Past Actions, Future Consequences

by Rill

Ch.8 Aftermath

Lieutenant Storm Front dove into the black wall of smoke before him, the darkness all but blinding him to anything over a few feet ahead of him. Around his head, the normally invisible clean air shield glowed pink as it worked to filter the air so he could breathe. As he flew, the thermals created by the forest fire below seemed to take pleasure in wreaking havoc with his flight plan, causing the pegasus to bounce around much more than he normally would. Behind him, the unicorn sergeant voiced his opinion about the lieutenant’s flying as he held onto the chariot the lieutenant was pulling. Storm Front ignored his friend’s comments as he punched through the column of smoke and promptly dropped thirty feet as he lost the extra lift from the flame’s heat. Behind him, his friend from boot camp screamed like a little filly on a roller coaster. Finally leveling out, the lieutenant smiled, knowing that his lone passenger was fully regretting his decision to volunteer for search and rescue duty.

Taking the moment to look around, Storm Front could see that the fire was far worse up close than it had looked flying in with the rest of the guard. Even as he had launched with Princess Celestia and the rest of his hastily assembled company, he had known that it wasn’t going to be good. From Canterlot they could see the large white plumes rising in the distance, the smell of the wind even from that distance reminding him of family camping trips when he was younger. Below, the forest was slowly disappearing as the flames advanced. Trees burst into flames seemingly as soon as their neighbor caught fire, occasionally exploding like bombs as the water inside flashed to steam in the heat. As if to illustrate the point, a large tree several hundred feet away that had probably stood for centuries detonated after it ignited, blasting its neighbors with flaming debris that set even more of the forest on fire. Down below, those animals that hadn’t run at the first whiff of smoke were panicking as they found themselves trapped by walls of flames on all sides. Turning his head, Lieutenant Storm Front banked to the left, knowing that there was nothing he could do for those animals, except hope that it would be quick.

“Sweet Celestia! Lieutenant, three o’clock!”

Lieutenant Storm Front heard the cry from his passenger and turning his head to the right nearly fell out of the sky from shock as a section of forest a mile away disappeared in a roiling fireball. Banking hard right, the pegasus managed to turn his chariot toward the fireball before the shockwave hit, his ears ringing despite the distance. From a half mile out, the lieutenant knew to expect total devastation as flaming debris began to pelt him from above, setting more forest on fire as it hit the ground. As he flew overhead, Storm Front could see that everything within several hundred yards of whatever had exploded hadn’t been spared. Looking over his shoulder, the pegasus watched as his passenger surveyed the brand new clearing.

“I wonder what it was.” The unicorn said as he turned to his friend.

“Doubt we’ll ever know for sure. Of course, this being the Everfree, it could have been anything.” Storm Front replied as he turned back toward Ponyville. Behind him, he could hear his friend sigh. The pegasus smiled, knowing that the sergeant hated a mystery, and that not knowing would bug him for the next few days.

As he flew, the lieutenant silently prayed that this wasn’t a sign of things to come. Ever since the weather factory in Cloudsdale had been crippled by the accident, Equestria had been gripped in a drought the likes of which hadn’t been seen since the weather factory opened over a century earlier. Larger towns and cities hadn’t been affected as badly as small towns like Ponyville, since they had a larger proportion of unicorns and pegasi who could use their magic to help create rain clouds, but predominantly Earth pony towns weren’t faring nearly as well. Even with the Element of Magic herself, Ponyville was barely holding its own.

“Sir, I got movement!”

“Where?” Lieutenant Storm Front yelled as he snapped back to reality.

“Two o’clock low!” The unicorn Sergeant yelled back as he scanned the forest below. “There!” He added, pointing down to an opening in the canopy. Below, the pegasus could see a pair of figures running along what must have been a trail of some kind. The lead figure was wearing a cloak that flapped and billowed as its owner ran, heedless of the limbs and bushes that tore at its cloak. Behind it was a smaller figure only a few body lengths back. He couldn’t tell much through the trees, except that it was a young pony, most likely an earth pony or unicorn, since any pegasus with half a brain would have taken to the air.

