Moving Flames
Saying goodbye to a child is never easy for a mother. Some mothers handle it with dignity and forced strength. Some cry with their child as they send them off into the world. Others just smile and know that their child will succeed. Twilight Velvet managed to define one category single-hoofedly... the refusing to let go while breaking down mother.
“Oh why?!? Oh why?!? My baby girl is growing up too fast!!!”
“C’Mon, honey, you need to let her go.”
“NO! I don’t want to let her go! I want my baby to stay!”
“Mom, you’re crushing me!”
Twilight’s move into the castle was nearly done. The Sparkle family woke up early that day to move all of Twilight’s things into her new room. They had already unpacked most of the necessities and checked out the new room. It was quite something, but then again, what else could be expected from a room in the Canterlot Castle?
Twilight had laid Spike down in her room a few minutes ago to let him sleep. Shining Armor and their parents already said their goodbyes to the little guy, and were now outside the front steps. Shining Armor and Night Light both had said their heartfelt goodbyes to Twilight already. Both of them knew they could come visit anytime, but that wasn’t enough for Twilight Velvet when her turn for goodbye came around.
The whole scene before Shining Armor, Cadance, and Princess Celestia was... awkward, to say the least. Shining Armor buried his face in one of his hooves as he heard what unfolded in front of him.
Twilight Velvet was constricting her daughter in a massive embrace while her husband did his best to pry the two apart, ultimately coming short of his goal.
“Don’t leave me! I’m supposed to have at least ten or twelve more years with you!” Velvet cried as she clung onto Twilight.
“Mom! You can come see me anytime,” Twilight reminded as she continued to try and escape her mother’s death grip.
“Not enough!” Velvet cried out.
“Honey, we went through this last night. You said you’d be alright,” Night Light struggled to say as he continued his efforts to separate the two ponies.
“I lied!”
Shining still had a foreleg over his eyes, not wanting to see the scene for the sake of saving what little dignity he had for his family at the moment. “Is it over yet?” he asked a few minutes later.
“I’ll tell you when,” Cadance answered.
Velvet’s meltdown lasted a while longer, but like most mothers when it came to saying goodbye but didn’t want to, at least not yet, she calmed down and loosened her grip on her daughter, allowing her to return to her own normal respiration pattern.
After Velvet wiped away the more obvious of her tears, she spoke up, “Twilight, dear?” Twilight looked up at her mother, whose warm smile only indicated undying love. “I just want you to know that wherever you go, here or anywhere else, I will always love you, Twilight.”
With moist eyes and a quivering lip, Twilight closed the gap between her and her mother with a final hug. “I love you too, mom.”
Velvet squeezed her daughter tightly, a part of her fearing for the last time, but another part of her knowing it isn’t. She broke the hug and met her daughter’s eyes with her own soft cerulean irises. “Twilight, you are going to do amazing things over here, and I couldn't be more proud of you.”
Twilight stared at her mom, partially wishing she could stay home, but knowing that Canterlot Castle was going to give her the experience of a lifetime. “Thanks, mom.”
“She’s in good hooves, Twilight Velvet,” spoke the gentle, bell-like voice of Princess Celestia.
“I know, Princess.” Velvet gave Celestia a knowing smile and bowed slightly before trotting to her husband’s side.
Celestia returned Velvet’s smile and turned to her student. “Are you ready to see the rest of the castle, Twilight?”
Twilight beamed at the question and started a race up the stairs towards the front of the castle. “Am I ever!”
“Well, alright then.” Celestia began her walk towards her home before turning back to the adults of the Sparkle family. “Remember, you’re welcome to visit anytime.”
Velvet nodded and raised her head to speak. “Twilight,” she called, “we’ll come to see you later on today, okay?”
“Okay, mom!” Twilight called back.
“Don’t you think that’s a little soon?” Night Light whispered to his wife.
“Hey, she came out of me, I’ll say when it’s too soon,” Velvet answered back sharply.
Night Light shuffled a bit nervously after sensing the seriousness in his wife’s tone. “She came out of me too,” he mumbled under his breath.
Celestia, her attention now on her niece and Shining Armor, gave a slight smirk before addressing Cadance. “Oh, Cadance.” Cadance cracked her head up to her aunt. “You remember what you have to do today, right?”
Cadance’s eyes widened instantaneously after she looked out to the city to see the clock tower near the castle as it mercilessly read the time. “Oh my gosh, you’re right!” she bolted towards the nearby school in a panic.
Shining looked at his speeding marefriend and turned back to his parents. “Gotta run. I’ll come by soon, Twi-Lee!” he called to his sister.
“Okay, Shining!” Twilight called back. She waved off and watched her brother and foal-sitter run off to her old stomping ground. She let out a content sigh as she saw Shining Armor finally catch up to Cadance. “They’re so cute together.”
