Flareverse - Accidentally In Love.
It had been several months since the Ponyta known as Flare Blitz had arrived in Ponyville. The ponies he had met had been friendly for the most part, but some were still wary of the flaming Pokémon. One pony in particular had been especially friendly to him: an odd pegasus mare by the name of Ditzy Doo.
She had been the one who had found him after he unintentionally arrived in Equestria, and she was the only one at the time who wasn’t terrified of him. Once he had healed from his injuries, the ruling sovereign, Princess Celestia, had paid the stallion a visit to determine if he was a threat to her little ponies. Ditzy had defended him the whole time, and it was decided that Flare Blitz would live with her until a way was found to send him home.
Flare was eventually accepted by the community and even had a job working at Applejack’s farm (once he convinced her that he wouldn’t burn the place down).
~~~
“Blank Flank! Blank Flank!” Two fillies danced around little Dinky Doo, chanting the insult over and over. The little unicorn had tried to ignore it at first, but their persistence had paid off, and tears were beginning to form in her eyes.
“Leave me alone!” Dinky yelled and tried to run, but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon blocked her path.
“What’s the matter, Blank Flank?” Diamond taunted. “Gonna run home to your freak of a mom? Or maybe that fire monster you call a friend?”
“No wonder your sister left!” Silver added, and that caused the dam behind Dinky’s eyes to burst. She erupted into tears and ran past the two fillies, who remained and laughed until their sides hurt.
“This never gets old, huh?” Diamond giggled, and Silver nodded in agreement. “C’mon, Sil, let’s go get a milkshake.”
***
Ditzy Doo collapsed in a heap on the couch, her job as mailmare finally over for the day. It wouldn’t have been so bad if Twilight Sparkle hadn’t ordered a new set of encyclopaedias for the library.
No sooner had she laid down than Flare Blitz walked in. His fur was slick with sweat, and his eyes drooped a bit.
“Man, bucking apples is harder than I thought,” he moaned. “How does Ms. Applejack do it all day?”
Ditzy would have replied if she hadn’t been biting her lip while ogling the sexy stallion.
Her adopted daughter, Sparkler, had left about three months prior to Flare’s arrival, having gotten a job teaching at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Ditzy was incredibly proud of her daughter, but she missed her terribly.
Dinky hadn’t taken too well to Sparkler leaving either, and try as she might, Ditzy couldn’t seem to cheer the little filly up. But ever since Flare had literally fallen from the sky, Dinky had been back to her cheerful little self.
Utterly lost in her daydreams, it wasn’t until Flare gently prodded her in the shoulder that she snapped back to reality.
“Huh? Wha- It’s my muffin!” she said, fumbling her words.
Flare snorted and laughed. “I said ‘what would you like for dinner?’ I’m gonna have a shower, and then I’ll do some shopping.”
“You don’t have to do that!” Dinky said, flailing her hooves. “You just worked all day. I won’t have you do grocery shopping as well.”
Flare shrugged. “And you’ve been working pretty hard too, from the looks of it.” He put a hoof on her shoulder, and Ditzy calmed down. “So don’t worry. Let me clean myself up, and then I’ll get dinner.” He looked towards the setting sun. “And where’s Dinks? Shouldn’t she be home by now?”
Now that he mentioned it, Dinky was running late. And as if on cue, the door flew open, and Dinky Doo raced inside and straight upstairs into her bedroom.
Ditzy and Flare watched her and then looked at each other. What the hay was that about?
***
Dinky’s pillow was damp as she sobbed and screamed into it.
“Stupid Diamond-Poopie head! An-and stupid Poopie-Spoon!” Dinky smacked her pillow, which nailed Flare right in the face as he walked in.
“Ow, now that was uncalled for.” He said, putting the fluffy object back on the bed.
Dinky gasped and then turned away; she didn’t want Flare to see her cry. He often told her what a big filly she was, and big fillies didn’t cry. But when she then found herself sandwiched in a hug between Flare and her mommy the tears just wouldn’t stop.
“What’s wrong, Little Muffin?” Ditzy asked. It had been a long time since Dinky was this upset.
“Did something happen at school?” Flare guessed, and Dinky just nodded, hiccupping and sniffling.
