//------------------------------//
// Chapter 6: Explanations 
// Story: Frozen Equestria 
// by Flashburn37 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 6: Explanations
Auto awoke to the sounds of pots and pans’ clacking together as breakfast was being made. He heard murmured talking as he slowly rose from his bed. It hurt. It hurt really badly. Mainly it was his shoulder and head. He stumbled over to the door and checked his wounds. He was covered in several gashes and his shield arm was bruised from blocking so many attacks, he would need time to repair. He limped out of his dark room into the light of the kitchen. At the stove sat Rogue and a brown Pegasus he didn’t know. So they had found the party after all and it seemed that the two were already fast friends. “Wh-what happened?” He croaked, surprised at the state of his voice. The two of them straightened their backs and slowly turned to look at him.
“Well I’ll take the five bits now.” Rogue said awkwardly.
“Ponyfeathers.” The other said as she flipped a few coins to Rogue.
“What was that?” He asked.
“I bet you’d wake today she bet you wouldn’t wake period.” Rogue explained.
“Who are you?” Auto questioned the newcomer.
“Oh how rude of me,” She blurted, “I’m Wildpaw, Rogue’s Niece.”
“Nice to meet you Wildpaw. How long have I been out?”
“Well the first time you were out for about a day, the second time it was just a few hours.”
“What do you mean the second time?”
“Well you see after you woke up the first time you were so shocked at seeing F…”
“AUTOTOMATON!!!!!!!” A voice screamed from the hall way. Auto turned just in time to see a green blur charge right into him. “You’re finally awake! You cannot believe how much I’ve wanted to talk to you! Oh, I’m sorry your injured aren’t you! Sorry but I’m so excited! I just have one question,” He paused for a moment walked backwards and his smile turned into a frown. “Why did you leave me?”
At that moment all the guilt he had thought he had forgotten came back and quadrupled in intensity. “I-I, I’m so sorry Flash. It must have been a horrible experience, but I honestly thought that there was nothing I could do. The spider moved too fast and the forest was far too webbed to follow. I almost had you but my wing caught and I dangled for too long and you were lost… I know that it doesn’t matter much now but I truly am sorry, can you forgive me?”
“I never blamed you, well, I did for like a moment when I returned to the clearing and you were all gone. I knew the final destination though and finally found you!”
“How did you escape from the spider’s clutches anyway? Rogue seemed sure you’d be dead!”
“Oh, I completely forgot! A stranger helped me. She wore Cantorlotion armor so I assumed she meant no ill will and I let her come with! Where is she? She never did tell me her name even though I asked her loads of times! Oh she went outside! I’ll go get her!” He shouted as he galloped from the room.
“Do either of you know who this pony is?”
Rogue looked at Wildpaw who shrugged. “Nope.” Flash then blasted back into the room and was followed much more slowly by a figure in a hooded Cantorlotion officer’s cloak.
“It’s me Auto,” She began as she threw back her hood. “Shadow.”
Auto’s jaw dropped. “How'd you get here?”
“That is a long tale and I promised Flash he could tell the parts he was there for, so be ready…”
***
After you left me in that attic I closed the fencing studio for the day and thought about what you offered me. A chance at saving the world. But it was more than that. It was a chance to earn atonement. A chance to clear my mind of the guilt of my brother’s life. By saving others I could save him. He died because he saw me standing up to defend Equestria and I threw away his sacrifice by shirking my duties and no longer defending what he stood for! Now I had the chance to save myself.
I had a few affairs to get in order so I left a day after you and the trail was stale. I knew you’d head for the Everfree so I made my way there and almost immediately became lost. I slowly ended up deeper and deeper into a dark side of the forest. Out of fear I drew my blade and stayed cautious. I heard a scuffle to the right and went to investigate. I cut my way through a few webs and then I saw it. A lump of web being dragged along by a giant spider. I was about to leave but then I saw a horn poke from within the webs! A pony was stuck in there! I charged and the spider turned and bared its fangs. I slashed off a leg and it knocked me down. I thought I was doomed but I was able to roll out of the way. I then landed upon the web sac. Which groaned. The pony was alive! I slashed it open and a head popped up…
***
“Sweet this is when I come in!” Flash called out.
