Chapter Eight: Flames
“Trainee Stone! You are on patrol with your squad and encounter two immediate problems,” Sergeant Shifting Sands barked, pausing as he and the other thirty thestrals stood at attention.
They had been traversing Canterlot for a good hour or two, the unicorn grilling each and every trainee present on potential scenarios. Clad in full armor with spell-shield gauntlets, they looked the part save for the large (T) inscribed across the sides of the metal to signify their rank of Trainees.
“There is a bakery on fire with occupants waving from a window, flames behind them. There are three ponies out front attempting to make off with the business’s safe. One of the owners is struggling with them. It is only you present. How do you react after calling for backup?”
The thestral in question furrowed her brow, only taking a moment to respond. “Lives are always worth more than possessions, so I yell to the owner in front of the store to let the thieves go. I focus my efforts on saving the occupants,” she stated, prompting an approving nod from the Drill Sergeant.
“Good. Now this may seem like an obvious exercise, but it is crucial to imagine these scenarios beforehoof,” Shifting replied, the group starting to move down the street again, pausing ever so often as their leader spoke.
“What may be an obvious choice now may become muddled in the moment. To hesitate in a crisis is to allow danger the upper hoof. Possessions are never worth more than a life, no matter how dear they may be to the pony. Any questions?”
A hoof popped up in the back, Shifting nodding to the thestral that trotted along at the edge of the group.
“Trainee Fern, yes?”
“Sir, what if the muggers are trying to harm the owners? Then it’s two cases of lives being saved.”
Shifting signaled a halt, sitting down and addressing the group. His shoulders sagged slightly, an invisible weight pressing down upon them.
“Then, Trainee Fern, you have to make the most difficult decision of all,” the Sergeant replied, eyes locked onto the thestral in question. “In a scenario such as that, and we haven’t covered situational triage yet, there may be no clear answer. You may try to save both parties and both may die. Or perhaps you save one at the cost of the other. I hope none of you ever have to make that choice, but there are indeed situations in which there is no correct choice, only choices that you must live with.”
Shifting noticed how the entire group was dead silent but a notable few were nodding their heads in agreement, Silty Stone included. There’s a few hardened ponies here, interesting.
“We will cover that in the coming week or two. For now, let us continue with a few more basic exercises. Now then, who can tell…me…” his voice drifted off, a familiar itch spreading along the pony’s spine.
“Sir?” Silty asked, seeing the unicorn’s eyes narrow.
“Something is wrong,” The Drill Sergeant stated flatly, his armor glowing as magic swirled protectively around his frame.
“Trainees, I want you to-”
*THUD*
The ground shook, sending each pony tottering on their own hooves as something detonated, sending shockwaves throughout the city. A glow now lit up the night sky to their right, followed by another, smaller explosion that was but a few streets over. Embers rose and quickly began to fall on the group, carried by a slight wind.
“Drill Sergeant Sands here. Explosions near the prison complex of the castle. Secondary explosion on Forth Horseshoe street, two blocks east of main,” the veteran unicorn barked, horn aglow with a communication spell as a crystal levitated out of his saddlebags, linking him to the Royal Guard dispatch center.
“I have thirty trainees with me; I’m too far from the prison complex, but I’ll have them observe and report. I’ll respond to the closest explosion.”
A simple chime was his answer, the emergency tone indicating that the message was received but no time could be spared for even a simple voice reply.
“Trainees!” Shifting ordered, everpony standing at attention.
“The back half of this group, go towards the prison. Do not engage unless attacked. I want you to observe and record what happens. We don’t know who or what caused that explosion. Aid the Royal Guards first and foremost however! The rest of you with me, now MOVE OUT!” Shifting bellowed, the group smoothly splitting in half, thestrals flying quickly towards the distant fiery glow.
The other fifteen thestrals quickly galloped after their Sergeant, the unicorn’s hooves sparking with magic as various spells weaved themselves into his armor.
Two explosions, one near the prison? A diversion for sure.
