• Published 1st Jan 2015
  • 1,930 Views, 72 Comments

Crimson Mare - Sphinx_Herald



After years of self exile, Nova Hearthfire decides that it's time to pay off a few debts. Though it involves going back to Equestria

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Trust

Nova lies on a bench in the park, enjoying the turn in fortune. For the past two nights she has finally had a full night of sleep. No burning cities, towns or bodies, although they were dreamless nights they are still better than the alternative. She lets out a content sigh as she looks up at the autumn leaves, or the few that are left.

The air is cooler than it had been last week. There had even been frost on the ground when she woke up. Winter is right around the bend… what am I going to do?

You could sabotage winter.

No thanks… maybe I can close up the entrance to the cave and add a little door?

I thought you weren’t delirious anymore.

“Still am, I’m talking to you after all,” she mumbles. Tilting her head she takes a sip of her hot chocolate, one of the first things she has been able to buy since getting her pay, a little in advance. A cool breeze blows across the park causing a shiver to run down her back. “I hate the cold,” she says around the straw.

She pulls her mailmare hat down over her eyes and pushes her head further down onto the bags. The other thing that had happened over the two days were that she got the job, and a pay. The job had become easier when she had finally gotten some sleep, turns out working as a mailmare on a few hours of sleep a week doesn’t work too well. But, the job is still tiring though. However, Nova won’t complain, the job helps her learn the names and places of this little town.

Her ears twitch and turn toward some nearby laughter. How can anyone enjoy weather like this? It’s too cold!

“Hey Nova,” Derpy says. A young filly runs around next to her chasing a butterfly. “Those bags are comfy aren’t they?”

Nova throws her head back and sending the hat off her head. “Anything is comfy when you’re as tired as I am.” She looks at Derpy, a large smile spreads across the grey mare’s muzzle. “And you do that every day?”

“You get used to it after a while.” She turns to little unicorn filly. “How about you go set up the picnic? I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Alright, mommy.” The filly runs over to a one of the clearings carrying a basket with her.

“Nice kid,” Nova says.

Derpy smiles. “Thanks, her name’s Dinky. Uh, would you like to join us?” she saks motioning to where Dinky is setting up.

Nova takes a moment and finishes her drink. “Nah, I’m not that good with kids.” She looks back up at the leaves. “Think I might head home and start preparing for winter.”

“Oh, alright then.” Derpy smiles at her again and heads off toward her daughter.

Nova finishes her drink and rolls off the bench onto her hooves. She ruffles her feathers against the cold wind and heads off. With a couple of flaps from her wings she flies into the clear sky.

A few other pegasi fly in the air as well, one of which she makes out as Rainbow Dash. She is pushing a cloud out toward the Everfree, but Nova can see her look her way every so often. She still hates me, Nova thinks remembering when she had a fight with her and Fluttershy. She looks over to where Fluttershy’s cottage is, a image of the crying pegasus comes to mind. I was really rough on her…

She takes off for the cottage in a burst of speed. Rainbow continues to watch her as she flies past. After a moment she realizes where Nova’s going and follows behind. It doesn’t take long before Nova comes down for a landing on the bridge. A few boards snap from the hard landing, but the bridge stays in one piece.

Shaking off the landing, and already planning on fixing the bridge, she walks to the door. “Coming here to break her stuff now?” Rainbow says from above. An agitated sigh escapes Nova’s lips and she looks up at the cyan pegasus.

“I came here to say sorry. She certainly didn’t deserve me yelling at her.”

“Oh, are you? How can I be sure you’re not just here to make her cry again?” There is anger behind her voice.

Nova sighs and turns back to the door. “You can’t because there is no way of knowing if she will. But, if it counts for anything, honestly I was a bitch and I shouldn’t have yelled at her for trying to help.”

“So, you admit that you were wrong?”

“No, I don’t need, or want any help.”

“Sound just like a griffon,” Rainbow says under her breath. “Everypony needs help once and a while, and you needed help. You can’t just say that you don’t need it.”

Fine then, I don’t want it. “Yeah, everyone does, but it’s just better for everypony if they just stay away from my problems.”

“Well, you’re just going to have to get used to it, everypony here would be happy to help anyone in need.”

“Not if they knew what they would be getting into,” Nova says barely loud enough for Rainbow to hear.

“Twilight sure seems like she wants to help, even after what you did.”

“Wait, after what exactly?” Nova turns back to her.

Rainbow holds her ground, or rather air, but hesitates for a moment before answering. “Well, after she saw you shouting at Fluttershy and she still went after you.”

Nova huffs and looks away again, which only makes Rainbow grit her teeth. “She only tried to convince me to go the the hospital.”

A quick rainbow streak flies past her view and lands between her and the house. “You nearly killed Twilight because she wanted to help?!”