“Yep that means you get to take over.” She told him.
***
I lifted my head and saw a figure shining in gold holding a saber dripping in green with a cape flowing in the wind. It was an angel in gold and purple armor who said to me, “You are still alive? Help me fight! Help me slay this evil spider!” I turned and saw the spider I had thought had killed me.
“Am I dead?” I started to say, at least until it leaped at us. “Oh my sweet Celestia! I guess that question will have to wait for later!” I screamed as I charged up a burst of flame. Just as it was about to land upon us I released the wave and it was pushed back into a tree. The angelic pony leaped forth and impaled it upon her blade pinning it to the tree. I then switched my tactics to the flame-thrower mode and burned it until it moved no more. Thankfully we were able to keep the blaze under control and eventually put it out. I looked about and saw the burnt remains of a town; it had been years since I had seen this town. I quickly shoved back the memories that flooded back. Afterwards we both sat down in the ashes of one of the many trees that got burnt down, sorry Rogue, and talked. I’m having difficulty remembering what exactly we said because I was exhausted. I think it went something like this.
“Thanks for the save, what’s your name?”
“I'm no one of consequence.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Flashburn! If you don’t mind, what brings you out into the forest?”
“I’d rather not say…”
“Oh, I understand. I’m on a secret mission for Celestia! I got recruited by Captain Autot-“
“YOU ARE PART OF THAT PARTY!?”
“Yeah?”
“That’s why I’m out here! I’m looking to join. Auto said I could if I wanted to.”
“Well then what are we waiting for? Let’s go! The camp is that way!” I then ran off and got us both lost, but eventually we made it to the clearing a day-ish later. “Well where are they?” I realized that you had left me. “Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. They couldn’t of. No, no, no. *gulp* Th-th-they left me… They Left Me… THEY LEFT ME!!! HOW COULD THEY NOT EVEN TRY!?” I am sad to say that for the first time in about a decade I lost control over my emotions and thus, my magic. Sorry Rogue. Heat radiated from around me and my horn gleamed bright red. So brightly and red my very eyes changed color. Fires sparked upon the ground and I turned and focused all my rage on one thing. Myself. A pillar of flame rose about me and flew several hundred feet into the air. I then brought my fury down upon the very earth. And dug, with only heat and flame twenty feet into the ground. I was about to blow up a few trees when suddenly I was soaking wet.
“STOP! FLASH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? FLASH! STOP!” I don’t know why but at that moment I just looked around and saw myself. In a hole, soaking wet, lost, and tired. I started laughing. Not because I found it funny! But the sheer hopelessness of it and my reaction mixed with how plain sleepy I was made me laugh. “Are you ok, Flash?”
“Yeah, don’t worry I know where they’re going. Hehehe. They think I’m dead! Hahaha! Just like everypony else… Hahaha! It keeps comin’ back to that. Hehehe… Oh well let’s go north. Hahaha!”
“We should stop in by Cantorlot first and resupply.”
“Yes let’s.”
So we traveled to Cantorlot and probably arrived right after you! In fact if you hadn’t gone straight to the Princess we probably would have bumped into you at the store. We didn’t stay long, that is to say we didn’t stay at the store long. Some crazy things happened and we made some new friends! We were shopping when I felt my money slowly drifting away… Just so you know bits don’t usually do that around me! I turned and tried to catch the thief. “Stop!” I yelled. “That’s my money!” I must have followed that pony all over Cantorlot before Shadow finally tripped them up.
“You’d better not hurt me! I’ve got connections with the Cantorlot cutpurses!”