Skidding around the final corner, Shifting’s eyes widened as he took in the scene in an instant. A large, multi-story wooden building was aflame, nestled between other structures that were beginning to burn. A dozen royal guards were already there, treating ponies with various stages of burns. Four Pegasi were moving clouds into position trying to dump as much water onto the fire as possible.
What then made Shifting’s heart turn to ice, was noticing many of the victims were very small in size.
“Corporal!” Shifting called, seeing a royal guard directing a few other ponies this way and that. “What can we do?”
The earth pony’s eyes widened, and Shifting saw that this individual was barely past his mid-twenties; likely fresh out of officer’s training.
“I-we need to move the victims, and get the fire out,” the Corporal stammered, then gestured to the building. “You’re higher ranking than me, Sir. I’ll follow your lead, if that’s appropriate. I only got here a few moments ago. There may be a few more ponies inside…”
Shifting gestured to the victims, nodding to his trainees. “Recruits! Follow the corporal’s lead on evacuating these patients; that building could come down soon. I’ll check to see if there’s anyone left inside!”
The thestrals nodded; leaving the Sergeant to gallop towards the inferno. The other unicorns present were casting healing spells, and they likely didn’t have his expertise in such matters.
Cold spell, shielding spell, backup shields, instant levitation in case of floor collapse…alright.
Shifting trotted through the flames, magic sparking as his shields held firm. “Hello? Is there anypony left inside?” he called, horror creeping into his frame as a single large sign sagged next to a receptionist desk.
‘Canterlot Orphanage- Overflow facility.’
“ANYPONY?” Shifting bellowed, casting a seeker spell throughout the building. To his relief, it came up empty.
That means there’s no living ponies left.
Still inspecting a few flaming rooms, Shifting was relieved to see no bodies- but a bit of movement caught his eye, bolting towards an emergency exit.
The Sergeant only caught a glimpse of the pony as it dashed out of the flaming door- a unicorn clad in flame retardant clothing that glowed with concealment spells and carrying an empty gas can in its magical grip.
Oh no you don’t!
Shifting’s horn glowed- and the wall in front of him shimmered to become slightly transparent, letting him see the assailant on the other side. That’s right…a few more steps….
Silty Stone carefully pulled the last of the fillies over, making sure the frightened child was comfortable on the other side of the street. If the building collapsed, they’d be at least somewhat removed; but they were hardly safe.
“That’s the last of them moved!” she called to the corporal, then noticing a dark shape in the small alleyway next to the flaming building.
The mysterious pony only took another step or two before the wall beside it exploded.
Wreathed in flames that licked around his personal shielding and eyes aglow with a red tint, Sergeant Sands hit the pony with his shoulder, sending it thudding into the opposing wall. Silty’s eyes widened in surprise as the Sergeant pounced, throttling the pony against the stone with a single hoof- a familiar saber held but an inch away from the pony’s nose in a magical grip.
“Give me a reason!” Shifting hissed, the pony now reduced to a quivering mess as its face mask was pulled away. A stallion stared back at him with cloudy eyes, the fearful facade then dropping as he grinned.
“Go ahead! That would be even better!” the firebug giggled, then starting to cackle before Shifting smacked the hilt of his saber against the assailant’s skull.
“No. No more death tonight,” Shifting muttered, a bit of movement then drawing his gaze. At the end of an alleyway, a pony caught his gaze, simply standing there. The mare’s mane and tail were fading at the ends, as though steaming off into the ether. Her entire body was a light blue, carrying with it the strange misting effect, as though made of ice left out in a hot summer day. Her eyes, however, were unforgiving and hateful, their dark blue orbs locking onto Shifting’s. The air seemed to freeze around the Sergeant, his breath misting in front of his muzzle despite the inferno. Her mouth opened to reveal fangs, then twisting into a cruel smile for a moment.
And then she was gone, blown away on the wind.
What was that?!
Cries for help drew Shifting’s attention, the Sergeant now trotting out to assist the other victims with the unconscious assailant levitated in his grasp.
“Who was that, Sir?” Silty asked, prompting her mentor’s ears to perk up as he tied up the other pony.
