//------------------------------// // Chapter 14 - Camping - Day 2 Morning // Story: Rain of Fire // by LessThanHuman //------------------------------// Firestorm slowly opened his eyes. It was still dark but the sun would be rising soon. He looked under his wings at the sleeping bodies of Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo. They were both snuggled up beside him had barely moved since they fell asleep. Firestorm looked behind him at the setting moon and then turned around to where he could see the sunlight starting to reach over the horizon. Despite the beauty Celestia announced each new day with in her sunrises, Firestorm hated them. In his mind, a sunrise meant another day he had to think about everypony he had ever cared about and lost. This thought drew his attention to the mare and filly sleeping beside him. The other night made him realize how much he cared about them. Rainbow Dash was fun, energetic, competitive, and Firestorm could see himself staying in Ponyville even after he got the answers he was looking for his entire life just to be close to her. Firestorm realized how comfortable she was around him despite how different he was and he really appreciated that. His thoughts about Rainbow Dash progressed until he came to a realization, he really liked her, and he had a sneaking suspicion, she felt the same way about him. Firestorm looked down at Rainbow Dash while she slept next to him under his wing. Very carefully he leaned his head down and kissed Rainbows’ forehead. A sudden tingle on his right side reminded him they were not alone. Firestorm turned his attention to Scootaloo, the orphan. Initially, Firestorm could not understand how somepony could just give up their newborn foal like they had with Scootaloo, but he realized whoever had carried Scootaloo had probably not been ready to properly care for her. That thought didn’t make him any less upset. Yes, ponies have instincts, but unless they are ready to take care of a foal they need to exercise self-control. Firestorm literally shook the thoughts from his head. What’s done is done. Scootaloo is here now, and that’s all there is to it. He looked down at her again. She was a beautiful little filly, he could see a lot of Rainbow Dash in Scootaloo with her competitiveness and speed. But he wanted more for her, he wanted her to be happy, to have a normal life with a normal family. Everypony deserved at least that much. Firestorms’ ear twitched in the direction of a sound coming from behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw Twilight making her way up the hill. She still hadn’t noticed him until Firestorm whispered “good morning” to her. Twilight looked at Firestorm and was about to return his greeting when she noticed he was not alone. A rainbow and purple tail lying parallel to Firestorms’ were her first clue. “Scootaloo came looking for me, we talked and she fell asleep. I was going to bring her back to camp but Rainbow came looking for her, found me, we talked, she fell asleep, and then I fell asleep,” Firestorm said quietly when Twilight sat down on her haunches beside Scootaloo. Twilight ran her hoof through Scootaloos’ mane, “I remember what you said about not being able to have foals of your own. But looking at you right now, I know you would make a great father.” Firestorm swallowed hard and looked straight ahead. Twilight tried to make eye contact with him but he refused. She looked ahead at the sunlight peaking over the hills and soon realized she must have hit a sensitive spot with Firestorm just then. I think I love them Firestorm thought to Twilight. Twilight looked at Firestorm, then his glowing wings, then back up at his eyes which were still looking towards the sunrise. You think? Yes, think. The last time I got this close to somepony was centuries ago. I’m not sure if I like Rainbow Dash because I have feelings for her or if it’s because she was not afraid of me and accepted me. Scootaloo I’m certain of though, she deserves to have somepony love her and I think I can provide it… Twilight took a deep breath. I understand your concerns for your feelings for Rainbow and honestly, I’m glad… Firestorm turned his head but still did not look directly at Twilight. I’m glad because it means you’re afraid you might hurt her. Rainbow is all talk and show on the outside but she has feelings like any other mare, feelings which you considered by wanting to make sure what you felt for her was real. Firestorm turned back towards the sunrise while Twilights’ insight sank in. I don’t know what you’re talking about with Scootaloo, she has a home and parents who love her… Twilight thought. Finally, Firestorm made eye contact with Twilight, but the emotion behind them was almost unreadable. What are her parents’ names? Twilight hesitated. Haven and Homestead. If I’m not mistaken, you’re staying at the Ponyville Bed and Breakfast which they own. Firestorm wasn’t sure if he should be offended or impressed with efforts to deceive him but he did know he was ready to call her bluff. As a matter of fact, it is. I even met their daughter, Vinyl Scratch. Twilight swallowed hard. Funny thing though, I never saw Scootaloo there. Oh well, maybe she was too busy sleeping over at her friend’s houses or at the orphanage she was dropped off at when she was just a newborn… Twilights’ eyes went wide when she heard Firestorms’ thoughts. How did- In addition to Haven and Homestead telling me themselves, I figured it out for myself when I noticed her wings are not properly developed, something which would only come from being denied her mother’s milk. Twilight jumped up, staring at Firestorm as if he were a monster, and then turned and ran down the hill back towards the camp. Firestorm looked down at Scootaloo. He pulled her in tighter under his