“I just want my money back.” At that moment I heard a click behind me and spun about and deflected a crossbow bolt before it struck with fire. “Now no need for that! I just want my MONEY!!!! I have been dragged away from a spider, robbed, and I don’t want to add thrown in jail for murder and fire starting to the list!” I glared into the shades of the pony holding the crossbow bolt. The shades were purple and had symbols gliding across the surface at incredible speeds.
“There is a ninety-five percent chance that you will actually follow through with that threat, Flashburn. The name's Vespa right-hoof lady to the guild master. Know this though there is a forty-five percent chance of you succeeding in killing me and ninety-nine percent chance of you dying immediately before or after. That little pick-pocket kills you twenty percent of the time, I kill you thirty and Scout kills you half the time. Now back off. Sneaks, give him back his money and we will bring him back to the Guild Master to deal with this. I’m only eighty-five percent sure of her decision and I don’t like those odds. Shadow, be a dear and help him up, eh?”
“We are on a bit of a tight schedule, can we just go?” Shadow interjected.
“No. Trust me I don’t like the odds of what would happen to me if I disobeyed the Guild Master’s direct orders and neither would you.”
"Trust her? Don't ever trust Vespa, trust me! We don't want to make the GuildMaster upset!" I told her.
***
We were led into the bowels of the City, deep into the Crystal Mines and through several secret passages that completely confused me. I still cannot remember how to get back there. But we were led into the headquarters of the Cantorlot Cutpurses. The walls were lined with gems and statues. From the ceiling hung that big chandelier that was stolen from the throne room a few years ago and in the back of a long hallway a throne sat atop a pile of jewels and gold, sitting on which was a orange Pegasus with purple hair who wore a black jumpsuit as did all the others, including Vespa, only the part that normally covered the cutie mark was cut away, revealing a blank cutie markless flank. “Guild Master, I’ve brought a few who thought to attempt to catch one of our thieves. One of them is he whom you’ve had me search for.” The blank-flank looked up slowly revealing a scar over her left eye.
“Welcome to the Jewelry Box, I am Scootaloo the Guild-Master of the Cantorlot cutpurses but you already know that, don’t you Flash?”
***
“YOU KNOW THE GUILDMASTER OF THE CANTORLOT CUTPURSES!? I HAVE HUNTED THEM FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE AND THE GUILD MASTER KNOWS YOU PERSONALLY?!” Auto yelled in surprise, outrage, and a little bit of admiration. “How?”
“I had a rough childhood and she helped me out of jail. Let’s just say most ponies are happy when they find their Cutie Mark, and I wasn’t. It’s a bit of a sore spot so please drop it, after all, I am here now.” Flash explained.
“Fine.”
***
“Scootaloo? It has been years! So it was you who started the Cutpurses? Ha! I should have seen it coming. You turned that little gang into a legitimate organized crime ring… Oh by the way Sweetie says hi-“ As soon as I mention Sweetiebell here visage darkened. “-or at least I assume it was you she didn’t really finish your name…”
“Oh now she wants to see me? After the way she and Applebloom treated me? I used to be ashamed that I never got I CutieMark. I used to think It meant I wasn’t special. Now I know it just makes me all the more special, the only pony in the history of Equestria to never have a cutiemark! Flash, I have been looking for you, but you always dodged my recruiters. Why is that?”
“I left that life behind Scootaloo you know that. Besides I didn’t know they were from you, only “The GuildMaster!” and I didn’t trust any of them. You know I hated all the crime thing. Taking what wasn’t ours and hurting innocent ponies…”
“Oh shut up Flash I need you for a job then you can go. We are trying to break into one of the lower vaults and we need your help to get through the door.”
Sorry Auto.
“Fine, but I’m in a hurry.”
“As if you had a choice. Scout, dear, take him to the target. Be quick about it too, we have a date.”
“I know, I’ve been looking forward to it GuildMaster.” Flash turned and saw a Pegasus glide down from a hidden perch. “Hurry up I have to be back by six. Styx, Gripps, Bump, come with we won’t have much time to load the loot. Follow me Flash.”
