Rune Hunters

by Cold Bolt


Fiery Rage

Three fillies eagerly hopped their way down the front steps of the schoolhouse.

"Man, I thought class today would last forever," complained Scootaloo.

"Well, we're done now and all," said Apple Bloom, "so what do you girls wanna do?"

Sweetie Belle blinked. "Um... I dunno. Do you have any ideas, Scootaloo?"

Scootaloo shrugged. "I was excited to hang out today after we missed you yesterday," she said with a glance at Apple Bloom, "but now that we're here, I have no idea what we should do."

Apple Bloom scratched her head. "Why don't we just go hang out at the clubhouse till we think of something?"

"Sounds good to me." Scootaloo smiled. "How about you, Sweetie?"

After a few seconds with no response, Scootaloo realized her friend was no longer beside them. She stared at Apple Bloom for a moment before turning around to find Sweetie Belle several paces behind them, staring off into the distance.

"Um, girls...?" Sweetie raised a hoof and pointed. "Is... that what I think it is?"

A dark column was rising into the air from somewhere in town.

Scootaloo's eyes widened. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that looked like smoke..."

I sense a rune nearby...

Apple Bloom jumped slightly. "Huh? Are you sure?"

I believe one of my comrades has arrived, said Stoldark. You must hurry, Apple Bloom.

"I think so," said Scootaloo, unaware that her friend's inquiry wasn't directed at her. "Somepony might be in trouble. We should go see if they need help!"

"Yeah, let's go!" Apple Bloom beckoned Sweetie Belle. "Come on!"

The three fillies ran, racing through town as quickly as their short legs would carry them. Breaking through the small crowd that had formed around the commotion, the source of the smoke stood before them: a house engulfed in flames.

Sweetie's eyes shrank to pinpricks. "Oh no... that's...!"

A familiar gray mare lay sprawled on the ground nearby. A gash in her flank dripped blood, and her hide sported several large red marks, unmistakably burns. The ends of her wings were singed black. A medic pony sat hunched over her, carefully treating her wounds.

"No... please, let me go," pleaded the injured mare, struggling but failing to rise to her hooves. "My... My Dinky is still in there...!"

"Dinky!" yelled all three Crusaders simultaneously.

It is as I warned. Stoldark's voice was somehow even more serious than usual. There is a rune inside that building, and its power is responsible for this blaze. Your time has come, Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom bit her lip. If she was going to do something, she needed to do it immediately; the house likely wouldn't last much longer... and if it collapsed, it would almost certainly take Dinky Hooves with it, assuming she was still alive even now.

Without a second thought, she sprang forward and charged straight at the front door.

"APPLE BLOOM, NO!"

Ignoring the voice from the crowd that had screamed her name, Apple Bloom rushed into the burning house. Almost instantly, she began coughing; the air was thick with smoke, and the heat was unbearable.

The Aqua Wisp is at your command.

She wouldn't be getting anywhere without something to protect her. The answer came to her quickly, and she waved her forelegs in a wide circle. The sound of rushing water swirled around her, lowering the temperature rapidly. Blinking, she looked around at the thick shield of water that now surrounded her, keeping the heat at bay... and giving her a bubble of clean air to breathe as well.

Well done, praised Stoldark. There can be only one rune responsible for this; if you wish to stop the blaze from spreading, you must find it with all due haste.

"Don't gotta tell me twice!"

Unfortunately, this gave way to the next problem: she had never been in Dinky's house before. It was one thing to resist the flames, but how was she supposed to actually find the poor filly? It wasn't a very big house, sure, but she could barely see through all the smoke... and her water shield wouldn't do much if she got blindsided by a falling bookcase, or if the ceiling collapsed on her.

"Dinky? Dinky!"

Apple Bloom raced through the house as quickly as she dared, checking couches, chairs, and the floor everywhere for any sign of Dinky. Several times, she heard a hiss as her shield extinguished something along the way.

When a door stood before her, she reached up to open it, only for it to fall loose from its hinges.

"Waugh!"

She scrambled backward just in time for the burning door to land mere inches in front of her, revealing an empty bathroom.

"Rrgh - come on! DINKY!" Apple Bloom yelled with everything her lungs could muster... and got a response in the form of a faint whimper from somewhere behind her.

"Dinky?" Apple Bloom spun around, retracing her steps through the kitchen. "Dinky! Where are - ah!"

The filly in question practically appeared at her hooves, lying limply beside a strange stone slab. Now protected by Apple Bloom's bubble, she coughed weakly and opened her eyes just a tiny bit. "Ap... ple... bl...?"

"Hang in there, Dinky." Apple Bloom scooped her up and cradled her close. "You're gonna be just fine, I promise."

