightning Dust's mother whispered as she pointed at lightning's flank.

Lightning turned he head to see her cute mark appearing, in all its glory.

She looked back to her parents, but only a roaring storm met her gaze.

She screamed as the nice cumulus below her engorged into a huge thundercloud. She launched into the air, looking around for her parents.

"Mom! Dad!"

"Lightning!" A voice rang from within the clouds. Lightning flew into the clouds searching for the source of the voice as fast as her little wings could carry her.

"Lightning!" The voice rang out, closer this time. Lightning attempted to punch through the next cloud, but she bounced off the angry cloud.

Lightning attempted to scream for help, but her own voice failed.

"Lightning!" The voice cried out again, seemingly feet away. Lightning pounded away at the cloudy barrier, but no progress could be seen.

Electricity sparked more and more each time she punched at the wall. Whole lightning bolts flew from the cloud.

Lightning turned away from the wall and reared up. With all her might, she bucked the cloud. Lightning felt a pulse of energy, and was blinded by white light.

"Lightning!"

Lightning bolted up from her slumber, drenched on a clod sweat. She patted herself down with her hooves, searching for any scorch marks. She condemned herself for losing her composure over a dream.

"Lightning!" Spring Breeze beckoned from downstairs. The smell of breakfast wafted up with her voice, only quickening Lightning's preparation.

Lightning got up from Thunderlane's bed and quickly fixed up her hair how she usually did in the morning. Her gaze slid from the mirror to the Analog clock next to it.

Had she still been a Wonderbolt trainee, she would have been up hours ago.

"Thunderlane! Lightning Dust! Get down here or I'm giving your hay waffles to Rumble!"

Lightning looked at her tight braid-in-progress in the mirror. She stared for a moment, then removed the hoof hat was holding her mane in place.

Lightning looked at her mane hanging down in the mirror. She had never questioned the speed braid her mother had taught her, being the most areodynamic hairstyle she knew. She examined herself, and shook her head as she left the bedroom. Her mane hanging down around her ears.

She made her way downstairs into the kitchen. Rumble frowned as the gigantic plate of waffles sitting before him was split into fractions, which were distributed around the table.

Rumble let out a sigh as a door opened upstairs and Thunderlane half flew half galloped down the steps. Rumble yet again found his plate being split up.

"You going to work with the weather-ponies today Thunderlane?" Spring Breeze said. Her back turned to the table.

"Yes Mom," Thunderlane replied.

"Are you doing anything today Lightning?" She asked.

"Well I-" was all she muttered before being interupted.

"I need some help with some errands today, how does that sound?" Spring Breeze suggested.

"Sure, I suppose." Lightning reponded as Spring breeze plopped another pile of waffles on the table. Which were quickly snatched up by Thunderlane and Rumble

Breezy left the kitchen for a second, only to return with two pairs of goggles and two different sized sets of saddlebags. "Ok Gents, time to get going. I don't want either of you two to be late."

Thunderlane and Rumble cleaned their plates, claimed their belongings, and left. Leaving Breezy and Lightning alone in the house.

Spring Breeze walked over to the stove and collected the single waffle she had saved for herself, and sat down at the table opposite of Lightning.

Lightning couldn't help but ask, "How much do those to eat on a daily basis?"

Breeze chuckled to herself, "Its a miracle they can fly."

The two laughed over their breakfast for a while, then Breeze wrote Lightning a list, and sent her on her way.

Pick up groceries from the cakes at Sugarcube Corner.

"OK, shouldn't be to hard." Lightning dust said strolling down the main road of Ponyville. The separate buildings defenitly stood out from one another.

Spring Breeze had given a discription of Sugarcube Corner, and told Lightning that the order was already filled. She would just have to bring it back to the house.

LIghtning examined ponies of all races, shapes, and sizes living life.

Lightning discovered what Breezy had described as thhe Bakery, she pushed the swiging doors aside and entered.

Pure, concentrated, chaos.

Lightning entered what looked like a warzone, baby bottles and flour bags strewn around. She approached the vacant front counter and rang the small service bell next to a cash regester.

"Coming!" A stallion voice yelled from one of the back rooms. A series of crashes and klangs announced his progress through the kitchen along with an assortmet of "ouches".

A slender yellow stallion emerged from the kitchen, Lightning could notice signs of exhaustion.

"How may I help you ma'am?"

"I'm here for the Thunder family order."

"Oh, OK." He turned away and yelled upstairs, "Pinkie! Can you get the Thunder order for this mare here?"

The stallion cringed as another series of crashes came now from upstairs. A pink ball of energy bounced down the steps.

"Got it, Mr. Cake!" The pony named Pinkie bounded around the counter and into the kitchen.

"Now, you don't look like a Thunder. Are you a relation?"

"Uh, yeah. My name is...Flash Powder. A cousin from Cloudsdale."

Lightning heard a gasp from the kitchen. Pinkie emerged, blasting the swinging doors open.

"Your new in town?"

"Yes I-" Mr. Cake put his hoof in her mouth and turned to Pinkie.

"Pinkie now is not the time. Did you get Flash here her order?"

Pinkie looked disheartened as she placed the box on the counter and sauntered back up the steps. "Actually, I think I've seen..." Her voice fell away as she left Mr. Cake and Lightning alone at the counter.

"What was that all about?" Lightning asked as she grabbed the strings holding the box.

Mr. Cake shrugged, "It's Pinkie, who knows."

Lighting took the package and left. One down, a few more to go.

"So, you're Thunderlane's cousin?"

"Yeah," Lightning dust bluffed as the unicorn seamstress levitated over a blue dress with gold trim.

Lightning took the dress hanger in her mouth, while balancing the bakery delivery on her back.

"Tell him I said hello!" The unicorn exclaimed. Lighting only managed a hesitant wave as she struggled with her growing load.

Check out Daring Do and the Obsidian Spire from the local library.

Lightning grumbled through the dress fabric, now flapping around in the spring winds. This was getting ridiculous.

Lightning started back towards the Thunder household, observing the ponies she walked by. She was only a half of the way done with the list of things Spring Breeze had given her.

She grumbled as she passed an earth pony who was arguing with two angry unicorns in front of his store. Bickering about not having a certain couch they wanted or something.

"How did I even get roped into this?" She thought to herself. "I could just go home to mom and dad like none of this ever-"

"NO!" Lightning interupted her own train of thought, stomping the ground in emphasis. "I waited all my life, sacrificed to much time to just give up now! I won't quit because I was cheated out of my rightful spot as wing leader! I won't give up until I fulfill my dream, or at least bump that Rainbow Dash down a few pegs."

The argument between the unicorns and the earth pony ceased as the whole street now moved their attention to Lightning. She didn't care, she had more important things to do. She clenched her teeth so tight on the hanger it bent under the pressure and tightened the straps on the grocery order.

Lightning hurried on her way, dress fabric flowing behind her. She had no time to waste.

Author's Note

Ugh, sorry everyone. Been awhile since I had the chance to redo this chapter. Finals are over, so now I'll have more time to write. Hopefully the new chapter will come quicker than that month of Blech that it took me to re-and-deconstruct this chapter two or three times until I had it how I liked it.

Will write again soon,
Diabetic