Homecoming
Six ponies and a baby dragon stepped out of their coach, a long string of flowers draped around each of their necks. Each carried a bag or two of souvenirs and clothes from their trip. The dragon, however, carried several bags that were larger than he was, and followed behind a white unicorn who was levitating several more.
“Oh, thank you so much for offering to carry my bags, Spike,” Rarity said, “You are such a sweet gentledragon.”
Spike swooned at the compliment despite barely being able to move under the weight.
Twilight Sparkle stretched and sighed in the warm morning sun. “Well girls,” she said, “That was a wonderful trip, but it really feels great to be… home…” Her voice failed her as she saw the state of their beloved town.
Wisps of smoke rose from half-collapsed buildings. Charred timbers and debris littered the streets. Pools of water were everywhere. Ponies were hard at work sweeping up broken glass and piles of shattered masonry. More than half of the town was burned. The entire town was soaked. The air smelled strongly of burning sugar.
“Aha!” a familiar voice said nearby, “That is the last of them!” The group turned and gasped at the sight of Princess Luna stamping something into the ground with her hoof, from which a small puff of smoke escaped. A look of triumph spread across her face. The midnight-blue alicorn’s coat was covered with mud and soot. Her normally flowing mane and tail were soaked and limp and frazzled. Several of the long, elegant feathers on her wings were singed. She looked utterly exhausted and yet somehow far too cheerful for the scene of devastation in which she now stood.
“P-Princess?!” Twilight said in shock as she finally found her voice, “Wh… What happened here?!” Her face fell and her eyes were as wide as dinner plates as she looked at the ruins of Ponyville.
Luna looked up and smiled a little too proudly. “My friends!” she called, “It is so good to see you! The town has persevered in a time of great trial. ‘Tis a shame that you missed it, but all is well!”
The seven returning friends simply gaped in horror. The town was devastated and yet ‘all is well’?
Twilight asked again, her voice very carefully controlled as she tried to fend off a rising sense of panic, “What… happened… Princess?”
Luna chuckled and blushed, although it could barely be seen under her dark coat and mud. “Ah, it was very exciting. It began last night…”
* * *
Princess Luna flew on midnight wings over the darkened landscape, a dark shape against a dark sky, her star-dusted mane and tail flowing out behind her and blending into the velvet tapestry above. She crested a hill, riding the warm summer breeze towards Ponyville, where the Midsummer Festival had been held just hours ago. Even this far away, Luna could smell the sweet aromas of the food and drinks that had been flowing so freely earlier.
The princess regretted missing the party, having been trapped in Canterlot by some trite diplomatic function, enduring the droning of nobles with all the false interest she could muster. The very moment that she’d been able to, Luna had fled and flown off into the night, hoping to reach Ponyville before the festivities had ended.
She swooped lower over the town, looking for signs of life, but found only darkened streets. The entire town seemed to be sleeping off the aftereffects of the Festival, silently slumbering under the blanket of stars overhead. She sighed in disappointment; she had so wanted to see her friends again.
Luna caught a warm updraft and ascended, circling high above the town and preparing to travel back to Canterlot in defeat, when something caught her eye off to the west. A patch of the Everfree Forest glowed brightly, like the rising sun. But it was far too early for sunrise, and the glow was in the wrong direction.
“Strange,” Luna said to herself as she banked towards the light, curious as to its cause.
The air grew warmer as she approached. The canopy of trees obscured the source of the glow at first until the princess flew lower. She could feel herself sweating in the growing heat, and just as she reached the edge of the glowing area, flames burst through the tops of the trees. A whole stand was fully engulfed in seconds.
Luna reeled back from the fire, pumping her wings to gain altitude and get away. The next trees caught fire within moments, and several more after that. Orange and yellow flames licked at the sky and jumped between branches through the dry summer air. From higher up, the princess could see the entire fire below and noticed that it was advancing in an unusually straight path through the forest. It took Luna only a moment to realize where the fire was going. The blaze was heading directly towards Ponyville.