"Thank... you..." was all Dinky could manage in reply.

Slowly, Apple Bloom hoisted the barely conscious filly onto her back and turned to face the slab. Aside from the strange dark pattern resembling flickering flames on its surface, it looked just like the one she had seen in the orchard.

"Here goes nothing," she muttered, placing her hoof on its surface. At once, the rune's face lit up, and a new voice filled her head.

Hey you! What's the big idea, huh? it demanded. You wanna steal my powers too? You'll get the same thing I gave the last punk to try that!

Sheathe your wings, Moa Gault, commanded Stoldark. This one is an ally, by whose grace we might return to Filgaia.

The new voice paused for a moment, indignant tone replaced by a far more jovial one. Stoldark? You overgrown sea turtle! Good to see you!

"Hey, think you might catch up later?" Apple Bloom glanced over her shoulder at the sound of a cabinet crashing to the floor, its ceramic contents shattering on impact. "We gotta get outta here!"

Sure, sure, kid. I guess if the old coot trusts you, then I will too. Just one thing first. Ahem... There was a pause. I'm Moa Gault, the Fire Guardian. With my Fiery Rage at your side, we'll burn our enemies so hard there won't even be ashes left!

In a flash of light, the rune disappeared.

Without missing a beat, Apple Bloom spun around and took off, retracing her steps back to the front door as quickly as she could with Dinky draped over her back. Upon reaching it, however, she stopped; it would immediately blow her cover to be seen walking out surrounded by a giant bubble of water. Taking a deep breath first, she pointed her hoof at her shield, causing it to burst and splash the floor around her.

Instantly, the heat washed over her, drying her coat and causing her to gasp in surprise. Coughing as the smoke seeped into her lungs, she staggered out the door.

"Whew...!"

With a sigh of relief, Apple Bloom collapsed in the dirt in front of the house, finally out of danger. Her head spun as the adrenaline began to wear off. She could hear shouts and cries around her, and soon felt Dinky's weight being lifted from her back.

A shadow cast over her. Slowly, she raised a hoof to her head and sat up to investigate... only to cringe as the image of a furious Applejack swam into focus in front of her.

"Uh oh..."


A knock at her bedroom door woke Apple Bloom from her nap.

"Uh... c'mon in."

Applejack stepped into the room, her expression neutral. "How you feeling, sugarcube?"

Apple Bloom blinked. "I'm fine, I... think."

"Medic ponies said you weren't hurt, so I just brought you straight home," said Applejack as she sat on the edge of the bed. "You were plumb tuckered after pulling your little stunt. Gave me a chance to cool my jets, so I reckon it turned out alright."

A deep breath did little to calm Apple Bloom's heart as her brain finished waking up, reminding her of what had happened earlier.

"I know I don't gotta tell you just how dangerous it is running into a burning house like that. Might well be the last mistake you ever make." Applejack gave the filly's mane a gentle stroke. "So I gotta know what possessed you to do it anyway."

With any luck, maybe just being earnest would throw her off the trail? It wasn't like she would be all that suspicious of what was really going on without evidence, even if magical alien spirits weren't necessarily that incredible of a stretch for a pony who had seen as much as Applejack.

"I'm real sorry for making you worry," said Apple Bloom. "I just... I couldn't stand the thought of losing Dinky, even if we're only sorta friends. I had to do something!"

"There were plenty of things you coulda done that didn't put you in danger like that."

"I didn't have time to think of any."

Applejack sighed. "I'm trying with all I got not to be mad at you. I don't wanna make you feel bad for saving somepony's life. I..." She trailed off. "Will you just promise me you won't do anything that reckless again?"

Apple Bloom hesitated. She didn't like the idea of making a promise to her big sister that she wasn't actually sure she could keep; if things had gotten this intense already and she only had two runes to her name so far, she was almost certain she hadn't seen the worst this mission was going to bring her. For Equestria's sake, and Filgaia's too... she was just going to have to lie.

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," she recited.

The elder sister visibly relaxed. "Thanks, little sis. That's all I wanted... I don't mean to harp on about it."

"I know." Apple Bloom crawled over and gave her sister's side an affectionate nuzzle. "You're just trying to look out for me and all. Thanks, Applejack."

Applejack gave her another mane ruffle in return. "Ready to go, then?"

"Huh?" Apple Bloom blinked. "Go where?"

"We're gonna visit the hospital," said Applejack, sitting up. "A certain somepony wanted to thank you for saving her daughter."


Apple Bloom stared at the doorway in front of her.

"Please go ahead," said the nurse, gesturing toward it. "She's expecting you."

