Tall, foreboding trees stretched up high in the sky over the three fillies that had gathered near the edge of the Everfree forest. The strange and mysterious forces of the forest scared most adult ponies into staying away. Even the most adventurous avoided coming near the dark forest. In the afternoon sun, the forest appeared almost sinister.
But those fillies had a greater purpose that drove them to the edge of Everfree: the quest to obtain their cutie marks.
“Are you sure about this idea, Scootaloo?” Sweetie Belle asked. She was following along at the end of the three-pony line behind Apple Bloom. Her pink and purple, curly mane was half hidden underneath a bright red, pointed, plastic firepony's helmet.
Leading the other two towards the forest, Scootaloo wore a similar helmet, but she had drawn lightning bolts and flame streaks on hers. “When else are we going to get the chance to get our Firefighters cutie marks?”
“Scootaloo's right!” As the strongest of the three, Apple Bloom was pulling the cart laden with various cardboard cutouts, a large blanket, and a bucket of water. The bucket was only half full, and most of the other items in the cart were soaked from the water sloshing around. “With our sisters on vacation, when else are we gonna get a better chance?”
Sweetie Belle looked uncertain. “But the last time we tried this, Applejack and Rarity threatened to ground us!”
“That's because we were doing it on Sweet Apple Acres.” Apple Bloom pointed out. As the three came to a stop well out of view of Ponyville, she began unhitching the cart that had been strapped to her back. “Sis just didn't want us to acc'dently catch any trees on fire.”
“I just don't get why we have to set anything on fire on the first place!”
Already, Scootaloo was taking out the cardboard cutouts that they had made earlier. They were supposed to look like crude buildings – But they didn’t. The cardboard was still wet, but she tried setting the miniature houses up anyway. “Duh, how else are we going to fight a fire if we don't have a fire to put out? Do you want to wait for a fire to start?”
“When's the last time a fire started in Ponyville, anyway?” Apple Bloom asked, after setting the bucket of water down next to the cardboard houses. "Mah brother's a volunteer firefighter, and he's hardly ever called to help!"
Sweetie Belle raised up a hoof, “There was that one-”
“That we didn't start,” Interrupted Scootaloo.
“Oh.” Sweetie Belle looked down in thought, “Um.”
Scootaloo grinned in determination, “Exactly! Come on! Just imagine how excited our sisters and Rainbow Dash will be when they get back from their vacation and find that we've got totally awesome firefighter cutie marks!”
Sweetie Belle perked up immediately at the thought of surprising Rarity with one of a variety of different firefighter type cutie marks. “Well, okay then!” Grinning, she reached into the cart to grab the blanket that she had brought, unfolding it in the process. “It's for smothering out the fire! I made it myself, using only the best materials!”
The blanket was lopsided, and only barely resembled the proper rectangular shape that a blanket should have. It was made out of a number of different materials, from what looked to be silk, to a sheet of gold, to actual cotton. For some reason, the entire blanket was covered in buttons.
“Uh. It's...” Apple Bloom struggled to find a good word to describe the blanket without hurting her friend’s feelings. “Perfect for putting out fires!” Sweetie Belle beamed at the praise.
“So did anypony bring any matches?” Scootaloo asked, as she set up the last cardboard box. She was eager to change the subject before Sweetie Belle looked at her for her opinion.
Apple Bloom grinned broadly, “Nah, we don't need any matches!” She disappeared briefly, only to come back with a couple of large, dried out sticks, which deposited next to the cardboard town. Taking one of the sticks into her forehooves, she grinned at the other two. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle just looked confused.
“Remember what we learned in Filly Scouts last month?” Apple Bloom explained, putting one end of the stick against the flat of the other. “We can rub two sticks together and start a fire!”
“Uh, right, if you say so, Apple Bloom,” Scootaloo sounded doubtful.
“Oh like ya even pay attention to Filly Scouts!”
“It's not MY fault that they mostly girly stuff and glitter!”
Sweetie Belle smiled broadly, “I happen to like that part of Filly Scouts.”
“You would,” Scootaloo muttered darkly.
Apple Bloom had started to roll the stick between her hooves, rubbing it against the other stick on the ground. “Well jus' watch, Scootaloo, and maybe y'all will learn somethin'!”
But for as much as Apple Bloom rubbed the two ends of the sticks together, nothing more than a little bit of smoke rose from them. Seconds passed, then minutes, with Apple Bloom trying several different ways to get the sticks to catch fire, to no luck.
“Well, maybe it's making just a little fire,” Sweetie Belle tried offering helpfully.
