Firestorm slowly opened his eyes, wincing as the sunlight made contact with them. He rolled over so the light was behind him and closed his eyes. His ear, the one not currently sandwiched between his head and his pillow flicked towards a sound coming from in the hallway. A sound which stopped at his door. He lifted his wing, the one not currently going numb under his bodyweight, and opened the door with his telekinesis. In the doorway stood Scootaloo holding her hoof up ready to knock. Firestorm looked at her as she trotted into the room with an unusually large smile on her face, “Hey Firestorm are you ready to go… are you alright?”
Firestorm groaned, “Of course I’m alright. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Scootaloo cocked her head, “Well it looks like ya got something growing on your stomach…”
Firestorm immediately rolled over onto his stomach, “That’s… I umm… it’s nothing, I’m just waking up.” Firestorm held his breath hoping the young filly wouldn’t start asking questions which would result in him having to explain to her the difference between mares and stallions.
“Oh, Scootaloo said, “So are you excited about going camping today?”
Apparently I’m excited about something he thought to himself, “A little excited, what time are we leaving?”
“I don’t know, soon, I hope. Rainbow Dash sent me to get you while she packed some stuff at her house.”
“So why didn’t she send Twilight or Applejack, and why didn’t your friends come with you?”
“Everypony is still packing, but I was already packed since last night,” she said proudly. Scootaloo looked around the room, “Umm, where’s your camping stuff?”
Firestorm cracked his neck then flexed his wings, “Got everything I need on me already.”
“Are… are you sure you don’t need to bring anything? What about food?”
Hmmm, birds and the bees, or I can eat meat, fish, and the damn bird getting frisky with the bee? Firestorm thought, “Do you know where I lived before I came to Ponyville?” he asked while stepping out of bed and cracking his spine while he stretched.
Scootaloo shook her head.
I lived in the everfree forest.
“What!?”
“Yep, it’s true. You’ll get to see firsthoof how I survive in the wild,” He said with a playful wink.
“Awesome, than let’s get going!” Scootaloo said as she turned tail and bolted out the door. Firestorm stood motionless as his hoof seemed to absentmindedly came up so it was level with his face before it impacted against his cheek. Quit thinking like that bat freak!
Firestorm shook his head and trotted out of his room and made his way downstairs. He was just about to enter the living room when he heard and listened to what Haven and Homestead were saying to Scootaloo, “You’re sure you have everything you need for the trip?” Haven asked.
“Yes ma’am,” Scootaloo replied.
“You know not to wander off into the forest alone?” Homestead asked.
“Yes sir, it won’t happen again.”
“Alright kiddo. Remember, you got lucky last time, Miss Dash might not be there the next time…”
Scootaloo swallowed hard, she hated it when anypony called Rainbow Dash “Miss Dash” but more importantly, she knew Homestead was right. She was extremely lucky Rainbow Dash had been there to save her the last time she had gone camping, got scared, and nearly went over a waterfall. But there was no telling if she would be as lucky if it happened again. Scootaloo nodded.
“Alright sweetie, have a good time, and be safe,” Haven said giving Scootaloo a small hug.
“Yeah, what my wife said kiddo, just not as sappy,” Homestead said with a wink and a hoof bump.
Firestorm had heard enough. 15 lifetimes had made him very perceptive in listening to the way ponies talked. When Homestead said “His wife” and not something along the lines of “your mother” he knew something was up. He had also seen the hug, and while it was full of affection, it didn’t carry the same amount of love a relative would transfer in the current situation. Firestorm was now mentally alert, calculating the young pegasus living arrangements and family life. Not willing to make assumptions, Firestorm trotted into the living room and stopped at the small group.
“Scootaloo, could you wait for me outside please, I won’t be long,” Firestorm said softly.
Scootaloo looked at Haven then Homestead who both nodded to her. She turned and walked out the door closing it behind her. A surge of magic passed through Firestorms’ wings as he activated a soundproofing spell.
“She can’t hear us. Scootaloo, what’s her situation?” Firestorm asked as politely and professionally as possible. Haven looked at Homestead with the same look Scootaloo had. Homestead nodded to his wife who cleared her throat, “My husband and I are the primary caretakers at the Ponyville Orphanage, Scootaloo has been there since she was a newborn foal.”
Firestorm took a deep breath. His suspicions had been confirmed, “She’s going on a camping trip with her two little friends, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and myself. I know you have her best interests at heart so if you do not want me going with them, I will explain the situation and excuse myself.”
“No,” Haven said, “Scootaloo is very independent, but very sensitive about being an orphan. As far as I know, none of her friends know about it and all we ask is you keep it a secret. Twilight Sparkle explained to us your unique nature, in excruciating detail, and we are content with you going camping with them, on the condition you promise to protect them to the fullest extent of your abilities.”
Firestorm bowed respectfully, “I swear I will protect them, and Scootaloo, with my life.” He stood up and looked out the window to where he could see the purple of Scootaloos’ mane, “And I will keep her secret.”