“You saw her too?”
“Only a glimpse. It was like a ghost, and then it got rather cold.”
Her comments elicited a frown from the Sergeant; and he simply shook his head. “She’s gone now, perhaps an illusion. Now then, let’s get this one secured and-”
“SIR!”
The voice of the Corporal made Shifting’s head whip around just in time to see another masked pony emerge from an alleyway across the street. With a powerful toss, the earth pony sent a backpack flying into the burning building, the assailant then vanishing as two royal guards dashed after him. As the pack flew into the window, Shifting caught a glimpse of a few red cylinders spilling from the bag…
NO!
The Sergeant turned his head- only able to look on in horror as the dozens of ponies behind him stared in shock. The royal guards, trainees and injured; they were all within the blast zone.
“EVERYPONY DOWN!” Shifting bellowed, galloping to stand in front of the ponies before slamming his hooves into the cobblestones, runes igniting along the ground.
Tan shields shimmered into existence, stacking on top of one another as the magic spread, Shifting’s body swirling with leyline power. Waves of the raw arcane energy were sucked into his frame as though drawn through a vacuum, the unicorn’s shield spell desperately weaving a wall of shields in front of the guards and casualties.
The sudden series of detonations made Shifting’s hooves crack into the cobblestones; the force of the explosion making his spells and body shudder with the strain. A wall of fire surged out against his shields; tendrils forcing their way between the protective layers.
This isn’t just dynamite! What else did they mix into it?!
The flames continued to intensify, spreading around the edges of Shifting’s shields as he struggled to maintain the spells. The Pegasi above the building flew away; the flames taking the path of least resistance and surging upwards in a pillar of fire.
Shifting felt his personal shield begin to crack; the primary spells holding the flames at bay still in place. So be it! I can take a bit of heat!
Flames licked across his frame, the leather wrappings burning away as a final line of spells protected Shifting’s skin between his Lunar Knight armor. Even as fire wrapped around the unicorn, his horn continued to shine, channeling every scrap of magic into the wall of shields that angled the blaze upwards and away from the ponies behind him.
I can’t contain this alone…I hope everypony is moving out of the way! I can’t-
His shields suddenly stopped shimmering; a different type of magic strengthening the spells. Silty Stone pushed through the blaze- a forelimb held out in front of her as the personal shielding spell emanating from her gauntlet meshed with Shifting’s. Another trainee joined the line, and then another- and within moments, eleven Thestrals stood shoulder to shoulder with Shifting; their shields pushing the blaze back. Shifting couldn’t help but laugh, pressing his own shields forwards.
I forgot. After thousand years of fighting on my own; I’m not alone!
“FORWARD, TRAINEES!” Shifting called, the Thestrals marching forwards with him without hesitation. More Pegesi had now finally gathered, sending a mountain of clouds brimming with moisture to settle on top of the raging inferno. As the rain dumped onto the building, Shifting let his shields slowly relax, the fire quickly sputtering out under the torrent of water that now rushed into the streets.
Canceling his spells, the Sergeant stood tall and looked at the eleven Thestrals proudly, each panting at the strain of both the heat and utilizing their shields.
“Thank you, and well done.” Shifting whispered, prompting a snort from Silty.
“Welcome, as if we’d let you stand there alone anyhow.”
A grin spread across Shifting’s face, but that quickly faded as he noticed how the Thestral’s were staring at him.
“Uh, Sir? Your fur….” Silty murmured, prompting Shifting to cast a mirroring spell.
On seeing his bare and blistered skin, Shifting became aware of the all-encompassing stinging sensation that covered half his face, shoulder, and torso. The Sergeant promptly frowned and uttered a single word.
“Oh.”
“This really wasn’t what I thought you meant about talking later, you know.”
“W-well me neither! This blasted spell itches!”
“Well you should have thought about that before getting it burned off!” Luna chastised the stallion, who was currently fighting every impulse to scratch his body as his fur grew back within a few minutes. The trainees had been sent to debrief with the Royal Guard, and Shifting was left with Luna in the throne room as he relayed the events that had occurred, the Alicorn having been patrolling the dream realm when the attacks occurred.