“Yeah, a fire so small that we can't see,” retorted Scootaloo. She wasn't even watching any more, instead watching several glowing, red bugs flit in and out of Everfree. It didn't take much to strain Scootaloo's patience.
“Y'think YOU can do any better?” Even Apple Bloom's patience was growing short. She picked up both sticks, and thrust them to Scootaloo. “YOU try it if you want to play firefighter so much!”
Picking up both sticks, Scootaloo stuck her tongue out at Apple Bloom. “Well FINE, I will!” Following Apple Bloom's lead, she stuck the two sticks together, and started to rub them against one another.
Five minutes later, Scootaloo tossed the sticks aside with a frustrated grunt, where it disappeared amongst the thick grasses. “Forget it, this is going to take forever!”
“Well, I guess at least we're not getting our fire starter cutie marks...” Offered Sweetie Belle.
******
Everfree forest was foreboding on its own during the daytime hours. Even in full daylight, what paths that went through Everfree were almost perpetually shadowed. A pony's presence never went unnoticed, as monsters stirred even during the middle of the day. The weather moved on its own, and vines crept along the ground like snakes to trip up unwary travelers.
But while few dared step foot inside during the day, nopony ventured into Everfree Forest at night. Then again, Zecora wasn't exactly a pony.
A series of golden bracelets jingled on Zecora the Zebra's foreleg as she walked the darkened path around a patch of blue-leafed plants on the edge of Everfree forest. The leaves gave an almost sinister glow in the dead of night, meant to attract those less aware of its humorous properties. But having been on the wrong side of their joke before, Zecora took careful measures to avoid them.
As far as anypony knew, Zecora was the only one who lived in Everfree forest. At least, the only one who tried and lived to tell the tale. She was unlike any other pony in Ponyville, standing stockier and broader than most fillies. Most ponies boasted only a single color of their coat; hers was mostly gray, but featured black stripes along her legs and flank.
Stranger still was that Zecora walked the paths of Everfree without fear of its inhabitants - but even she rarely wandered there by night
Paths that were difficult to spot during the daytime hours were outright impossible to find in the dark. It was only careful practice and repetition of the paths that allowed her to maneuver through the foliage of the forest. Careful practice, and the full moon which only barely showed through the thick canopy of the forest trees.
Ordinarily, she would not have even bothered with the night-time trek, but she had been running low on an ingredient for an important brew, a flower that only bloomed at night. With supplies for only a few days left, she needed to replenish it as soon as she could.
Passing the patches of poison joke, she carefully continued deeper into the forest. Her ears were pricked up, alert to the sounds of the forest around her. At night, Everfree was as busy as it was during the day. Usually more so. It was never very quiet.
But as she came close to the crevice where she knew her quarry tended to grow, something made her take a pause: something wasn't quite right about the sounds in Everfree tonight.
Zecora kept still, listening hard to the sounds around her. She could hear the sounds of the river guarded by the sea serpent echoing not far in the distance. There was buzz of several glowing red insects to her right. A light wind rustled the leaves around her, creating a haunting, howling sound as it blew through the crevice ahead. Nothing seemed terribly out of the ordinary.
But then it hit her: ordinarily, she would hear the sounds of the forest's various monsters; the slither of a basilisk, the growl of a manticore. Even the crooning of parasprites, sleeping through the night.
But she heard none of these.
The realization caused the fur on the back of her neck to prickle. She did not fear the forest, not like most other ponies would, but something that scared the forest was worrisome even to her. A lack of the sounds of monsters meant that something else was in the forest tonight. Something that scared even the more frightening creatures.
She muttered under her breath, voice thick with the accent of the southern praire lands, “It would be unwise for me to take much longer, else this unease grow still stronger.”
She hurried ahead, yet her hooves made little sound on the ground. The haunting melody of wind blowing through the crevice grew stronger, telling her that she was on the right path.
Trees cut out abruptly as she came to the fissure. It was nearly five feet wide, but it was so deep that in the dark night, Zecora could not see the bottom. As she peered over the edge, she could see several violet blooms, growing just within the sight of the moonlight that filtered through the gap in the canopy above.
Zecora let out a sigh of relief at the sight of the flowers. There was something peculiar in the forest tonight, and she had no intention to stay from the safety of her home for much longer. Crouching low to the ground, she reached a hoof through the crevice, seeking to loosen the earth around one of the blooms.
The wind shifted just as soon as Zecora coiled a hoof around one of the blooms. A sulfuric, sharp scent hit her nose. Her nostrils flared, as eyes grew wide. It was a scent she was familiar with: smoke.