***************
Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns was anything but a simple school. The campus was huge, at least half the size of the castle it closely neighbored. The freshly polished halls were gleaming and carried the reflection of Shining Armor and Cadance as they strolled through them. The architecture was similar of that of the castle, and the color scheme: a marvelous mix of light purple, white, and gold.
Both ponies already knew the school rather well. Cadance had traveled here with her aunt numerous times, and Shining Armor became accustomed to the place thanks to numerous trips with his parents to drop off or pick up Twilight from her classes.
It was the familiarity of the school that helped to ease Cadance’s nerves as she walked into the building. With a glow of her horn, Cadance undid her ponytail and let her shoulder-length mane drop in its own elegance, giving her a more regal appearance. Accompanying the sudden hairstyle change were Cadance’s golden slippers, and another royal piece of jewelry around her neck.
“Look at you all glammed up,” Shining complemented playfully, earning a slight blush from Cadance.
“This is important. This is like my pre-test before my aunt tells me more about my upcoming royal duties,” Cadance said as her nerves started to rise.
“You’ll do fine. Here, why don’t we start with the research team first, and then we go see the foals?” Shining suggested, taking one of her gold-covered hooves in his.
Cadance seemed to lighten up at the suggestion and went along with Shining Armor’s plan. The two found themselves walking along towards the eastern end of the building where they found a bunch of labs, research rooms, and other rooms of some importance.
The thing about Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns is that not only did it educate gifted unicorn foals, but also served as a research lab for older students that have already attended and for other scientists looking to improve pony society. Of course, that portion of the school was on the opposite end of where the unicorn foals were taught.
Celestia had made it a habit to always drop by the school to see what kind of magical or scientific developments were being made, and it was a habit she was trying to get her niece to start.
“So, what exactly do these guys research?” Shining inquired as they entered the main research lab.
“I don’t know. That’s why my aunt used to come in here every so often. Sometimes it’s just to see what Canterlot’s finest has to offer. Other times it’s to make sure nothing dangerous is being made.”
“Ugggh... what kind of dangerous things did she stop?” Shining asked a little more unnerved.
“Different things. One time she had to shut down this whole strength-building spell research because it had some weird side effects on the pony that tested it.” Cadance looked to Shining Armor and saw his face contorted into one of slight fear mixed with curiosity. “Oh, don’t worry, it wasn’t anything too bad. I mean, the spell worked, that pegasus is probably the strongest stallion there is... but the spell kinda shrunk his wings, turned his eyes red, and now he can’t talk... only yell.”
She said it so calmly, it kinda freaked him out, but knowing the stallion was okay, Shining Armor just brushed the story aside and sighed. “If you say so.”
The two continued walking down the research hall and soon came to a large set of double doors with the words ‘Main Research Lab’ written in red across the doors.
“So, should I wait out here?”
“I’ll just be a few minutes,” Cadance answered with a nod.
Shining took a seat by the door as Cadance entered the lab. She was met with the smell of smoke and burning metal.
“Princess Cadance!” The pony in question turned her head to see an older looking green-coated unicorn stallion approaching her, not bothering to fix his disheveled black mane. “It is such an honor to have you here, my princess. I am Dr. Petri Dish.” He gave a slight bow before offering a hoof to the pink alicorn in front of him, which she gladly took.
“Nice to meet you, Dr. Dish.” The scientist led Cadance to a large work bench where several other researchers were huddled together, eyeing a strange looking device.
The other researchers made room for the scientist and princess to find a place in front of the device. Cadance observed it as a small cone-shaped machine, small enough looking to fit... say... a horn.
"Ughhhhh, what exactly am I looking at?" Cadance asked as she pointed a hoof at the device.
"Glad you asked my princess," Dr. Dish replied before clearing his throat. "What this device is supposed to be is a magic amplifier. You see the little glow at the tip?"
Cadance looked towards the device again and saw a bright light-blue glow emanating from the top of the cone. She nodded at the sight.
Petri Dish then dove into his explanation of the device. He told Cadance how the glow came from a substance highly reactive to magic and that when placed on a unicorn's horn, the magic flowing through the device will react with the substance and strengthen the magic.
“Imagine, unicorn magic strengthened to where week-long, month-long, year-long, magical projects or construction projects could be performed in a matter of hours. NO!... minutes!” Petri Dish had a gleam in his eyes like he was dreaming. Fitting for the good that could come from the small machine, but two things plagued Cadence's mind about the whole thing.
"Has this been tested out yet?" Cadance finally asked after Perti Dish came back to reality.
"That's scheduled for today," Petri said with a wide smile and eyes to match. Cadance could tell that a lot went into this experiment.
Cadance looked at the light-blue glow again, one question about the whole thing remaining in the back of her mind that needed to come out. "Is it dangerous?"
"Potentially, yes. But in the hooves of ponies like us, not likely," Petri Dish answered, easing the pink alicorn's worries. "So long as that substance doesn't react with pure magic outside its containment."
