//------------------------------// // Where are we? // Story: The Adventures of Cleansing Flame // by Fire_brand //------------------------------// Journal: “Well today has been interesting and bad. I ran into the Carya pony way more then I like. It was made even worse by him remembering us and wanting to turn us into fertilizer. On a lighter note it was fun to actually join in on a competition between Applejack and Rainbow Dash. I do feel a little bad though as Rainbow Dash never knew how strong I am and now has to wear a custom made maid outfit for a week… I’d feel worse but she brought in on herself. “ Putting my journal down I realize that this train moves much slower than the previous ones so I get up to stretch out and view the landscape…only to see a cliff face on one side and a sheer drop on the other. Combine that with the train being…rustic… I suppose is the right term… and I’m very curious as to where Dash bought tickets to. But I won’t get that answer from her as she’s sleeping right now. So I walk over to the conductor… who also happens to be the engineer… “Hey where is this train headed? I know it’s a silly question but my friend bought the tickets and didn’t divulge where she bought them to.” He barely looks at me, seems to be focused on his magazine “We’re heading to Transylmania. Buckle up though it’s going to be a while.” “Alright then I’ll… what kind of pony are you? I’ve never seen a pony with leathery wings before.” He just turns a page in his magazine “I’m a bat pony. Built more for power than speed and…Like what you see?” He caught me giving his magazine, which I now discovered was porn, a sideways glance. “I’m not really sure I even want to know. Anyways Bat pony huh? Why aren’t they more common?” He shrugs “You’ll see soon enough. No need to spoil the surprise.” “So uh, how long until we arrive?” Don’t look at the porn…don’t look at the porn…FAUST I LOOKED. “Roughly 5 hours. I recommend staying awake, Bat ponies sleep during the day and don’t take kindly to ponies wandering around while they sleep. You sure you don’t want one of these?” “I’m good, I’m pretty sure Applejack would strangle me if she caught me with one.” With that I walk back to check out the scenery. It’s still mountains on one side, but now the other side is a canyon. I try to follow his advice but when all I have to look at is a mountains and cliffs… it gets old fast… Faust this train is slow. I got bored and head back to cuddle up with Applejack, which in turn makes me feel at ease and fall asleep. I wake up to the jolt of the brakes, as does everypony else. I thought an antiquated train would have weaker brakes but noooooo. After once again pulling myself from a pony pile, I look outside and see that its night. I crack my neck “Ouch, everypony alright?” “Well I never!” Oh no, here it comes. “I can’t believe we had the misfortune of being on such a train! No food cart, no warning about the breaks, no arriving in 20 minutes… just look at my mane! I shall have to clean up!” After Rarity finally finishes fixes her mane (took 20 minutes), we exit the train. Barely leaving the station, a bunch of bat ponies drop out of the sky surrounding us with a barrage of thuds. The pony in front of us speaks with a heavy accent “Vhat you outsiders vant? SPEAK QVUICKLY!” Given that most of them are in what looks like plate armor, they’re pretty intimidating. I gulp (pretty sure audibly) and take a few steps forward and speak…though not with my strongest voice given the stare down I’m receiving “I’ve traveled a long way to learn new ways to work metal. I’m here today because I heard you may know how to make crucible steel.” All I get is laughing. Hearing laughing coming from a bunch of armored helms is pretty creepy. The same bat pony speaks up “If ve knew how make crucible steel, ve not buy.” As he finishes, another armored bat pony seems to whisper something into his hear. “But ve vill consider trade.” Now they start converging…on the girls. “Ve not seen quality solar mares in long time. Ve teach you to craft but ve keep mares.” With that my eyes shrink to needle points. “What NO! Stop I never agreed to that!” I get a chorus of cacophonous laughter “No, but ve agree, you thoughts no count.” As they advance, the girls start to bray and throw up defenses, though the armor the bat ponies wear seams to nullify physical attacks and the ponies themselves are seemingly ignoring magical attacks. As they close in, everything slows down. I see the life I want with Applejack flash before my eyes and shatter into pieces one by one. After the last potential moment shatters, all I see is a dark flame. It calls to me “use me… tap into me.” “Who or what are you?” “…I am your rage… your anger… your wrath…” “NO! I won’t give in to negative emotions!” “…negative? …what’s so wrong about drawing on… your own emotions… to protect… what’s important to you…” I clamp my hooves over my ears “STOP! I don’t want to hear it!.” “…Why not? …you’re not evil… you don’t want to fight… but you’re not willing to protect you’re mare… you don’t deserve her…coward.” “NO! I don’t want to lose her! But I won’t harm other ponies!” “…what happened to the stallion who fought a gang to protect her…did the doctor cut off your family jewels? …do you really think she’ll ever come back to you should you abandon her now?” “ENOUGH!” “…and what of your other friends… would they ever want to see you again? …would you be able to look them in the eye…after they’ve been abused?” “I WON’T GIVE IN!” “…then prepare… to lose everything…your mare…your friends…your future…all lost… because you refuse to act…when it matters most.” After hearing those words I grow silent, return to the world, and warmth starts to spread from my heart throughout my body. I take a deep breath and snort red flames. “No, I will not stand by.” The cold rage in my words is thick enough to stop a few of them in their tracks. “I will not let this happen” as I snort more intense but blue flames. My eyes and horn light up in my crimson aura as I rear up “You will not HAVE THEM!” As I slam my hooves down, I become engulfed in a vortex of black fire and a barrier of flames surrounds the girls. Within the vortex I feel a plethora of changes, my newfound power surging through every vein, threatening to break free. I feel myself grow, my skin and fur feel like they’re on fire, and I feel myself losing control, no longer holding the reigns. I don’t know how long I was in the vortex but it explodes with the transformation complete. My fur is now jet black, I’ve grown a solid hoof in height, I no longer have a horn, my mane and tail