Of Brothers

by FirestormFIM

Chapter 5

Scootaloo skidded to a stop, panting heavily, the other Crusader's were busy helping their sisters at their respective places of work. The filly sat on the grassy hill overlooking the Everfree forest. She would never admit it, but she loved moments like these, as much as she loved crusading with her friends, the energetic Pegasus still loved the calm and beauty of the Everfree at sunset. The brilliant oranges, reds, and purples against the dark green of the treetops, the view across the farthest fields of Sweet Apple Acres, the pair of ponies talking to the forest...

Wait...

Scootaloo did a double take. Are those the new ponies Rarity mentioned when I was over there? Why are they here? And who are they talking to in the forest? Well, I guess I might as well be neighborly. Scootaloo sprang to her hooves and trotted down towards the unusual ponies, opting to come back for her scooter later. Once she got near one pony's head snapped towards her. "Hi! What're you two doing way out here? Are you lost or something?"

---

Big Macintosh wiped the sweat from his brow as he unhooked the plow from his yoke. He looked back over his labor, the freshly plowed field contrasted the untamed forest looming on one side. The stallion lived for the feeling of a job well done, and this was certainly well done, he had plowed this particular field in just a day, it usually took two for him to plow the roughest field in the farm. Mac smiled, taking in the serene evening when it was shattered by a sharp scream behind him.

---

Firestorm glided through the air, taking in the landscape below him, He always found flying to be relaxing, with the exception of those few times he was mobilized into an emergency area, and twilight was always his favorite time to fly, either one. He watched the rolling hills give way to thick forest which in turn gave way to a brilliant sunset at the horizon. He sighed, finally he was relaxing, letting the pressures of Shining Armor and Big Macintosh melt away, if only for a little while. It didn't last.

A scream broke the peaceful silence, one all to familiar to Firestorm. The Pegasus' eye's widened, and he scanned the ground desperately, looking for the source of the scream. As his eyes passed the nearby field he saw a large red shape sprinting down the hill towards the forest edge. Firestorm's eyes followed the shapes trajectory until he saw what he was looking for, a spot of orange and purple, trying to escape from three larger spots, one larger than the other two and black. The former Guardpony dove, he dove at a speed and angle far riskier than any pony not trained for combat or high-intensity stunts would ever dare to. He had to reach his sister. The spots quickly became ponies, at least, four of them did, the fifth displayed insectile wings, a crooked horn, and legs filled with holes. Firestorm's blood ran cold. Not again, oh please not again. The massive changeling engulfed Scootaloo in a green aura and she screamed again. "Scootaloo!" Firestorm roared, causing one of the smaller 'ponies' to look up just in time for it's mind to register the two orange hooves before they made contact with it's face, slamming it into the ground as Firestorm pushed off of it to pursuit the changeling with his sister.

"Good luck with that smith-pony," the other 'pony' hissed as it transformed back into it's true changeling form and caught Firestorm's rear hooves in it's own magical grip, causing the pony to grunt in pain as his hips momentarily dislocated as they instantly decelerated.

"Get your sister Firestorm, I'll deal with this one!" The shout from behind the changeling was followed immediately by a massive red hoof slamming down on it's leg, eliciting a sharp pained hiss as the changleling's concentration broke and it's magic dissipated. Firestorm gave Macintosh a nod as he sped off after his sister as a sharp crack and another hiss announced that the massive Earth pony had indeed 'dealt with' the other changeling.

Firestorm gained ground on the largest changeling fast, Scootaloo's struggling and the unavoidable strain of using magic while flying ensuring the changeling could not hope to match an in-shape Pegasus for speed. "There's nothing you can do to stop us anyway, if you want the filly, catch her." The changeling hissed, a hateful grin on it's face as it threw it's captive at a nearby tree. Firestorm bolted, sparing no energy in favor of reaching his little sister as soon as possible. He reached her at the last moment, using himself to cushion Scootaloo. It hurt, a lot. Firestorm groaned, he wished he would have the option to lay low for a couple days, but after what just happened, he knew that wouldn't be the case.

