//------------------------------//
// Firebolt 
// Story: Parallel 
// by Zombie Penguins 
//------------------------------//

	“IDENTIFY YOURSELF!” The male voice boomed in Crystal Comet's head, causing her to stand up straight, swiftly pulling her right hoof to her forehead.
“I am Firebolt of Equestria, sir!” she responded instinctively, as if she were still in the days of the expedition.
“YOU SHALL REFER TO ME AS YOUR HIGHNESS! DO I LOOK LIKE A SIR TO YOU?” the male voice in her head now returned to the female voice she heard in reality.
“Erm...no...sorry...it was out of habit...” Crystal Comet said to the screeching alicorn.
“I don't know what this Equestria is,” said the alicorn, with disgust, “but, for now on, you shall be Firebolt of Inamoenus.”
“Um...how does that have any logic?” Crystal Comet asked, clearly very confused.
“It's my command.” the alicorn huffed.
“And?”
“I AM QUEEN BLANCA! YOU SHALL BOW DOWN TO ME!”
“Well, you see...I am from Equestria and I obey the laws set down by Princess Celestia. Now I will follow your land's rules, but let me make this clear: I am not from here and I will not claim to be.” Crystal Comet said, angry with this poor excuse of a queen that sat in front of her. Looking at the gaudy decorations in the room, Crystal Comet waited for Blanca to stop huffing angrily and actually respond. After several minutes, Blanca's boiling anger seemed to turn to ice.
“Look...whoever you are...explain why you were in the middle of the desert, where some evil blue light was. I'll punish you for the whole Equestria thing later.” Blanca said icily.
“Oh I was just using magic. Nothing to worry about.” responded Crystal Comet, rolling her eyes.
“OFF WITH HER HEAD!” screeched Blanca and everybody else surged towards Crystal Comet.
Time slowed down as the adrenaline began pumping through Crystal Comet's veins, slowing turning Crystal Comet into who she REALLY was: Firebolt. Crystal Comet wasn't born to track meteors and stars. She was born Firebolt. She was born to run faster than any comet could. She was born a fighter. A smile invaded Firebolt's face and her cutie mark, a blue fireball seemed more vivid than before. The scene felt pure. It felt like she was really alive instead of a simple mare living a dead life. Just as the nearest pony was about to grab her tail, Firebolt kicked her hind-legs, landing her hooves on his chin, snapping the final pieces of the scene together, completing her transformation.
The stallion flew backwards and Firebolt bit an approaching mare's ear, just before fending off another attack with a stab of her horn. As a dozen ponies surrounded Firebolt, Blanca smiled victoriously, but Firebolt scoffed: the alicorn counted all her chicks before they had hatched! Firebolt naturally leapt in the air, clamping down on one of the countless tapestries that blemished the room. Firebolt's weight tore it down and it fell on the ponies, blinding them for the brief seconds that Firebolt needed to escape.
Firebolt weaved through the palace hallways, gleefully searching for a way out, resisting her urges to laugh at Blanca's cries and commands. Firebolt eventually found herself in a courtyard covered with narcissistic statues of Blanca. She snickered: a climbable statue was coincidentally close to the courtyard wall. Firebolt easily climbed it and scrambled over the wall, leaving the palace slaves bewildered and confused.
Firebolt slowed to a trot, skipping through the streets, satisfied with her escape, only stopping to make a journal entry:
While napping in the desert, I was awoken by an entourage of ponies. They claimed to be an investigation team and they required me to come with them. Being curious, I agreed to go with them. But they led me to the hideous palace of their moron queen, some alicorn named Blanca. Haha! I bet the palace officials are still scrambling around the palace looking for me. Those idiots don't know that I am ou
The journal entry broke off as Firebolt had to place it back into the bag tied around her waist: the guards had discovered that she escaped the palace and was wandering the city somewhere. Firebolt took of running again, laughing as the guards took chase. After a few minutes, Firebolt breached the edge of the city and was in the desert. Grinning, Firebolt prepared to go full speed.
Firebolt's hooves beat faster and faster on the blue sand and the whistling of the wind grew louder in her ears. She outran the guards within a few seconds and was galloping through the desert, increasing her speed without need. Firebolt felt pure euphoria and the air around her began to catch fire  from the friction. Soon, Firebolt was surrounded by blue flames, blind to her surroundings.
Within minutes Firebolt had no idea of where she was going. And within minutes of that, she accidentally flung herself into a hard cliff face and the world became dead and dark.


***


Celestia sat at a table in her palace, worries darting across her mind as she tried to think of another way to find the fallen star. She hadn't slept at all since she found out; she was to busy scrambling around notifying the newspapers about what to write, going over the evidence with Detective Glass at lunch, her regular duties and...worrying. Just thinking about the quartz made her head throb. 
“Some tea before you head to bed, Princess?” a voice from the doorway called out.
“Yes please...thank you.” Celestia replied, looking up towards the mare balancing a tray with a white teapot and matching cups and saucers. The mare walked over and placed the tray on the table, the clamped on the teapot handle with her mouth to pour the princess a drink. “Sugar?” she asked.
“Yes...please.” Celestia responded exhausted.
“Princess Celestia?” 
“mm-hm?”
“What's so bad about quartz?” the mare questioned.
“It...amplifies magic,” Celestia responded, “Normally, that would be good, but...ponies wielding magic nearby quartz deposits have run into some pretty major disasters...We had to destroy it all...for our own safety...and now it falls from the sky.”
“I guess if properly studied and used, it could make somepony pretty powerful...but if it creates disasters severe enough...I wouldn't want it.” the mare said kindly before leaving Celestia with her tea.