“Dear Sister…” Luna breathed, her eyes going wide. She looked off towards the north, to where the silhouette of Canterlot could just barely be seen against the backdrop of the night sky. But the city was miles away and Luna knew that it would take far too long to get there and back, even with Celestia’s assistance. At the speed the fire was spreading, it would reach town much too quickly.
Luna gritted her teeth and turned back towards the fire. She would handle this herself. Rising high into the sky, the princess channeled her magic, drawing on her power over storms, forming clouds and pulling them together to build a swirling rainstorm to douse the flames. But the air was too dry. The clouds would not stick together properly. They bounced off of one another and evaporated before her eyes. Only a few feeble drops of rain fell on the fire below.
With a growl of frustration, Luna tried harder, drawing on more power, smashing the clouds together to force them to stick—
CRACK!
A bright flash pierced the sky as a bolt of lightning erupted from one of the clouds, striking the forest below and igniting another tree on fire. The shockwave of thunder sent the princess careening off course through the sky. The clouds faded away just like the others.
Panic started to creep into Luna’s mind. She would have to get help after all. She looked around and saw some lights starting to flicker on in town. Her thunder had woken some ponies. Flying swiftly through the night sky, the princess landed heavily on the balcony of the Ponyville Library and knocked urgently on the window, casting a look back towards the brightening glow.
She knocked again, but there was no answer. After wasting precious minutes, realization struck the princess. Twilight and her friends had been sent on a vacation – a gift from Princess Celestia in appreciation of all they had done for Equestria.
“Of all the worst possible timing, Sister!” Luna grumbled, taking wing again and speeding to the large clock in the center of town.
As she hovered before the tower, she channeled a spell, turning the mechanism inside to move the massive bell, clanging out a warning and amplifying the sound with magic. Lights began to illuminate the windows nearby, spreading to the farther houses as the sound reached the more distant sleepers.
“Citizens!” Luna shouted in her Royal Voice as sleep-addled ponies arrived to find the source of the commotion. “There is an emergency! Arise!” Grumbles of annoyance quickly turned into gasps of concern at the sight of the moon princess. Within minutes, the whole town was gathered in the square.
Mayor Mare appeared in the crowd, still dressed in her nightclothes and hastily adjusting her glasses. “Princess Luna!” she said with a bow, “What is it?”
“Lady Mayor,” Luna said as she dropped to the ground, “A great danger approaches.” She pointed off to the west, where the forest was glowing more brightly with every passing minute. “Everfree burns! The fire is spreading in this direction. You must prepare, quickly!”
A murmur of worry spread through the crowd. The Mayor gasped in shock at the sight. “Citizens of Ponyville,” she called, “Wake everypony! Sound the alarms! Get the fire brigade together!”
Luna watched the approaching glow as ponies began running in all directions – some with purpose and others in a panic – and frowned thoughtfully. The fire was spreading very quickly towards Ponyville, and yet the wind was blowing away from town.
“Lady Mayor,” she said, “I must go discover the cause of this fire. I will return soon.” Without waiting for the Mayor’s reply, the princess leapt up and spread her wings, flying towards the glowing forest.
Animals large and small were emerging from the tree line en masse, stampeding into the relatively open country. One figure in particular caught Luna’s attention. A wild-maned zebra emerged from the trees, carrying two baskets on her back loaded with her possessions.
“My eyes they must deceive me,” said the zebra as Luna landed before her, “Is that Princess Luna I see?”
“Lady Zecora,” Luna said when she landed, “I am relieved to see that you made it out safely.”
“Thank you Princess, for your concern. I am lucky that I did not burn.”
“This fire can’t be natural,” said Luna, “It’s moving against the wind, as though it is being directed. Have you ever seen anything like this before?”
Zecora spared a brief chuckle despite the dire situation. “Of this you think that I’d know more… than a legendary princess of yore?”
Luna felt a small blush creep into her cheeks. “Well,” she admitted, “I’ve noticed that you seem to… understand this forest much better than most. Everfree behaves in odd ways that I am not familiar with.”
The zebra smiled gently and nodded. “Of the cause I believe I saw a glance. The forest is beset by wild Fire Ants.”