wing and kissed her head and whispered, “Don’t worry baby girl, I’ll find a way to fix this…” Twilight knew where the camp was, where Firestorm was, and what the truth was. Right now she knew she was off the direct path back to the camp and that was good enough for her. Twilight collapsed and began sobbing. Firestorm knew everything and it was all true. Scootaloo was orphaned at an age where it was curtail for her to receive milk from her mother in order for her to properly develop physically. Now Scootaloos’ wings were not properly developed and she would never fly. Twilight thought of all the nights she had spent trying to find a cure for Scootaloo when she learned the truth but to no avail. Twilight quickly lost track of time but she knew it wouldn’t matter, not right now. After Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo woke up, Firestorm escorted them back th the campsite where Applejack, her sister, and Sweetie Belle had all finished making breakfast. Applejack was the first to notice their arrival, “Well there ya’ll are, Ah was about to send out a search party for ya but then Ah realized it’s just me and theses two,” Applejack said pointing to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle, “Where’d ya’ll go anyhow?” “I don’t sleep very often at night,” Firestorm started followed by Scootaloo, “And I went looking for him when I noticed he was gone last night,” and ending with Rainbow Dash,” And then I found both of them when I noticed Scootaloo was gone.” “Well at least ya’ll got your stories straight,” Applejack said, “But where’s Twilight?” “I’m right here,” Twilight said as she walked up behind Firestorm, Rainbow and Scootaloo. Everypony noticed the puffiness around her eyes from when she had been crying, especially Applejack. “Twi are you alright? You look like you’ve been crying!” Twilight wiped an eye with her foreleg, “It’s nothing. I think I might be having an allergic reatction to some of the plant life in this area…” Being the element of honesty had its advantages and disadvantages, and right now, Applejack was taking advantage of being an organic lie detector. Firestorm walked over to Twilight and touched his hoof to her chin while he examined her eyes, “Yep, jakausidious, we just need to wash the pollen away from your eyes with water. I think there’s a lake not too far from here…” Firestorm said as he led Twilight away from the camp. Applejack was beside herself, she was so sure Twilight was lying until Firestorm confirmed it to be true. Applejack shook her head and went to start breaking down her tent. Once they were a good distance away from the camp Twilight looked at Firestorm, “I studied a considerably amount of botany and I’ve never heard of anything called “jakausidious”. Firestorm gave Twilight a smirk, “I made it up, and it’s actually the compound of two or three words…” Twilight began to think and pronounce the one word in broken down forms with her mouth. After a minute her eyes went wide, “Jackass idiots!?” Firestorm chuckled, “Yep!” Twilight face hoofed but kept following Firestorm. Eventually they came to a clearing with a small flowing stream. Firestorm laid down on his belly near the water. Twilight was unsure of what to do now, Firestorm seemed content with just sitting there. “How do you want to proceed?” Firestorm asked. Twilight looked at him, “What?” “Scootaloo, as far as we know, we are the only ones who know the truth about her physical and living conditions. How do you suggest we proceed?” “Well, if Scootaloo wants to keep that a secret from her friends that’s her business and we should respect it. As far as her wings are concerned, I don’t know. I tried looking up spells to try and help correct them, but I found nothing accept articles which stated that at this point the damage is irreparable. Do you have a spell or something you think would help?” “No. Even if I did, I almost blinded Derpy when I tried to help her and she is a single mother. For all I know, anything I try on Scootaloo could make her wings fall off altogether! She’s had a rough enough life as it is…” “Firestorm, you did blind Derpy but you fixed it. You have no idea how greatful she was because you left right after Iris corrected and completed the spell. Derpy can not only see, she can see straight, and, for some odd reason, she can see in the dark now too.” Firestorm looked at Twilight, “WHAT!?” “It’s true. Apparently some of your magic was transferred over to her and gave her tapeta lucidum, which gave her night vision.” Firestorm thought for a moment, “That was lucky, but Scootaloo is different, there has to be another way.” Twilight simply shook her head. “Then we’re done talking about this. Now, you said you wanted to observe me during this trip, before we go back and move on to our next campsite, let me show you some of the spells I’ve learned and perfected…” “Um, okay.” “Can you generate a shield spell?” Twilight nodded and cast the shield spell around herself. In less than a second, a violet glow protected Twilight from any danger that threatened her. Firestorm looked at his side and levitated a rock as fast and as hard as he could towards Twilight. Her shield deflected the rock with ease. Firestorm got up and moved so he was inches away from the barrier of Twilights’ shield. Firestorm lifted his right front leg, shape shifted it into its form a dragons arm, and drove his hand through the shield, stopping less than an inch from Twilights’ muzzle. Twilight looked at Firestorms’ hand, which he held with his fingers straight, and then looked at Firestorm as her shield spell failed and collapsed. “How-” “A basic shield spell can be overridden if what hits it is protected by a damage control spell.” Twilight simply stared at Firestorm. “When did you cast the damage control spell on yourself?” “I