Nova whips around to her. “Where did you hear that?”

“I didn’t, she just happened to have a bandage around her neck the day after visited you! I’m not going to let you near Fluttershy!”

“I’m not going to hurt her, I only hurt Twilight because… because I was having a bad day…” Damn, I am some type of monster.

Now you realize!

“Yeah, and I don’t want to take the risk of you burning her house down because you’re a little angry!” Rainbow shouts back. She quickly puts a hoof over her mouth, but it’s too late. They both stare at each other for a few seconds as Nova slowly picks apart what Rainbow said. A moment later her eyes narrow on the cyan pegasus.

“She told you?!”

“No, no, I just, uh, saw your breakdown the oth--” Before she can finish Nova blasts into the sky, completely destroying the bridge in the process, and a crimson streak shoots off into the town. Rainbow silently curses and flies after her, but soon finds her target moving surprisingly quickly.

The pursuit doesn’t last too long, with Nova coming down for a landing and skidding past the library. Rainbow swiftly lands in front of the door, once again getting in her way. “She didn’t tell me anything, I just--” Rainbow starts.

“Get out of my way!” Nova shouts stomping her hoof. It sparks against some of the rocks in the dirt road.

“Unless you calm down, I’m not moving.”

“Get out of the way!” She tries to push Rainbow out of the way, but with a few flaps of her wings Rainbow stays put.

There is a click and the door swings open. “What’s going on out here?” Twilight asks. Nova stops trying to push Rainbow and glares at the alicorn. Twilight gives her a nervous smile and takes a small step back. “Oh, Nova, what--”

“You told her?!” Nova snaps. Rainbow yelps and jumps back when Nova’s hooves begin to burn at the touch. Nova takes a few steps toward Twilight.

“Nova, I... it... I’m sorry, we were just talking and it kinda slipped out. I never--”

“Just slipped! She still knows, you still told someone! I don’t care how it--”

Twilight takes a step back from her. “Nova, p-please calm down.”

Nova stops for a moment as a wisp of smoke floats past her. She looks down at a small stream of smoke pouring out from under a hoof. Looking out the door she sees a crowd starting to form around the library. Nova, we don’t need another debt. Just leave before you hurt everyone. With a huff she heads back out the door and not wanting to waste another moment takes to the air.

Once Nova is little more than a dot against the sky Twilight lets out a sigh of relief. She looks down at the small burn mark on her floor. She walks up next to Rainbow, taking a quick look at her side. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry about telling her, I guess we’re both pretty bad at keeping secrets.”

“It’s fine, we can’t change what happened. But, we should go after her and make sure she doesn’t do anything too rash.”

Rainbow and Twilight land in front of Nova’s cave. They go inside, but as far as either can tell she’s not there. “So, this is where Nova lives?” Rainbow asks while she idly pokes at an old scorch mark that covers the center of the camber.

Twilight walks around the room, eventually she finds Nova’s saddlebags and her mailmare uniform. “She was here, and she left her stuff here too, she must not have went far.”

“You weren’t kidding when you said she can make fire,” Rainbow says looking at the scorched black marks that cover the walls. “And this is something she does when she’s angry?”

A loud explosion thunders in from outside before Twilight can answer. Without another word the two race outside. No smoke fills the sky, no visible flames burning the trees. They look around, but don’t spot where the explosion came from. “You think that was her?” Rainbow asks.

“It was.” Twilight spreads her wing and flies just above the trees. “Come on, she can’t be far.” They start heading around the mountain trying to spot smoke or fire. Don’t do anything you’ll regret, Nova, Twilight thinks.

Once they come around to the other side of the mountain they find a large column a black smoke billowing out from a circle of burnt trees. They fly a bit lower to avoid the worst of the smoke and to see if they can spot the pegasus herself. Most of the trees inside the circle are blasted apart and are now flaming splinters dotting the area. Small pockets of fire burn inside the circle. All the trees surrounding the area are in a full blaze. Twilight silently thanks Celestia that none of those trees was the library.

Twilight takes a quick look over at Rainbow, the pegasus is clearly troubled by the level of destruction. “Are you okay?”

Rainbow snaps out of her stupor and gives Twilight a brisk nod. “Y-yeah, fine. But, that could have been me, or your house…” Twilight looks back at the circle and at Nova who is sitting in the center taking deep breaths. Each exhale is a stream of black smoke, and with each exhale the fires get a little smaller.

After a few minutes of waiting the smoke has finally dissipated enough the fly in. Twilight gives Rainbow a quick reassuring smile, takes a deep breath and flies into the blast area.

Nova doesn’t notice Twilight or Rainbow flying behind her. Damnit Nova! You almost destroyed everything. She looks at the burning trees and charred earth. You would have made a crater in the center of Ponyville! A long sigh escapes her lips and she sits up a little straighter.