“Ants?” the princess asked, shocked, “Ants are burning down the forest?”
“They are creatures from deep in the forest here,” said Zecora, “But have not been seen for many a year. Like all ants they come to devour sweets, and so may be after the Midsummer treats.”
Luna paled slightly, “You mean that they are after the food?”
“They seek what made the feast so grand – sweet sugar from my own homeland.” Zecora frowned slightly before continuing, “A gift I thought to give the town. I never meant it to burn down.”
The princess sighed softly and shook her head. “You couldn’t have known, Lady Zecora. Do you know how to stop them though?”
“They are elemental fire, Princess. Water will douse them along with the rest.”
Luna nodded, “Let’s go then. The town could use our help.” She galloped off towards the town with Zecora in tow.
The fire had reached the edge of the forest by the time the pair returned to the townsfolk. Zecora joined the fire brigade as the princess sought the Mayor.
“Ants, Lady Mayor,” Luna said, “Fire Ants. That is what’s causing the blaze. They’re after the sweets. But they can be doused with water, according to Zecora.”
The mayor handed out orders as quickly as she could. Within minutes, the ponies of the town were lined up to pass buckets of water from the river down the line to throw on the fire.
Several ponies pushed a huge contraption out of its shed. Like a ponderous metal beast on wheels, the massive red water pump trundled towards the edge of town. Hoses were attached. One end was reeled out to the lake while a grey pegasus grabbed the nozzle, flying up into the air to attack the fire from above.
“Ready!” Derpy called as she got into position, pointing the nozzle at the edge of the forest just as the carpet of flaming insects emerged from the trees.
Big Macintosh hopped onto the treadmill attached to the pump, quickly running at top speed to get the gears moving to start the flow of water.
One single pegasus, however, was not nearly enough to hold the hose steady. With a cry of alarm, Derpy clung to the hose for dear life as the high pressure water sent it zipping in all directions like an out-of-control rocket, flinging her this way and that. Ponies in the bucket line were knocked off their feet by the force of the water spray. The rocket turned suddenly, and the spray blasted Big Mac’s hooves out from under him. The momentum of the treadmill sent him flying backwards to crash into a flower garden, and the leftover water pressure spun Derpy around and launched her directly into the machine.
With a resounding crash, the water pump shattered into pieces, leaving a jumbled heap of useless machinery with a very dizzy-looking grey pony in the middle of it.
“My bad!” she said before passing out.
The Mayor and Luna both groaned and rubbed their faces with a hoof.
The ants, each the size of a beetle and glowing an incandescent orange, were beginning to reach the town proper. The bridge over the river was ablaze and the first houses were already starting to catch fire. The bucket brigade simply could not keep up with the living tide of fire flowing out of the forest. Ponies abandoned the line to run for cover or to try and save anything precious in their homes.
“Cutie Mark Crusader Fire-Ant-Fighters!” a chorus of small voices shouted. A pegasus-powered scooter pulled a red wagon towards the fire. The two other youngsters in the wagon had a pile of water balloons with them and began launching them at the fire ants.
“Girls, look out!” Luna called out in warning.
A surge of ants blazed right in front of the three little ponies. Scootaloo swerved to avoid them. The wagon hit a rock and Sweetie Belle lost her balance, tripping onto the pile of balloons and popping all of them at once, filling the wagon with water and soaking herself and Apple Bloom.
Scootaloo swerved again as the balance of the wagon shifted. The two in the back leapt for safety as the wagon swung right through a mass of ants. The wagon tipped, spilling the water and dousing several ants before sliding into the live ones and catching fire itself.
“Aaaaaaaahh!!” Scootaloo screamed as she powered her scooter away from the ants, trying to flee the burning wagon that was still attached. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom ran after her.
“Get off the scooter! Jump, Scoots, Jump!” they shouted to her. The little orange pegasus jumped clear, colliding with the other two and crashing into a heap. Her scooter careened through a shop window, burning wagon in tow, and set the building aflame.
“Oops…” the trio said in unison, quickly fleeing the scene.