Ditzy guessed the next part; this was feeling all too familiar to the mare. “Did somepony tease you?” she said softly, and Dinky nodded again. Ditzy frowned and looked at Flare, who nodded in return. “Well don’t worry; I’ll talk to Ms. Cheerilee tomorrow, m’kay?”
Dinky didn’t respond this time; she knew that nothing would change. Diamond and Silver would just find somepony else to pick on. She continued to sniffle until Flare nuzzled her gently. “Hey, Dinks, I’m gonna go shopping. You wanna come with me?”
Dinky shook her head; she just wanted to hide in her room, but Flare wasn’t having any of that. He knew the filly’s weakness, and he was going for a super effective hit. “And maybe I’ll stop by Sugar Cube Corner to get ice cream… I sure wish somepony would be there to help me eat it though.” He sighed as Dinky peeked out from under her mother’s wing. “I guess Pinkie could help me…”
“B-but she’d eat it all~” Dinky said. “An’ I want ice cream… Can I have ice cream, Mommy?”
Ditzy giggled and nodded. “Yes, Muffin, you can have some ice cream. Just don’t spoil your dinner, okay?”
“I promise!” Dinky saluted and jumped onto Flare’s back. She suddenly sniffed and wrinkled her nose, “Eww! Flare, you’re all stinky!”
Flare just chuckled and shook his head. “Yeah, I need a bath. Lemme go out back and clean off, and then we can get going.”
The way Flare bathed was quite interesting, actually. The first time Ditzy saw, it had scared the feathers off of her. Flare once explained that water actually hurt him, so he had a different method of getting clean. The first time he did it here, he burnt a good deal of Ditzy’s backyard, so she had a section coated in fireproof tiles now.
Dinky hopped off of him, and Flare walked over to his tiled area. Closing his eyes for a moment, his entire body erupted with searing white flames. This fire was so hot that dirt, grime, and germs were totally incinerated. Dinky had to look away, the flames were so bright, but after a few seconds the flames ceased, and Flare looked as good as new.
“Much better,” he sighed happily. “I can’t do that at the farm; the last thing I want to do is burn the place down.”
“Yeah, probably a good idea.” Ditzy agreed. She also remembered that the first time Flare had done that, Dinky had used a fire extinguisher on him. That in turn gave the stallion a nasty cold for over a week.
“Can we get ice cream now?” Dinky asked, and Flare nodded.
“We have to get dinner first… any preferences?” he asked the mares. Ditzy didn’t really mind, she was fine with whatever.
“Can we have pancakes?” Dinky asked.
“That’s a breakfast item, dear,” Ditzy said, and Dinky thought some more.
“Muffins?”
Mmmuffinsss~” Ditzy hummed happily, and Flare facehooved.
“How about I decide?” he deadpanned, and the mares nodded. “How on earth did you ever survive until now?” he asked rhetorically.
“Sparky would do all the shopping!” Dinky said proudly, and Flare groaned. That explained a lot.
Jumping onto Flare’s back once more, Dinky snuggled into his fiery mane; it was so warm and comfortable~
“We’ll be back soon.” Flare said and left, leaving Ditzy to start writing a letter to a certain school teacher.
***
“So Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were teasing you?” On the way to the markets, Dinky had told Flare exactly what had happened earlier this afternoon.
“Uh huh. They said that Mommy was a freak an’ you were a monster… Stupid poopieheads!”
Flare had a pensive look on his face; maybe he should have a talk with the parents of these girls. “Well, don’t worry; it’s not true and you know it, right?”
“Yeah,” Dinky said. “But Flare… can I ask sumthin?”
Flare placed some bits on the counter of Golden Harvest’s stand and filled his saddlebag with some delicious carrots. “Sure, Dinks, what’s up?”
“Are you gonna go away soon?”
Flare stopped walking and looked at the little filly on his back. “Where… where did you get an idea like that?”
Dinky blinked. “It was when Sparky came over last time… I heard you talking with her… ‘bout going back home.”
“Ah…” Flare remembered that. Sparkler’s last visit had revealed that she may have found a way to get him back home. But the truth was that it was a theory… a really solid theory that might actually work.