“That’s a horrible argument!” Shifting grumbled, Luna letting out a soft giggle. She had insisted on handling the fur regrowth spell herself but a few moments ago.
Well, after getting a good laugh at the half-naked stallion first.
“Hmm. True. It was quite a sight however,” Luna then paused, a tender smile on her features.
“I’m glad you’re alright, Shifting. You had me worried, walking in here with your fur burned off.”
“Pfft. As if a bit of fire can dissuade me! I have to still speak with your sister, remember? I need to be able to take a bit of heat!” he promptly replied, eliciting a genuine laugh from the Princess.
“H-how long have you been planning to say that?” Luna gasped between chuckles, grinning as Shifting appeared to think.
“Ever since I got burned and knew I’d see you before my fur grew back, honestly. How many chances would I get for that sort of joke?” he replied, mirth fading as Luna’s expression turned more serious, the Alicorn frowning slightly.
“I still can’t believe all of this though. What type of organization would firebomb an orphanage to free prisoners?”
“The desperate kind,” Shifting growled, shaking his head slowly.
“Highness!” A royal guard called out, a slight commotion sounding outside the doors.
Itchiness forgotten, Shifting turned to look at what the cause of the hubbub was, and promptly stared as a shivering thestral was tossed onto the floor thoroughly tied up. Staring up at the two ponies, Knife Twist’s eyes widened in horror, a terrified squeak leaving her muzzle.
“She was found outside the prison walls near the breach. It’s quite odd though, it looks like they left her behind. She was just shivering there encased in a block of ice. Even after we freed her she didn’t resist at all,” the guard reported, Shifting trotting forwards to look at the terrified pony.
“Something is off about all of this,” he stated flatly, looking over to Luna briefly. “May I?”
Seeing her nod, Shifting drew his saber and cut Knife’s bonds, yet the mare refused to do anything other than curl into a ball and shiver. A magical scan of her revealed a strange sort of energy around her; fading, but still very present.
What is going on here?
“Her eyes, Princess. They’re slightly clouded like that pony I found outside the building,” Shifting reported, catching Knife’s gaze for an instant. She’s terrified. Something is wrong about this entire situation…
“Leave us,” Luna ordered the other royal guards, and they promptly shut the throne room doors, leaving just Luna and Shifting to look at the prone ex-captain. Knife only looked at the pair briefly, otherwise simply shaking her head while the rest of the Thestral’s body shivered. “My sister is being roused, but I think we should find out what exactly is going on. If you wish to take the lead, Shifting, by all means do. You’ve had more contact with this group than me.”
The Sergeant nodded, standing in front of Knife and looked down at her. Gone was the cocky and sure attitude from when they had first me. Instead, a broken mare now stared back at him, lips quivering and barely able to meet the stallion’s gaze.
“I d-didn’t…I didn’t know,” she whispered, prompting Shifting to tilt his head.
“Know what?”
“The o-orphanage. I didn’t t-think they’d t-target it! I refused t-to help after that! I didn’t know t-they’d go that far. I d-don’t kill f-foals!”
The Unicorn let out a huff, gesturing to the stained-glass windows and the city beyond.
“What did you expect? Your organization is based on causing chaos, freeing the pony populous from the tyranny of the Princess’s. How did you expect-”
“N-no.”
Shifting’s eyebrow raised as the mare objected, head shaking vigorously.
“Not my group. Not anymore. T-then again, it n-never was. To think, I w-was a freedom fighter! No, I w-was a fool,” Knife whispered, then managed a shaky laugh. “I-it made sense, everything they told m-me at first. The need to get rid of a Princess, t-to cause chaos. It seemed to make perfect, l-logical sense. Why d-doesn’t it anymore? W-why does it s-sound so wrong now?” Knife continued, then began to shiver violently.
“I n-never wanted to h-hurt foals! T-they left me when I objected! And then s-she froze me solid. T-those eyes. I can s-still see them! That a-accursed ghost mare!”
