Chapter 8 - Confessions and Burial
Fluttershy broke down crying. Her friends began to mourn as well, Rarity sobbed softly while she hugged Pinkie Pie who was crying as if she had just experienced the loss of her pet alligator, Gummy. Rainbow had laid her head on her hooves as a few tears had made their way past her “tough guy” appearance. Applejack had moved so she could embrace Fluttershy as she shed tears of her own. Twilight stood behind Fluttershy gently rubbing the mourning pegasus back with her hoof. Firestorm looked down at Angel and silently apologized before rising to 'her' full height. Fluttershy noticed the movement out of the corner of her eye and broke away from Applejack and Twilight so quickly it startled them. She wrapped her hooves around Firestorm’s neck and cried harder as she mumbled incomprehensible words.
Firestorm sat back on 'her' haunches and returned the hug, wrapping 'her' hooves and wings around Fluttershy’s back. Seconds slipped into minutes as Fluttershy refused to release Firestorm from the hug. Firestorm took a steady breath and channeled a small amount of magic from her wings into Fluttershy who noticeably became more relaxed while her crying also calmed slightly.
Firestorm summoned 'her' changeling magic and moved 'her' left hoof lower down Fluttershy’s back before she scooped her up in her arms and stood up on 'her' hind legs; the changeling magic she had used becoming evident as Firestorms' hind hooves had been replaced with talons. Rainbow Dash caught on to what Firestorm was doing and guided 'her' up the stairs to Fluttershy’s bedroom. Firestorm moved with surprising grace and agility despite walking on 'her' hind legs alone while carrying the full weight of another pony.
Firestorm laid Fluttershy in her bed with Rainbow Dash standing in the doorway. She turned to Fluttershy and softly whispered into her ear, “We’ll all be downstairs if you need us, but right now just rest and remember all the good times you and Angel had together.”
Fluttershy nodded then whispered something into Firestorms’ ear before she wrapped herself in her blankets. Firestorm walked out of the bedroom, still walking on only her hind legs and quietly shut the door. Firestorm came to the threshold of the kitchen where she reverted back to a stallion catching his weight on his front hooves as his talons became hooves when the blue flames passed over them. Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were sitting at the kitchen table in full view of Firestorm’s actions who, by this time, was looking the room around trying to locate Rarity and Pinkie Pie.
Applejack was the first to acknowledge his confused expression, “Rarity took Pinkie Pie home, said it was too much drama for the both of ‘em.”
“Fluttershy asked if we could bury Angel, she said she just can’t do it,” Firestorm said in response.
“I’ll take care of that,” Rainbow offered, “we went to flight school together and I think I know where she’d want him buried. Somewhere far enough away she won’t see where he’s buried and always make her remember he’s gone, but close enough so she doesn’t seem like she’s forgotten him and moved on.”
Everypony was taken aback by Rainbow’s insight.
Rainbow Dash smiled gently, “Don’t worry, I can take care of this, I know I’ll find the perfect place,” she said as she trotted out of the kitchen passing Firestorm. As Rainbow moved past Firestorm, she extended her wing so it touched his. Firestorm even caught himself extending his own wing in an attempt to prolong the sensation. Rainbow went out the front door and shut it as quietly as possible.
“Twilight, would ya’ll mind if Ah went home for a bit? I’ll come right back, Ah just need to let Big Mac know what’s goin’ on seein’ as how Ah left him to watch Applebloom and her friends while Ah went out to dinner with ya’ll. He’s probably wonderin’ what’s taking me so long.”
“Of course Applejack, We’ll be fine here,” Twilight assured.
Applejack made her way past Firestorm, though she simply nodded as she passed by him on her way to the front door. Firestorm returned the nod before looking to Twilight. Once the front door shut signaling Applejack’s departure, Twilight spoke up, “Can we talk?”
Firestorm nodded and took a seat across the table from Twilight. Twilight took a long deep breath as she attempted to collect her thoughts, “Alright, how about we start from the beginning? You are an immortal bat pony with alicorn level magic and the ability to shape shift to the extent you can even alter your gender. By all accounts you shouldn’t exist or even have been conceived.”
“We’re on the same page so far.”
“Alright, I’m just gonna ask, what was it like and why did you decide to be a mare for a lifetime?”
