Rain of Fire

by LessThanHuman

Chapter 15 - Camping - Day 2 Attacked

Author's Note:

Waring! This chapter will contain gore consisting of timber wolves being killed in self defense, severe flesh wounds, temporary limb amputation on a filly, and violence. Don't worry, it wont be too bad...

Firestorm let his eyes slowly open as he woke up. He looked down at his stomach which meant he was looking up into the sky. By his calculations, he had been asleep for roughly two hours. He tried to determine the time based on the suns location, but dark storm clouds hindered his efforts. Firestorm stretched out his front legs, wings, and back all while hanging from the tree. As he finished his stretch, Firestorm heard a subtle snore come from a nearby branch. He looked around at the limbs until he found the source of the snoring. Rainbow Dash was on the branch just beneath his with a pillow and a blanket sleeping peacefully.

Firestorm shook his head and looked straight ahead at the ground beneath him. He released his grip on the tree branch and fell, twisting and turning to avoid branches on his way towards the earth. At the seemingly last possible moment, Firestorm front flipped, flared his wings, and landed on his talons. Firestorm trotted to the campsite and looked around. Nopony was in their tent, there was firewood but no fire, and limited hoof traffic suggested they didn’t stay too long after setting up camp and having lunch. Firestorm looked around for any sign of where they had gone. When he found nothing, he took a battle ready stance, flared his wings, and sent out a wave of blue light in every direction around him. After a few seconds passed the wave returned. Firestorms’ eyes shot open and he took off into the sky.

The cutie mark crusaders darted through the forest with Applejack and Twilight in tow. Twilight had suggested they go for a walk while Firestorm and Rainbow Dash napped and the three fillies were all too excited to comply at the possibility of earning their cutie marks in forest exploration. Applejack loved the fresh air and was enjoying her time away from apple bucking, but she could see something was bothering Twilight, “You alright there Sugar Cube?”

Twilight snapped from her daze, “Huh? Oh, yeah, sorry…”

“Aint nothin’ ya need to apologize there for Twi, ya just seemed a might distracted.”

Twilight looked ahead at the young fillies scampering off into the distance, but not too far to cause any concern, “No, it’s just the weather moved in so quickly, I was thinking we should return to camp before it starts raining.”

Applejack nodded, “Sky did turn shady awful fast, maybe we should turn back…”

Twilight let out a sigh, “I’m sorry Applejack; I know you were enjoying the walk, but I just think it would be safer if we were at the campsite.”

“Well you’re probably right, don’t want to get lost out here at night and in the rain. Applebloom! Get you and yer friends back here, we’re headin' back to camp,” Applejack called out.

Silence

“Applebloom, did ya hear me?”

Silence

Twilight and Applejack exchanged concerned looks. In that same moment, they noticed a complete lack of any sound at all. There were no frogs croaking, no birds chirping, no insects buzzing, even the wind seemed to move silently between the leaves of the surrounding trees. The two mares looked back to where they had last seen the fillies and burst into a full gallop.

“Applebloom!”
“Girls!”

The trail became bottlenecked between two large oak trees and just as Applejack and Twilight came to them, two large timber wolves jumped out from behind either tree. The mares skidded to a stop and turned to see three more timber wolves flanking them. Suddenly the shrieks of the cutie mark crusaders reached the ears of the two mares currently encircled by five snarling timber wolves. Applejack felt as if her heart had been stabbed with a dull knife at the sound of her sister crying out for help while she was powerless to do any such thing. The wolves began to close in and as one made lunged for Applejack it was stopped short by a purple aura surrounding its intended prey. Applejack looked at Twilight who was casting a shield spell, “We need to save my sister and her friends!” Applejack cried.

“If I drop the shield spell the wolves will be on us in seconds,” Twilight argued.

“Twilight, if I lose my sister because I was cowering under a shield while she was torn apart by some damn wolves, I won’t be alive tomorrow to see the sunrise!”

Twilight's eyes widened as tears threatened to paint here cheeks. She knew how serious family was to Applejack and how physically and emotionally strong she was, but if Applebloom died scared and alone, it would be more than enough to push Applejack to suicide. Twilight nodded in understanding, “Alright, we go on “3” when I drop the shield, ready?”

Applejack nodded and turned towards the closest timber wolf orbiting the shield.

“1…” both mares felt their body’s tense, ready to spring into action. “2…” This was it, once the shield fell, Applejack and Twilight would have only seconds to repel the wolves.

“3!”

Twilight and Applejack looked towards the source of the voice who had called “3” and were shocked as the shadowy form of Firestorm brushed past Twilight’s shield. Firestorm grabbed a wolf by the throat and pinned it to a tree. Now that he was standing still, Twilight and Applejack were granted a moment to take truly take in the features of his new form. Only his legs below the knee were visible as his body seemed to be composed of a dense black smoke and 50% larger. His head had changed so that his maw was longer and bore sharp teeth and fangs. Finally, his wings and front legs had merged together which resulted in his wings being three times their original length, with his claws joined at the wrist of his wings.