"Oh... okay?" Cadance muttered with nerves spewing out like a fountain.
"Don't worry, Princess. In the unlikely chance something happens, the school's alarm system will alert everypony to evacuate."
"Oh," she let out a small sigh of relief, "okay, good."
A few moments of silence passed over before Petri Dish spoke again. "Would you like to stay for the test run?" Petri Dish asked with foal-like enthusiasm.
"Oh, sorry, Dr. Dish. I'm supposed to make an appearance for the foals in one of the classrooms," Cadance answered, hating to crush the science pony's hopes.
"Oh, that's fine," Petri waved dismissively. "I wouldn't want to keep you from those little tykes."
With a quick gaze back at the magic amplifier, Cadance trotted back to the double doors. "Thank you for the showcase, Dr. Dish," Cadance spoke professionally yet laced it with her usual serenity.
Petri Dish and the other lab workers waved back. "Any time, Princess," Petri called back.
With a small smile and her own delicate wave back, Cadance was out the double doors and met with the outstretched hoof of her coltfriend.
"Ready for the foals?" he asked innocently.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Cadance replied anxiously as she took Shining Armor's hoof.
The two walked hoof-in-hoof to the other end of the school where Cadance would make her appearance. The walk mostly consisted of Shining Armor trying to prevent his marefriend from collapsing of anxiety.
"Just take a few breaths and remember that they're just little ponies, your little ponies."
"I don't know, Shining. I've only really worked with Twilight. What if I do something stupid?"
"You won't. I don't even think you can."
"Oh, Shining, you already got me, we're dating, you don't need to try so hard," Cadance groaned but couldn't help the smile that came along.
"Who says I'm trying hard?" Shining asked coyly.
Cadance turned her head away, trying to hide her deepening crimson cheeks and wishing he hadn’t said that, but it was helping her ease up. It wasn’t long before Cadance and Shining Armor reached the classroom Cadance was scheduled to appear. They stood there, looking through the window where they saw an elderly pale-blue mare with an updone white mane and glasses, the kind that let you know she’s not the type of teacher to mess with.
The old mare was in the middle of a lesson, but with a quick glance towards the door, her stern expression lit up with one of pure joy. She gestured a hoof for the pony outside to come in.
Cadance took a step back after looking through the window again and seeing the numerous desks of little unicorn foals awaiting her presence. A gentle hoof on her shoulder urged her to look up into the calm ocean-like eyes of Shining Armor.
No words were needed when she returned a smile to him and, with a gentle nudge forward, Cadance walked into the classroom with Shining Armor waiting outside. Her presence elicited excited gasps from the classroom and the old teacher walked up to the front.
“Class, we have a very special guest today, Princess Cadance.” She gave an introductory bow and let Cadance come to the front of the room.
Cadance looked around, seeing all the smiling faces of... her little ponies. She took in a silent breath, and released her worries. “Good morning... my little ponies.”
***************
Shining Armor let the time pass by with quick glances to the classroom, thinking about Twilight’s move, and what awaited him when he needed to go back to work the next day. He was very grateful that Ms. Paiges allowed him the day off. A quick explanation that his sister was moving was all it took for the old gal to open her heart.
It had been about a half-hour since Cadance entered the classroom, so Shining decided to take another glance through the window. From his view he could see her answering a few questions for some of the foals, and other times it was simply her talking about something he couldn’t make out. His special talent was defense, not reading lips. But one foal in particular saw him through the window and raised his hoof in the air. His question, Shining Armor couldn’t make out, but with the little foal’s hoof pointed at the window he was at, he guessed it was about him. The second hint was the blush Cadance had one her face followed by the audible “Awwwww’s” and “Ewwwww’s” from the class. Shining Armor ducked under the window, hoping nopony else saw him. With a few scuddles to the left, he sat down on his haunches away from the door and patiently awaited his marefirend.
A few minutes later, Cadance emerged from the classroom following a few foals calling out “Bye, Princess.”
“See? Told you you’d be fine,” Shining said slyly, earning an eye roll from Cadance.
“Oh, shut up,” she replied as she threw her forelimbs around him, a gesture that he happily returned.
They remained that way for a few moments until a sudden fling of the door drew their attention to a sprinting light-purple coated young colt with a slip of paper gripped in his magic, muttering out, “Bathroombathroombathroombathroombathroombathroom!”
The little colt skidded to a stop before backtracking to the couple. He turned around and gave an awed look at Shining Armor and Cadance. Finally he spoke up to the white young stallion in front of him. “A-Ar-Are-Are you dating,” he paused to glance at Cadance, “the Princess?”
Shining Armor gave a small chuckle before answering the little colt. “Why yes, yes I am.”
The colt let that tidbit settle in for a few moments before offering his hoof. “Niiiiiice, dude.”
Shining bumped the colt’s hoof before something important ran through the foal’s mind. He turned around and bolted again. “Bathroombathroombathroombathroombathroombathroom!”