Flowers forgotten, she lifted her head to look around her. She could just make it out on the edge of her hearing; a quiet crackle, the pop and snap of flames. The overpowering stench of smoke assailed her nose, blocking out the scent of anything else.
In the distance, it almost seemed as though dawn was rising early, but Zecora knew better. The light twisted and flickered, casting eerie shadows on everything.
The forest nearly exploded in sound and activity around her. Quiet until then, the monsters of the forest had finally realized just what it was that threatened them that night. Dire rats and manticores both burst out of the shadows with numerous other monstrous, shadowy shapes, fleeing the one thing that could tryly threaten most of the monsters in the forest.
Zecora ducked behind a tree, keeping herself as still as possible to avoid being seen by the fleeing monsters. She looked around the tree back to the orange light approaching it. “For this, there is no brew. Only one thing there is to do!”
Turning her back to the fire, Zecora ran as fast as she could out of the forest.
******
In comparison to the dark of Everfree forest, Ponyville was lit up brightly. Even in the dead of the night, several oil street lamps lit the center of the town, leading travelers to the safe haven near the wilds. Unlike the malevolent feel of the forest, Ponyville was peacefully, quiet and welcoming, even with the night sky overhead.
Suddenly that quiet was broken by the shouts of a lone zebra, running at a full gallop through the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, and into town.
“Awake, Ponyville, awake! There is very much at stake!”
Lights flicked on in the Sweet Apple Acres farm house as Zecora passed. A weathered, green furred old mare poked her head out of one of the windows.
“Wha? What about a bake sale!?” Granny Smith shouted after Zecora in her crackling voice, “At this hour!? Blasted foreigners!”
Woken by Zecora's shouts, other ponies began to poke their heads out of their windows. Some came outside of their houses. By the time that she reached the center of town, the lights were on in town hall, and the mayor was just stepping out of the front doors.
“What is the meaning of this, Zecora?” Mayor Papyrus asked, as a foreleg rubbed at one of her eyes. Her mane was disheveled and she wore a warm bathrobe to keep out the spring's night chill. “Unless I am mistaken, it is very, very past midnight.”
Zecora slowed to a walk as she approached the mayor. Her chest was heaving from running so fast, her legs aching. Only the knowledge of what the fire could mean to not only Everfree but to Ponyville and her friends had kept her running.
“I come about a situation most dire,” Zecora said, between gulps for breath, “For there has been a forest fire!”
A gasp rippled through the ponies that had followed Zecora to the town hall. Some began to murmur, while others looked on confused. Others looked back towards the forest as if they couldn't believe it. Even in the dim of the night, smoke could be seen starting to rise from the direction of the forest.
“Calm down, everypony, calm down!” Mayor Papyrus said quickly, hoping to stall a panic.
“What's it matter if Everfree burns down?!” One young filly in a white nightcap shouted. A couple ponies around her murmured their agreement. “It'll be a weight off of our shoulders!”
“Yeah!”
“Let it burn!”
“No more Everfree!”
“No more monsters!”
“I said calm down!” The mayor tried to maintain some sense of order, “Everypony!”
Zecora couldn't believe what she was hearing. These ponies actually wanted to let Everfree burn to the ground? Zecora's muscles burned from her long run into town, but they still responded when she lept up on to the top step of the town hall. “Cease at once with your complaining!” She shouted above the noise, “The forest fire is quickly gaining!”
The crowd calmed to a dull murmur with Zecora's shout. She looked out over them, frowning. Only then did she realize that somepony was missing. “Why do I not see Twilight? She is usually first to a blight.”
“Twilight Sparkle is away on vacation,” Mayor Papyrus said with a deep frown, “She left earlier today for Haywaii.” She sounded very much like she would rather be on vacation with her than there at Ponyville.
“This news does not bode well,” Zecora admitted, looking towards the dark library that the current librarian used as her home, “We could surely use her for a spell.”
“You still haven't told us why we should care!” The filly with the nightcap shouted again. She shut up immediately when Zecora turned her glare down upon her.
“Not only is Everfree my home, but it keeps monsters from going to roam.” In her irritation, Zecora stomped once on the town hall step. “Without the trees in which to cage, many monsters would surely rage!”
With some satisfaction, Zecora saw many of the ponies who were calling for Everfree to burn starting to look concerned. “But all hope is not lost, now that you know the cost. We must now work all together, if this crises we are to weather.”