Before he could move, the lieutenant heard a howl that sent a shiver crawling down his back and wings. Whipping his head around, he could see plenty of movement behind the fleeing ponies below as a pack of timber wolves chased them, their howls making their intentions clear. From above, Storm Front could tell how the chase was going to end.

“Sergeant, cover them!” The lieutenant yelled as he banked to the right and dove, not waiting for a response.

As he dove, Storm Front saw the younger pony tumble as it tripped over a tree root while looking back at their pursuers. Before he could react, the lieutenant saw the base of a tree explode before the entire tree was thrown like a spear at the front two wolves who had decided to use the path. The two carnivores never got a chance to react before the tree struck like a bolt of lightning, shattering the two animals and sending each in multiple directions.

“Nice shot.” Storm Front yelled as he paced the fleeing ponies from above.

“That wasn’t me.” The sergeant responded as he used his magic to launch a rotting log at another wolf that dodged it at the last second.

The pegasus shook his head in admiration as the younger pony got to his hooves and raced to catch up to the other pony. Most ponies he knew, even some in the Royal Guard, wouldn’t have reacted as fast as the young pony below him had. The young unicorn’s companion stopped for a moment, seeming to have realized that they were alone. Behind them, the young pony raced to catch up, while the wolf pack followed them only a few body lengths behind. Looking over his shoulder, the lieutenant saw that his friend was studying the situation as well, as a smile slowly grew on his face. Down below, the two ponies were half way across a small clearing when the sergeant acted. Ahead of those on the ground, a tree had fallen across the path. While it wouldn’t be a problem for the older pony, Storm Front doubted that the colt would be able to jump over it, and if he tried, the wolves would be on him before he could make it over.

As if reading his friend’s mind, the sergeant focused on the fallen tree, his magic wrapping around it before hurling it at the ponies on the ground. The lead pony ducked as the tree flew over their head. Behind them the colt, who had been checking on the wolves, noticed the tree at the last second and dove beneath it as it passed over his head, before scrambling to catch his friend, while shouting something at the sergeant. Storm Front couldn’t blame the pony for being upset, though the lieutenant knew his friend would have lifted the tree higher if he could have. While the two ponies disappeared back into the forest, the tree sailed to where the trail entered the clearing, exploding as it hit the tree line and spraying the wolves with shrapnel as they reached the clearing. The sudden attack caught the wooden carnivores by surprise as several shattered from the explosion and the rest howled in pain and rage.

“What was that?” Storm Front yelled as he flew over the clearing.

“Just something I’ve been working on in my spare time.”

Before he could say anything, a howl cut through the air that froze the pegasus to the core. He knew what had made that sound, but what caught him off guard was the pure agony the howl conveyed. While his passenger was dropping trees along the path to slow the wolves should they follow the ponies on the ground, Storm Front saw a rapidly growing orange light behind the injured timber wolves. It took him a moment to see what it was, but when he did, he felt his heart stop. One of the wolves the colt had taken out had managed to pull itself back together, only to catch on fire as it chased down its pack mates. As it ran, everything it touched burst into flames, spreading the forest fire even more.

“You have got to be kidding me!” The sergeant said as he watched the flaming wolf run past its injured pack mates as Storm Front pulled the chariot higher into the air as he raced to catch the ponies on the ground.

Below, the two ponies had managed to put a fair distance between them and the wolves. While this would have most likely allowed them to escape, the lieutenant wasn’t sure it would matter much with an enraged, flaming timber wolf behind them. Fortunately, the fleeing ponies didn’t have much farther to go and within seconds burst from the tree line, still running as fast as they could. As Storm Front moved in to land, the young colt, startled by the chariot’s sudden appearance, tripped; tumbling horn over tail down the small hill. Not waiting for the chariot to stop, Sergeant Ironwood leaped from the cart. Stumbling, the unicorn guard managed to stay on his hooves as he dashed past the first pony. Ahead, the colt was getting to his hooves, though the way he favored one of his legs told the sergeant he wouldn’t be running anytime soon.