A glance over her shoulder showed her Applejack's smile, which was all Apple Bloom needed. She trotted into the hospital room, soon finding herself looking over the mare in the nearest bed.

Derpy Hooves looked rather worse for wear. She laid on her side with the covers off; a layer of red-speckled bandaging covered her flank, and what looked like a large piece of cloth was wrapped around her barrel. The latter was wet and a funny smell wafted from it, suggesting it was soaked in some kind of burn medicine. Her singed primaries had all been plucked out, making her limp wings look smaller than normal.

At the sound of Apple Bloom's hoofsteps, her ears twitched, and she sat up slightly. "Oh...!"

"Howdy, Ms. Hooves," said Apple Bloom. "You feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she replied, as though to brush the question away. Her eyes watered a bit as she gingerly beckoned Apple Bloom over. "Please, come here..."

Apple Bloom obeyed, propping herself up on the side of the bed with her forelegs, which Derpy quickly took in her own.

"Thank you..." Derpy blinked slowly, squeezing a tear from her eyes. "Thank you, thank you, Apple Bloom..."

Apple Bloom felt her face heat up a little, and she turned away. "Aww..."

Derpy carefully reached back and drew the curtain away from the second bed to reveal Dinky lying in it. She appeared to be sleeping peacefully, drawing in oxygen from a mask hooked up to a canister by the wall.

"You got to her before the flames did," explained Derpy as she turned back toward Apple Bloom. "She inhaled a lot of smoke, but she's gonna be okay. I think we were really lucky."

Apple Bloom's ears drooped. "If you were lucky, none of this woulda happened in the first place. Your whole house burned down."

Derpy shook her head. "We can always rebuild the house, and replace all the things we lost. The important part is that we both made it out alive... and I've got you to thank for it." She swallowed. "I have no idea how you did it, but... thank you. You saved my little Dinky's life."

Apple Bloom beamed. "Don't sweat it, Ms. Hooves. I'm just glad y'all are okay."

A tranquil silence passed between them for a few seconds.

"I guess we should probably rest," said Derpy. "Thanks for coming to visit. Will we see you again soon?"

"Aw, 'course you will." Apple Bloom gave Derpy's foreleg a quick nuzzle before hopping down from the bed. She paused at the doorway to wave goodbye before catching up with Applejack.

"They doing okay?" she asked.

Apple Bloom nodded. "Mhmm."

Applejack smirked and tilted her hat. "Then how about we get home and grab some grub?"

"Sounds good to me! I'm starving."


"Hey, Apple Bloom!"

A cheery voice calling to her caused Apple Bloom to pause halfway up the steps into the schoolhouse, instead hopping back down. Two familiar earth pony fillies - one pink and one gray - galloped up to her and stopped.

"I was hoping I'd catch you before class!" said a lightly winded Diamond Tiara.

It had been some time since she and her friends had helped to turn Diamond Tiara's attitude around, but actually talking to her on cordial terms hadn't stopped feeling weird. She had spent ages bullying them before that, so it was a more than welcome change... but for as much as she appreciated it, she still couldn't quite get used to it.

"Howdy, you two."

"We just wanted to tell you how amazing you were saving Dinky yesterday! Right, Silver Spoon?"

"Like, totally."

Apple Bloom rubbed the back of her neck. "You heard about that already, huh?"

Diamond Tiara's eyes widened. "Are you kidding? We were there!"

"...Oh, right."

Truthfully, she hadn't known that. She had been too focused on the fire when she arrived on the scene, and everything after her escape with Dinky was a bit of a blur.

"You are, like, the most heroic pony in the whole school," she continued. "How'd you do it?"

"Huh?"

"You ran straight in with nothing protecting you from the fire, and came back out without a single scratch on you," explained Silver Spoon. "You must've done something amazing in there."

"Yeah!" Diamond Tiara nodded. "We promise we'll keep it secret if you want, but we just have to know!"

As a drop of sweat rolled down Apple Bloom's neck, she found herself thankful that somehow, no one else had asked her this question yet.

"Uh..." She cleared her throat. "I... just got lucky, I guess. Wasn't all that amazing, really."

Diamond Tiara's smile faded. She glanced at Silver Spoon, who mimicked her expression. "Lucky? That's... is that all?"

Apple Bloom relaxed a bit. "Yeah! I managed to dodge all the fire, nothing fell on top of me, and I found Dinky pretty quick and all."

Whatever Diamond Tiara had been expecting, that clearly wasn't it.

"Well... well that's great!" she eventually decided, hopping onto the steps behind Apple Bloom with Silver Spoon in tow. "C'mon then, girls, we should get inside. Don't want to be late!"

Wiping sweat from her forehead, Apple Bloom followed them into the schoolhouse.