“Shadow is coming too. I don’t want to leave her alone.”
“Fine.”
“I can handle myself Flash.” Shadow complained.
“I was worried about me…” I whispered. I then said louder, “But you don’t have your sword and I don’t trust these ponies.”
“Hurry up it’s quite a ways.”
***
We journeyed through the underground tunnels for about an hour until we found a section that appeared like the bottom of the castle had broken through the ceiling. “Wow that’ll take some work to get through.” I gasped.
“Well get started! Gripps put the wagon under the center. So the gold falls into it then we scram before the guards unlock the vault.” Scout commanded.
“Right, boss.”
I started to charge up a powerful spell Boomie taught me, wait do you know Boomie? No? Well she’s an old friend who specialized in demolition magic. And I launched an explosion at the roof. Boomie would have done better but I still cracked the floor in one shot. After a few more the floor gave way and gold fell into the wagon. The majority flowed over the sides of the wagon. “Alright I did my part now how do I get out?”
“There is a path you can take a little ways from here, Gripps clear off the top of the wagon, No need to be  greedy I’d hate to leave a trail of coins back to the box.”
“Aye.”
The quickly secured the wagon soon rumbled through the caves and Scout pointed to a small tunnel that had a light at the end of it. “We heard from the pick-pocket that you were in a travel supplies store getting stuff for cold weather. We set some supplies out for you take what you need then leave. Look to find us no more, or be greeted by blade and bolt. If we need you we will send Vespa.”
“What about our stuff, and Sweetie will kill me if I don't ask, what did she mean "date"?”
“It's lingo for a job where we... nevermind, and I'm sure your stuff will be with the other supplies.” He then flew back to the wagon.
“So just a few days after joining the Cantorlot Army we rob the royal treasury?” Shadow sighed, “This is going well. What will we do next join a charity and beat up hobos?”
“Did we have much of a choice?” I said.
“Let’s just go before they start sending out patrols to try and find possible thieves.”
“Yeah.”
***
We marched to the north all of our stuff back, excluding a few coins, about a day before you must have. It was without incident until we reached a small forest to the north of Cantorlot and I told Shadow how I met Sweetie and Scootaloo, “So that’s how I know Scootaloo and Sweetie. Haven’t met Applebloom yet… I wonder where she is?”
“That was an incredible tale. But I’m still a little confused about one or two parts.” Shadow said before we were rudely interrupted by an arrow striking the ground at our hooves. Shadow instantly whipped out her blade and yelled out. “Where are you!? Fight me with honor!”
The air was filled with laughter as a Pegasus landed from one of the trees a bow drawn and an arrow notched. “And what would be my chances in melee combat?”
“What is with forests and Archers? Seriously it’s starting to get annoying.” I complained aloud.
“What are you doing in my Forest? And what do you mean Forests and Archers?” She questioned us.
“We are just passing through on our way to the North. Oh and the archer thing, well, I’m looking for a couple of ponies and one lived in the Everfree and was an Archer.” I explained.
“What was her name?”
“Wait how’d you know she was a girl?”
“The name, now!”
“Rouge.”
“Ok I’ll come with.”
“What?”
“If you’re trying to find Rogue I’m coming. It has been far too long since we last spoke. How do you know her?”
“We are on a top secret mission together!”
“So much for secret…” Shadow mumbled.
“How’d you end up split up?”
“I was dragged into the dark forest by a giant spider and they left me, assuming I was dead. Now that I think about it, that was the logical choice. So I am to understand that if we don’t let you join you won’t let us through, is that it?”
“Yep.”
“Okay the more the merrier!” That’s how Rouge’s niece joined up with our little party. Later we found out that none of us had any idea on how to find a secret base so we needed to be found by you guys. I came up with the idea that since we were here to fight the armies of the North we might as well get found that way. After all who can ignore a giant fire? So we decided to burn out a giant signal to you! Anyways you know the rest after that…