“I don’t want you to go away!” Dinky started to cry again. “I like you, Flare…”
There was that too. Flare missed his home, and he missed his friends. But here in Equestria, he had made a lot of new friends. He thought of Dinky as his own child… and then there was Ditzy Doo.
“I dunno, Dinks, it was just something that Sparkler and I were talking about. That’s all.”
Once their shopping was complete, they stopped by Sugar Cube Corner. Dinky ordered a triple-choc fudge sundae, while Flare got an apple and cinnamon muffin. Before coming to this world, he had never eaten a muffin in his life. But ever since Ditzy had introduced him to the treat, had been hopelessly hooked.
“So where’s Pinkie?” he asked Carrot Cake. “I don’t see her anywhere.”
Carrot nodded. “She’s out delivering some last minute orders… did you need her for something?”
“No, just wondering…” Flare breathed a sigh of relief. He liked Pinkie, she was cute and made him smile… but most of the time she scared the absolute crap out of him. He was pretty certain that the rafters in here still had his hoof marks on them.
Dinky had forgone all table manners and dove headfirst into her ice-cream. Flare laughed as she emerged, most of her face covered in chocolate.
“Looks like you’ll need a bath when we get home.” Dinky smiled widely as she lapped the substance from her muzzle.
Flare picked the filly up by the scruff of her neck and put her on his back. “Don’t you dare get chocolate on fur… or I’ll tell your mom.”
Dinky responded by burying her face into the back of his neck.
Flare just sighed and giggled along with her. They headed for home, where Ditzy was waiting for them with a bright smile on her face. Flare never got tired of seeing that smile.
***
Once Dinky had gone to bed, Flare and Ditzy lay on the couch, sharing a book that Flare had borrowed from Twilight. “So that’s what really happened, huh?” Ditzy was going to have words
with Filthy Rich and Silver Platter… very strong words.
“Yeah, and there was something else too…” Flare told her how Dinky had overheard the conversation between him and Sparkler and that a way home had been found.
“I see…” Ditzy knew that he would have to go home someday.
Her train of thought was cut off as a shrill shriek filled the house, and Dinky raced downstairs.
“MOMMY!” she leapt onto the couch and buried herself under Ditzy’s wing.
“Again?” Dinky used to suffer from terrible nightmares, but it had seemed to have stopped a year ago… but every now and then, the nightmares would come back.
“What happened?” Flare peeked at Dinky, who was wide-eyed and shaking.
“The ghosts came back!” she shivered. “They follow me all th’ time!”
Flare paused for a second. Dinky was scared of ghosts? Admittedly, he thought that Haunter and Banette were creepy…
“Can I sleep with you guys?” The puppy dog eyes went on at full blast, and there was no hope for Flare and Ditzy.
“Yes, Muffin, you can sleep with me tonight.”
Dinky smiled and yawned. “Thanks Mommy… Thanks Daddy.”
Ditzy blinked in surprise and looked at Flare, “Did-did she just-“
Flare nodded, he was surprised as well. Yeah, he'd thought of Dinky as his own, but to have those feelings returned like that... “Yeah, she really did.”
***
The school bell rang, and Dinky was first out the door, but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were hot on her hooves.
“What do you think we should today?” DT wondered aloud. “Tease the Blank Flanks? Or maybe throw an awesome party and not invite the Blank Flanks?”
Silver Spoon would have responded, but instead she pointed at something past Diamond. The pink filly turned to see Flare Blitz waiting to pick up Dinky.
“Heya, kiddo!” Flare grinned, leaning down to nuzzle her. “Thought I’d come and get you today.”
“Thanks… um…” Flare and Ditzy had told her what she said last night. Dinky was so embarrassed, but Flare had said he didn’t mind so…
“Thanks Daddy!” she beamed, and Flare’s heart just melted. That much cuteness should be not be possible, but Dinky made it look easy.
A shrill laugh cut through the moment like a sharp knife, and Dinky’s adorable face turned into a scowl.
“Did you hear that, Silver? The little Blank Flank called that monster her daddy!” Diamond laughed hysterically, but Silver Spoon didn’t join in. There was no way she was going to make that large stallion, who was on fire, any madder than he already looked.
