Parallel

by Zombie Penguins

Like Fire

Firebolt wiped the tears from her eyes, but more just kept flowing. The screams...they rang in her head so loud that they almost blotted out her thoughts. Why did this have to happen? She came here to get away from the hiding and the screams, but now she was cowering in a hole in the ground again.

“I've got a lot to explain...I know Chief Blaze came off as harsh, but he just wants the best for our village...there's a war going on and Queen Blanca was planning on invading this place even before your blue lights appeared in the desert...you aren't the cause...you just sped it up...” Lightning said, trying to comfort her. Firebolt couldn't hold it back any more. She burst into tears. “I...I...try to run away from it...I try to...redeem myself...but...I've run straight into it....no escape...” she cried between gasps and sobs, “You know I...can...can...hear their screams...they're deafening right now...the simmering of an explosion...and the angry cries...of...of....of...an orphan...”

“You caused an explosion?” Lightning said amazed.

“mm-hmm...I meant it to just...be a stunning shock-wave...I never was good at spells...but it...it was...bone-shattering....I....pulverized dozens...” she said as tears flowed down her face.

“What would have happened if you hadn't caused an explosion?”

“....I...don't...know....”

“You said you did it to stop an invasion...”

“...it would have continued...if my...incident hadn't reached the princess's ears...she flew in right away and...dissolved the expedition and hushed it all up...”

“Is the tribe of buffalo still alive today?”

“Yes...”

“You saved them. You stopped treachery with a horrible accident.” Lightning said before placing his hoof into the red flame, “You are like fire: a saviour with a cost.” The words hit Firebolt hard. A saviour...with a cost? It made complete and no sense. She sat there dumbly, before saying “I don't want to harm you...Blanca yes...her stupid mindless followers maybe...but I'll harm you like fire burns flesh.”

Lightning took his hoof out of the flame and it was unscathed, “Fire doesn't burn our flesh,” he said, “But armies hurt us and we are...” Lightning broke off, a sense of hopelessness was in his voice, “...the last of the flame-ponies...Queen Blanca will destroy us...she has done it with other tribes...” his voice grew with anger, “She exterminated them! Like they were bugs! Cut down the trees because they weren't the sun! Let their tepuis fall into dust with failed palaces! And her followers! They mindlessly enjoyed it!” he stopped and took a deep breath, but did not continue.

They sat in silence, thinking; the only sounds came from the crackling of the red flame. Firebolt felt stuck, like she was caught in a net. She wanted to tear it up so badly and be free, but she couldn't. “I can't...” Firebolt finally said, giving in to the guilt surrounding her.

“Coward.” Lightning said, before stalking out and leaving Firebolt still tied up.

***

“Sister...wake up...they have found the quartz...” a familiar voice broke Celestia's sleep.

“Luna? Quartz?” Celestia blinked a few times, “Oh!” She said before shooting out of bed. Celestia ran to the throne room and found two ponies that were familiar...Silent Ponies...It was uncanny. The unicorn had her hoof on the pegasus's shoulder, he seemed to be whispering the same words to her over and over again. When the unicorn spotted Celestia, she nuzzled his flank and walked with him to the front of the throne. Once Celestia sat down they both bowed and the unicorn nodded her head and said “Tell her.”

“I...I...don't even know where to begin. Do you...do you recognize me, Princess?” the pegasus began.

“I know you're a Silent Pony, but I do not recall your name.” Celestia replied.

“That's good enough. It is best you call me Stanley. I haven't adapted to my new life so well...and sometimes the old me would come about in a fit of anger...I had one of those fits this morning and I flew off to Firebolt's home...do you know Firebolt?” he said sheepishly, but the name strangled both sound and silence. Celestia could not forget the name, especially with what Firebolt had caused.

Firebolt tried to stop the invasion, but her efforts ended in disaster. Another pony that witnessed what she did and ran up to her, giving her scars that disfigured her flesh, but it was so clear that the physical scars were mute compared to the weight Firebolt carried in her mind. The name made Celestia feel so much pity, yet there was something...something wild and...disturbed about it.