Firestorm held the timber wolf against the tree with his left hand and then brought his right arm back before delivering a punch to the wolf’s stomach so hard it made the mares watching cringe. Almost immediately Firestorm delivered another equally powerful hit to the wolf’s chest. Firestorm dropped the wolf which gasped aimlessly for air before its body went limp. Firestorm turned around to see another wolf flying towards his face. Without a second of hesitation, Firestorm thrust his right fist down the timber wolf’s throat, twisted his wrist, and watched to wolf hit the ground after his limb seemed to fade through its being.

Two wolves jumped for Firestorm at the same time, both were caught midair by the throat. One was caught in his right talon and forced onto the ground, the other was caught in his left hand before its body was slammed into the ground with enough force to create a small crater. Firestorm twisted his right leg and a loud crack echoed from the wolf’s neck. Firestorm looked at the last timber wolf standing and glared at it. The wolf returned his glare, bore its teeth, and growled before darting towards Firestorm. Firestorm waved his open hand in front of the wolf which exploded in a brilliant flash of blue light and flames.

Firestorm glared at Twilight and Applejack as Twilights shield spell collapsed. “The fillies!” Twilight cried.

Firestorms flared his wings as they became like a shadowy black smoke like the rest of his body. He lifted off the ground and beat his wings just once and he flew off with speed which could easily rival that of Rainbow Dash. All Twilight and Applejack saw take off into the forest was the shadow that was Firestorms body. Applejack and Twilight were about to follow after him when they heard Rainbow Dash overhead call out, “What the hay happened here!?” Before either mare could answer, Rainbow looked around at the dead timber wolves.

“We need to save mah sister n' her friends, Firestorm took off after them…” Applejack said pulling Rainbow Dash out of her shock of the violent scene before her. The three mares took off into a full gallop after the fillies and Firestorm.

The CMC bounced happily through the forest, oblivious to the fact they had lost sight of their guardians or the approaching danger. Hungry wolves watched from a safe distance while they coordinated their attack. A particular wolf moved in on Scootaloo. Just before the wolf was close enough to grab her, a stray twig snapped beneath the weight of the wolf’s paw. Scootaloo loked over her shoulder and screamed at the sight of the timber wolf’s bright yellow eyes. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle screamed when they turned to see what had scared their friend and instinctively took off galloping away from the wolf, deeper into the woods.

Scootaloo was at the last in the line of scared running fillies. As she jumped to clear a fallen tree, an agonizing pain burn in her right hind leg around her knee. She clung to the tree she had tried to jump over when she felt herself start getting pulled backwards by her leg. She glanced over her shoulder to see a timber wolf biting down on her leg. Tears streamed down her cheeks at the sight of the wolf, the pain, and all the blood seeping from her wound. The wolf began to violently shake its head back and forth trying to make Scootaloo release her grip on the tree. Despite the nauseating pain, Scootaloo held tight to the tree as she cried out in pain.

The wolf’s determination ceased as Firestorm flew past it, arcing his wing so it severed the wolf’s head from its body. Firestorm landed in front of Scootaloo and telekinetically pulled her friends back towards him just as three more wolves revealed themselves. Firestorm threw his hands out and pushed them down towards the ground which caused the wolves to collapse under some invisible weight. The wolves yelped in pain but Firestorm clenched his hands into fists as the wolves all burst into flames. Firestorm turned and shifted back to his pony form as Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash arrived at the horrific scene.

Firestorm levitated Applebloom and Sweetie Belle over to Applejack who accepted and hugged them gratefully. She held the fillies close to her form so they couldn't see their friend in such a sickening state. Rainbow Dash herself was fighting nausea and the urge to break down into tears, neither would be in anyway helpful to Scootaloo in her current state. Firestorm moved over to Scootaloo, her screams of pure agony pierced his heart, he turned to Twilight and the others, "We need to get back to the camp, now. Everypony stand around me."

Everypony did as instructed, Applejack having placed her hat upon the uninjured fillies to prevent them from seeing the other. Beneath the visual protection of the hat, Applebloom and Sweetie sobbed at the sounds of Scootaloo crying which the hat could not protect them from. Once in a circle, Firestorm rose up on his hind legs and spread his glowing wings. A flash of intense light momentarily blinded everypony, and when they could see again, they were standing only seconds away from their campsite. Applejack ushered her sister and Sweetie to their tent so she could calm and soothe the traumatized fillies.