She continued to laugh until Silver’s eyes suddenly widened and she bolted in the opposite direction, and Diamond Tiara noticed that she was standing in somepony’s shadow. She turned and looked up to see Flare Blitz, his fiery mane blazing fiercely and his eyes glowing crimson red.
“You have a problem with that, little filly… or should I say, afternoon snack?”
Diamond Tiara opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no sound came out. After a moment she simply collapsed to the ground, her legs refusing to work. She eventually became aware of a high pitched noise and soon realised that it was coming from her.
Flare took a deep breath and calmed down. He only meant to scare her a bit, not utterly traumatise her. “Uh, look, little filly?”
Dinky walked past him, and with one swift motion, slapped Diamond Tiara across the face. “Daddy is not a monster, Mommy isn’t a freak, and I’m not scared of you anymore!” She nodded as if to confirm her statement and headed towards home, leaving Flare to wonder where the hell that came from.
***
“SHE DID WHAT!?” Ditzy was about to go and give Dinky the scolding of her life, but Flare stopped her. “What are you doing? Circumstances aside, hitting somepony is not acceptable in this household!”
“And that’s why I told her that she’s not getting any sweets or muffins for a whole week,” Flare said. (And that was it, provided she kept quiet about him traumatising Diamond). “But she needed to stand up for herself; she needed that confidence to stand up to her fears…” Ditzy’s glare softened slightly, only slightly.
Flare swallowed; he still had something else to say. “And… I wanted to ask you something. Well, it’s more of a favour, really.”
Ditzy was surprised; Flare never asked for favours, not like this anyway. “What is it?”
“Well, I um-” He had been thinking about this for a while now, but only recently had he come to a decision regarding it. “I wanted to know… am I a bother? Am I in the way here?”
Ditzy stopped, blinked, and shook her head. “NO! Never!” she threw her forelegs around his neck and hugged him tightly. “You brought light to this family, and I’ll always be grateful for that. You could never be in the way, just the opposite actually; I don’t think that this family would be complete without you.”
Flare took a moment, letting that sink in. “Then that brings me to the favour I’d like to ask.”
“Ye~es?” Ditzy continued to hang off of him; he was turning the most adorable shade of red.
Flare coughed slightly. Why did she have to be so Arceus-damned sexy- Wait! Getting off topic here. “Well, I wanted to know if I could, maybe continue staying here for a bit?”
Ditzy dropped back down onto all four hooves and blinked at him. “You… what do you mean? You want to stay a little longer?”
Flare nodded. His mind was made up, and nopony was going to stop him now. “Yeah, like maybe staying here… for good?”
A variety of emotions crossed Ditzy’s face, and admittedly, Flare found it a little amusing to watch. She finally settled on ‘Sparkling eyes and face-splitting smile’ mode before hugging Flare tightly again.
“You can stay as long as you like…” Tears streamed from Ditzy’s eyes as Flare just leaned into the hug.
There was a blur from the doorway as Dinky attached herself to Flare’s leg. “Izzit true? You aren’t going away?”
Flare just smiled; he really did love being here. “Yeah, Dinks, I’m gonna stay here… if you want me to?”
Dinky nodded happily, and she soon found herself being pried off of the Pokémon by her mother. “This is good news, little one, and we’re going to have a party later to celebrate… But right now, we have some things to discuss, like you hitting a filly.”
Dinky’s ears fell back. Oh right… that happened.
***
Despite the smack and a warning from Ms. Cheerilee, Diamond Tiara’s teasing kept going, and Dinky would sometimes return home in tears. Flare thought about paying the little cretin another visit, but Ditzy had vetoed that idea.
Mostly because she wanted to spank the little filly herself.
But bullying aside, Dinky was happier than she had been in months, and it showed. The little unicorn was a ray of sunshine, and Flare joked that it was her that Celestia raised every morning.
Ditzy and Flare had been growing closer as well, but that hadn’t gone unnoticed by the community. Some had voiced their concerns, the same ponies that still harboured animosity towards Flare’s presence in Ponyville.
“So did you hear the latest?” A mare by the name of Honeydew whispered to her friends. “That Derpy is shacking up with that monster?”