Celestia nodded her head and let Stanley continue, “I wanted to hurt her so badly and finish what I couldn't 10 years ago. I broke down the door and searched the house until I came across the basement and I...after what I saw...I don't know if I want to hurt her anymore: I would be still sitting there, staring at it, if Blossom here hadn't found me,” he said with affection, giving the mare a quick nuzzle, “It was awful. The floor was covered in these shards of what looked like glass, but more crystalline: it was quartz. And in the centre of the room was this...I can hardly describe it...it was like a ring of embers that floated in mid-air. You could see through it just fine, but...but it had a distinct vibe...vibe is the word I think-a distinct vibe to it. Something isn't right about it.” he finished. While he was speaking, Celestia's face emoted more and more shock and fear. Firebolt did something that wasn't quite right: she's probably just as crazed as the pegasus that stood in front of her.

Celestia sat there thinking about it, but she knew it may be just like it was 10 years ago. “Sister, I need you to handle my duties while I focus on this ring...you might want to let Twilight Sparkle know, but I think she'll need to stay in Ponyville for this one,” she said to her sister before giving commands to a nearby guard, “I need an investigation force of a mix of all kinds of ponies, unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies. We investigate the Firebolt residence in the morning.”

***

“Excuse me Princess Celestia, I wish to help with the investigation.” Stanley said. Despite his fear of the...thing...something was driving him to go back. Stanley never thought he would feel this feeling for her, but it kept moving through his mind...Why did she do it? What is it? If she could really do things like that...was she really guilty? The whole mess of things made Stanley's head hurt, but he felt some obligation to bring a fellow, mal-adapted pony back to Equestria...even if she killed his father...

“Stan! If you help, I don't know if I'll see you again. Please stay!” Blossom cried as she embraced him. Stanley sighed with defeat and nuzzled Blossom. The choice was clear: he would give up his searching and stay with her, no matter how much it hurt, no matter how much he would have to fight back the anger, he would remain by Blossom's side. Princess Celestia seemed to show a small smile at their embrace, but soon left, leaving them to depart as well.

***

Lightning and Spark were working hard on the south side of the tepui, digging a trench. The cool night air didn't prevent them from sweating and their fur stuck to their bodies as they shovelled the sapphire sand. They were doing this for hours: digging away, trying to reach the east and west trenches. Lightning panted harder and harder, but he was getting closer and closer to Ember, who was digging the east trench.

Finally, their shovels clonked together and a wall of sand was no longer between them. Lightning let out a long sigh of relief before climbing up the tepui with Ember to report to Chief Blaze. “South to East trench...is completed...ready to be...filled...” Lightning said between pants.

“Good. You two rest for about an hour and then I shall give you another task.” Chief Blaze said approvingly.

Ember and Lightning grabbed some flame-fruit, collapsed on the ground, cracked them open and began eating the glowing liquid. They sat there for many minutes, eating and resting. “I heard that the dull-eyed pony won't help, but isn't a spy either.” Ember finally said.

“Yeah, she's no danger...but no help either.” Lightning said with annoyance.

“At least Chief Blaze had the wits to make her cast that fire spell. We can use that at least.”

“That's one thing...but...”

“It's not going to be enough?” Ember finished. Lightning nodded in response. A little magic fire was not going to save them. Even though Lightning tried to ignore it, he could feel their doom getting closer to suffocate them.

“I wonder what's she's up to now?” Ember thought out loud.

“I forgot to untie her!” Lightning said, putting his hoof to his forehead, “I'll be right back.”

Lightning trotted to the holding tree. Trying to hold back his anger, he walked in. “I'm not going to do it...don't try to convince me.” Firebolt's voice wavered as he entered.

“I'm not going to try and convince you. The cause is mute. I just forgot to untie you.” Lightning said, holding back a sneer.

“I thought you wouldn't just give up like that...sorry.” she said sheepishly.

“I've got more important things to do...like help with any efforts to prevent our extinction.” he said before untying her.

“If your survival is at stake, why don't you just run away?” she said hopefully.

“We've got nowhere to run to!” he snapped, “And even if we did, we don't give in! No matter the odds! The only one that runs is someone to warn the next tepui...and we're the last!”

“Well...there has...to be...somewhere...” Firebolt stuttered.

“We don't run away...but I figured you would respond like this...the likes of you don't...understand.” Lightning said forcefully, before stomping out.

***

Blanca was uncharacteristically pacing at night. There was some nagging feeling inside that something wasn't right. She had these night-time worries before, but nothing this bad. What if she gets over-thrown? What if there's a rebellion being organized? What if that insolent mare comes back? What if she spontaneously combusted? The worries were endless. She looked at the moon-lit sky out the window. Blast the moon! Long live the sun!