Fanning Our Flames

by Evowizard25


Fire's End

Sunset was thankful hospital beds were so comfy. If not, she’d have been tempted to burn the whole place down. Not literally though. Well not anymore, but she was agitated. She was covered in several bandages that covered injuries that still stung. Her powered-up form had kept her from the worst of the dragon’s blows, but she knew she’d be feeling the pain for a few weeks.

She let out a soft groan as she opened her eyes to stare at the blank ceiling. She hadn’t been able to get any sleep. Even as exhausted as she was, she felt… so empty inside. She knew she had to fix it, but the moment she even thought about why, she felt like breaking. She knew Fiddlesticks had forgiven her. ‘She couldn’t hate someone forever even if she tried.’ She couldn’t help but chuckle at that.

“Seems like somepony is chipper this morning,” her mother’s voice surprised her.

Sunset looked over at her and gulped. ‘I’m in for it now. She knows what I did. This is all my fault. She’s going to banish me. Send me away from my friends… She won’t want me anymore. Stupid, stupid Sunset.’ She could feel the coming tears.

“Shhh,” Celestia pulled her into a comforting hug. “It’s alright. It’s all over. You’re safe.”

“B-but it’s my fault,” Sunset sniffed as she held her mother close. Her mother’s fur alleviated some of her sorrow, but she had much more to spare. “This all happened because of me and now you hate me and never want to see me again and you’re going to send me away and-”

“Sunset,” Celestia pulled back and looked directly into her eyes. “I would never send you away, nor can I have hate you. You are my daughter and I will always love you. We all make mistakes and we must live with them.”

“But… but I burned down my friend’s farm,” Sunset sniffed. “I-”

“Hogwash,” Fiddlesticks popped up from the other side of the bed. “Ah forgave ya already. Get that through yer skull, princess.”

Sunset blinked in surprise, “Fiddlesticks? How long have you been there?”

“Slept in,” Fiddlesticks tipped her hat to Celestia in a sign of respect. She returned the farmer’s nod. “Wanted to make sure ya were okay. Now what’s this about you crying over those trees?”

“I burned them,” Sunset squeaked out. ‘Why isn’t she throttling me yet?’

Fiddlesticks nodded, “And ah forgave ya already. It hurt to see them burn, but ya didn’t mean it. Besides, ah can’t hold a grudge against a friend.” She smiled and patted her shoulder, “Yer payin’ fer the damages though.”

“It will be paid in full by the end of the week,” Celestia answered.

“Mighty kind of ya, princess.” Fiddlesticks bowed her hat again and took off. “Ah expect to see you at the farm. Maybe ya can help out a bit and make it up.”

Sunset sighed as she watched her friend leave, “Why did she do that?”

“Because that’s what friends do,” Celestia nuzzled her daughter. “A true friend can learn to forgive someone, no matter what they’ve done. Dwelling on the past aids no one, except harming oneself and your future.”

Sunset sniffed and nuzzled deeper into her fur, “But what if I do it again?”

“Do you regret your actions?” When Sunset nodded, Celestia kissed her head. “Then you won’t. Just try to be more careful next time, alright Sunset?”

Sunset nodded once more, “What about the town? The dragon wrecked the place to kingdom come.”

“I have some of Equestria’s finest engineers and workponies on the job,” Celestia answered. “They should have the place back to normal in no time. To those who’ve lost homes and possessions, all I can offer are my condolences and reimburse them on their losses.”

Sunset sighed in relief, “Well at least that’s out of the way.”

Celestia nodded, “Now, about this Gingersnap I’ve been hearing about…”

_________________________________________________________________

Sunset wasn’t the only one having trouble sleeping. A few hours after the fight, Gingersnap had shakingly woken up from a dream. She couldn’t really remember the dream itself, but there was fire. ‘Fire everywhere. Take it away. Take it away.’ She couldn’t though. Every time she closed her eyes, she could have sworn she saw it. Every time she swore she heard her friend screaming. ‘And it’s all my fault.’