“Hey, Nova, feeling any better?” Twilight asks. The fires once again burst to life with new vigor. Nova turns and glares at the two flying above her.

“No.” Nova gets up and spreads her wings preparing to find another place where she can get some privacy.

“Nova wait,” Twilight says before the pegasus can get too far. “I didn’t mean to tell Rainbow, it was just an accident. I’m not that good at keeping secrets. I’m sorry I broke your trust.”

For a few seconds tense seconds nobody moves. Nova simply stays put mid-step seemingly lost in her own mind again. Finally, after twenty seconds Nova folds her wings against her sides and the fires die down again. She sits down, but still looks away from them. “Don’t say sorry to me, I don’t deserve it.”

Twilight and Rainbow land a good distance from the crimson mare. Rainbow looks around at the ring of charred trees and suddenly feels like she’s not far enough away. She looks for any burnt animals, but thankfully finds none.

Nova turns around to face the two of them giving them a quick bow. “I’m sorry about that. I… overreacted. It was your choice what to do with… the knowledge of my ability, and I shouldn’t have acted as such.”

They stare at her in surprise, not quite expecting an apology from a mare who, moments ago, destroyed part of a forest. “It was something you trusted me with and I told Rainbow. You had every right to be angry.”

Another stream of smoke blows out of her nostrils. Are you sure you want these two to live?

“If you say so, princess.” She looks at Rainbow. “Well, since you now know what I can do, this is what happens when I’m angry,” she says gesturing to the burnt trees arounds them.

Rainbow eyes her wearly. “Good to know. So, are you magic or something?”

“Probably,” Nova says with a shrug. A gust of wind blows through the newly made clearing causing her to shiver again. She brushes some soot off her coat with her wing then turns to the line of trees. “It’s getting cold out here, think I’m going to go now.” Shooting a quick glare at the two she adds, “I would rather if you two don’t tell anyone else about what I can do.”

She bursts into the sky without another word. “She’s fast,” Rainbow says watching the quickly receding red dot.

Beside her Twilight sighs with a mix of relief and disappointment. Looks like I might have to ask Lore how to get her to talk… But, why was she suddenly fine that I told RD? She had been on the edge of turning us into crisps, but then she just accepted it. At least she did, I would hate to think of what would happen if she didn’t. She turns to Rainbow, but finds a rainbow colored streak racing off into the distance. “Wait for me!”

Nova walks down into the cave, fire runs along her back and wings giving the place some light and heat. She couldn't even keep it a secret for five days! How long before she decides to tell someone else? Nova comes out into the chamber and sits in the center.

How much can I even trust this Rainbow? She doesn’t like me… for good reason though. I doubt she’s going to keep this to herself, chances are she’s as likely as Twilight to inform Celestia that I’m here. Maybe I should just leave.

They won’t tell anyone, they have both seen what you’re capable of, if anything they fear you.

They’re the Elements of Harmony, they don’t fear me. Actually, maybe the Elements can finally rid me of you.

They can’t.

Figured as much, besides it would involve telling them about you.

And telling them what you are and what you’ve done.

Okay then, I can probably leave before anyone knows that I’m even gone. But, I still have those debts to pay off… I guess I can live in the middle of nowhere. The problem is that it’s still--

“So, you’re still angry?” The voice cuts her out of her thoughts and brings her into the fire filled chamber. Rainbow stands at the entrance, keeping a good distance between herself and the flames. WIth a bit of focus the flames dim down a little but remain.

“Yes, that and it’s incredibly hard for a non-unicorn to use magic, takes a little more focus.” She walks over and jumps up onto the outcropping deciding to let the fires die down on their own. “Thanks for checking on me, but could you please leave. In case you can’t see, I’m a bit of a danger to anyone near me.”

“How can I trust you?” Rainbow asks. She takes a step into the chamber ignore the few fires that still burn. Nova only raises an eyebrow at the question. With an annoyed groan Rainbow continues. “How I can trust that you’re not a bad guy? When I met you, you were shouting at Fluttershy. Today, you would have ripped Twilight’s head off. I saw what you’re capable of, how can I be sure you won’t try to destroy Ponyville or something like that?”

Nova stares at her for a moment then looks up at the ceiling thinking over the question a bit. After a few seconds of thinking she looks back at Rainbow. “I live out here so I don’t hurt anyone, I blew up part of the forest instead of part of Ponyville.”

“For all I know you can be trying to keep a low profile.”

“Fine, how can I prove that I’m not here to cause trouble?”

Author's Note:

This really should have been an obvious outcome given how well Twilight is with keeping a secret. And what do you think Rainbow wants Nova to do? Sorry about not having an actual update schedule for this story, but that might can with my other story coming to a close. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed. Until next time,
-Sphinx