Chapter 1 - Don't Play With Fire
At the edge of the Everfree Forest, Apple Bloom, a cream yellow earth pony with a red mane and tail, looked over the objects before her then turned to her fellow crusaders, “Ah don’t know Scootaloo, mah sister said it’s really dangerous to be havin’ fires since there hasn’t been much rain lately.”
Scootaloo, a bright orange pegasus pony with a messy purple mane and tail and hummingbird like wings, rolled her eyes, “Ugh, that’s the point; we start a fire, put it out, and get our cutie marks in firefighting.”
Sweetie Belle, a white unicorn with a purple and pink curly mane and tail, shifted nervously on her hooves, “I don’t know you guys, I’ve never really wanted to be a firepony…”
“You will when you get your cutie mark,” Scootaloo replied.
“Ah don’t know, maybe we should try getting our cutie marks in making balloon animals again,” Apple Bloom suggested.
“You just like how the helium made our voices sound funny,” Scootaloo accused, “besides, the shop owner said we could only go back there to buy party supplies, remember?”
Apple Bloom hung her head in defeat.
“I think we should start focusing on what were already good at. Twilight has been helping me practice with my magic and whenever I mention trying earn my cutie mark she says I should practice what I’m already good at,” Sweetie Belle suggested.
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom exchanged glances, “Nah,” they said in unison.
“Ah don’t think it would be that easy,” Apple Bloom said, “Ah mean, mah brother says I’m really good buildin’ things but I still don’t have mah cutie mark in construction or anythin’ like that.”
“Yeah, and I don’t have any idea about what my special talent could be,” Scootaloo added.
“But what about the talent show? You were really good at dancing when you tried teaching Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle said turning her attention to her other friend, “And you knew the right way to paint our props when I didn’t,” she admitted.
Apple Bloom thought for a second, “And you can sing really good,” she added.
Sweetie Bell blushed at the compliment, “Really? Thanks.”
“Ugh, but we still didn’t get our cutie marks!” Scootaloo quickly added.
“Yeah, because we weren’t doing what we are already good at. You were singing when I should have been, Apple Bloom was dancing…. sort of, when you should have been, and I was working on the stage props when Apple Bloom should have been,” Sweetie Belle explained.
Scootaloo stared at her friend with a blank expression for a few seconds before shaking her head, “We’ll try your idea after we try mine. Apple Bloom, get a small fire started,” she instructed tossing a stick to the young yellow earth pony.
“How is she supposed to start a fire with a stick?” Sweetie Belle questioned.
“Don’t you remember when we all went camping together? She twists the stick between her hooves really fast against another piece of wood and makes fire,” Scootaloo quickly explained.
Sweetie Belle blinked a few times, “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
Scootaloo thought for a second, “You’re right,” she quickly turned her head yelled over her shoulder, “Apple Bloom, go into the forest a little bit, we don’t want anypony to see what we’re doing!”
“But what about timber wolves?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Everypony knows timber wolves are afraid of fire, the quicker you get the fire going the quicker you’ll be safe,” Scootaloo replied.
Apple Bloom thought for a second then shrugged her shoulders, it made sense, timber wolves, fire… she’d eat her pink bow if they weren’t afraid of fire.
The crusaders were about fifty feet within the forest borders huddled around the pile of sticks and leaves which had been condemned to burn. However, ten minutes had passed and there was still no fire. They had each taken a turn attempting to ignite a flame and Apple Bloom was still trying. Sweetie Bell had grown paranoid by every sound she had heard knowing that with three fillies and no fire they had nothing to protect themselves from potential predators. Scootaloo had simply grown annoyed and Apple Bloom was quickly growing tired.
“What’s taking so long?” Scootaloo huffed, “You’d think with how dry everything is and how nervous everypony has been about fires starting we should have gotten a fire started hours ago!”
“Ya only came up with this idea an hour ago, Scootaloo, we’ve only been here a few minutes,” Apple Bloom said annoyed with her friends’ impatience.