So she watched the doorway. Not the curtain beside her. Not the ceiling above. Neither of them could distract her for long. No, she kept her gaze locked on the door. She knew what was coming. Any moment now, guards would bust in and they’d take her away. ‘Probably to be executed. It’s what I deserve.’ She wanted to argue that point. She really did, but every time that happened, Giddilee’s brutalized body popped into mind. Every time, she remembered the doubt.

‘Would I do the same?’

Her heart was already broken into a million pieces, but it felt like it was trying to break even further apart. She put her face in her hooves and cried. ‘I didn’t want this. I didn’t want any of this. WHY?!! Why did this have to happen?’ She pulled back and scowled. “This is my fault. This is all my fault and now look. I just wanted… I just wanted……” She let out a angered cry as she turned around and smashed her face into a pillow. It drowned out her shouting.

“Gingersnap?” A familiar voice spoke up. Gingersnap rolled onto her back and her eyes nearly bulged right out of their sockets when she saw who it was: Sunset Shimmer. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

A part of her wanted to apologize right then and there. ‘But even if I say it, I don’t think I’ll mean it… not yet anyways.’ So she crossed her forelegs and glared at her. The action caused her to grit her teeth from the pain. “I’m fine.”

Sunset sighed, “Look, I don’t want to fight anymore. I’ve come to make a truce.”

“Truce?” Gingersnap quirked an eyebrow. “Truce?!! After all these years? After what you did to me?”

“Says the one who spent her years bullying me instead of getting over it,” Sunset snarled right back, causing Gingersnap to wince. Sunset shook her head. “No, I don’t want to argue. We need to stop this right now, or we might do it again.”

“No we wouldn’t,” Gingersnap said.

“Stop contradicting me,” Sunset glared at her. She trotted over to the side of the bed closest to the curtains that almost sliced the room in two. “We’re both in the wrong here. We’re both stupid and we both caused this. Ponies have been hurt and lost their homes because of us. We’re the ones at fault and I don’t know about you, but I’m tired of ponies being afraid of me.”

“Nopony’s afraid of you,” Gingersnap rolled her eyes. ‘Now she’s lying.’

“My temper,” Sunset started to list off facts. “My habits of setting things and ponies aflame. My brother’s a dragon. My mom’s a goddess. Add that all up and you have a nation that won’t look me in the eye. The only ones who care about me are my mom, brother, and my six new friends and I almost lost them yesterday. I know I upstaged you, but you made it hard Gingersnap. No one wanted to be my friend in the first place, but…”

Gingersnap looked away. ‘I did sort of act like a bully.’ She wanted to smack herself. ‘Sort of? SORT OF?!! If you were nicer to her, Giddilee would be alright.’ She couldn’t stand this anymore. She wanted to be in the right. She wanted everypony to fess up about mistreating her, but now? Maybe she was the problem all along. She hadn’t noticed that she was crying until she tried to talk. It came out a little garbled, “I-I’m sorry. I just wanted… I didn’t know…”

Sunset quickly pulled her into a hug. “I forgive you. I just hope you can forgive me.”

“I…” Gingersnap gulped as she struggled to say it. “I do.”

“Good,” Sunset held the hug for another moment. “Oh and also you’re not allowed to set a hoof in Ponyville again or you’ll be thrown in jail.”

Gingersnap groaned, “I guess it could have been worse.” She pulled back and smirked. “Soon enough, The Stupendous Gingersnap’s fame will be so grand, they’ll be begging me to come back.”

Sunset shook her head and chuckled, “Anyways, I think somepony else wants to have a word with you.”

Gingersnap looked at her inquisitively. Sunset pulled the curtain back with her magic and right there was a sleeping Giddilee. The machine attached to her was still picking up a pulse and she could even see her chest rising and falling. “Giddilee? GIDDILEE!” She didn’t care about how much pain she was in. She jumped out of her bed and hugged the mare.