An idea struck Zecora, and she looked up quickly at the sky. The night was clear, but that could change quickly with Ponyville's weather team. “Could the answer be that plain? The deadly fire put out - by rain?” Looking down, she raised her voice again. “This rain needs to be done in a flash! Where oh where is young Rainbow Dash?”
A cough next to her brought Zecora's attention back down to Mayor Papyrus once more. “Miss Dash is on vacation with Miss Sparkle,” The mayor said quietly, “For the next week. Feathermay is her replacement for the week.”
“And there's no way I'm leading anypony into Everfree!” A pink pegasus with an orange and yellow mane shouted somewhere near the back of the gathering group.
Zecora opened her mouth to talk, but was interrupted by a loud bell somewhere down the road. A big, red wagon came into view being pulled into town by a large, red stallion wearing an equally red firefighters’ hat.. On the back of the wagon was a large device with a handle on eithe rside for pushing; a large hose was wrapped around two prongs on the back of this, while a number of buckets dangled from hooks on the side. Bold, white letters on the side of the wagon read “Ponyville Volunteer Firefighters #1.”.
Big Macintosh pulled the wagon without even breaking a sweat, but he wasn’t alone. Granny Smith and Apple Bloom were both seated in the wagon, also both wearing the same firefighters’ hats - even though Apple Bloom’s was only a toy.
The mayor let out a sigh of relief. “Big Mac is with the volunteer firefighters,” She explained to a confused Zecora, “He'll be able to help put out the fire.”
“Finally we are given some slack, it is good to see the brave Big Mac. But I fear it is not enough, fighting this fire will be quite tough.”
It took her a second to realize that Granny Smith was shouting something.
“The monsters are coming! The monsters are coming! Get a move on you lazy lumps! The forest has burst loose!”
What relief Zecora had felt at seeing the fire squad arrive disappeared in an instant. She lept off of the town hall stairs, and pushed her way through the crowd.
Dark shapes moved beyond the outskirts of Ponyville. Monstrous shapes, just barely visible amongst the light of Princess Luna's moon. The sounds they were making were more clear than their shapes. Zecora could make out the roar of a manticore, but there were certainly others.
Panic was starting to rise amongst the villagers gathered.
“What do we do!?” One of them shouted. Others looked about ready to flee. Mayor Papyrus had her hooves full trying to keep the calm amongst the gathered ponies.
“Beat the drums you lazy, good fer nothin' ponies! Rattle the pans and shake the cans!” Granny Smith shouted, as Big Macintosh brought the cart right into the middle of town square.
“Perhaps I can clarify, as something I can testify,” Zecora said as patiently as she could considering the circumstances. “Monsters of Everfree are effected by the harmony of music's beat. The effect can be different be it loud or sweet.”
“That's what I said!”
Apple Bloom hopped down off of the seat of the wagon. She was quickly joined by Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, who had been woken up by the commotion as well. “Miss Fluttershy is the one who usually handles the monsters when they get all worked up 'n stuff.”
“Yes, Fluttershy's voice is so sweet. It should be just the treat,” Zecora said, nodding. “Where can we-” A sudden thought dawned upon her, and she held her breath. “Perhaps it is safe to say, that kind Fluttershy has left today?”
“Uh,” Apple Bloom looked uncomfortable, and rubbed at the back of her head. “What would you say if I said yes? She left for Haywaii with my sister and Rarity.”
Zecora took a steadying breath and said, “I think now it is time to scream: we’ve nothing left but the B-Team!”
“Pardon?”
Zecora shook her head, “Worry not your head, Apple Bloom. It was just me reciting my gloom.” She then deftly lept up on top of the wagon seat that Apple Bloom just vacated. Lifting her head, she spoke clearly and loudly over the panicked voices. “Who among you will aid in the forest's rescue? To prevent the whole from becoming barbecue?”
Silence met her ears, and Zecora's frown deepened.
“Hearken to me, Ponyville. Will you throw the innocent to the grill? We need ponies with strong backs and legs, or none will be left but just dregs!”
She knew better to think that the chirping on the edge of her hearing was crickets, and not parasprites fleeing the flames.
“Then what about a pony who can hold a tune? Else the monsters will be here soon!”
“I'll go!” A green coated unicorn with a pale green and white mane broke away from the suddenly quiet crowd. She had a cutie mark of a harp. “I'll come with you.”
“Lyra Heartstrings, you get back here this instant!”
A white earth pony with a curly, navy blue and pink mane stomped after the unicorn. Her tail of the same colors lashed angrily behind her. “You don't know what you're doing!”