Once the sound of cries for the bathroom ceased, Cadance turned to face Shining Armor with a raised eyebrow and half-lidded eyes. “Really? ‘Nice, dude.’”
Shining shrugged his shoulders. “What? You’re really pretty.”
“Whatever, Shining,” Cadance sighed with a smile. “So, you wanna go see Twilight before you go back home?”
“Sounds like a plan, but first, you think we can stop by Twi-Lee’s old class?” he asked with hopeful eyes.
How could Cadance say no? “Okay. I think it’s a few halls down.”
A few turns down the labyrinth that was the school, Shining Armor and Cadance came to a very familiar room. No foals were in the room and neither was a teacher, just Shining Armor, Cadance, and Lady Nostalgia.
Shining Armor could remember the times he had to pick up his little sister from this particular room, or drop off her lunch when she grabbed another book instead of her lunch bag. It was only for a short time he had to do those tasks. Twilight ran through the courses of her classes so fast, some of the teachers actually thought of letting her teach, but there was something about foal-labor laws involved, so that never took off.
Cadance stole a glance at Shining Armor and saw a small hint of depression in his distant eyes. “You’re gonna miss her, aren’t you?”
He sighed, and attempted to stay strong. “A lot. More than I really thought, and that was a lot to begin with.”
Now it was Cadance’s turn to put a comforting hoof on somepony’s shoulder. “At least you’ll be able to see her anytime.”
“Yeah,” he breathed, lightening up slightly, “honestly, that’s one of the only things that’s keeping me from going into a ‘Velvplosion’,” Shining said as he motioned with his hooves an action of an explosion, a dorkish face to go with it.
“A what?”
“Something me and my dad call whenever my mom starts bursting into tears for something... please don’t tell my mom,” he nearly begged at the latter part.
Cadance just laughed. “Does she always cry like that?”
“You have no idea. On my first day of Magic Kindergarten, she ended up coming to the school and—”
*BOOM!!!
A rough tremble went through the ground, nearly knocking Shining Armor and Cadance on their flanks.
“What was that?!” Shining screamed, looking around frantically.
His question was met with loud ringing and buzzing of several alarms placed around the hall. They were red and flashed, ensuring that they were seen by all.
*BOOM!!!
The ground trembled again, except this time it came with several cries of panic through the closed doors.
“Attention everypony!” Cadance and Shining Armor looked around to see multiple speakers placed near the ceilings of the hallways sounding off. “Something has happened in the research department of the school, and an evacuation has been ordered. Everypony, in a calm and orderly fashion, please—”
“RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!” shouted the many voices of fillies and colts alike as they poured out of their classrooms and bolted for the nearest exit.
*BOOM!!!
The screams grew louder and the sea of foals grew in size. Shining Armor and Cadance plastered themselves to the wall, waiting for an opening in the tirade of small bodies.
“What happened?” Cadance screamed over to Shining Armor.
“I don’t know!” he answered, the panic on his face making itself clear.
*BOOM!!!
“Attention again, everypony. One of the researchers in the school has an important message. Do not, under any circumstances, use magic within the school. An experiment has gone horribly—”
*BOOM!!!
“AM I TALKING TO MYSELF HERE?!”
Whoever the speaker was, he might as well have been talking to himself. All of the foals and teachers in the school seemed to flood their way through the halls towards any available exit. A few ponies, however, were shoving their way through the sea of foals towards every classroom in sight.
“Princess!”
Cadance turned her head to see the old mare from the classroom she recently left. “Mrs. Script, what happened?”
“I don’t know, some accident in one of the labs, but something else is wrong.” The old mare spoke erratically and her wrinkled eyes flared with undying concern. “Me and a few other teachers had students that weren’t in the rooms. I don’t know if they’re outside or still inside!”
Cadance could see tears beginning to well up in the old mare’s eyes when she looked around to see the last of the foals leave the hallway and bolt towards the exit of the school. She looked to Shining Armor. Some unspoken words were exchanged through their facial expressions.
“We’ll help you find them.”
Mrs. Script looked to her princess in bewilderment. “Princess, you can’t. You need to get out of here before—”
*BOOM!!!
Another tremble of the ground nearly knocked all three ponies off their balance, but after a quick recovery, Cadance stood tall and firm, ready to take charge. “Here’s the plan. Go back out and check with every teacher and get a headcount. Me, Shining, and the other teacher’s will look through the other classrooms and bring any other foals that might still be in here. You send somepony back in and tell us how many you’re missing. Got it?”
Mrs. Script stood there, no words able to form at Cadance’s sudden take charge attitude, but it was the only plan she had heard, so, with a slight nod, she took off towards the exit.
With the old gal gone, Cadance turned to Shining Armor, his look, one of resolve. “Let’s do this.”
Cadance and Shining Armor bolted down the halls, both checking any room they came across. The pattern was simple enough, burst into the room, check around, call out to anypony that might’ve been there, and move on to the next room.