From the forest, both unicorns heard another enraged howl. The colt tried to run, only for his injured leg to give out under him, causing him to collapse and cry out in pain. Among the trees, the sergeant could see the wolf closing the distance, the forest behind it engulfed in flames. Seeing this too, the unicorn colt channeled energy to his horn, before ripping a small, half buried boulder from the ground and hurling it at the wolf like an arrow from a bow. The wolf never had a chance to react before the colt-sized rock smashed into its chest, causing the wolf to explode for the second and final time that day; the surrounding trees and brush promptly bursting into flames as the timber wolf’s remains were sent flying.

Igniting his horn, the sergeant focused on the young pony, lifting him off the ground and away from the grass that had been set on fire by the wolf’s remains. The young pony didn’t resist as he was lifted onto the guard pony’s back, too tired to struggle or care as the adrenaline he had been running on finally ran out. Turning, Iron Wood raced back to the waiting chariot as the fire behind him grew and seemed to chase after him. As he ran, the sergeant yelled at his friend, who started to move the cart as he built up speed to take off. Even though he knew he wouldn’t be left behind, the older unicorn still put on a burst of speed, leaping aboard the chariot as it took to the air a few seconds later.

Taking a moment to catch his breath, Sergeant Iron Wood gently lifted his passenger off his back, passing the young unicorn to the chariot’s other passenger who started checking him over. “Sir, take a pass over the river, I got an idea.” He shouted.

Storm Front gently banked, bringing his charges over the normally wide, slow flowing river. Now it was more of a glorified ditch since the drought had dropped its water level by at least half. Lighting his horn, Iron Wood focused on the water. A wall of water slowly rose from the river, and a quick flick of his head sent it sweeping across the spreading fire along the bank, snuffing out the flames and ensuring for the moment, that the fire wouldn’t spread. “How is he?” He asked, turning to the mare next to him.

“He will be fine; though to heal, he will need expertise that I cannot claim as mine.”

It took the sergeant a few moments to mentally translate what she said. “Right, Sir-”

“Already on it” Storm Front yelled back as he turned, the river quickly shrinking as they passed over Ponyville. Below, both guard ponies could see the town was like a disturbed anthill of activity. Fellow guard members ran about, directing the town’s residents or doing any number of a thousand other tasks. Around them, chariot teams were patrolling the sky, some on SAR duty like them. Ahead, Ponyville General grew, its entrance surrounded by tents and teams of medics that even from this distance looked bored. Storm Front quietly thanked Celestia that they hadn’t been needed. Seconds later, the lieutenant brought the chariot to the ground with a bump that elicited a moan from his youngest passenger. Unhitching himself from the harness, the pegasus waved away the approaching medic, who returned to his chair with a frown. “Sergeant, take our guests to the docs, while I find the captain.”

“Yes sir.” Iron Wood responded; the young colt already on the older unicorn’s back. They had barely stepped through the front door before a pair of nurses and a doctor appeared before them with a stretcher.

“What do we have?” The doctor said, as the sergeant gently lowered the colt onto the stretcher.

“Burns and a possible broken leg on the colt; found them in the forest running from the fire and a pack of wolves.”

“Thanks Sergeant, we’ll take it from here.” The doctor said as he and a nurse pushed the stretcher into the ER, with the zebra being led to another bed by the other nurse.

“What you did was very gallant. Surely it must be your special talent.” The Zebra said as she settled onto her bed.

“Just doing my job, ma’am” Iron Wood said, blushing slightly at the automatic nature of his response to the zebra mare’s thanks.

“Even if that is so, thanks to you we may end this day with very little woe.”

“How are you feeling, Zecora?” The nurse asked as she began to look the zebra over.

“Tired and sore, though it could have been so much more.”

The nurse didn’t respond as she listened to her patient’s heartbeat. “Other than some singeing and minor smoke inhalation, you’ll be just fine. Princess Twilight will be glad to hear that.”

“Where is she?”

The nurse looked up at the sergeant, nodding down the hall as she looked at Zecora’s fur. “Waiting room 1A: down the hall; third door on your left, Sergeant.”