Lyra rolled her eyes. She had already materialized her harp from her nearby house, and was making her way for the back of the fire wagon. “You can't stop me, BonBon. This fire is going to do more than just burn down Everfree!” She jumped up on the back of the wagon, her harp hovering alongside her. Once inside, she turned about to look out at the crowd with fire in her eyes. “You should all be ashamed of yourselves! This fire's going to effect all of us!”
For a second, BonBon looked either on the verge of tears or the verge of yelling at the green unicorn. Then with a frustrated cry, she galloped as fast as she could into one of the shops.
“... She'll be fine,” Lyra murmured quietly, avoiding the gazes of a few ponies in the crowd as she scuffed a hoof on the edge of the wagon.
But Lyra's speech had some effect on the gathered ponies. A couple more joined her in the wagon, including the schoolteacher Cheerilee. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle tried to join as well, but Cheerilee had stopped them. “It's too dangerous for foals! Stay here and help keep things calm!”
“Come on! This is our big chance to get our firefighter cutie marks!” Scootaloo complained as they were shepherded away.
Zecora knew that time was running short. She had spent too much time trying to convince Ponyville, and now she could see the flames starting to rise above the canopy of the forest. She couldn't see the shadowy shapes of monsters anymore, but that didn't encourage her any.
“There is no time to waste, we must truly make haste!” She announced to the ponies gathering in the wagon.
“Put yer back into it, Big Macintosh!” Granny Smith bounced on the wagon's seat with more energy than a pony her old age should be capable of. “Beat hooves! Let's skedaddle!”
“Eeyup!”
Big Macintosh threw his shoulders against the harness of the wagon. It creaked and rattled, but the wheels barely moved under the weight of the wagon and its passengers.
“What's the matter! You out of shape, Big Mac?! C'mon! Get yer kaboose a-movin’!”
With Granny Smith's encouragement, the wheels began to turn - slowly.
“Well hello there, seems like you need a hoof! Good thing I have four of them.” A tan stallion with an unruly brown mane and wearing a blue tie had materialized seemingly out of nowhere alongside the wagon. Before anypony could object, he hitched himself up to the wagon's other harness and flashed the startled Big Mac a grin. “Now, shall we get going?”
“WAAAIT!”
The assembled ponies turn to see BonBon burst from her shop. Her saddlebags were laden down, practically bulging. She galloped, huffing and puffing, up to the back of the wagon. “Wait... I'll... come!” She wheezed between breaths.
She glared at Lyra as a couple of ponies reached down to help her up on the back of the wagon. “If only to... make sure... you don't... hurt yourself...” But she grinned to take the sting off of the words. “Plus... I can test my... new chocolate energy bars! You ponies... will need food to... work.”
With BonBon securely on the wagon, both stallions at the front put their shoulders against their harnesses. The wheels of the wagon began to turn, slowly at first, but quickly gaining momentum. By the time they were leaving the town square, the wagon was rolling at a steady pace towards the Everfree forest.
In the commotion, nopony noticed when a certain three fillies snuck away into the buckets.
******
“Whooaa!” The cart clattered to a halt just as they entered Sweet Apple Acres’ orchards, threatening to dislodge most of the passengers in the back. Zecora had to grab Granny Smith by the tail to keep her from toppling off of the edge of the wagon's seat.
“What in the sam hill are y'all doing up there?” Granny Smith complained once she was back her seat. She was immediately shushed by Zecora.
“Granny Smith, be not so shrill, look upon the yonder hill,” The zebra chided her, pointing ahead of her. Now she knew why she couldn't see the monster's shapes.
Dark shadows lingered amongst the apple trees. The light of the moon was just barely enough to be able to tell that the shapes didn't belong to any sort of pony. The creatures didn't seem to notice the wagon of ponies and supplies. As the ponies watched, one of the shapes began to shake apples off of the trees, and gobbled them up in an instant. Small balls of shadow darted from tree to tree, making apples disappear wherever they went.
“Everfree monsters!” Somepony whispered in the back of the wagon. “Why did they stop here?”
“Those darn varmints,” Granny Smith muttered under her breath. “They're eating all the food!”
“If the Everfree creatures are not stopped, Ponyville will next be cropped,” Zecora said grimly. She looked back in the wagon to where Lyra was half hidden amongst the supplies. “If you could now provide us with a melody, something sweet and a little bit melancholy.”