“I know, right!” one of them responded. “And worse yet is that Princess Celestia’s little pet, Twibright… or whatever… is sticking up for them.”
“Not to mention the Apple Family and the Kicker Clan. How can they all be so damned blind?” Honeysuckle slammed her mug of cider onto the table. “That dragon that lives here is one thing, but now a pony that’s on fire!?”
“Pah, between Derpy and the fire monster, it’s a wonder that the town is still standing!”
Their tirade was interrupted as the Fire Brigade raced past, loud bells ringing to clear the streets.
A smirk crossed the muzzle of Honeydew, “Hah! Totally called it!”
***
The fire was coming from one of the largest houses in Ponyville, the Rich Estate. The weather had called for a dry spell to make up for a freak cold front last week, so the estate had gone up like a box of matches.
Flare Blitz, Ditzy and Dinky had come into town to do some shopping, but the moment Flare saw the plume of smoke rising, he bolted at top speed.
The scene he witnessed when he arrived was worse than the imagined. Most of the house was a roaring inferno, and Filthy Rich was being held back by several stallions in yellow coats.
“My daughter is still in there!” he yelled. “Why are you not saving her?!”
The hoses that the fire-ponies had were doing little to stem the flames, and Flare heard that some pegasi had gone to the Everfree to look for rogue rainclouds, but it would take some time to get them there.
“We could use oxygen-suppressing shields, but if that filly is still alive, she’d suffocate in seconds.” The unicorn wracked his brain for a solution before falling to his rump as Flare raced past at lightning speeds into the flames.
“What is he doing here!?” It was no secret that Filthy Rich was one of the strongest supporters of exiling Flare from Ponyville. “I’ll bet he started this blaze, and now he’s going after my precious Diamond!”
Ditzy finally caught up to Flare, just to see him disappear inside the burning building. “Flare!? What are you doing?”
“That monster is after my Diamond Tiara!” Filthy stomped towards Ditzy, “We told you he’s dangerous; we told you that he’s a monster. This is proof that he’s-“
He never finished as Ditzy’s hoof shot towards him, but seeing Dinky from the corner of her eye, she stopped the hoof an inch from his face.
It was a little known fact that, after years of teasing, Ditzy had taken to learning Lightning Hoof style martial arts… purely for discipline.
“He is not a monster!” Ditzy looked at the burning building. “Just what are you doing, Flare?”
***
Flare coughed as thick, black smoke choked his lungs. His body was fireproof, but smoke still affected him.
“Where the hell is that filly?” Flare searched room by room, but this house was friggen huge. Between the crack of burning timber and the roar of the flames themselves, it was impossible to hear her.
At least until a loud wail rose above all that, and that scream sounded very familiar. Flare bucked down a door to see a little pink filly cowering under a table, screaming her lungs out.
“Oh, you have got to be kidding me. Her, of all ponies?!” He wasn’t going to let her burn to death, but it didn’t stop a scowl from crossing his face.
Diamond Tiara looked up, and once she saw Flare, she screamed even louder, which Flare didn’t think was even possible. “PLEASE DON’T EAT MEEEEEE!!!”
“Oh, for the love of- I’m not going to eat you, moron.” There was a sharp crack from above, and one of the rafters broke free, falling towards the table. Flare leapt forward, snatching up Diamond, just before the table was crushed.
“We have to get out of here now!” The whole building was coming down, but every time Flare turned a corner or passed a door, his way out was constantly blocked.
“I don’t want to die!” Diamond wailed. Flare looked left and right, but all he could see was a wall of flames. This wouldn’t be a problem if it was just him, he could simply walk through the fire, but with this filly…
“Dammit, what do I do?” There was another crack, and another rafter fell, striking Flare on the back. He yelped in pain, dropping Diamond Tiara to the floor as the heavy wood pinned him down. “ARGH!” Diamond tumbled head over hooves as Flare tried to get up, but the heavy burning wood kept him down.
“H-hey! Are you okay?” Diamond went to help him, but he glared at her. Opening his mouth, he fired a stream of flames past her and through the wall.
“You need to get out. This place is about to come down. NOW RUN!”