“Thank you, ma’am” Iron Wood said, nodding his head in thanks as he left the two mares. Stopping for a moment, he pulled aside a curtain to check on his other charge. The young pure black colt seemed to be half conscious, a bubble around his head darkening every time he breathed out. Around the bay, the doctor and a pair of nurses moved with a practiced ease that almost seemed like a choreographed dance to the sergeant. The colt looked up at the sergeant and smiled, waving to the older pony only to have his leg gently pushed back down. Iron Wood smiled and saluted the younger unicorn before letting the curtain fall back down before continuing down the bustling hall.

Taking a deep breath, Sergeant Iron Wood gently rapped on the door. He knew that the young Princess wasn’t as large as the Royal Sisters, yet he felt slightly intimidated by her. In his opinion, anypony who had heard of her exploits and wasn’t slightly intimidated by her needed to have his head examined.

“Come in.” A voice on the other side called out.

Pushing on the door with his magic, the sergeant walked into the room before stopping to salute the large, white alicorn in front of him. What was she doing here? Having been in the guard for the better part of two decades, the sergeant knew that the solar diarch preferred to be where the action was, even if she had never personally told him that.

Celestia nodded to the guard pony who immediately snapped to attention. “What can I do for you Sergeant…”

“Ironwood, Your Highness.” The unicorn said as the princess nodded, as if finally remembering his face. “I was told that that Princess Twilight Sparkle was here.” On a couch along the wall opposite the Sergeant, a purple alicorn looked up at the mention of her name, her wings currently embracing an orange earth pony and white unicorn. “My Lieutenant and I rescued a pair of ponies from the Everfree, and when we brought them here, one of the nurses indicated that the princess would be happy to hear her prognosis.”

“What are their names, Sergeant?” Twilight asked, her attention momentarily focused on the armored stallion.

“I didn’t get the colt’s name, but the other pony is a zebra mare named Zecora.”

Twilight stopped at the mention of Zecora’s name. How could she have forgotten all about the potion master? She lived in the Everfree Forest for crying out loud! Mentally face hoofing herself; Twilight gently stood, fluffing her wings before folding them. “Where is she?”

“The ER, ma’am.”

“Lead the way Sergeant.” Celestia said as she stood.

Bowing his head, Iron Wood turned and held the door open for the two royals. While the walk to the Emergency Room was short, it still gave the experienced stallion plenty of time to examine the young Princess. Though she didn’t show it, he could tell by the way she walked that she was worried. The ER quieted as the three ponies entered.

Celestia looked out across the room at the dozen or so ponies who had stopped in their tracks to take in the possibly never-before-seen sight of her in an Emergency Room. Slowly nodding to the hospital staff, the princess followed behind the sergeant who had taken the gesture as his cue to continue. As they moved deeper into the room, Celestia smiled as the ponies around the room resumed what they had been doing. Having been on the throne for centuries, she had learned rather quickly that her little ponies tended to relax when she treated a situation as if she was in complete control, even when she wasn’t. Keeping a serene smile on her face, Celestia nodded as various ponies stopped to bow as she and Twilight walked by.

In less than a minute, both Princesses found themselves walking into a curtained off bay where a lone zebra was laying on the bed and enjoying a small fruit salad somepony had brought her.

“Zecora!”

The striped mare looked up, startled at her name being called out, though she recovered quickly as she swallowed her food. “Princess Twilight, seeing you is quite the delight.” Looking up, Twilight’s friend started to scramble to her hooves before the solar princess held up a hoof to stop her.

“Please don’t get up Ms. Zecora. The sergeant informed us that you were here, so we decided to check on how you were.”

Zecora seemed to relax as she slowly let herself sink back into the bed with a groan.

“How are you feeling?” Twilight asked as she fluffed her friend’s pillow.

“I will be fine, do not fret. On that, you can bet. Though not to be terse, if you do not believe me, ask the nurse.”

“That’s good to hear, but what happened?”