“I still don’t think it should be taking this long to get a stupid fire started!” Scootaloo pouted.
Apple Bloom twisted the stick in her hooves furiously as she finally lost her cool. Throwing the stick down she quickly turned to face her friends, “Well I don’t think we should be tryin’ to start a fire at all! Mah sister says the weather ponies are doing everything they can to keep the crops watered and there’s only enough left over for light rain in the afternoon. Everythin’s drier than an overcooked apple pie and you want to try and start a fire?” Apple Bloom exploded.
Her friends stared at her with shocked expressions, but their attention was focused on something just beyond her. Apple Bloom let out a sigh, “the fire started didn’t it?”
Her friends nodded their heads.
“It’s right behind me isn’t it?”
Again, her friends nodded their heads.
“Is my tail on fire?”
Her friends shook their heads.
“I plan on keepin’ it that way,” she said as she stepped away from the small flames and towards her friends.
“Should we put it out now?” Sweetie Belle asked never looking away from the minuscule fire dancing happily before her.
“Of course not!” Scootaloo exclaimed, “There’s barely a fire there at all, if we put it out now it would be like blowing out a few candles, let it get a little bigger before we put it out.”
The trio watched the small fire intently as it grew in front of them very, very slowly. What they didn’t see was the ash of leaves carrying small embers rise above them and then fall around and behind them. It was the additional heat surrounding the crusaders that alerted the ring of flames quickly growing around them and cutting off any hope of escape from the destructive power the once small flames possessed. Without thinking, they quickly grabbed their own bucket of water and attempted to extinguish the fire entirely but only succeeded in wasting their only hope of escape as the fire spread faster and the flames grew hotter and higher.
The three fillies huddled together in the midst of the flames praying in their own way for some form of escape. Scootaloo wished for Rainbow Dash to swoop in and save them all. Apple Bloom hoped that the flames would burn themselves out before they reached her and her friends. Sweetie Belle tried to conjure the teleportation spell Twilight had been trying to teach her so she could save herself and her friends, but she only succeeded in exhausting herself. As the flames closed in on the crusaders they all lost any hope of being saved and accepted their fate, closing their eyes as tears streamed down their cheeks. They knew it would hurt, but by closing their eyes, they hoped it wouldn’t be as painful.
The seconds seemed to drag on but nothing seemed to happen. At the same time they all took a risk to determine about how much longer until they felt the flames burning touch. The flames had encircled them but had ceased approaching the fillies. As they scanned the area around them they noticed a pegasus stallion standing near the border of the Everfree Forest. His eyes were closed and his wings were spread out parallel to the ground beneath him. A small smile spread across his face as the flames burned out in front of him. “You can come out of there now,” he said softly. The crusaders exchanged quick glances but were not about to reject the offer of life. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom rushed out of the semi circle of fire as fast as their hooves could carry them passing by either side of the pegasus.
Scootaloo cautiously made her way out but was stopped at the entrance of her freedom by her curiosity. She steadily reached a hoof towards the flames but immediately stopped when the stallion spoke again. “Please, don’t, I can hold it back for you but I cannot stop it from hurting you if you touch it.”
Scootaloo nodded and made the final few steps to safety. Once she was out of the fire she had time to truly inspect the pegasus who had saved her and her friends lives. The first thing to grip her attention about his appearance was his wings. Unlike a normal pegasus pony, his wings were bat like, with no feathers. His body was ash grey with a jet black tail, his mane was also jet black but it had a streak of gray in it the same shade as his coat. Finally she noticed his cutie mark which was a phoenix proudly spreading its wings as it seemed to fly upwards. His wings seemed like they were glowing as the light from the flames reflected off their leathery surface. He took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled as he slowly lowered his wings tucking them in at his sides as his tattered brown cloak fell over them.
He opened his amber yellow eyes looking directly ahead before shifted his gaze down upon Scootaloo who stood with her mouth agape from the sight before her. The pegasus gave a gentle smile, “we should leave now little one.”