Diamond was shocked; he was going to sacrifice himself to save her? But her hesitation caused the opening to collapse. Flare groaned and his head drooped. “Dammit, I can survive these flames, but you…”
“Then why didn’t you say so?!” The building continued to collapse, and Diamond ran over to Flare. “I’m so sorry. This is my fault… If only I hadn’t…”
Flare groaned and slowly began to rise to his hooves, sweat pouring from him as he lifted the heavy burden on his back. “We, unh… have to leave…” He wasn’t going to die here, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let her die either. “We’ll get out of here; rrrraaaRRRRHHHHHH!!!” His body erupted with blue light.
And Diamond Tiara thought it was the most beautiful thing she ever saw.
***
“C’mon, where are those rain clouds?!” The fire chief was running out of time, but a sudden burst of flames caused onlookers to scream as the house collapsed in a shower of sparks and dust.
“FLARE!” Ditzy screamed as she watched the pony she loved get buried alive. Filthy Rich simply fell to his rump, his eyes wide with shock. His Diamond, his precious filly… was gone.
There was silence. Just the sound of flickering flames and a grey pegasus mare crying her heart out.
That was until a bright beam of energy blasted from the ruins of the estate, causing everypony to gasp and stumble back. A blazing ball of flame landed a few feet away from them, and once the orange fire dispersed, a large unicorn stallion stood there, his blazing mane and tail flickering gently in the breeze.
Ditzy was shell-shocked. It looked like Flare, only it was taller, and it had a horn. But when she looked into its eyes, she saw something familiar.
“Is-is that you? Flare?”
The stallion took a deep breath, relishing the fresh air, and coughed a bit. “That was pretty rough, huh?” he chuckled lightly.
It was him, it was really him. That voice, that laugh; Ditzy’s vision blurred as her eyes filled with tears. But Filthy Rich stepped in front of the Pokémon first; his eyes were filled with rage.
“WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER, MONSTER!? WHERE IS MY DIAMOND!?”
Flare looked down as a small filly stepped out from beneath him. Her pink fur was matted and coated in soot, but she was fine otherwise.
“I’m right here, Daddy!” she said and squeaked as Filthy Rich scooped her up into a hug.
“Thank Celestia that you’re safe, my precious child…” he sobbed quietly as Ditzy brushed past him and looked up at Flare.
“You… got taller,” she said quietly and hugged him and then quickly followed up by hitting him in the barrel. “Don’t ever do anything like that again! Do you have any idea how scared I was? I-I thought that you’d-“
She was cut off as Flare pressed his lips gently against hers. Ditzy’s eyes widened in shock before they slowly closed as she melted in his warm embrace.
The moment was short-lived, however, as Filth Rich and the Honey sisters confronted the Pokémon, their expressions filed with accusation.
“And just what did you gain, burning down my house!?” Rich yelled. “So you could play hero maybe? Make yourself look good?” Ditzy’s eyes flashed with anger, but Flare placed a hoof on her withers
“I didn’t torch you home, Mr. Rich. I simply saved a child’s life-“
“Fires don’t just happen!” Honeysuckle spoke up. “And last I checked, you’re always covered in flames.”
The badgering continued as Honeydew joined in. “Yeah, I’ll bet you started this fire, huh?”
Filth Rich glared at him. “I’ll see to it that you’re cast from this town and from Equestria, monster!” He pointed a hoof, which Diamond Tiara jumped in front of. “Wha? Diamond-“
“It wasn’t his fault!” she screamed. “I’m the one who started the fire.”
For the third time today, Filthy Rich’s flanks met the ground. “What? You did?”
Diamond scuffed at the ground with her hoof. “I wanted to make breakfast to show I was a grown up mare now… but I set the oven too high… and sorta left the door open…” she began to cry, and Flare knelt down and nuzzled her.
“It was an accident, okay?” Diamond sniffled, but nodded in response and Flare smiled. “Ditzy sets fire to our kitchen all the time!”
“Hey!”
Flare laughed and nodded. “You want to be a grown up, right?”
Diamond nodded, looking up at him.
“Then stop teasing your friends, it’s not what a grown up would do… needlessly picking a fight just to look important.” Flare lifted his head and looked at the three adults in front of him, who all gulped nervously. “I bet other fillies and colts would like to be your friends, but you almost died today without ever knowing that.”