“It was… difficult, pretending to be a mare when you know you’re a stallion. It messes with your mind. As for why I did it,” Firestorm sighed, “I couldn’t get a mare pregnant and I really wanted a foal. I love children. If I was mortal, I would die to save just one. I became a mare, built relationships, and tried to have a foal for years; it wasn’t just the one time. And when I finally did get pregnant, I have a bucking stillbirth. Its like you said, there are several forms of magic integrated into my anatomical structure, and I use all of them.”
“How did you learn to focus your changeling magic?”
“I actually spent time in a hive a few centuries ago. They accepted me, I guess they could sense, or at the very least, smell the changeling in me, and they welcomed me. I provided them with love; they taught me how to focus my changeling magic.”
“Wait exactly how long ago was this?” Twilight asked.
“You’re a sharp one Twilight Sparkle, no doubt about it. It was just after the last of the bat ponies died off, namely my father; my mother had died of illness a few years earlier, and I was all alone,” Firestorm explained, turning away to push back the pain which was tugging at him, “I had been alone for seven years, I didn’t want to seek out a pony village, but I didn’t want to be alone anymore, and eventually I found a changeling hive.”
“And they just let you in?”
A wry smile made itself evident on Firestorms’ face, “Not exactly. I found the hive, but they kept me at bay. I made a camp far enough away from the hive so they wouldn’t consider me a threat, but close enough to where we could still see each other. One evening I was bringing back some fresh firewood to my camp and six changelings surrounded me.”
“What did you do?” Twilight asked her eyes wide with anticipation.
“I surrendered. Not only was I outnumbered but I wanted to be accepted by them. I already knew I had changeling in me from previous instances so I wanted to learn to control it and be around somepony, anypony!”
“I understand, I couldn’t imagine being alone for a year, let alone seven!”
“In either case, after I mastered my changeling magic as best I could I left the hive. I took the appearance of other ponies and lived my life.”
“But it wasn’t your life was it?” Twilight asked knowingly.
“No. It was always the life of the pony I was pretending to be.”
An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment before Twilight decided to move on, “So what about tonight? With Angel I mean, what was that?”
Firestorm gave Twilight a stern look, “Do you really want to know?”
Twilight thought for a minute. She knew Firestorm had used some form of magic to, while out of mercy, kill Angel, but she couldn’t put her hoof on what it was. What she did know, was she wanted to make sure the act itself was merciful. She looked directly at Firestorm, “Yes.”
“Very well, I used my pyrokinesis. It was extremely quick, precise, and completely painless.”
Twilight nodded her understanding. She was about to ask another question but Firestorm spoke up first, “What do you think the deal is with me?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”
“Bat ponies can’t have foals with any other pony except for another bat pony, so how is it that my mother was a unicorn?”
“Maybe she wasn’t your real mother?” Twilight dared to suggest.
“I thought of that, but my parents told me a very special pony had blessed me with her power so that they could have me.”
“What pony would be powerful enough to influence the conception of a foal between two incompatible ponies?” Twilight asked.
“That’s a good question, but it’s not the one you should be asking.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can name two ponies that have the power necessary to help conceive me…”
“Princess Celestia and Luna!?” Twilight gasped.
“Exactly, and if it was one of them, why did they give me all the other abilities I have? Because the way I see it, pyrokinesis, changeling magic, and bat pony anatomy all make for a highly effective offensive tool in battle.”
“Wait, you think one of them added in all the other magic to make some sort of perfect soldier?”
“Perfect? No, Powerful? Yes. And while it may not have been either of the princesses, I still have a lot of offensive as well as defensive magic which would suggest nothing else. But we still need to ask ourselves, who made me like this, and for what purpose?”
Twilight looked down at the table as she processed all the information she had just received. After a moment she looked up at Firestorm, “I’ve known Princess Celestia for the better part of my entire life, I am almost certain she would never do something like that. I’ll send her a letter in the morning, and when she gets back to Canterlot, we can all go see her and we’ll get you some answers.”
Firestorm nodded and looked at the doorway to the living room. He left his seat and mage his way into the living room where a pillow stood out of place on the floor in the middle of the room with a towel hiding something beneath it. Firestorm approached the pillow and stretched out his wing over it. Twilight entered the living room shortly after, still standing partially in the kitchen, “Have you ever done that before?”
Firestorm’s ear twitched as he turned to look at Twilight out of the corner of his eye, “Done what?”