With a nod, Lyra hovered her harp up next to her, and tucked it between her front forehooves. Little flecks of light played off of the strings as she manipulated her magic in a specific fashion across them. A soft melody began to play from the harp... simple, but clear and gentle. Bonbon had found a megaphone somewhere in the back of the wagon, and held it up to the harp as Lyra played. The song echoed throughout the orchards.
Ponies waited with baited breath, but for what seemed like eternity, nothing seemed to happen. But then of the nearby monsters that had taken residence in the acre's orchards began to weave and wobble. One by one, Parasprites and other beasts alike, began to slump to the ground. Shortly, only the sound of snoring could be heard through the orchards.
“You have chosen well, for The sweeter the sound, the easier Everfree's monsters are downed,” Zecora explained, as the cart began to move on again. “It doesn't take any special powers, they should be down for quite a few hours.” But as they moved again, she rummaged in her saddlebags for a moment. She brought out a bottle of a violet looking liquid, and give it a shake. Her supply was running low, but this was more important. After taking a swig of the stinging liquid that tasted like sour milk, she began to pass it around. “In the forest monsters still roam, a swig of this will make them think you are not in their home. It masks your scent, and prevents them from being malcontent.”
“Why didn't you share this with us before?” BonBon glared at the Zebra. She did her best to sound insulted in a whispered tone.
“Quite limited is my supply,” Zecora explained as one by one ponies took a swig, “It is not something I would want to misapply. So rare is its ingredient, waiting until time was expedient.” Although still looking unhappy, BonBon accepted this excuse, and made a face as she took a swig for herself.
Lyra continued to play as the cart moved through the orchards. They hazarded moving faster, and yet the monsters still slept on. But Lyra didn't take any chances: she continued to play even once they were out of the orchards, the wagon moving steadily towards the forests.
The edge of the forest was ablaze. What was once just a small smoldering fire had moved up one tree, then quickly moved on to others across the canopy. Flames lit up the sky, smoke rising high above them. It was impossible to tell just how far the fire went, but for once the impenetrable, malevolent forest almost seemed almost vulnerable and helpless before the fire.
A couple ponies in the fire wagon gasped at the sight of it. “How are we supposed to put out THAT?” BonBon asked shrilly, her voice rising above Lyra's playing.
Zecora hopped lightly off of the seat of the wagon, and ignoring the heat of the flames came closer to the edge of the forest. She peered down the main path, walking back and forth a few times. She looked back at the wagon and said, “A pegasus is what we need, to tell u the forest fire’s true speed.”
Furtive looks were given around the ponies in the wagon. None of the weather crew was brave enough to join the group. But finally a gray mare with a blonde mane took off at a wobbling flight, and came to hover just over Zecora. One yellow eye stared at her straight on, while the other seemed to be admiring the moon. “Why I can help with that, Miss Zecora!” The pegasus smiled lazily. She spoke somewhat slowly, but her voice was clear and chipper.
For a moment, Zecora appeared uncertain. Even she had heard of Ditzy 'Derpy' Doo's habit of making a mess of even the smallest task. But then she returned the smile to the gray mare, “It would be appreciated, Ditzy Doo, to find where the fire ends true. Fly and find what you can see, then come report it back to me.”
As the gray mare flew off wobbly, Cheerilee approached Zecora. “Are you sure about this, Zecora? There is barely more than a half dozen of us”
“I am no stranger to a forest fire's ways,” Said Zecora, shaking her head. She watched as ponies began to pull out the supplies from the fire wagon. Several were already making way for the nearby river with one end of the fire pump's hose. She smiled at the mayor in a reassuring fashion. “There is more than one way to combat a blaze.”
Just then, a crash behind her made Zecora jump. Ditzy Doo had just made a hasty landing behind her, and was quickly putting out her tail which had appeared to somehow caught on fire.
Zecora moved to lend a hoof, stomping on the end of Ditzy's tail a few times. “You have returned just in time. Has the forest fire reached its prime?”
Ditzy shook her head. One eye seemed to wobble a little as she did. “It sort of looks like a big, angry red snail,” she said, making a shape with her forehooves, “And four times as big as the town hall!”
Thinking quickly, Zecora began to make a map in the dirt under her hooves. She drew out the edge of the forest, then the approximate shape and size of the fire according to Ditzy's reports. Instead of moving inwards, the fire appeared to be moving towards the edge of the forest. The strange winds of the forest were for once to their advantage.
After staring at the map for a moment, Zecora nodded to herself. “Very well, I can see this clear as a bell.” She began to make a couple of X's around the shape that symbolized the fire. “I know that this may sound quite frightening, but what we need right now is some bolts of lightning.”