Shifting drew a surprised breath, prompting Knife to laugh sadly.
“Y-you saw her. Their Emissary, their c-chosen mouthpiece! The speaker for t-the Eyes of Ice. T-they’ll try again, and again, and again, until everywhere is in flames!” Knife murmured, starting to rock back and forth.
“The Eyes of Ice? That’s what they’re called? This organization you thought you served?” Shifting asked, and saw Knife nod. “Why an orphanage though? Surely other targets would have served a better purpose?” he continued. “It’s guaranteed to divert forces, but so would a military target or dangerous supply depot! Why innocent foals? That won’t bring ponies rallying to your master’s cause, only make the majority hate them! It will make the organization crumble from the inside out!”
Knife let out another choked laugh, her slowly-clearing eyes meeting Shifting’s as she nodded. “E-exactly. T-that’s what they want, w-what that thing told me in the p-prison as they freed us. Promised power, t-treasure, a-anything. All f-for that goal. Hate.”
Shifting shook his head, despite having a disturbing cold shiver start to run down his spine.
“No, that makes no sense. Your masters want Equestria to hate them? To despite what they are doing? To rally together in anger? Why? Who are they?!”
Knife opened her mouth to speak, but shivering made her teeth clash together. Each time she tried to speak, a strange spell prevented her from uttering anything but a single syllable. “W-w…W….”
Shifting’s blood ran cold, the pieces now falling into place as he summoned the guards again.
“Place her in a cell, and keep her warm. The spell should wear off within a few days at its current rate of decay,” he ordered, then turning to look at Luna. The Alicorn’s brow was furrowed, head shaking slowly.
“You seem to know what she’s talking about, Shifting, yet I cannot make sense of it because it goes against every rule of warfare that could apply to this scenario,” the Alicorn murmured, then pausing as the stallion met her gaze.
“Luna, your and my mistake was thinking about this like a conventional terrorist group,” Shifting admitted, taking a few deep breaths.
“Why did the air grow cold when I saw that ghostly mare? Why was Knife left in a block of ice?” he asked, then gritting his teeth. “What sort of individual, or individuals are powerful enough to use this sort of magic? What creature cares not for the wellbeing of any pony, and strives to create hate and strife? What sort of monster is empowered by such things?”
Luna’s eyes now widened as the pieces clicked into place, the utter horror of the situation finally setting in. A threat so far removed from her mind now surged to the fore…
“Windigos.”
What could have scared a captain of the guard? Let alone one who stood up to the Night Princess?
.....oh.
Sorry for the later chapter! End of semester master's courses, and the newest episode that threw me for a strangely disheartening loop! (Not the events- C/L were adorable.)
BUT NOW WE'RE BACK! HUZZAH! 
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Of course windigos would invent terrorism in Equestria. Huh, would this not make them the natural enemy of the changelings? The two species are actively detrimental to each other.
9707962
Hmm. That's a very good point I hadn't considered! Of course, there's not much the changelings would be able to actively do to combat it. But that's a very interesting observation! Huh, I suppose it's not 100% opposed though; simply because inter-group friendship/love would exist. If the hate/discourse spreads to intergroup dynamics though, I'd agree it's 100% against their existence.
9707981
Well changelings, when they're doing it right, covertly manipulate social dynamics in order to cultivate a peaceful and loving populace. The influence of widigos deadens empathy and inflames hatred. Success for one means starvation for the other.
As for fighting off windigos, what's needed is friendship, and lots of it. Surely a task well-suited to a race of empathic shapeshifters, yes?
9707992
Hmmmmm. That's true. I'd agree overall they'd work against each other; but technically could exist in tandem in terms of survival (obviously favoring the windigos)
Changelings certainly could be a positive influence, that's for sure! But when it's such blatantly evil events, manipulating social dynamics to avoid hatred could be a challenge even for shapeshifters.
Well, shit.
9708008
That basically sums up Luna and Shifting's reaction.