"Well let's go Scoots, we're in for a busy few days."

It took a few minutes of walking for the siblings to leave the forest, Luna's moon peaking over the tree's where her sister's sun had just sank from the sky. Big Mac was waiting for them, next to him were two tied up changelings who's bruises could be seen even through their chitinous skin. "Thanks for the help, I owe you big time." Firestorm said, forgetting the earlier tension between the two stallions in his relief that his sister was safe.

"Eeyup"

"Let's get back to town with these two, Captain Shining Armor has to know about this immediately. I'll take the smaller one if you don't mind, I'm a little sore from crashing into a tree catching Scoots."

"Eeyup."

---

Twilight looked up from her book at the knock at her door It's a little late for a run to the library isn't it? She smiled at the irony of that thought, most ponies, anyway. She opened the door to the last thing she expected to see*, Big Macintosh, Scootaloo, a battered Firestorm, and a pair of much more battered changelings. "Big Mac? Firestorm? What's going on?"

"Firestorm sighed, "Hey Twilight, is your brother home? We need to talk to him along with you and your friends immediately, as you can see, something big just came up."

*Seriously, she might have been less surprised to see Discord and Celestia waltzing through the streets of Ponyville than this.

---

"So what's the big deal Twilight? You look almost as scared as you did when you were about to be ta- late on that friendship report." Rainbow dash asked as The Unicorn in question and her five friends walked into the library.

"Umm, I'd like to know that too." Fluttershy added, "if you don't mind that is."

"My brother and Firestorm will explain it, they know more about the situation than I do." Twilight answered.

At that Firestorm looked up from the map he, Shining Armor, and Big Macintosh had been looking at. "The changelings are back, Macintosh and I stopped some of them from foal-napping Scootaloo." This was met by a chorus of gasps from the new arrivals. "We think they're coming here first, to take out you six right away, and I don't know if they knew Shining Armor was going to be here or not but I'm sure they see that as icing on the cake."

"They have cake? And they're not sharing?" Pinkie scowled, "I knew that Chrysalis was a meanie."

Shining Armor hesitated. "Yes, well, the Guard here can't hope to beat the changelings outright, we need reinforcements and honestly, they may just be fighting to retake Ponyville. We don't have a choice, we have to evacuate the town, Firestorm volunteered to rejoin the Guard and we'll lead what Guardponies we have and hold them off as long as we can, you girls lead the rest of the civilians out, get the Princesses and the Elements and come back with the reinforcements."

"I'm staying too, you're gonna need all the help you can get."

"Macintosh! You aren't a Guardpony, you're coming with Apple Bloom and Granny Smith." Applejack replied, shocked at her brother's matter-of-fact way of volunteering for what could easily be a suicide mission.

"I'm gonna stay and protect the farm, it's where I belong." Mac replied, stoic expression unchanging.

Applejack sighed, "Fine, but then I'm staying too, one of the other girls can bring my element."

"Me too! I'm not leaving Ponyville hanging." Rainbow Dash seconded.

"No." The three stallions replied in unison.

"You're too important to risk here, it takes all six of you for the elements to work, if something happens to any one of you, we lose one of our best chances." Firestorm explained.

Fluttershy gasped, "Wait, if the changelings are in the Everfree what about Zecora? Nopony's seen her in a while."

The other five mares gasped, "You're right Fluttershy, we have to get rescue her!" Rainbow Dash ran for the door, only to be stopped by Shining Armor's magic.

"Let's get a plan together first." Shining Armor said, "Any idea's Firestorm?"

"Rainbow and I will find this Zecora, we can get in and out fastest and she knows the way. In the meantime you girls get started on the evacuation, you too Mac, Shining, you do what you will with your Guard, I'm not in charge there."

"I couldn't agree more, let's get to it then, we can't be exactly sure how much time we have."