didn’t, I was born with it. I think it’s what has kept me alive for so long…” “No, not by itself. You would be able to die of starvation, dehydration, any number of things which a damage control spell wouldn’t be able to protect you against.” Firestorm nodded in understanding as his arm shape shifted back, “True. Now, let me show you a spell which would protect against anything.” Firestorm reared up on his hind legs, flared his wings, and slammed his front hooves into the ground. Tiny blue diamonds grew up around Firestorm, expanding, connecting, and rising up over Firestorm where they met to complete the shield. Firestorm folded his wings in at his sides, “This is a diamond shield, it protects against any force because unlike a basic shield, it’s made to not let anything pass through it on either side. As you can see, it does better for defense, but unlike your spell, it doesn’t allow for any offense actions on the user’s part. What’s more, nopony can teleport in or out of it.” Firestorm concluded with dropping the diamond shield spell. Twilight was amazed, “How long does it last?” “It lasts until I reverse it. Diamond shields are extremely effective because they don’t rely on the caster for power, they use sunlight.” “What! How many spells does it take to make a diamond shield?” Firestorm thought for a second, “Here, it’ll be easier if I just showed you…” Firestorm turned his wing so the tip of his primary phalange touched the tip of Twilights’ horn. Twilight felt a surge of magic and the sudden knowledge of how to cast Firestorms’ diamond shield spell. Twilight was about to comment on the sensation when Rainbow Dash landed beside them as Firestorm withdrew his wing. “You too done washing up yet? Applejacks’ got everything all packed up and is waiting for you guys so we can get going.” “Yes, sorry, I’m ready if Firestorm is.” Firestorm nodded and began trotting back towards the camp. Much to Twilights’ surprise, Rainbow Dash ceased flying and wedged herself between Twilight and Firestorm while the made their way back to the camp together. Nopony said anything but Twilight got the hint that Rainbow Dash wanted her to keep her distance from Firestorm. Twilight realized she would have sit down with Rainbow Dash and explain to her that she would need time alone to work with Firestorm until they went to Canterlot to see Celestia and Luna but that she would stay professional during such times. True to her word, Applejack had everything packed up and ready to go just like Rainbow Dash had said. Once they regrouped, they moved on towards their next campsite. A two hour hike led the group to another small clearing, this time, by a lake. Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash began setting up their tents while Firestorm was summoned to the water by the ever energetic cutie mark crusaders to play with them. Despite the water being somewhat cold, Firestorm obliged and before long, a thrilling game of Marco Polo was underway. Firestorm was amazed at each of the fillies amazing tactic of finding her friends. Scootaloo would call out Marco, and when her prey called out Polo, she propelled herself forward with her wings in the direction she heard them call out from. Sweetie Belle would call out Marco, and when her friends responded she would splash water towards them and tag whomever she splashed while they were shaking the water out of their mane. However, none compared to the skill Applebloom demonstrated. She would sit perfectly still and call out Marco. When the others called out Polo, she would slowly make her way towards the pony of her choosing. She would listen and follow the sound of the water moving while the pony was seeking tried to make their escape. Once in a while, Firestorm got tagged but he wasn’t “it” for very long. Using Scootaloo and Appleblooms’ tactics combined, Firestorm used his echolocation abilities to track and powerful wings to attack whomever he was seeking. As the sun perched itself at the peak of the sky, everypony was ready for lunch. As the cutie mark crusaders left the water, Firestorm remembered seeing fish beneath the surface. He took a deep breath and dove underwater. Scootaloo turned to see if he was following but stopped when she didn’t see him at all. “Hey, where’s Firestorm?” Everypony looked around the campsite, the trees, and the lake but there was no sign of him. Almost a minute past before a fish suddenly leapt a good 4 hoof lengths out of the water. Not even a second later the surface of the water exploded as Firestorm followed the fish into the air, grabbed it in his powerful jaws and sharp teeth, before splashing back down in the water with the entire upper half of his body above the water. Everypony watched slack jawed as Firestorm tossed the fish into the air, caught it head first in his mouth, and then swallowed it whole. Firestorm looked at everypony staring back at him, “What?” “What the hay was that?” Applejack asked. “Salmon, I think…” Firestorm said casually. “You eat fish?” Twilight asked as surprised as she was disgusted at the idea. “Yup!” A buzzing sound interrupted any further questions as everyponies attention was drawn to Scootaloo as her wings buzzed erratically, “That was so awesome!” Firestorms’ smile revealed his sharp curved teeth which only caused Twilight more concern. Bat ponies were more closely related to fruit bats, their diet never consisted of anything other than fruit. Initially, she thought his fangs were a simple byproduct of such, but now all his teeth had the same curved design only seen in carnivorous predators. Firestorm flew up into a nearby tree and latched onto a branch with his talons then allowed himself to fall back until he was upside-down, “Well, enjoy your lunch ponies, I’m gonna catch some Z’s…” Firestorm growled playfully.