“Ow,” Giddilee weakly said before looking up at Gingersnap. “Y-you’re alright?” Her voice was hoarse and shaky but this was better than no voice at all.

“Never better,” Gingersnap laughed. Then, she remembered the question that had been plaguing her. Looking at her friend, she had an answer. “I’d do the same, Gingersnap. I’d do the same in a heartbeat.”

____________________________________________________________________________

Deep within the Everfree Forest, Ragnok grew weary. Normally, he was the most menacing thing in the forest. No creature would dare stand in his way. That’s what he told everyone and they believed him. The truth was there was something in the forest that even unnerved dragons. Something ancient and powerful.

Something angry.

Ragnok thought it would leave him alone. He hadn’t tried to harm the forest, just the ponies outside of it. Yet as he walked home, he couldn’t help but feel something watch him.

He was being hunted.

Ragnok snarled. Dragons were always top of the foodchain. Nothing could surpass them, aside from a few gods. Celestia was one of them, but he gambled on the knowledge that she wouldn’t enter the forest. Gods and civilization weren’t welcome in old places like this. So he didn’t have to worry about the sorry state he was in. He’d heal after another hundred year nap. They’d forget all about him. ‘I didn’t even get to kill anyone.’

That moment, he heard something stirring. He paused and looked around. “Who’s there?” He did his best to keep the small, nagging fear inside. “Who dares stalk, Ragnok? Show yourself and I may let you live.”

The forest went still for a moment. He smirked and kept going. ‘Cowards.’ Then the forest came alive. Vines thicker than tree trunks wrapped around his legs and pulled him to the ground. They wrapped themselves over his body, keeping him firmly in place. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Meaning?” An ethereal voice spoke up all around him, slightly chuckling. It was comforting but hungry at the same time. “Oh I don’t know. Perhaps the meaning of this has to do with your little ‘trip’ to Ponyville.”

Ragnok snorted, “Why should you care what happens to Ponyville?”

“I don’t,” out from the shadows, a figure walked elegantly towards him. She was a tall mare, able to look Celestia in the eyes without any effort at all. Her long, flowing pink mane was intertwined in elegant patterns with vegetation. The same for her cream yellow body. Her eyes were similar to his own as were her draconic wings. Her fangs were large, jutting out from her upper jaw over her bottom lips. She held such a captivating visage that he couldn’t help but look at her.

She was the spirit of the Everfree Forest. She was its champion and living vessel. She was something between mortals and the gods themselves. All that and now she was staring down the dragon.

“Then why chain me to the ground with these accursed vines?”

“Because the ponies care,” the figure narrowed her eyes and his blood went cold. “They care when a dragon comes into thier towns and cause nothing but destruction. Do you know what they do afterwards? They march on after the dragon. Said dragon lives in my forest and they will do everything in their power to get to you. I will not allow a single pony into my forest. They will only bring destruction here.” She stopped right in front of his snout as if unafraid of the prospect of burning to death.

She was right to be unafraid. Ragnok was too petrified by the being before him to do anything.

“So what to do?” She tapped her chin in thought. “I could just kill you and place your head at the forest’s edge, but ponies might want to check. They might think someone’s living here. Maybe chaos cultists? Oh they won’t care, because I know there are some that want this land for themselves. They’ll want to burn it to the ground just to check. No, I have another plan.” She scowled, causing the dragon to shiver. “I don’t like this plan.”

“It will be over soon enough,” another voice spoke up. This time it was Celestia who walked out of the shadows. She bowed her head to the figure. “It is nice to see you again, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy simply nodded, “The same.”

“It’s been too long since we’ve last met,” Celestia sighed. “I apologize for that. I should have set aside some time to meet with you.”

“I understand, Celestia.” Fluttershy responded. “Your ponies can’t survive a day without you, the loathsome lot they are.”

“One day you’re going to see them in a different light,” Celestia smiled. “Perhaps I’ll even get a letter about your first friend.”