Ditzy was looking over Zecora's shoulder at the map, and even she looked alarm at what Zecora was saying. “Uh, but won't that set them trees on fire too?” She asked, looking uncertainly at the mayor, “I usually get in trouble if I do that.”
“They may also burn, but soon you will learn,” Zecora said, smiling slightly, “Though these trees are quite a cost, they will help others from being lost. A gap with no trees is what we require in order to contain the fire.”
“Eeeyup,” Big Macintosh had come over to investigate, and was looking over Zecora's map as well. “When a fire starts in the field, we sometimes have to take down a tree or two to stop it.”
“Tell us what we need to do, Zecora,” Said Cheerilee, nodding her head towards the zebra. Others had joined her, forming a semi-circle around the map. “We've never dealt with a forest fire of this magnitude before without the weather crew.”
It brought a short lived smile to Zecora's muzzle. Only a short while ago, the ponies of Ponyville were distrusting of her. They hid in their houses when she came by, and thought that she was some sort of spy. But now, they put their fate in her hooves.
“Listen closely my friends, working together this fire we shall cleanse.”
******
While the adults were making their plans, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom sneaked out of the buckets they had stowed away in. They had their toy firefighter hats on, and Sweetie Belle had the blanket that she had made for trying to put out a fire.
“You don't think we did this, do you?” Sweetie Belle asked, as she crawled under the wagon to join the other girls. “I mean, we were trying to start a fire.”
Scootaloo looked doubtful, while Apple Bloom was shuffling her forehooves.
“Well, we didn't exactly put the stick out like we were supposed to,” Apple Bloom admitted. She looked out to where they had been trying to start their controlled fire a little while ago. “Maybe it was hot enough to catch the forest on fire.”
Crossing her forehooves, Scootaloo let out a huff. “There's no way we can tell them that WE started it! We'd be grounded for-huh?” Scootaloo trailed off. She was staring right into the forest. “What was that?”
“What was what?” Apple Bloom turned to look where the orange pegasus was pointing a hoof. All she saw was darkness. “I don't see nothin'. Are you imaginin' things, Scootaloo?”
But Scootaloo crawled over to the edge of the wagon, and was peering more intently at the darkness. Something sparked with a red flicker of light. And then light flared, as new flames erupted on a tree that had previously not been on fire. “There! Look! That tree just caught on fire on its own!”
“What was that, young Scootaloo?” Came an accented voice from over them. “Did you just say fire came out of the blue?”
In her surprise, Scootaloo didn't realize that she had been yelling. Zecora and Cheerilee were peering down underneath the wagon at the three of them. Cheerilee with worry and disappointment, but Zecora with curiosity.
“Uhm. Yeah,” Scootaloo said quickly, rubbing the back of her head. She pointed the other hoof out ahead of her towards the forest. “Over there. I saw a flash of something red, then the tree caught on fire.”
“Hmmm. Interesting, this is to me. Yes, interesting, I agree!.” Zecora stared thoughtfully at the new flash of flames. She stared at it as if it was somehow triggering a familiar memory. Then without another word, she wandered off, leaving Cheerilee alone with the three girls.
Sweetie Belle was the first to speak up, “Please don't punish us!”
“Yeah! We only wanted to lend a hoof!” Apple Bloom seconded, nodding her head quickly.
With a sigh, Cheerilee shook her head. “I suppose it can't be helped.” She stopped for a moment, thinking. Then nodded slightly. “There is something you can do, girls. Come on out of there.”
“Yay! Cutie Mark Crusader firefighters!” The trio yelled, before nearly bowling Cheerilee over with their excitement.
******
Lightning crashed from the cloud that Ditzy Doo bounced on with an almost reckless abandon. It struck several trees in a line, bringing two of them down in an instant. Another caught fire, which spread to another tree alongside it, threatening to spread the forest fire further.
But the winds blowing away from the forest instead blew the fire from the trees towards the parts of the forest already burning. Although the flames ate hungrily at the trees that Ditzy Doo set on fire, the flames from the forest fire couldn't pass without something more to to use as fuel.
While the flames were contained, the other ponies had set to work on getting the water flowing from the river. Several ponies, including the tan furred colt who helped pull the wagon, took turns working the levers on either side of the fire wagon's pumps. With each push of the lever, water was pulled from the nearby river and pumped through the hose to where Big Macintosh was waiting to douse the fire with the other end.