“I was at home when at the door, banged a pony I had never seen before. Bearing down was a wall of flames of such great height, that we were quickly forced to take flight. As we ran, we were attacked by wolves of wood, who happened to be in the neighborhood. I do not wish to be uncouth, but what I say is the truth. If it were not for my young friend, by flame or claw I surely would have met my end.”

As she listened to the zebra’s tale, Celestia couldn’t help but be impressed by Zecora’s description of how her friend helped keep the wolves at bay. Many ponies she knew, including most of the so called nobles, would have fled at the first sign of danger, leaving other ponies to fend for themselves “Do you know where he is right now?” Celestia asked once the zebra mare’s tale was over. Zecora simply pointed with a hoof to the bay next door, which had been a quiet hive of activity the entire time she had been standing there. Nodding her thanks, the solar princess quietly let herself out, leaving Twilight and Zecora to talk. Outside, Sergeant Ironwood was at attention between the two bays. “How is he, Sergeant?”

“Battered, bruised and a little singed, ma’am. Doc says the little guy will be just fine in a day or two.”

Smiling, Celestia moved towards the drawn curtain, which parted for her under the Sergeant’s magic. On the other side, a doctor and several nurses were moving around with practiced ease as they tended to the young colt on the bed that occupied a good part of the room. For his part, the young pony sat on the bed, his head hanging as if he was half asleep. He didn’t flinch or seem to notice when a needle was plunged into one of his legs, while a nurse started to wrap another leg in a bandage. “How is he, doctor?” Looking up, the doctor finally noticed the princess.

“Very lucky, your Highness.” The unicorn said after getting up from his bow. “We’re treating him for smoke inhalation, exhaustion, some small burns and several badly pulled muscles. Overall, he’s in pretty good condition for what he’s been through.”

Nodding her thanks, Celestia watched as the doctor returned to his patient, whispering something to the young colt as he gestured towards her. Raising his head, the young unicorn locked eyes with the princess. The small smile on the colt’s face vanished in the blink of an eye as his pupils shrank to the size of pinheads. Before anypony could react, the young pony bolted; his eyes never leaving Celestia’s as he scrambled to put as much distance between them as possible. Unable to warn him in time, the solar princess watched helplessly as he retreated too far, falling off the back of the bed in his blind panic. Yet, before anypony could move, the young black unicorn fled to the wall behind him before igniting his horn, moving several heavy metal cabinets between him and the princess, spilling and scattering their contents across the floor in the process.

Celestia stood there for a moment, confused by the colt’s sudden and unexpected reaction. Why had he reacted like that? Had he done something wrong? Had she? Before any more questions had a chance to form, the sound of hooves on tile caught the princess’s attention, forcing her back to reality. A quick glance confirmed her suspicion as Twilight skidded to a halt next to her, the sight of the trashed bay leaving her speechless. As both royals took in the scene, the staff in the room wasted no time as they began to clean up the mess, piling the fallen supplies on the now vacant bed. As the pile on the bed grew, the lone doctor turned his attention to the small fortress of furniture along the wall. Celestia watched as his horn lit up, yet after several seconds, nothing had moved. After a few more attempts, the stallion extinguished his horn before turning to the princess. “My apologies, your Highness; I don’t know why he reacted like that, but I can’t get him out.”

Nodding, the solar diarch frowned as she replayed the last few minutes in her head, trying to figure out the young pony’s strange behavior. She could feel everypony’s eyes on her, especially her former student’s, but the princess ignored them for the moment. Again, the question presented itself: why had he reacted like that? She couldn’t think of anything she had personally done. She had simply stood there, the colt had locked eyes with her, then… The solar princess felt something inside her sink as the truth dawned on her. Despite knowing the what, the why still eluded her. The last time a non-criminal had looked at her with that much fear had been… Celestia’s mind went blank as she scoured her memories. The fact that she couldn’t readily recall a similar incident told her that it had to be centuries at least, but something told her that something like this had happened before. Looking down to her former student, Celestia subtly tilted her head before turning for the hallway. Having grown up around the princess, Twilight turned to follow, taking one last look at the doctor and Zecora who were trying to coax the colt from his hiding place.