A buck to the door, a scan around the room. “Nothing here.”
A buck to the door, a scan around another room. “Nothing here either.”
They went down the halls, tremors assaulting them every once in awhile, searching for any straggling ponies. A simple cycle, but with one wildball flung their way.
Shining Armor felt the air around him grow dry, it actually started to smell smoky. He wiped his brow to see more sweat than there should’ve been, even his bangs were starting to stick to his face. It was getting hotter for some reason.
“Ugh, Cadance, honey? Are you getting hotter by any chance?” Shining asked before wiping his brow of more sweat.
“Now’s really not the time for compliments, Shining, but thanks anyway,” Cadance replied as she searched through another room.
“No, not that, well you are, I mean... NO! I mean are you feeling like it’s getting hotter in here?”
Cadance stopped her search to actually take in her surroundings. It was hotter now that she thought about it. Her mane started to stick to her forehead and even loose feathers in her wings started to stick to each other. “Now that you say it, yeah.”
“OUT OF THE WAY! FOAL AND MARE COMING THROUGH!!!”
Shining Armor and Cadance turned their heads to see a stallion sprinting wildly with a student in his forelimbs.
“RUN! FIRE IN THE LABS! SPREADING! FLAMING DEATH! JUST THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW!”
The two confused ponies the teacher and student passed turned their heads to see a glowing orange light radiating from further down a curving hallway. A few cautious steps forward revealed a blazing intersection leading all the way to the research labs and multiple ponies trying to escape its fiery grasp.
Thankfully nopony seemed to be burning, and no screams of agony were heard, just ones of panic, and a lot of it. All possible exits were rammed open and numerous amounts of ponies were pushing their way through. The fire itself was spreading as well, slithering up the walls and through the floors like a snake. It seemed to be grabbing for anything to envelope in its fiery grip.
One pony running past them ran up to the two, panting with singed eyebrows, Petri Dish. “Princess! What are you still doing here? You need to get out of here!” Petri exclaimed as he flailed his hooves around.
“Dr. Dish! What happened?” Cadance asked the panicked doctor.
“The magic amplifier. We tested it out a few minutes ago, but something went wrong and it backfired. It got my eyebrows and blew me back in a little explosion,” Petri explained, patting the remains of his eyebrows.
“But what about the other explosions?” Shining asked.
“We didn’t know what happened after the first explosion. After the amplifier blew me away, it flew off somewhere. The other doctors tried to clean up the initial mess with some magic, and that’s when more explosions went off, causing this!” He pointed behind him to the ever-growing flames, backing away with the teenage ponies next to him. “I think the containment unit for reactive material cracked or opened, and now if anypony were to use magic in a close radius to it, it’ll set off another explosion.”
Their eyes widened, and their jaws dropped. It was only a matter of time before that fire spread further until the fireponies showed up.
“But there still might be students in the school!” Cadance pointed out.
“The classrooms end at this intersection. If there were any students in any of the classrooms, you’d have found them by now.”
Above the trio, creaking was heard from the blazing ceiling. It was alight with flames and sounded like a slowly opening door. The creaking grew louder and a portion of the ceiling started to crack.
“We need to get out of here. NOW!” Petri panicked. He shoved the two ponies in front of him, and the three sprinted off out of the flame engulfed hallways and down towards one of the exits that some of the other researchers ran to.
Sunlight and fresh, non-smoky air greeted the trio when they came out of the school. It couldn’t have been seconds later that they heard a loud crash echo outside. Behind them, they saw darkened wood crash down, blocking the doorway.
With a quivering hoof, Petri Dish pointed to the exit he just came from. “The-the-the... door... crash... w-we-we c-c-could have...”
“How about we sit you down to let you catch your breath,” Shining Armor suggested. With a weak nod, Petri Dish followed Shining Armor to a nearby tree and sat down. His ragged breaths and shuddering showed he couldn’t be left alone.
“Shining?” Shining looked towards Cadance. “Can you keep an eye on Dr. Dish? I need to go check with a teacher in front of the school to see if everypony is out.”
With a simple nod, Cadance’s plan was a go. She galloped around the large building beside her until she reached the front grounds where many ponies were either dazed, confused, panicking, or numbing the pain of a few burns.
“Princess!”
Cadance turned her head to see Mrs. Script running in her direction, and she did not look good. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her cheeks were stained with tears.
“Mrs. Script! What’s wrong?” Cadance asked.
“One of my students! The other teachers and I did a head count. Everypony was accounted for... except one. One of my students, Moonstone. He went to the bathroom before... before...” The old mare couldn’t hold it in anymore. She let herself break onto the ground.
The teacher’s breakdown led to a realization that Cadance could only call her blunder of the century. The hard and painful truth sunk into her mind like a burrowing parasite. ‘We forgot to check the bathrooms!’