Firestorm lifted Scootaloo onto his back and brought her into Twilight's tent. The filly was unable to stop crying but she was slowly exhausting herself. Twilight quickly retrieved her first aid kit and a book regarding severe injuries in the wilderness. After a brief reading she applied a considerable amount of alcohol to the fillies wound which renewed her pain and energy levels for crying. Twilight was about to wrap the wound but quickly read a spell for determining the severity of an injury and, upon finishing, cast the spell on Scootaloo's leg. Twilight knew just by looking the injury was bad but the spell had revealed extensive muscle damage and tearing, heavy blood loss, permanent damage to numerous tendons, which if treated properly and an incredible amount of luck, Scootaloo would be able to keep her leg and walk with a considerable limp, but a full gallop would be impossible, and finally, despite the quick application of alcohol, an infection was already starting to spread.

As her cries echoed throughout the tent, Firestorm could bear no more. He moved over to the broken filly and, shifting his hoof into a dragon hand, inserted a claw into her neck through her mane. Scootaloo quickly stopped crying and her breathing became more steady before she blacked out. The two mares looked at Firestorm, "I just sedated her and injected a neurotoxin to stop the pain, don't worry, it won't have any long term effects, but she will be numb for a good while..."

Twilight looked at her first aid kit, "that's probably better than anything I have in here," she said gesturing to the white plastic box.

"So what do we do now Twilight?" Rainbow asked.

"She has an infection and her leg is... well... there's not much holding it on... I'd like to get her to a hospital but I'm afraid moving her might do more harm than good."

"How much harm?" Rainbow asked.

"She could lose her leg completely..."

Rainbow Dash slowly fell back onto her haunches.

"If we do nothing, she could lose her life. With her sedated though, I think it would be best to observe her condition for the next hour and if it gets worse, we'll need to decide what to do then..."

Rainbow nodded in agreement and curled up around Scootaloo, careful not to come into contact with her damaged leg. Firestorm and Twilight sat in relative silence until the hour was up.

Twilight cast the spell again and felt her heart break at the result. The infection was still spreading and her leg had taken a turn for the worst.

"What is it?" Rainbow asked when she saw Twilight's expression.

"The infection is spreading and her leg is... it's dead..."

"Twilight, what do you mean her leg is dead?"

"We'll need to move quickly to get her to the hospital, Firestorm I want you to carry her, and be careful, I don't want anymore damage than there has to be. Rainbow I want you-"

"What do you mean her leg is dead!?" Rainbow interrupted, her face a mix of anger, fear, and sadness.

"It means exactly what it sounds like, the doctors will be able to safely amputate the infected part of her leg and save her life but only if we get moving, the longer we wait, the farther the infection will spread..."

"No... NO!" Rainbow cried, "We can't let this happen, it's not fair! I... She..."

"Rainbow, I'm sorry but-"

"Hold her down."

Rainbow and Twilight looked at Firestorm, "What?" They asked in unison.

"I said hold her down, I can amputate her leg, cauterize the wound, and destroy the infection all at once but I need you to hold her down while I do..."

"No Firestorm. we need to get her to a hospital and-"

"We won't make it in time, the distance, the rate the infection is spreading, it will take too long. She'll be dead by the time we walk through the front door."

"No, you're wrong, Twilight we-"

"Do as he says Rainbow..."

"What!?"

"He's right, we're out of time, hold her still..."

Rainbow looked between Firestorm, Twilight, and Scootaloo, seconds later she screamed "Damn you," before gently falling over Scootaloo.

Twilight laid down on the other side of Scootaloo and rested her right leg and wing across Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo while her left hoof covered Scttoaloo's mouth.

The two mares looked back at Firestorm. “Keep her still, keep her quiet, and please, don’t look.”

Twilight and Rainbow Dash nodded and looked away. Firestorm looked back at Scootaloos leg which was still bleeding, “I’m so sorry.”

Firestorm altered his appearance so he had draconic arms, hands, claws. He placed his right hand on Scootaloos upper thigh and his left hand on her ankle. Taking a deep breath, Firestorm drew his wing across Scootaloos leg between the wound and his hands. Scootaloo began to writhe in pain and scream in her throat as Firestorm severed her leg from her body. Rainbow Dash looked back at Firestorm out of the corner of her eye just as he lifted Scootaloos severed leg away from her body. Again, she resisted the urge to vomit but let her tears flow freely as Scootaloo's ability to walk was completely taken from her.

Firestorm held Stootaloo's leg in his right hand while he continued to hold her thigh in his left. Something tingled in his hands, like an energy between the leg and its owner. Firestorm couldn't explain why it felt right to do what he did but he obeyed his instincts, closed his eyes, and covered the severed, shattered leg in blue flames. As the fire consumed the limb, the flames traveled up his arm, across his shoulders, and down his left arm where the flames began to burn around the location there Scootaloos leg had been amputated. Instead of burning up and destroying anymore flesh though, flesh and bone began to grow and reconstruct her leg. Almost a full minute passed and Firestorm released Scootaloos thigh.