Panic was now spreading as fast as the fire. Ponies ran everywhere. The buckets were abandoned as they caught fire. The pump was destroyed. The pegasi couldn’t get enough clouds together to rain.
Zecora ran up to the princess, bedraggled and out of breath. “The ponyfolk do what they can, but the only water left is behind the dam!”
Luna looked in the direction that the zebra was pointing, towards the massive wall of concrete that blocked off the canyon above the town. “That could destroy the whole town if we unleash it,” she said.
“The town is lost by flame or flood,” said Zecora, “But at least we can do some small good. Those ants will burn things far and near, unless we douse them out right here!”
The princess pawed at the ground as she considered her options, watching the encroaching fires, her eyes scanning the terrified faces of the townsponies as they fled the flames. Finally she nodded with a resigned sigh. “You are right, Lady Zecora. If we’re going to lose Ponyville anyway, then we may as well take those Fire Ants out so they can’t do any more harm.”
After asking several frightened ponies where she was, Luna found the Mayor in the town hall, gathering up the ledgers and other important documents of the town and piling them into a fireproof box. “Princess!” the Mayor said when the alicorn burst through the door, “I don’t know what else to do! We can’t fight these flames.”
“We have one more option, Lady Mayor,” said Luna, “We must release the reservoir and drown the ants.”
“Reservoir?” asked the Mayor, “You mean the dam?”
“Yes,” Luna said, “We must let out as much as we can. I will do what must be done to stop the creatures. And I will accept all responsibility for the results. Do either of you know how to let the water out?”
“I am sorry, Princess, but I don’t know. The last pony I saw who would is the town’s fire marshal,” her voice took on a hint of annoyance, “who I believe is currently running away from the fire.”
“Does Pinkie Pie not have a cannon?”
The Mayor fidgeted uncertainly. “She does, but I don’t think anypony knows exactly where she keeps it. That filly seems to defy all notions of common sense.”
Luna’s frown deepened. “Then we must find another way…”
“I can do it!” A voice came from the door behind the princess. The trio turned to see the same grey pegasus who had crashed into the water pump. “Let me help!”
“Derpy?” the Mayor said, aghast, “Why aren’t you helping the weather team with the rain?”
“Too dry,” said Derpy, “We can’t get the clouds to cooperate. The weather team’s helping with the evacuation.”
“Then why aren’t you helping with that?” asked the Mayor, growing more irritated.
Derpy lowered her head and frowned, closing her mismatched eyes in shame, “I gotta make up for breaking the pump. I can totally do this. Lemme try!”
The Mayor looked skeptical, but Zecora and Luna exchanged glances and nodded. “Mayor, if she wishes to help, I would not be so quick to dismiss her. We can use all the assistance we can get right now. This is a very brave thing that she is offering.”
The pegasus looked up again, smiling hopefully.
The Mayor made an irritated noise in the back of her throat. “Very well,” she relented.
“Alright!” Derpy cheered, “Don’t worry! I got this.” She immediately took wing and smashed through the large window in the Mayor’s office, flying off towards the dam.
The Mayor watched Derpy’s dwindling shape in the sky and frowned. “I hope she knows what she’s doing.”
“I would not doubt her,” said Luna, “It is often the strongest heart that wins the day.” She allowed herself a moment’s smile before turning back to the Mayor and Zecora. “I will gather a small group of volunteers to hold back the ants. You two must finish the evacuation. I do not believe that we have much time.”
Zecora nodded once, “Very well, Princess of the Moon. I hope that I will see you soon!” She ran off with the Mayor behind her.
Luna flew through the remains of the shattered window and began her search, tracking down any ponies who were still remaining and fighting the fires. She gathered several together and led them to the center of town, where the carpet of ants was just beginning to reach.
The Princess used her magic to erect barriers of earth and rock. The ponies by her side piled debris in their way. It may not stop the ants, but it would at least slow them down as they burned through the obstacles. For several minutes they fought. The living fire slowed but did not stop. Before long, they were all backed against the town hall building. The glowing carpet of ants closed in.
“You should go, Princess,” said an earth pony by her side, “Fly away! Save yourself!”
“Never,” Luna replied, “I will not abandon you!”