“The fireponies? Are they on their way?” Cadance brought up.
“Yes, but he’s still in there!”
Cadance stood up, something set in her mind that others would say was reckless and stupid, but it was the only thing there at that moment. “I’m going in.”
Mrs. Script snapped back up, Cadance’s words sounding beyond stupid. She wanted to tell her that, but the Princess of Love was long gone, already charging for the school.
“Princess!”
***************
A kid goes to school expecting everything to be just about the same. The teacher would teach, maybe get angry with a few students, the food... edible at best, talk with friends, and anything else that made the time go by slower for most days. Moonstone was no different. The only major surprises in school was the occasional somepony puking in school, and special visitors. With one of those surprises already done with, he didn’t expect anything else to happen that day, so one could only imagine his surprise when he emerged from the bathroom to see what he saw.
In front of him blazed the inferno that engulfed most of the hallway he walked down. To say he didn’t hear the alarm system and the announcement would be the lie of the year, but when it came to accidents from the lab, or any accident in the school for that matter, it was never anything like this.
Most accidents were either a peculiar class pet getting loose, a spell gone wrong that didn’t really threaten the students, or the occasional small fire in the cafeteria. When Moonstone saw the blaze, he retreated back into the stall he exited, praying somepony would find him, or that the flames would die down somehow.
Moonstone hid in the stall, listening to the crackling of the fire. Minutes passed by with that same sound vibrating through the bathroom. He stayed there, calling out to anypony that might be out in the halls, but no one seemed to hear him.
A little more time passed and he started to realize the inevitable, the increasing heat in the room, and the thick trail of smoke entering the bathroom. Moonstone thought of casting a protection spell around himself, but stopped before he could. He remembered the announcement over the speakers. He didn’t know why he shouldn’t use magic, but if it caused the fire, he didn’t dare try.
He kept himself in the stall, hoping the walls around would keep the smoke out. It seemed to work, but only for a while. Through the slits in the door and from under, the thick black clouds etched their way in with a mission to make breathing the most challenging thing ever for the little colt.
There wasn't anything Moonstone could do to avoid the inevitable. He started to cough when the smoke reached him. Each fit growing louder and more strained. The smoke he inhaled was a sign to him. He either tried to bolt now and risk a few burns, or stay and meet a cloudy end.
“It was nice knowing you, man,” he told himself. He ducked down, inhaled deeply of what little clean air remained, and burst out of the stall and into the inferno. He didn’t realize how quickly the fire spread or how strong it grew. He was in a sea of orange, red, and yellow.
Just seconds after he stepped out, he could hear the cracking of burned walls and ceilings. Following one massive crack came the collapse of part of the ceiling behind him, sending tiles and plaster downwards in a pile of burning remains.
The colt took off after the collapse with his tail tucked between his legs, both out of fear and to keep it from burning. He heard more and more rumbles and creaks around him, everywhere he ran. He outran them all, but was afraid that he would become trapped in a labyrinth of burning rubble.
“Moonstone?”
The voice that called to him was sweet, worried, and sounded close by. Moonstone kept on running through the flame that surrounded the hallway, and within a short distance, saw somepony running at him. Her coat was pink, but slightly blocked by the smoke, yet her jewelery still shined through.
“Princess Cadance!” Moonstone called to the pink alicorn like she was salvation itself. His cheerful expression did little to alter the princess’s speed and her panicked expression. She seemed to be charging faster, like she was about to tackle him to the ground.
“Moonstone! Look out!”
Before he could react, Cadance leapt forward, grabbing the little colt in her forelimbs and rolling along the ground with him for a few feet. He and the princess got up to their hooves and that’s when the debris settled in. Moonstone looked where he stood moments ago to see it completely filled with fallen parts of the ceiling and walls. They were charred black, still smoking, some still ablaze with the flames, and it blocked their way out of the school.
“You... saved me,” Moonstone gasped, his eyes still glued on the barrier.
“No trouble,” Cadance reassured, even though they were still standing in a burning building.
“How are we gonna get out of here?” Moonstone panicked.
Cadance looked behind her, remembering how Petri Dish and the other researchers escaped the school. “This way!” She took hold of Moonstone and flung him onto her back before taking off down the fire engulfed hallway.
She didn’t know how badly the area around the research department had been burned. It only made sense that the earliest area exposed to the fire would burn longer, and damage the area worse than anywhere else, and the fire had done just that.
The walls were blackened as the wisps of flames still ate away at the surface. The ceiling gave another sickening cracking sound, and it wasn’t long until a part of the ceiling and all of its debris came crashing down, blocking Cadane and Moonstone’s way to the other exit.
“What do we do now?!” Moonstone’s tone was beyond panic now. It was the sound of a foal truly thinking there was no way out, and Cadance wasn’t going to let him think that.
Without one word, she bolted back towards the other barricade in their way, stopping just inches in front of it. The air was hot, dry, and smoke-filled. Not as badly where they stood now, but it was just a matter of minutes before it became as bad as the research area.
