//------------------------------//
// Impending Invasion 
// Story: Parallel 
// by Zombie Penguins 
//------------------------------//


Firebolt groaned, her head was throbbing and she hadn't been so hungry in her life. She opened her eyes to find her surroundings nearly pitch-black, except for a soft orange glow that seemed to be coming from behind her. Trying to get a sense of where she was, Firebolt shifted her hooves on the ground, displacing a little dirt. Dirt? She was in a desert last she checked. “What the...” she said out loud. 
“You are in the custody of the flame ponies. You were found to be the source of strange blue light, so...umm...we are keeping you here until we get some answers.” a stallion's voice came from behind her.
“Who's there?!?”  Firebolt cried out, leaping upwards, pivoting on her hooves to try and see the speaker, just to trip on the cord that was tied to her ankle. She let out another groan, “Why am I tied up?” Firebolt asked, as she lifted her head from the dirt.
“Erm...you are a potential threat...it's for our own safety...er...are you okay?” The mysterious voice responded.
“I've been through worse...where are you? It's so dark I can't see a thing, except two weird floating orbs of light.” said Firebolt.
“Those are my eyes.”
“Whoa....” she murmured, “What are you?”
“I...am a flame-pony” the voice said with a distinct kind of pride. Firebolt could imagine a stallion puffing out his chest as the voice spoke. “Whatsa flame-pony?” she asked.
“You've never heard of us?”
“Nope.”
“You know...monstrous glow-eyed beasts of the terrible tepui...” the voice said, annoyed.
“You're monstrous?”
“No...” the voice sounded confused.
“Why do they call you monstrous, if you are not monstrous?” 
“That's what that dull-eyed queen spews about us...she also calls us blasphemous among other things...” the voice replied.
“Queen Blanca?” Firebolt questioned, attempting to get more information.
“Yeah.”
“Ohhhhh...the alicorn that tried to execute me...I understand now...” Firebolt said nonchalantly. 
“She tried to...execute you?” 
“Yeah...she said my magic was blasphemous.” Firebolt was starting to feel a little more comfortable around whoever this flame-pony was.
They sat in the dark in silence for a few minutes, until the silence broke with a low growl. Firebolt could hear some scuffling noises and the orange orbs moved around wildly, as if they were searching for the source of the growl. “That was me...sorry...just kinda hungry...” Firebolt said sheepishly.
“Ohhhh...when Ember takes over my shift, I'll get you something to eat.” the voice said,  sounding relieved.
“What's an ember-pony?”
“Ember is the name of another flame-pony.” the strange voice giggled.
“Ohhhh...um...what is your name?” Firebolt asked.
“Lightning.”


***


Dark bags hung underneath Celestia's eyes, as she ate breakfast. Despite being exhausted, her sleep was restless and her head was filled with many scenarios, mostly of the worst-case type. She heard the soft clip-clop of a pony's hooves approaching her; Celestia lifted her head to find Detective Glass. “Princess Celestia,” he said, “I have made a deduction: either a unicorn or an alicorn took it. You see when the crash site was secured, the ground was still hot...we had to have a few unicorns cast a cooling spell...the fallen star couldn't have been picked up physically without giving the pony severe burns...thus only a unicorn or an alicorn could have taken it.”
“Thank, you...that cuts our suspect list in half...” Celestia murmured.
“Now we have only half of Canterlot as suspects...” the detective said with a sigh, “I'll see what else I can find or deduce.” Detective Glass waved goodbye and left the princess with her breakfast.


***


Stanley's morning was pretty routine. Be nudged awake, offer Blossom coffee, make coffee for only himself. Thump. Grab newspaper. He trudged into the kitchen and sat down and started reading:
FALLEN STAR STILL MISSING! INVESTIGATION NARROWED DOWN TO UNICORNS AND ALICORNS ONLY!
Quartz. Unicorn. HER. Stanley ground his teeth together, looking for something-ANYTHING to cool his anger down before he did something. Murder took control of his thoughts again and before he knew it, he was flying to HER place. 
He arrived at a small, rickety bungalow; weeds grew in the front yard, paint peeled off the walls and most of the shutters either lay on the ground or crookedly hung by one hinge. Stanley galloped down the ditch that was worn down into the ground by tired hooves and towards the door. Just as he was trained for the expedition, he swivelled on his front hooves so that his back end faced the door way. With a swift buck, he kicked the door clear off its hinges and it flew into the dark and dusty hallway. 
“FIREBOLT!”  he boomed into the musty hallway ,“ I'VE BEEN THINKIN' OF YOU FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS! AND I'VE HAD ENOUGH! YOU'RE GONNA GET IT!”

Silence.