The second Firestorm let go of her, Scootaloo stopped crying. Twilight and Rainbow Dash exchanged glances and then looked at Scootaloo who was breathing heavily with her eyes tightly closed. Twilight released Scootaloos maw and Rainbow Dash got off her back. They both looked down her body until their eyes came to rest on her right leg. There was a black scar of a dragon's palm on her thigh and her entire leg below the knee was charcoal gray, just like Firestorms fur color. They both looked up and were shocked at what they saw staring back at them. Firestorms entire body looked like a dragon, his wings were tattered, there were deep gashes and cuts bleeding all over his body, and half the skin on the right side of his muzzle was altogether gone.

Firestorm looked down at Scootaloo, “I… She had already been through enough in life. I wasn’t about to let her be crippled the rest of her life. She deserves better…” Firestorm got up on all four legs and limped away, favoring his right hind leg. Scootaloo began to regain her senses and shook her head. Rainbow Dash nearly teleported to her side, “Scootaloo, are you okay?”

“I think so, I remember running from the timber wolves but I think I fell and hit my head because I can’t remember anything after that…” Scootaloos eyes went wide, “Where is everypony else, are they okay?”

“They’re fine sweetie, your friends are with Applejack in her tent,” Twilight assured her.

Scootaloo sat back on her haunches and rubbed her head with her hoof. When she opened her eyes she jumped back at the sight of her right leg having turned charcoal gray, “What the hay happened to my leg?!”

Rainbow Dash and Twilight exchanged brief glances, “Sweetie, One of the wolves got ahold of your leg and practically tore it off. Firestorm did something to it and now it’s healed but for whatever reason, it’s now the same color as his fur.”

Scootaloo sat back further on her rump and noticed the claw shaped scar on her high, “What happened there?” she asked pointing to the scar.

Rainbow Dash stepped forward, "Scootaloo, he asked us not to watch what he was doing but I peeked, he had completely cut off your leg.”

All the color drained from Scootaloos face, “What?”

Twilight moved to inspect Scootaloos right leg. Twilight touched the orange fur of Scootaloos leg, “Can you feel that?”

“Yes,” Scootaloo replied.

Twilight touched her leg where the scar was, “Can you feel that?”

Scootaloo nodded.

Twilight touched the gray part of her leg, “Do you feel that?”

“Yes, now what is going on?”

“I have no idea. We need to find Firestorm.”

Firestorm limped until he found a small stream of water. He approached the water’s edge and began drinking. Once he was full he laid out on the bank to rest. He remembered what he had done to Scootaloo, the pain he had caused to save her leg. It was the only thing he knew to do to save her leg but he felt the end didn’t justify the means. The memory of the sound of her screaming made him want to vomit. Firestorm rolled over and sat up on his haunches. Most of his characteristics were once again like that of a pony, but he knew Twilight and Rainbow Dash had seen more of him than he intended and they would have questions he didn’t have the answers to.

Firestorm moved to look at his reflection in a calm spot in the water. By his calculations, his wounds were 90% healed. He would need plenty of rest and food before he cast any of his more powerful spells. His ears twitched at the sound of somepony approaching. “Don’t ask me any questions because I don’t have any answers,” he said bluntly as he closed his eyes.

Firestorm suddenly felt himself forced onto his back and opened his eyes to see Scootaloo hugging his chest. She had tears running down her cheeks but she wasn’t bawling. Firestorm wrapped his hooves around her back and returned her hug, “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…” he cried softly.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash watched from a distance. Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash, “I’m going to go back to camp and let the others know Scootaloo is okay.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, “What are we gonna tell them when they see Scootaloos legs are two different colors?”

“We’re just going to tell them the truth that we have no idea what Firestorm did but whatever it was, it saved her leg.

Rainbow Dash nodded again, “Sounds good to me.”

Twilight looked back at Scootaloo and Firestorm once more before teleporting back to camp. Rainbow Dash sat down on her haunches and watched Firestorm hold Scootaloo in his warm apologetic hug.

Scootaloo had been exhausted by the day’s events and had fallen asleep on Firestorms chest during the prolonged hug. Firestorm began to gently stroke her mane and neck while she slept. Eventually he leaned forward and whispered into her ear, “I am so sorry I hurt you. I promise I will never hurt you again, Shadow Light.”

Comments

[LessThanHuman]

I apologize for the lack of activity regarding a new chapter, I have to rewrite the next chapter I was already working on because it sucked. I should have a new chapter up sometime soon. Is there anything in particular anyone would like to see happen?