“Moonstone. I’m gonna try and break through this stuff.” She looked down at her slippered hooves, and hoped that she could do what she just said. “Alicorn strength... please tell me I have you.”
She reared on her hind legs, using her wings to keep Moonstone secure on her back. Then, she slammed her forehooves down onto the debris with all of her might.
*CRUNCH
***************
“Dr. Dish, are you gonna be alright?”
Petri Dish was in the process of breathing into a brown paper bag Shining Armor found. He was still pretty shaken up from the fire, but not as bad. With one last exhale, Petri Dish lifted his muzzle out of the bag. “Yeah, yeah, I think I’m alright. Go do whatever you need to,” he suggested with a wave of his hoof.
Shining nodded to the scientist and broke off to the front of the school. As he ran, he could smell the smoke pouring from parts of the school. He came to the mass of ponies in front of the school before any more smoke could sneak into his muzzle. He walked around, trying to find Cadance, but having no luck in his search.
He kept looking. Still nothing after a few minutes, and he was starting to get worried. He called out to her, hoping to get a response, but was only met with mumbles of the students and teachers.
“Cadance!” he called out again.
“She’s in there.”
Shining Armor turned his head to see the wide-eyed teacher he saw back in the room Cadance made an appearance in. “Excuse me?”
Mrs. Script held a shaky hoof out at the burning building in front of her. “Sh-Sh-She’s i-i-in there... Trying to get one of my students.”
Shining snapped his head in the direction of the school, images of Cadance recklessly charging into that blazing building flashing through his mind. One other thought came to him, and it too was going to be reckless.
“The fireponies are close by, but she’s in there with my student... young stallion? Young stallion?” Mrs. Script scoped her surroundings, finding no trace of Shining Armor around her. It wasn’t until she heard a loud shriek that she found him once again.
“STOP HIM! HE’S GOING BACK IN!”
Mrs. Script turned to see Shining Armor bolt inside the burning school, his face carried the expressions of both worry and determination.
“No way I’m letting her burn.” Shining Armor muttered under his breath.
He burst into the school, and forgot to get a breath of fresh oxygen before charging in and letting the smoky air fill his lungs as he breathed. It was torture for his lungs and it caused him to cough vigorously, but he didn’t pay attention to it. With adrenaline fueling his body, he picked up speed, eventually coming to a large wooden barricade in the middle of the hallway.
He was about to use magic, but that announcement from what seemed like forever ago racked at his brain, ordering him against it. Instead, he came closer to the barricade of fallen wood and plaster, and through the crackling of flames, he could hear talking. He could make out a mare’s voice, and the shifting of hooves.
He got closer, trying to hear the voice more clearly, but a set of slipper-covered pink hooves met the side of his face through the barricade in a painful collision.
Shining Armor fell back with a loud thud. He rubbed his muzzle and let out an agonizing moan.
“Shining Armor?”
That voice. It was her, the mare of his dreams. He stood up in a flash and ran back to the charred barricade. “Cadance?”
A set of light purple eyes met Shining Armor's sapphire blue ones. “Shining Armor!” Cadance squealed with relieved joy before her sight landed on her coltfriend’s muzzle. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I didn't know you were back there.”
“It’s okay, honey. Just a broken jaw. What happened here?” he asked back through the barricade.
“The ceiling fell in and we’re trapped in here.”
“We?”
“I’ve got Moonstone, the missing student. I’m gonna try and break through this stuff.”
“Hang on. Get on one side of the hole, and I’ll get on the other.” Cadance quickly followed Shining Armor’s plan, and reared on her hind legs again, ready for another blow. Shining Armor had a familiar stance on the other side of the barricade, ready to strike. “Okay, on the count of three. One... Two... Three!”
*CRUNCH
Two small holes combined with the small hole already centered in the middle of the pile of the debris, making it the perfect size for a small pony. Cadance quickly picked up on the use for it and grabbed Moonstone of her back. “Shining, take Moonstone back outside.” She stuck the small foal through the hole easily and Shining Armor took him in one of his forelimbs.
“What about you?” Shining immediately asked back.
“I’ll get out of this soon. Just go!”
More sickening creaks and small cracks sounded off in the blazing school. All three ponies looked up and saw splitting wood. A few embering flakes fell down before the whole thing collapsed.
Instinctively, Shining jumped back in time before the ceiling collapsed on him and Moonstone, but didn’t avoid the smoke that came with the debris. He coughed and hacked, each round sounding worse than the last. He shook his head and once the debris settled, he saw that the barricade separating him and Cadance had grown thicker, filling the holes they had punctured.
“Cadance!”
“I’m fine. Just go!” Her voice was softened by the barricade. He wanted to dig through that debris and wood right then and there, but he had a job to do. “I’ll be back, Cadance. I’ll get you out. I promise.”