After what Scootaloo perceived to be forever, Firestorm opened the door and trotted outside. Scootaloo jumped on her scooter and revved her wings. Firestorm slimed at her, “Where are we going again?”
“Twilights’ place at the library. Try to keep up!” Scootaloo shouted as she disappeared in a cloud of dust. Firestorm spread his wings and took off after her. Scootaloo looked over her shoulder and saw nopony was following her. As she turned her head she saw Firestorm flying right beside her. Firestorm gave a devious grin as he began to fly faster. With a smirk of her own, Scootaloo accepted his challenge and began buzzing her wings faster and harder, trying to match her competitors speed. The journey to The Golden Oaks Library was relatively straight shot down Mane Street. Scootaloo focused only on the obstacles which laid ahead of her, dodging and weaving between ponies, jumping over debris, and maintaining a straight course towards her destination. Before she knew it, she was skidding to a halt inches away from the front door.
She looked around and saw no sign of the pony she had been racing. She felt a small sting of disappointment as she assumed Firestorm had beat her there and had already gone inside. She got off her scooter and opened the front door. The first pony she saw was Rainbow Dash flying excitedly through the library while Twilight ran down her checklist. “Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo yelled excitedly.
Rainbow Dash immediately found the source from which her name had been called and swooped down, scooped up the filly, and gave her a tight hug. “You ready to go squirt? Did you get Firestorm?”
Scootaloo looked up at Rainbow Dash in confusion, “We raced here, I thought he beat me.”
The front door swung open with a considerable amount of force and an elderly stallion who was the spitting image of Firestorm, accept for a beard as long as his neck, trotted inside on shaky hooves.
He looked around the room with confusion in his eyes until they landed on Scootaloo, “That’s the last time I accept a speed challenge against the fastest ground filly in all of Equeatria!” he said before standing straight up and falling onto his back.
Everypony exchanged glances of confusion before Firestorm brought his hind legs up to his chest, kicked so his entire body came off the ground, threw his front hooves forward, and landed standing upright and with his normal young appearance and a goofy smile on his face. Rainbow Dash broke out into a laughing fit and fell onto her side. Scootaloo simply stood looking at Firestorm with a perplexed look on her face. Twilight simply shook her head and went back to going over her checklist. As Rainbow Dash finally settled down and got back to her hooves Scootaloo took a step forward, “I really beat you?’
Firestorm nodded.
Rainbow Dash picked Scootaloo up and pulled her into a victory hug. Just as she set Scootaloo down, the front door opened and Applejack, Applebloom, and Sweetie Belle trotted inside. “Is everypony ready to go?” Applejack asked.
“Yes,” Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Firestorm, and Scootaloo answered in unison.
“Well alright then, let’s get going!”
The sun was beginning to set as the group arrived at their first stop to camp for the night. As Firestorm helped everypony finish setting up their tents Applejack noticed his lack of any such protection. “Uh, Firestorm, did you forget to bring your stuff along?”
Firestorm looked around their campsite and located a tree. He spread his wings and flew towards a thick branch and latched onto it with his talons as his wings folded in at his sides and he fell back so that he was hanging upside-down from the tree branch. Firestorm looked up at the branch he was hanging onto and adjusted his talons grip on the branch. He looked down at his friends, “I didn’t forget what I didn’t need to bring. This will be a perfect place for me to sleep tonight.”
Everypony exchanged glances. “He also said he’s going to show us how he lived out here,” Scootaloo said.
Firestorm released his grip from the tree branch and glided down to the authentic campsite the mares and fillies would be sleeping in. “Need help with the fire?” he asked.
After a brief search everypony returned with dry wood to burn. Firestorm expertly arranged the wood into a pile which allowed air to easily be pulled into the center of the fire and started it with his pyrokinesis. Everypony sat down and shared stories accept for Firestorm who couldn’t stop thinking about Scootaloo and how much it hurt him to think about nopony wanting a wonderful little filly like her. A hoof on his shoulder startled Firestorm from his thoughts and back to reality. He looked to see Rainbow Dash looking back at him, “You okay hot shot? You haven’t said anything and Scootaloo just asked you if you had any camping stories,” Rainbow said.
Firestorm looked at Scootaloo and thought for a second, “Oh yeah, I got one, and it’s true,” he said with a wink.
“Just as long as it’s not too scary,” Scootaloo clarified.
Firestorm thought for a second, flew up into the air, and when he returned, his draconic traits were present. He walked over so the fire was between him and his friends. He flare his wings and began to control the fire so it became images as he told his story of the time Jolt helped the guard fight off the dragon invasion leaving out the more mature content of the story in the process. As he finished the story, everypony was amazed by the story and ready to go to bed. Firestorm calmed the fire so it would stay warm but keep away predators. As everypony went into their tents and said their goodnights, Firestorm quietly made his way away from the campsite.