“Ended an animals’ suffering?”
Firestorm looked at the floor, “Yes, in fact I’ve also ended the suffering of some ponies…”
Twilight swallowed hard and fought back the urge to ask for more details due to the pain carried in Firestorms’ voice.
“I’ve lost count with how many animals’ suffering I’ve ended. You’d think it would get easier but it never does. Even though I’m ending their suffering, it doesn’t make up for taking their life. Ending another pony’s suffering… I’m sorry, I can’t.”
Twilight nodded and too a sharp breath.
The front door slowly opened and Rainbow Dash quietly trotted inside. Her hooves and forelegs were covered with dirt and mud, her mane was messier than usual and matted with sweat, and her eyes appeared tired with dark circles beneath them. Rainbow laid down across from the pillow parallel to Firestorm and extended her wing over his, “I found a good place to bury Angel, should we do it now or wait for the others and Fluttershy?”
Firestorm looked at Twilight who thought for a moment before moving closer to them, “She asked us to bury him, and I don’t think the others will be back very soon, I think it would be best if we buried him now.”
Firestorm and Rainbow Dash nodded and withdrew their wings from over Angel. Firestorm wrapped the towel around Angel and levitated him onto his back before following Rainbow Dash out the door with Twilight behind them. The three arrived at the shallow grave Rainbow Dash had dug; Firestorm proceeded to gently set Angel down within it. Twilight levitated the dirt over top of Angel and sat back beside Rainbow. Firestorm continued standing before the grave.
“Is everything alright?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, it’s just… I told Fluttershy we would be downstairs if she needed us. Rarity and Pinkie are gone for the night, I’m not sure when Applejack will be getting back and we’re all out here…”
“Oh, right! We should be getting back inside.”
Firestorm nodded and began following the two mares back to the cottage when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Just as quickly as the pain had begun it was gone, but it had not gone unnoticed by Twilight or Rainbow when his breathing became short and labored.
“Are you okay?” Rainbow asked flying over to his side and patting his back.
“Yes, but you two will have to excuse me, I need to be alone for a while.”
Before either mare could argue, Firestorm took off with a few powerful beats of his wings towards the Everfree Forest. Rainbow and Twilight exchanged confused and mildly worried glances before making their way back to the cottage.
Firestorm landed deep within the Everfree Forest. His landing itself, while graceful, was noted by any nearby wildlife when he impacted on the ground. The place he had chosen to land in was remarkably tame. It was close to a small body of water which had perfectly smooth surface because of the surrounding trees creating a barrier between it and the cool breeze. The trees themselves lacked any traits which could play tricks on a pony’s eyes as they had no moss and were fully clothed in healthy leaves. Firestorm however, did not take the time to notice the trees as he approached the water. He looked down at his reflection and seeing his face in all its normality he stepped back.
He took several deep breaths and tried to ready himself for what he was about to do. No amount of changeling magic would help him, the pain would be excruciating no matter what. With a final breath, Firestorm reared up on his hind legs. His front hooves became gray dragon claws and his rear hooves became gray talons. Firestorm cried out in pain as the bones in his right front leg followed by his left broke without cause followed by blue flames flowing over them to alter their structure from the front legs of a pony to the arms of a dragon. Soon his entire body was briefly cloaked in blue flames as his body grew and shifted.
As the flames dissipated his new form was revealed. Firestorm was now twice the size of an adult stallion, his front legs had become arms with dragon’s claws, his hind legs were relatively similar with the acceptation of his talons, his muzzle was slightly longer, and his teeth and fangs were noticeably longer and sharper. His eyes had an amber glow which accentuated his vertically slit pupils and his wings were stretched out and behind him to help maintain his balance. Anypony who came across him at that very moment would be scared only for a minute as Firestorm began coughing up blood, loosing his balance, and falling on all fours as he coughed and choked.
When his coughing fit was over, Firestorm approached the water again and looked at his reflection. He wiped the blood off his muzzle with his forearm and continued to stare into the eyes of his reflection. After a moment he turned away and moved on all fours to a tree which he laid back against and stared up at the moon. After all the events of that day only one thing came across his mind, “You’d better have some answers for me Princess…”
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holy.fucking.shit. this is almost exactly like my oc
... but with a burning mane and tail.
Try 1000
You guys forgot nightmare moon