“But what about…” Scootaloo began turning towards the fire only to see it had been extinguished, the charred trees and forest floor being the only evidence of there having been a fire.
Scootaloo jumped when she felt a hoof on her shoulder, she turned to see the stallion smiling at her before he gestured with is hoof towards the entrance of the forest. Scootaloo nodded her head and followed him out of the forest where she found her other fellow crusaders coughing slightly.
“Are you guys okay? I’m so sorry, that was so stupid of me! I almost got us all killed,” Scootaloo said hugging her closest friends, tears beginning to form in her eyes as she apologized over and over again.
The crusader quickly remembered their rescuer and turned to him, though he was looking in the general direction of Ponyville with a concerned expression.
“Thank you for saving us,” Sweetie Belle said drawing the stallions’ attention towards her.
“Yeah, thank you so much,” Apple Bloom chimed in.
“Thank you, for saving me and my friends,” Scootaloo finished.
“I… you’re welcome,” the pegasus said briefly focusing his attention on Ponyville before turning back to the three crusaders. He lay down on his stomach, bringing himself to their level, “but now you must promise me, you will not tell anypony I saved you, what I did in the forest, or that you even saw me, is that understood?”
“What did you do in the forest?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“It was totally awesome; he put the fire out with his mind!” Scootaloo exclaimed.
“How could he have done that Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom asked, “He aint a unicorn!”
“I know,” Scootaloo said excitedly, “That’s what makes it so cool!”
“And that is exactly what I don’t want you telling anypony,” the stallion said hanging his head in defeat knowing they would never be able to keep his secret.
The crusaders exchanged glances and then nodded, silently making a vow of silence. “Don't worry, we won't tell anypony,” Apple Bloom assured him.
“Thank you,” he said before rising to his full height, “Goodbye.”
As he turned back towards the Everfree forest a sudden flash of nearly blinding purple light stopped him. Once he could see again he saw a purple alicorn had appeared where, just a moment earlier, there hadn’t been one. She looked towards the forest noting the remaining traces of smoke rising from now extinguished fire. She quickly turned her attention to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, “Fire? There was a fire? Did you start a fire?” She asked the three fillies. She then noticed the stallion standing beside them, “Was there a fire?” she asked again.
The stallion took a step forward, “Yes, there was a fire, but now there is not, and I must be on my way,” he said calmly before walking towards the forest
“Did you start the fire?” she asked the stallion cutting into his path.
“No,” he answered.
“We started the fire Twilight, we were trying to get our cutie marks in fire fighting” Scootaloo confessed, “but he put it out and saved us!”
“Crap…” the stallion thought.
“You saved them?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, and now that we've gotten that all cleared up, I’m leaving.”
As he trotted towards the forest he intended not to be stopped, however, he hadn’t made it very when a streak of rainbow collided with his being and sent him tumbling out of control. As the stallion recovered from the crash he instinctively spread his wings and shook the dizziness from his head. Once he had cleared his head he froze when he realized he was spreading his bat like wings. He quickly looked to the pony that had collided with him, a blue pegasus mare with a rainbow mane and tail, who was staring at him slack jawed. Before he could speak he felt a powerful burst of magic pass across his body which was strong enough to knock him over. He looked to the alicorn the fillies had called Twilight; her horn was glowing and pointed directly at him.
“What are you? I already know you’re not a changeling because the spell I just used would have rendered you unconscious. I know you’re not one of Princess Luna’s bat ponies because they’re nocturnal, navy blue, have slit pupils, and until her return they were extinct for almost a thousand years so what are you, furthermore, who are you?” Twilight demanded.
The stallion slowly rose to his hooves, removed his cloak, and flared his wings, “What I am is difficult to explain, as for who I am, my name is Firestorm"
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I found the action a little off towards the end, your story seems pretty interesting so far and I hope to see more of it
3004586 i agree
looks good, can't wait for more!
nice story i liked it and cant wait to read more of it.
Twilight can be a big meanie sometimes. I would have been like there no way i tell what i am after that and now you threaten me?!
3058949
i agree with you pal 💃