Sliding the curtain shut, Twilight turned to her mentor, only to see the princess deflate before her. Most ponies would have missed the subtle changes, but Twilight Sparkle wasn’t like most ponies. Trotting up to the taller princess, Twilight leaned against Princess Celestia, the comforting embrace being returned a moment later. “What happened, Princess?” The smaller alicorn asked as she took a step back.

“I’m not sure, but I think it would be for the best if you were to try and help him instead of me.”

“Why?”

“I wish I knew why, but he is terrified of me. He might respond to you if I’m not here.”

Twilight nodded, even though she didn’t understand. “What about you?”

“I’ll be fine, Twilight.” Celestia said, genuinely smiling for the first time. “There are matters that I need to attend to until Luna arrives with more help.”

“I’ll do my best, Princess.”

“I know you will Twilight, and don’t be afraid to ask your friends for help.” Celestia replied, hugging her former student before turning to leave, Sergeant Ironwood falling into step behind her.

Turning around, Twilight took a deep breath, feeling the pent up fear and tension inside her slowly evaporate as she let the breath out. Allowing herself a smile, Twilight parted the curtain before her. Inside, the scene hadn’t changed much; Zecora was lying on the floor, quietly talking to the colt behind the cabinets while the doctor and nurses finished picking up the fallen supplies. Walking up to the now overflowing bed, the young princess started to sort the supplies alongside the doctor. “What happened?”

“I don’t know.” He whispered, sneaking a quick glance at Zecora. “I told him that he had an important visitor, and he panicked after one look at the Princess.”

Twilight glanced at the small fortress, confused. What could have caused the colt to panic so badly? Setting the rolled up bandage with the rest of its siblings, Twilight slowly approached the pile of cabinets, before lowering herself to the floor. Behind the cabinets, she could see a small black lump curled up on the floor. “Hello.” The Element of Magic gently said, finding herself staring into a pair of golden eyes a moment later. The young pony shrank back slightly as he stared back, prevented from going anywhere by the wall behind him. “You don’t need to be scared, I won’t hurt you.” The unicorn seemed to ever so slightly relax a moment later, causing a small smile to bloom on Twilight’s face. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and you’ve already met Zecora.” The young princess said, gesturing to herself, then to the zebra next to her. “What’s your name?”

The young pony didn’t immediately answer. Instead, he stared Twilight in the eyes, as if trying to determine if she could be trusted. As his mouth slowly opened, Twilight saw the colt’s eyes come to a halt on her wings. Faster than she could blink, the colt’s mouth snapped shut as a golden shield sprang to life between them with a screech of metal on tile as the magical barrier pushed against the cabinets around the colt. Despite the wall behind him steadfastly refusing to budge, the colt continued to desperately try to put as much distance between the two of them as he could. Seeing the young pony suddenly panic, Twilight slowly moved several feet back. The gesture seemed to calm him down, though she could still see the terror in his eyes. Turning to Zecora, the youngest Princess could see the confusion she felt mirrored on her friend’s face. Turning back, the lone Zebra waited until her young friend was looking back at her. “Your terror is plain and all can see; yet this does not have to be. Twilight is my friend, good and true. You have my word; no harm will come to you.”

“I believe you, but I don’t trust her.”

“If that is true, why don’t you?”

“It’s a long story.”

“From where I hale, we enjoy a good tale. Though you must believe me, nowhere safer could you be.”

Closing his eyes, the young clone nodded. Opening his eyes, he watched as the object of his fear slowly inched closer until she had taken back her spot.

Twilight slowly lowered her head until she was back at eye level with the young unicorn. The smile she had planned to use to show that she was friendly died before it could form as she saw the young pony’s horn light up; the colt’s shield suddenly growing stronger. Racking her mind for some way to break the tension, Twilight said the first thing that came to mind. “Hello.”

The young pony moved his head around, as if looking to see whether somepony was still around. “What in the name of Tartarus is the solar empress doing here?” He whispered, seemingly satisfied that the pony in question was nowhere nearby.