“It’s been an honor to serve by your side, your Highness!” said another.
A sound began to build, like rolling thunder growing louder with each passing moment, shaking the very ground itself. Luna and her companions turned at once, eyes widening in shock at the sight of a wall of water at least fifty feet high barreling down the canyon towards the town. Luna’s gaze rose to the dam – or where the dam should have been. Instead of the imposing wall of concrete, she saw only shattered remains and bare sky.
“How did she—” was all the alicorn could say before the wave hit her.
Parts of the town vanished under the tide of water. The sheer force of the flood knocked entire buildings from their foundations. The glow of the Fire Ants vanished as the water hit the creatures, raising a great cloud of steam overhead. The entire landscape became shrouded with fog as the steam condensed.
When the water receded, the fires were finally out. The first rays of dawn were peeking over the horizon and revealed the extent of the devastation. The plague of Fire Ants was over, though the town had been all but destroyed for it.
Ponies cautiously began to wander back into town to assess the damage. Some buildings still smouldered, and the great cloud of steam had turned into a thick fog, but it was rapidly clearing with the rising sun.
The Mayor and Zecora led the frightened citizens to the center of town, intending to galvanize them against the sadness and worry that nearly everypony felt. But there by the ruins of the town hall, Luna and her small crew stood grinning in the early light.
“It was amazing!” said one of the ponies by the princess’ side, “Princess Luna saved us all from the flood!”
“She stayed right with us to the very end and shielded us with her magic!” said another.
Luna chuckled, blushing under her mud-caked coat. “You are all the heroes of the day, my friends. Now let us channel our energy into rebuilding this town.”
Somepony screamed suddenly. All eyes turned to where she was pointing. A shape emerged from the fog. Wide eyes watched with concern as it approached.
Derpy limped into the town square, coughing and looking truly awful. One wing was bent at an odd angle and her feathers were in complete disarray. Her mane was a tangled mess and her grey coat was singed and soaked. She wore the biggest grin that anypony had ever seen.
“Told you I got this!” she said, bringing a rousing cheer from the entire town before she fainted from exhaustion.
* * *
“That was about an hour ago,” Luna said, concluding the tale to the six bewildered ponies and one baby dragon, “The cleanup has begun and progresses nicely. The Ponyville citizens are quite the tenacious lot when their collective mind is set to a goal. There were a few remaining fire ants, but I took care of the last one just as you arrived.”
Nopony spoke for a minute. Their mouths hung open, gaping at the alicorn who had just so cheerfully recounted the near-total destruction of their town.
“Oh no! The farm!”
“The animals!”
“Sugarcube Corner!”
“My boutique!”
“The Library!”
All at once, five ponies ran off in different directions, with Twilight grabbing Spike as she sped away. Rarity stopped and returned to levitate her dropped shopping bags before resuming her flight to the boutique.
Rainbow Dash and Luna were the only two left. Luna sighed and looked around, feeling the weight of her exhaustion catching up with her. Celestia would certainly berate her for forgetting to lower the moon this morning too.
“Do you have anything to check on as well, Rainbow Dash?” the princess asked.
“Me? Nah, I live on a cloud. Pretty safe from fire up there. And floods.” Dash grinned with self-satisfaction, as if she had planned it that way all along. Her expression changed suddenly though. “Hey Princess, I gotta ask something. Why didn’t you just tell Derpy to open the flood gates?”
Luna’s eye twitched, “Flood… gates?”
“Yeah, you know, to let the water out without destroying the whole dam.”
The princess looked up at where the dam had once been, and now lay in ruined rubble strewn across the canyon. Her previous words to the Mayor came back to her immediately: ‘I will accept all responsibility.’ I’m going to get sent back to the moon for this… she thought. Her eyes rolled up and she fainted, landing on the soggy ground with a squish.
Rainbow Dash looked around awkwardly, not entirely certain why the princess had passed out. But Luna seemed to still be breathing, so there wasn’t any reason to worry. But then something crossed Dash’s mind and the pegasus moaned in resignation. “Celestia’s never going to let us go on vacation again!”