are fire, and fire flows from my fetlocks. I then loose a strong bray and run to stand in front of my friends; snorting fire, braying, stomping like mad anytime one of the bat ponies even tried to come close. I can hear the girls talking/screaming, but I can’t comprehend a word they’re saying. All my language comprehension is lost from my transformation. For about 15 minutes a lot of bat ponies try to approach only to be rebuffed by fire or hoof. As for how I’m conjuring fire… I’ll find out later, for now my only care is for protecting Applejack and my friends. During a breather I look back at the girls and I can feel my expression soften. Applejack looks worried beyond words, and everypony else is focusing their… energy?... at twilight? Upon hearing more thumps I face forward again and my anger swells. Unfortunately this form has a large drain on my energy and I can feel it, not helped by my fire breathing and maintaining the barrier. I’d wager I only have a minute or two left in me before I collapse of exhaustion. From the new ponies, it looks like an in charge mare is trying to talk at me, then realizes nothing will come of it and comes at me, cuffs in hoof. It’s apparent immediately that she’s faster than me and quickly slaps the cuffs on my hooves, only for me to melt them off. Everytime she gets in close my reaction is to spew fire or kick at her. I’m pretty sure she can see that’s she’s wearing me out and that might be her intent, wear me out then subdue me. In no time at all, I only have a few drops of energy left. The… other me… for lack of a better term, uses the last drops I have to release the transformation with an explosion of fire, damaging the concrete below me and warding off any advancing bat ponies. Now I’m back to my original form, I collapse exhausted but awake, so naturally the barrier I erected to protect the girls drops. My lingual perception clears and the girls get between me and the bat ponies. I’m not sure what it is, but I can see they have an Ace hidden if they have to use it. Twilight spreads her wings and speaks with all the authority she has “Stop This! Flame may have pushed things too far in his defense of us but YOUR guards are to blame! They thought they could do whatever they want to us!” The mare in charge steps forward “Zats not vhat my guards say. Zey all claim zes, Flame, agreed to ze trade zen backed out and attacked! I’m more villing to believe my guards zen your pompous solar vords! Why should I believe anyzing you say?! I tire of zes crap, no matter what transpired it still remains fact that your collapsed companion attacked my guards. Surrender and no harm vill come to any of you. I Silvanna Av Garda guarantee yours and hees safety should you surrender.” A lot of the armored bats look displeased with the last statement. Twilight holds up a hoof “Give us a second to discuss please.” Silvanna just nods. All 6 turn huddle up around me. Applejack speaks up “Ah see no reason to go along with her, she may speak true but her guards are still to blame! Whah d’we hav’ ta be punished?” Rarity is next “I’m sorry but I quite agree with Applejack. We’ve done nothing wrong but these brutes dare claim us responsible! The nerve of it all!” Fluttershy chimes in “I’d rather we just give in. I don’t want to fight and Flame already injured a lot of them. We’ve no reason not to trust their leader.” Rainbow Dash’s words surprise me “I have to agree with Fluttershy. We may be awesome but fighting while protecting Flame will be difficult. I’ve no desire to expose him to more harm than he’s already put himself in for us.” Everypony in the circle looks stunned. Pinkie pie puts a hoof to Rainbows forehead “Are you feeling alright Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow gives a small snort and a small blush “Of course I’m fine! Jeeze, you act like my being loyal to my friends is a new thing!” Twilight intercedes with a wing “We can discuss that later I for one think we should trust Silvanna and surrender. Flame needs to be examined immediately and surrendering is the fastest course to get him treatment. So we’re agreed then?” Applejack and Rarity look peeved but they agree, as does everypony else. I nod in agreement as well; I don’t want to have the girls fighting to protect me when I’m vulnerable. I should be fighting with them. Twilight turns around and proclaims “Silvanna Av Garda, we surrender. Please see that Cleansing Flame gets medical attention, I’m not sure what happened to him but it clearly left him exhausted. Hopefully that’s all but we don’t know.” Silvanna nods “I can agree to zhat. He fought vell and ve respect strength here in Transylmania.” She now speaks to her fellows “Arrest zem and bring zem to Casa de Garda. No funny business with ze mares or ze Stallion eizer, anyvone who does pulls cleaning duty for month.” At this the plethora of guards grumble but comply. We’re all cuffed and flown to Casa de Garda. Along the way all unicorns get a magic blocker stuck on their horns and pegasi get their wings banded to their barrels. I pass out halfway there I think. When I come to, I’m in a sturdy cell and all the girls are in separate cells. One of the guards on duty flies off when he notices I’m awake. I say “Alright, so how long was I out?” Applejack replies first “A few days, there healer said ya suffered from magic exhaustion, along with some side effect from yer’ transformation that would go away while ya slept.” Twilight chimed in “How did you transform anyway? That’s not something I’ve seen before.” I look down while I reply “Well, when they started advancing on you, everything slowed down, and my focus was drawn inward. A black flame then bade me to use it, saying it was my rage, and that to use it do protect wasn’t bad. I refused to cave for the longest time. But after some choice words, well you saw what happened.” “Wait, you used dark magic to protect us?!? How could you?!” “It said it was my power, and it’s not wrong to use my power to protect those I care about! How does its use make it dark? Or is it dark because it is unknown a potentially dangerous? Point is I used it to protect you and not for nefarious purposes! Faust I don’t even know how to tap into it!” “Well, I’ll decide if its dark magic if you use it again, until then we’re stuck here unable to use magic.” “Yeah I remember them putting the magic blocker on. Any clue what Silvanna is going to do with us?” “I believe she’s going to at least let us stay in the city, if only to keep an eye on us. But She’s waiting to hear what you say first.” "Oh great, it’s going to depend on me, the agitator, great.”