Scootaloo woke up in the middle of the night. Her crossed hind legs and the slight pain in her stomach reminded her of how much water she had drank before going to sleep and was now feeling the consequences. She quietly slipped out of her sleeping bag and made her way out of the tent. Thanks to the moonlight illuminating the ground and her surroundings, she found a place where she could get some privacy while she relieved herself. While Scootaloo was squatting behind some shrubbery her mind became more aware as she remembered where Firestorm had chosen to sleep. She clenched her legs together and looked at the tree branch where he was supposed to be sleeping. She was both relieved and confused to see he wasn’t there.
Once she was finished, Scootaloo ventured around the campsite trying to find evidence to suggest where Firestorm had gone. Soon enough, she found the very distinct tracks he left leading away from the campsite. Scootaloo began following them and took careful note to make sure she knew how to get back to the campsite. Scootaloo trotted cautiously through the forest searching for another clue about Firestorms’ location after his tracks had disappeared. She knew better than to be wandering around the forest at night, especially after the last time she went camping, but she was compelled to find him. Just as she was ready to give up and return to camp, Scootaloo noticed a hilltop which seemed to be balancing the moon on its peak. Upon closer inspection, she noticed a figure there as well. Slowly and quietly she climbed the hill until she was just beside the figure she had seen. She looked up to the figures face and quietly asked, “Firestorm?”
The eyes of the creature she had addressed opened and immediately found her. Fear held Scootaloo in place as the draconic amber eyes stared at her. The creature quickly shifted its position and the next thing Scootaloo knew, she was on her back being held down by a dragons hand while the other hand came at her face with its claws extended. Scootaloo clenched her eyes shut before she could feel the inevitable pain her manner of death would bring.
Scootaloo felt something shift on her body but it didn’t bring pain, it was the relief of pressure on her chest as the creature removed a significant amount of its weight from off of her. She dared to open her eyes and saw the creature looking down at her.
“Scootaloo?” the creature asked.
“Firestorm?” Scootaloo asked in return, unsure as the creatures’ deep voice sounded alien to her ears.
Firestorm moved his hand off Scootaloos’ chest and slid it under her back and leaned her up and then forward until she was standing upright on her hooves. “My sincerest apologies little one, nopony has ever snuck up on me before, especially in my current state,” Firestorm said as he turned around to once again face the moon.
Scootaloo looked over Firestorms’ draconic body. She remembered the subtle changes which had taken place before he told his story around, and using, the camp fire, but how they were much more defined. She also noticed he was now three times her size as opposed to only twice her size like everypony else. Firestorm sat calmly while Scootaloo let his new appearance settle into her mind. “How do you make yourself look like this?” she asked eventually.
“Since I was about one hundred years old, I have been able to painlessly alter my appearance under the moons light. The moonlight relaxes me and allows me to take this more natural form at night. During the day I can make the subtle changes you saw earlier, but the changes are painful and require a lot of focus on my part to perform them.”
Scootaloo looked over him once more, “So… This is what you normally look like at night?”
Firestorm nodded.
“That is so cool!”
Firestorm smiled as he looked down at the young pegasus. A sudden gust of wind brought an unexpected chill which made Scootaloo shiver. “Are you cold?” Firestorm asked already knowing the answer.
Scootaloo only nodded her head. Firestorm swept his wing over her and brought her body close to his to share his warmth. Scootaloo didn’t object to the sudden contact, she welcomed it. Firestorm sensed her reasons and began to share his thoughts with her through his hive mind spell like he had done with Rainbow Dash the night before but he held back much of what he had shared with her from Scootaloo. He told Scootaloo what he had learned about her and promised to keep her secret. They talked for a long time before exhaustion finally overtook Scootaloo and she fell asleep.
Firestorm severed his mental connection with Scootaloo while she dreamt. He heard frantic wing beats approaching and looked in the direction they were coming from to see Rainbow Dash coming towards him. Rainbow landed and frantically said, “Firestorm, I woke up and Scootaloo wasn’t there, I looked around the campsite and saw you weren’t there so I came looking for you to help me find her because I knew that you-”
“Scootaloo is right here with me,” Firestorm said interrupting Rainbow Dash and directing her attention towards his right wing. Rainbow Dash moved closer and felt her heart flutter at the sight of the young filly sleeping beneath Firestorms’ wing. “Did you wake the others?” Firestorm asked.
“No, I was going to wake them if I couldn’t find you.”
Firestorm smiled and Rainbow Dash recognized the loving kindness behind it. She made her way around to the other side of Firestorm and laid down on the grass beside him. Firestorm spread his wing over her and created a mental bond with her. He told her how Scootaloo had come looking for him and what he told her about his shape shifting. He made sure to leave out the part about Scootaloo being an orphan. Before long, Rainbow Dash also fell asleep and Firestorm followed soon after. Firestorms’ wings remained spread over Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo the whole night.