***


“How was your day at work, Stanley?” Blossom greeted Stanley as she washed the dirt off her hooves.
“Gwead! I onwy mess up haf duh dime!” Stanley replied, his lips numb from holding a needle between his lips for so long. 
“I'll go make you a nice hot cup of tea for your lips.” she said affectionately.
“Fanx.”
Stanley sat down at the table and a feeling of melancholy began to roll in like the tide. He always felt this after work. The only thing that kept him living the way he did was his cheery Blossom. The transition was different for each Silent Pony and Stanley was one that did not do so well: he used to fence and now he just patched clothing up. Keeping a needle pinned between his teeth was nothing like using his whole body in swift, fluid movements. The muffled ruffling of cloth was nothing like the sharp clang of swords, which resonated the feelings of battle. But Blossom was nothing like the lowly mares he flirted with before. Blossom was worth giving up his life for. He smiled lovingly at her as she levitated a warming cup of tea in front of him.


***


Lightning was grabbing a swig of flame nectar, drinking the warm drink out of a clay bowl. Despite having reported the blue light to Chief Blaze, it was still eating his mind. He shifted his hooves again, trying to ease his excitement. He looked upwards at the trees and watched the flame-flowers open: it was a slow process, but no matter how many times he watched it, he felt overcome by awe and peace.
The dark little buds, began to crack, revealing the light within, a soft orange glow that seeped through the crevices and into the night. Then, the petals began to slowly peel back and the flame-like luminescence grew brighter and brighter, until the lilies were in full flame, their pollen flying through the air like sparks. Lightning had finally reached some calm and his heart was content. 
“BLUE LIGHT IN DESERT!” Ember's screams killed the calm, “IT'S HEADED RIGHT FOR-” BOOM! The tepui shook, spilling Lightning's drink and knocking a few ponies over. Steam and smoke began streaming upwards from the south.  Chief Blaze emerged from his tree and began shouting out orders, “EMBER! LIGHTNING! SPARK! SCOUT OUT THE SOUTH SIDE OF OUR TEPUI! FLAMEHEART! MARSHALL EVery available...” the chief's voice faded as Lightning ran to the source of the smoke with his comrades, eager to find the cause. 
Reaching the cliff edge, Lightning, Ember and Spark began using the small ridges that stuck out of the cliff face to climb down as fast as their balance permitted them. Upon reaching the bottom, they found a crater gouged into the cliff. Small blue flames encircled the crater, burning on the air alone. Lightning prepared himself for what he could find, running every imaginable possibility through his head as the trio approached the crater. 
All three of them let out a gasp: the source of the light was something unthinkable: a dull-eyed mare.


***


Queen Blanca laid herself down on her purple couch and started ranting to her feelings hooker.(see author's note) “HOW DARE SHE! DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH WORK I NOW HAVE TO DO?!? FIRST SHE CAUSES THIS BLASPHEMOUS BLUE LIGHT WITH THIS WITCHCRAFT CALLED MAGIC! THEN THE HIDEOUSLY DISFIGURED FOOL FORGETS TO BOW TO ME! AND OF COURSE SHE REFUSED THAT CITIZENSHIP I OFFERED HER...THAT...THAT...BITCH!” Blanca had to stop for breath before continuing, “YOU KNOW WHAT THE CONSEQUENCE IS FOR DISOBEDIENCE OR FAILURE?” the feelings hooker could only nod her frightened head, “EXECUTION! AND EXECUTIONS ARE QUITE A BORE! ...You see one, you've seen them all...AND I HAD TO EXECUTE OVER A DOZEN PONIES TODAY!! THE IMBECILES FAILED TO CATCH HER WHEN SHE DECIDED TO RUN AWAY! NO ONE RUNS AWAY FROM AN EXECUTION!!” Queen Blanca finally stopped and looked over to the feelings hooker for a response.
“Erm...did your mother have a lot of executions?” 
“Only the murderers...she never had...what it takes to be...a good queen...I was so happy when she died. Just remembering her death brings so much joy to my heart.” Blanca said with less anger.
“Erm...why wasn't your mother a good queen?”
“Oh...well...um...she just wasn't okay! Why does this have to be about my mother!?!” Blanca whined.
“Erm...it is quite common...for maternal problems...to appear in other problems...” the feelings hooker said whilst quivering with fear.
“THIS IS ALL HER FAULT!?! GAH! I SHOULD HAVE POISONED HER SOONER!” Blanca screeched with a huff, before dismissing the feelings hooker and preparing for bed.