Twilight cocked her head slightly at the pony’s odd phrase and accent. Solar Empress? “Do you mean Princess Celestia?”

“She still uses that old title?”

“Of course she does” Twilight replied, frowning. Old title? “But to answer your question, she’s here because of the fire.” If she had to judge, the unicorn seemed to mentally face hoof himself at the obviousness of the answer. “Do you want to come out of there?”

“I’m good.” He answered, sneezing a moment later from the dust.

“Don’t you want the doctor to take a look at your leg?”

“I’ve had worse.”

“Zecora told me and Princess Celestia what you did in the forest. That was very brave and must have been scary.”

The younger pony shrugged. “Not really. I’ve seen things much worse than a bunch of overgrown wooden mutts.”

“Like what?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

Sighing, Twilight looked away for a moment. She remembered her foalhood well enough to understand why he was reluctant to move, but he couldn’t stay there forever. What would it take to get the young colt to budge? Looking around, Twilight watched as a nurse walked past the bay pushing a cart loaded with trays of food. Sometimes the best way to help a frightened animal is to give them a snack. Fluttershy’s words slowly bubbled up in Twilight’s mind. Would that trick work on a frightened pony? “Are you hungry?” The colt gave her his full attention as her horn lit up, Zecora’s tray of fruit slowly settling down between the two mares a few seconds later. Focusing on a large pineapple slice, Twilight picked it up with her magic before taking a bite out of it, smiling at the fruit’s slight sting. Waiting a few seconds, the town’s librarian watched as a pair of apple slices slowly lifted off the tray in a golden aura before flying out of view beneath a cabinet, only to meet a crunchy end a moment later. Soon enough, the slices of fruit were disappearing at a steady rate, eliciting a smile from Zecora. Within five minutes, the tray was completely bare. “Better?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to come out now?” Not hearing a response, Twilight glanced at Zecora.

“I would be happy to join you, that is, if you want me to.”

“Really?”

“It would be no great task. All you have to do is ask.” A few moments later, one of the cabinets shifted to the side.

“Will you?” The now fully visible colt asked; smiling as the zebra mare nodded. Pushing his way between two cabinets, the young unicorn looked around the room, wilting slightly at the doctor’s slightly less than pleased look. Glancing up at Zecora, the colt seemed to calm down again. Turning his head, the vest wearing unicorn’s horn glowed as the disheveled furniture began to float and move back to where it had come from.

Smiling at the gesture, Twilight looked at the older unicorn. “Can he go?”

“Yup, though you might want to tighten the bandage around his leg so it doesn’t come off.” He replied, as he ignited his horn to tighten the colt’s bandage.

“Thank you, doctor.”

“Thank you for your help, sir.” The colt said, lowering his head in thanks and respect to the older unicorn, “and I am sorry about the mess.”

“You’re very welcome; though please try to avoid any forest fires in the future.”

---

Outside, Celestia pumped her wings as she worked to gain altitude. Behind her, Lieutenant Storm Front and Captain Strong Wind were panting as they worked to keep up with their Princess. In the early afternoon light, half the Everfree Forest lay charred and barren, what few trees that hadn’t fallen were now blackened ghostly reminders of what had once been. Across the forest, a wall of fire rose above the tops of the trees as it advanced; it had slowed, from what the lieutenant could see, but it was still moving, consuming anything in its path. As the two officers worked to catch up to their princess, both ignored the minor stings of embers and debris that had been thrown into the air, only to rain down, occasionally starting small fires that were attacked by the locals with a ferocity rarely seen in civilians. Even with the help of the guard, five buildings had already burned to the ground and several more had been badly damaged. Off in the distance, Storm Front could see the Cloudsdale Weather Factory, which was still being rebuilt.

Up ahead, the lone Princess came to a halt, her wings pumping as she hovered to take in everything she saw. As memories from a thousand years ago tried to surface, Celestia forced them back, instead focusing on the slowly growing burning in her wings that promised days of soreness from the sudden amount of use. Sighing, the solar princess allowed herself a small smile at the small victory. If she was going to stop this fire, she would need to be able to focus without being reminded about what happened in the distant past, though she knew that she wouldn’t be able to stop one particular memory if it surfaced. Closing her eyes, Celestia channeled energy to her horn, her mind focusing on the Everfree River off in the distance.