Nice
A force that was once chased off by the power of friendship.......... please tell me it's almost time for him to meet the elements of Harmony cuz not only do I want to see Twilight kind of freaked out about the destruction of the satyrs paw, which in her mind would have been the loss of an incredible magical artifact, but I want to see Rainbow Dash try to call him out on being tough just like that thestral did. I want to see the mane 6 meet the cursed immortal unicorn, pleeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaasssssssssse?
9708050
I don't want to burst your bubble, but that's not entirely in the plans at the moment. I honestly try to avoid writing the elements or any main characters for a few reasons (none of my stories feature them in a major role), the reasons of which I would be happy to go into via a PM (and thank you for this question by the way- it made me think as to why.)
It basically just doesn't feel satisfying from a writing perspective, but if it fits, I'll put it in (as I did with Stream of Silver, Heart of Gold.) In this story, it just doesn't fit as much simply due to the more violent methods employed.
Personal preference aside, Shifting is in a very different world than them. He has killed ponies, and would do so in a heartbeat if it meant saving somecreature from harm. The Elements operate in a very different mindset that I don't think any of them would be able to understand, and that's Kids-show aside, just dealing with their core characters.
I can definitely see a letter to Luna about the Paw from Twilight though, and would be happy to include that.
(The call-out from Rainbow dash would be rather anti-climatic, because Shifting has nothing to prove to her, unlike the Thestral encounter. He'd just start rattling off times he has hacked apart bands of bloodthirsty raiders and then stop once Rainbow looked nauseous.)
9708033
9708077
Okay I understand how writing the mane 6 would not feel satisfying and I see what you mean about Rainbow Dash. I wasn't really expecting the kind of backlash that happened with the thestral though I was thinking something more along the lines of Rainbow Dash trying to goad him into doing something and him being indifferent the entire time and her losing interest. But I do like the idea of Twilight writing a letter about the paw. Glad I could give you an idea.
9708086
I'll certainly mention your input for sure! =)
Yeah, he'd be completely disinterested. A thousand years of dealing with individuals trying to goad him would just have Shifting being very unimpressed, and probably just ignoring her.
9708093
Thanks.
Psst. A b] at a thud decided to not play nice xD
9708231
.....I have no idea what you're talking about. It's perfect.
(thank you)
Nice work.
9708509
Glad you enjoyed it!
A story worthy of The people of Shakiras we the Nerazim Look forward to reading more of your work Mr RadBunny
9710288
We are most grateful our story lived up to the People's expectations, and hope further enjoyment is had!
Whoever did this.... they're cold-blooded monsters.
A cold mare? Eyes of Ice? Hate?
Everything I know at this moment points to Windigoes.
Damn right.
There are a couple of important questions, though: Why now of all times? Why use normal ponies to do their bidding? It doesn't fit the loner image I have of them.
9711737
Monsters to say the least; and I hope to answer those in time (in the Sequel, specifically.) Why are they suddenly needing to branch out to Equestria, wanting to gain more power? And using normal ponies for their bidding is an interesting move indeed....
anyone else thinking windegos?
Windigos? Just get an earth pony, a pegasus and a unicorn together, and have them announce their friendship - that's worked before, according to legend.
9735126
Well, that's how it should work, or at least has. But now their minions are going into Equestria for some reason...
Me: Oh, windigos. Wait, what!??
So the true purpose of this group was to spread hate? Would that succeed in strengthening the power of the windigos if that hatred is only towards a specific group of ponies? Are they hoping that ponies will start pointing hooves at each other in blame for such heinous acts? And how are the windigos even there in the first place if there is overall harmony in Equestria? Is this the work of a spell, perhaps, or ancient magic?
I definitely wasn't expecting that development, nor that a possible soft target would be an orphanage. I'm quite intrigued to get the answers to these questions. Hopefully later today I'll have the time.
10000794
) I'm quite happy it wasn't predictable though!
Well, we know Windigos exist off hate, distrust, etc. So the more of that, the more powerful they'd be...
Can't really say anymore because of spoilers! (Many of which are discussed in the sequel
Ice, hate, W... Pretty obvious, if you think about it. Since the Unification they were driven back. Now, they make a comback. Well, damn.