The whole house screamed barren. “Dammit, you better not be hiding.” Stanley muttered, his voice returning to what it was and abandoning the Canterlot, hoity-toity accent. He slowly walked into the hallway, past the moth-eaten drapes that blacked out the sun. Clip-clop. Clip-clop. Clip-clop. The sound of Stanley's hooves echoed in the empty house and kicked up small clouds of dust. Stanley began searching each room methodically, eager to end his own obsession. Eventually, Stanley reached the basement. The door was ominously locked and Stanley had to give it several kicks to break it down. “I know you're in here!” he yelled with a sense of triumph, before walking maliciously down the stairs.
The basement was pitch-black...except for an orange ring that ate a hole into the darkness.


***


Lightning trotted back to the holding tree with a flame fruit held in his mouth. It was Ember's shift to watch the dull-eyed mare now, but he had promised to get her something to eat. He entered the burrow and Ember gave him a swift nod. He placed it in front of the mare and said. “I brought you a flame fruit...it's in front of you...you just give it a swift knock with your hoof and it cracks open.”
“Thanks.” she said as she groped in the dark. After a few minutes, she found it and smashed her hoof on it. She gasped at the glowing contents that oozed from the broken shell. Cautiously the dark-eyed mare licked the glowing mess that was on her hoof. “I haven't had anything like it, but it tastes good.” she said before devouring the flame-fruit. Lightning chuckled and left the holding tree to give his report to Chief Blaze.
Chief Blaze was at the village clearing, drinking some flame-nectar. Lightning bowed before him. “You've come with a report?” Chief Blaze asked.
Lightning nodded and said, “The dull-eyed mare is...strange...she talks about magic so lightly...most dull-eyed ponies cringe at the very word. She also is unfamiliar with our kind...most of her kind are exposed to propaganda about us since a young age...she also speaks off almost being executed by...Queen Blanca-”
“WHAT?!?” Chief Blaze cried out, accidentally spitting some flame-nectar on Lightning.
“Er...yes...umm...you might want to have our defences raised...she's either a well-trained spy or an ally of great value...” Lightning said, feeling embarrassed.
“I need to question her directly. I want you to come with me. I'll send Ember to prepare the defences so that we are ready for war.” Chief Blaze ordered.
Lightning and Chief Blaze cantered to the holding tree, only slowing to enter. “Ember. Prepare the defences for an impending invasion. Lightning and I will stay by the dull-eyed mare.” Chief Blaze commanded. Ember nodded her head and exited the burrow.
“Invasion?” the dull-eyed mare said with her voice quivering.
“Yes. An invasion. We believe you are the catalyst for the inevitable.” Chief Blaze said, pointing a hoof at her.
“No...not again!”  the mare cried out, her whole body shivering with her voice.
“What are you referring to?!?” Chief Blaze shouted, motioning to Lightning to keep quiet.
“A long time ago...I-I was sent-no volunteered for...an ex-ex-expedition...it was led b-b-by a stallion by the name of...Bee's Sting...we were exploring the m-m-m-Macintosh Mountains and...and...and...we came across a tr-tr-tribe of buffalo...but..but...but...but....HE WANTED TO WIPE THEM OUT AND CLAIM THE LANDS FOR EQUESTRIA!” she blubbered and wailed before continuing, “...I-I-I did something...that-that killed many...both buffalo and ponies...it-it was to stop...the invasion...but it was t-t-too powerful...” she broke off into sobs.
“...show me your magic.” Chief Blaze said calmly.
“I-I-I only know a few spells...running is more my thing...but...okay...I'll conjure some fire...I'd like more to see than eyes glowing in the darkness...” she stuttered between sobs. The dull-eyed mare stood up and she closed her eyes. Her horn began to glow red and a miniscule, deep red flame lit up the burrow.
“I've made my conclusion...she's an ally. Untie her and brief her on our situation....oh and you,” Chief Blaze pointed at the dull-eyed mare, “I need your name.”
“...Firebolt.” the dull-eyed mare said with an expression of shock on her face.


***


BANG! The gold door leading to Blanca's bedroom burst open and General Sword Swipe ran in. “WHO DARES DISTURB MY HOLY SLUMBER!” Blanca shouted to the intruder.
“I only disturb it on your command, your highness,” General Sword Swipe said with a deep bow, “The preparations for the invasion are complete. It is only at your royal command that it can go off to conquer.”
“Then I command you and the invasion force to go off and conquer that tepui...I'd like my dry-season palace to be there...oh and after you're done conquering, cut down the trees: they're blasphemous.” Blanca demanded with a sickly sweet smile.
“As you command, your highness.” General Sword Swipe answered with a deep bow, before leaving Blanca to descend into dreams of a white palace that gleamed only in the light of the sun and no other.