“I highly doubt I will be making any ‘friends’,” Fluttershy seemed to shiver at the word like it was putrid. “With any ponies. Ever.”

“Aren’t we friends?”

“You’re an exception,” Fluttershy growled. “So shut up and deal with the dragon or I’ll throw you out of my forest. You might be a friend, but I still don’t like you being here for so long.”

Celestia sighed, “Well you can’t say I don’t try.” She turned back to the dragon. This time, he felt a different chill run down his spine. Fluttershy made him afraid.

Celestia made him want to burrow into the deep earth and never come out. She wasn’t even glaring at him. She just looked at him without a trace of emotion whatsoever. Yet it was those eyes. Those eyes that cut right through him. Those eyes that held so much power they could consume the entire world in fire and death if she wanted to. “Now what to do with you.”

“Celestia,” Ragnok started. “You must understand-”

“I understand completely,” Celestia cut him off. “Someone woke you up from your rest so you thought it would be a good idea to burn down the nearest town to make that pony look bad. When you found out my daughter was in town, you continued anyways. Just to slight me. I am not stupid, Ragnok.”

Ragnok gulped as he tried to search for a way to get out of this situation, “Then give me another chance. I didn’t kill anyone. I swear.” ‘Not for a lack of trying.’

Celestia nodded, “You are correct. Everypony got out of it in one piece. The town, however, did not. A lot of ponies lost their homes and everything they had because of you. We can rebuild them, but we can’t rebuild the memories placed within those walls.” She put a hoof to her forehead and rubbed away a little headache. “Of course, this isn’t anything new to Ponyville. They’ve lost houses before to other monsters, but on this scale? Never.”

“There’s something I can do to make up for this,” Ragnok pleaded.

Celestia looked him over, stopping to stare at his wings for a moment, and then his face. “I believe everyone deserves a second chance, even a third chance if possible. I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t try and apply that here. Who knows? Perhaps you too will understand the magic of friendship one day. I will let you live, Ragnok.”

Ragnok sighed in relief, “Thank you, Celestia. You truly are as benevolent as the tales say.”

Celestia nodded and turned her back to the dragon. He felt his fear start to melt away. She walked past Fluttershy and stopped. She turned her head and nodded to the Forest Spirit. The vines wrapped around this wings hoisted them up without warning. Ragnok didn’t have time to say anything as Celestia twirled around, her horn ablaze with magic. A sheet of Light Magic sliced through his wings.

Ragnok screamed in pain and agony as they fell to the ground. Celestia slammed his jaws shut as she stormed right over to him. Stopping to glare into his very eyes, she scowled. “If you so much as lay a claw out of this forest without my say so, Ragnok, I swear I will make the last few seconds of your miserable life nothing more than the worst agony imaginable. Do you understand me?” Ragnok weakly nodded. “Good.” She ended her magic. “I’m sorry about this, Ragnok. Truly I am, but perhaps one day you’ll understand my fury. The pain I felt when I saw my daughter covered in bandages and learning she was nearly killed for the second time in less then a month. You should consider yourself lucky that all I took from you were your wings.”

“Celestia,” Fluttershy hissed. “If you let your emotions get the best of you, you’ll burn down my forest.”

Celestia closed her eyes and took in deep breaths, “You’re right. I should take my leave before I do something I’ll regret. Take care of Ragnok. Make sure he lives a long and happy life.”

Fluttershy rolled her eyes, “He’s not a puppy.”

“You’re right,” Celestia chuckled. “A puppy’s smarter.” Just then, a letter popped into existence. “Oooh, my daughter wrote me another friendship report.” Unfolding it, her smile brightened. “Oh Luna’s going to love this one. Wish me luck.” She teleported away.

Fluttershy shook her head, “I will never understand her.” She looked over at the whimpering dragon and patted his snout. “There, there. Mama Fluttershy is going to take good care of you from now on.”