She could feel the sand beneath her hooves as the breeze from the ocean failed to do anything to her mane. She stood in the middle of a large spell circle, the delicate lines and runes waiting for her cue. Looking to her right, she could see the young orange maned unicorn looking back at her. “Ready?”

“Let’s just get this over with Princess. I got a daughter waiting for me and I’d rather be with her than here with you.”

Celestia turned away from the angry mare’s gaze, though she could still feel Luna’s closest friend staring daggers at her. Ahead of her, a light orange shield formed in front of her. Waiting for a few seconds until the shield was complete; the Equestrian monarch closed her eyes before igniting her horn. In her mind she could see the spell begin to form, the magical threads forming and connecting, with threads branching off to form new connections. Frowning, she could feel the strain of the magic beginning to tell as beads of sweat started to roll down her face. With a final push, she watched the spell complete itself before disappearing from her mind. Opening her eyes, Celestia was greeted with a blast of heat that would put a raging volcano to shame, the shield in front of her deflecting most of the heat. Ahead, a large circle of flame stood before her, the heat pouring out from it melting the sand between it and Summer Breeze’s shield into glass. Inside she could creatures moving among the flames, though they came to a halt as soon as they saw her. Knowing she had to make sure she had their attention, Celestia moved to the side, giving the creatures of flame an unobstructed view of the Great Ocean. From the looks on their faces, Celestia knew that she had their complete attention.

Knowing what came next, Celestia forced back the loathed memory until she felt the river’s water rolling on its course in the distance. She felt the water start to pool in the distance as she cast a barrier across the river. Focusing on the suddenly expanding river, she diverted the water, channeling it so that it began to flow up hill and into the blackened forest, plumes of steam rising as it met burned land. As the stream grew, a slight change in magic caused the steadily thickening ribbon of water to grow in height, until it resembled a wall. Stretching the wall until it spanned across the entire forest, Celestia gave it one final shove, sending it roaring across the blackened land and straight into the raging inferno. With a crash, the literal wall of water slammed into the advancing flames from behind, extinguishing the blaze’s leading edge in the blink of an eye. As it surged across the land, the wave tore up the forest, ripping up century’s old trees like weeds, before dying like a wave on a beach.

She knew that there were other methods that were just as effective, but she hadn’t created a storm cloud in centuries, and while it wasn’t as efficient, her tactic produced much quicker results. Letting one wing dip as she turned toward Ponyville, the princess silently admitted that she stole the move from the young colt she had saved. She couldn’t deny that she was impressed by the shield of water he had created to protect himself and the others. It was a piece of quick thinking that she wouldn’t have expected from one so young. Even as she recalled the colt, Celestia felt off, as if she was missing something that was staring her in the face. It wasn’t until she locked her wings as she glided down to the hospital that the princess finally figured out what was bothering her.

The colt in the ER.

Despite the mane color, his resemblance to the colt she had saved was too similar to be a coincidence. Nodding her thanks to the corporal who opened the door for her, the princess made her way through the ER, thankful beyond words that it was quiet. Stopping for a moment, she saw that the bay the young colt had been in had been cleaned up. Knowing her former student, Celestia slowly made her way to the private waiting room as the day’s activities chose that moment to catch up with her. Grabbing the door handle with her magic, the solar princess pushed on the door, hearing the conversation on the other side stop dead as she entered. Looking up, she smiled at the four pairs of waiting eyes that had focused on her. “The fire has been contained.” She said as she let herself sink into the waiting couch as nearly everypony in the room sighed in relief. Even with the loose spring digging into her flank, it was the most welcome feeling in the world to the princess at that moment. Letting herself enjoy the feeling, she allowed herself a few deep breaths before she opened her eyes, focusing on the one pony that had yet to even acknowledge her presence.