If Cadance heard, Shining Armor didn’t wait to find out. He put Moonstone on his back and jetted towards the front entrance. He raced through the blaze and smoke like it was nothing. Fueled by fear and adrenaline, he was out of the school and down the front steps in seconds.
“Moonstone!”
Shining Armor, even as he was coughing out from the smoke in his system, took the young colt off of his back and handed him to the teacher that bolted in front of him.
“Oh, bless you, young stallion. Bless you!” Mrs. Script was hugging Moonstone like he was her own foal. “Oh, Moonstone, we need to get you to the nurse. She’s somewhere around here.” She turned back to Shining Armor with moist eyes. “How can I ever—”
He wasn’t there. A few shocked screams guided Mrs. Script’s sights back to the front of the school where Shining Armor was making a break for.
“Young stallion! What are you doing?!?”
A few rugged coughs brought the old mare’s attention back to her student. In a weak voice, Moonstone explained, “He’s going back... for the Princess.”
***************
Flames and smoke posed a major threat, but Shining Armor blew past them, mostly unharmed. Some of his fur got singed, his snow-white coat was now covered in a layer of soot, and his breathing was getting ragged. The blow from the collapsed ceiling a few minutes ago did a number on him, and it continued to do so.
He was back at the wall of wood, plaster, and soot that Cadance was trapped behind, no visible hole was made in the time he was gone. He concluded that either more debris fell, or she couldn’t break through.
“Cadance!” Shining called.
A few seconds passed before Cadance responded. “Shining Armor?”
“Cadance!” Hearing her voice was the best thing in the moment for him, but even he could tell she was straining, and he was too.
On the other side of the wall of debris, Cadance stood on shaky limbs. Her pristine pink coat was tattered with grey. Her once flawless candy mane was in disarray. And her breathing... it was ragged, strained, nearly hoarse. The smoke was taking its toll, hard.
“Sweety, I can’t break through. I’ve only made a dent,” Cadance said before going into another coughing fit.
“Yes you can, we can.” Shining paused as he too went into a coughing fit. “I’m gonna break this down with you. On three.”
Both reared on their hind legs, forelimbs in place to strike.
“One... Two... Three!”
Cadance's side barely showed a chip in the wood while Shining’s side miraculously made a dent. It would’ve been something to celebrate had not more fire and smoke blazed out when his hooves made contact.
The smoke blew into Shining’s muzzle. He coughed and hacked for a good minute before trying to break the blockade in front of him once again. His sight was blurry and his balance was off to say the least. All the smoke that hit him muzzle-first, combined with what he was already exposed to, was impairing him beyond belief.
“One... Two... Three!”
More crunching sounds were made, but they were light on both sides. Cadance at this point was having trouble just trying to stand. Shining Armor could barely see in front of his own muzzle. The smoke and flames danced around, partially suffocating him and trying to burn him.
“One... Two... Three!”
Another set of light crunches. Cadance could see no progress in their attempts. She started to cough again and Shining mimicked with his own set off smog-induced fits. They were getting worse each time. Each becoming more rugged with each fit.
“One... Two... Three.”
Still light. Shining’s voice was getting raspy from the smoke, and his eyes burned, begging to be closed for moisture.
“One... Two... Three.”
Barely a scratch on the wood. This pattern continued a while, each round of impacts getting softer and weaker with each attempt. Cadance, usually a manifest of beauty, was beyond recognition. Her tattered mane and coat barely compared to the defeated and tired look on her face. Her eyes, usually gleaming by their own accord, only reflected the flames that danced around her.
The hallway around her started turning, her vision blurring. She found herself on the floor, launching into another spasm of coughs. “Shining.” Her voice was weak, hoarse, like anything else she said would make her lose her voice. “I can’t...”
“No no no no, don’t say that,” Shining Armor croaked out before falling to the floor as well. His vision was filled with only blurred flames and the mocking wall between him and his marefriend. “Cadance?”
He got no answer.
“Cadance?”
…
“Cadance?”
…
“Cadance?” He couldn’t speak any louder than a whisper. The fire and smog weakened him. Blackness started to encompass his vision, slowly taking over the sight of blazing flames.
“Cadance?”
He laid there in silence, save for the roars of the fire. This was it, this is how he would go out. He couldn’t move anymore, and he could barely see or talk. He wanted to keep going, but his body betrayed him. All that was left to do was close his eyes.
But fate had different plans.
He heard the stomping of hooves from behind him, stopping right by him. He saw the tirade of bulky stallions in black and yellow coats with hard yellow hats and face shields surrounding the barricade of debris.
“Kid? Kid?!? Get the paramedics, NOW!”
“Two down! I’ve got one, we are trying to rescue the Princess as we speak!”
The last thing he heard before blacking out was the voice one of the stallions. “Kid, we’re gonna get you outta here.”
“No,” he whispered almost inaudibly, “need to get her. Protect... Cadance.”