Dinky stepped forward, and to Diamond’s great surprise, as well as Flare’s and Ditzy’s, pulled the other filly into a hug.
“We can be friends too, okay?”
Diamond nodded slowly and smiled. Maybe having some friends, real friends, wouldn’t be so bad.
Flare, meanwhile, turned his attention back to Rich and the Honey sisters. “As for you three… grow up already!”
“Where do you get off-” Honeydew never finished that sentence, as Ditzy rushed forward, faster than anypony could blink, but this time her hoof didn’t stop and it connected with Honeydew’s jaw. There was a light click, like the sound of a light switch being flipped, and Honeydew dropped to the ground.
“That’s for making my life at school a living Tartarus…” she said, slowly and calmly. Ditzy glanced at Honeysuckle, and both of her golden eyes settled on her new target. Honeysuckle wisely hit the dirt with her hooves covering her head. “Make that mistake with my family… and I’m sure you can guess what will happen.”
Honeysuckle nodded, refusing to look at the avatar of death that loomed over her.
Flare just blinked, and Filthy Rich looked like he was about to pee himself. Ditzy glanced back at them, the picture of innocence on her face as her eyes resumed their walled state. “Oops, I think I went a bit far,” she giggled.
“I have no words for how awesome that was!” Flare said in a hushed tone. He looked back at the smouldering house as the weather teams finally brought in some rain clouds to douse the blaze. “Well… I don’t think you can live there anymore,” he said to Filthy, who just nodded silently.
“I have a small caravan I can sleep in for the time being,” he finally said. “It- it will take some time to rebuild…”
Flare thought for a moment; he looked at Ditzy, who sighed and smiled back. “Look, Mr. Rich,” the stallion looked up at Flare, his expression one of regret and self-pity, “we can house the both of you… you and your daughter until you have a house again. Her schoolwork might suffer staying in a tiny caravan.”
The stallion, the one he had considered a monster, had saved his precious daughter’s life, and now he offered to give them a warm and safe house to live in. It was too much and the dam behind his eyes broke as he sobbed.
“I don’t deserve this kindness, especially from you and Miss Ditzy.” Flare sighed and pulled the stallion to his hooves.
“C’mon, none of that. You gotta be strong.” He motioned towards Diamond Tiara, who was now struggling against Dinky’s relentless hugging. “For her sake.”
Filthy Rich nodded and wiped his eyes. Flare looked to Ditzy and shrugged. Life sure was going to be interesting for a while.
***
Later that night, Diamond and Dinky were fast asleep, exhausted from the day’s events. Filthy Rich was given Flare’s room, but that left the Pokémon wondering where he’d sleep.
Well, at least it isn’t too cold tonight,” he muttered as he looked through a window. “I guess a few nights under the stars won’t hurt.”
The sound of somepony clearing their throat garnered his attention, and he turned his head to see Ditzy standing in the doorway.
“And just where do you think you’re going, mister?”
Flare sighed. “Well, Rich has my bed, and I’m not the type to snuggle with stallions…” He looked back outside. “And the couch is too small now, so I thought I’d-”
“And what’s up with that?” Ditzy cut in. “Why are you bigger now?” Her eyes wandered over his new form, from his long, pointed horn, all the way down to his muscular legs and toned flank. Oh, Sweet Celestia, her heart was beating a mile a minute.
“I’ll explain in the morning; it’ll take a while…” He looked at the full moon bathing the landscape with a gentle glow. “I don’t mind camping for a few days.”
Ditzy walked over to him, her face as red as an apple. “Well y-you don’t have to sleep outside.” She swallowed hard, trying to form the words. “M-my bed is pretty comfy; you- you’d fit in that.”
“And then what would you do?” Flare was a moron. “I can’t kick you out of your own bed.”
Ditzy squeaked and hid beneath one of her wings. “W-well… t-that’s because… I’d sleep with you”
Flare blinked, and then blinked again as his brain processed that. “You want to… together?”
Ditzy just nodded and blushed harder, if that was even possible, before walking towards her bedroom, glancing behind her to see if Flare was following.
Oh, he sure as hay was!