Others had started a bucket chain, using excess water stored in the top of the pumping apparatus. Cheerilee was true to her word, and had tasked Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle tasked with dipping the water buckets in the top of the pump, then passing the full buckets down to where she was waiting to pass it off to the next in line. It was the only way that the girls could stay out of trouble – even if Sweetie Belle fell in the water a couple of times. BonBon was helping with the efforts, providing her chocolate and nut energy bars and water to hungry and thirsty ponies.
It wasn’t only the fire that was working against them. Monsters continued rampage out of the forest, looking for both food and shelter - And in some cases both. But Zecora’s potion was true to her word: few of the monsters even came close to any of the working ponies.
Half way through the night, something that looked like an old, large, grizzled rat with sharp fangs had wandered up to the workers. Its eyes were closed, temporarily blinded from the heat, light and smoke. It sniffed and snuffled about, almost as if it could smell the ponies working. Zecora at once called for everypony to be quiet and to not make a move.
It passed right past an alarmed Big Macintosh, ignored the tan coated colt and Ditzy Doo, and didn’t even look twice at Zecora. It wasn’t until it came up to BonBon that the large, dire rat stopped. It snuffled around her, as if it had smelled something interesting
It took all of BonBon’s willpower to not flee in terror. She looked quickly from left to right, her eyes wide and pupils small. When she spoke, it was with a raspy voice that shook, “What... does... it... want?”
Zecora murmured out of the corner of her mouth, “Though quite frightening it is only a rat, all it seeks is something to make it fat.”
“L-like ponies!?” BonBon’s voice had taken a shrill tone.
“Like your energy bars!” Lyra had stopped playing some time ago to help with the fire. She stood, as still as she could, with a bucket in her forehooves.
BonBon glanced back at the saddlebags that contained the last of the energy bars. “But we need those!”
“We need you more, Bonnie!”
After a quick glance back at the green unicorn, BonBon nodded her head slightly. She moved slowly as to not alarm the rat, looping a foreleg around the strap of the saddlebags. And with an almighty swing, she flung the bag and the energy bars off into the distance.
At first the rat was drawn to the movement. Lips pulled back, it snapped at thin air, barely missing BonBon. For a second it looked like it was about to pounce her, but then it stopped. It snuffled at the air again. Then hurriedly, it ran off, following the scent of the chocolate in the bags. The last they heard of it was the ripping sounds of BonBon’s saddlebags being torn apart.
“I think... it’s safe to say that the energy bars were a hit.” BonBon managed a smile and a weak laugh. She then very quickly volunteered to take over for helping run the wagon’s pump, where it was considerably safer.
But the monsters weren’t the only things impeding their efforts to fight the fire. Seemingly out of nowhere, fires continuously started to crop up at random. More than once they thought they had put a fire out in one place. But then with a flash of red, the fire would begin anew.
After very nearly getting the hose tangled around itself, Ditzy Doo was assigned to look out for these fires. She seemed to have a knack for looking in two places at once, even if she did end up getting caught on fire and had to be put out quickly when one of the fires started up right underneath her.
Since talking to the crusaders, Zecora had disappeared back into the forest. She returned after the fourth time the fires had re-ignited themselves with a strange bottle, and placed it near the edge of the forest. Nopony questioned it; they were both too tired, hot and sooty from dealing with the flames to bother, and Zecora joined the bucket chain soon after, throwing water bucket after bucket on smoldering trees.
The temporary firefighters worked well into the night and far into the morning to take the edge off of the blaze. But while their efforts were successful in containing the fire, wasn’t until the sun broke over the horizon that relief would come.
******
By early morning, word of the fire in Everfree had reached Canterlot and Cloudsdale. Several Wonderbolts, resplendent in their blue and yellow uniforms, were dispatched to help deal with the flames. They brought with them rain heavy clouds from the weather factory to aid in putting out them out, drenching the entire area. Guards arrived shortly after to corral the monsters that had attacked the village back into Everfree.
A swath of trees were all but destroyed, leaving a dark mark on the very border of the forest. Some foliage still smoldered, but everything was so damp between the water that had pumped from the river and the rainwater the Wonderbolts brought with them, that there was no chance of it catching fire again.
With the fire finally put out and the monsters under the control of the guard, most of the ponies had returned to Ponyville by afternoon. Nopony was hurt badly, save for Ditzy Doo sustaining a few burns. Even the reports of monster attacks were kept to a minimum: The only casualty was BonBon’s saddlebags and several dozen energy bars.
Only Zecora, Big Macintosh, Cheerilee and the Cutie Mark Crusaders stayed to watch the royal guard inspect the area for any remaining flames. They all looked exhausted, and a bit darker than usual from being near so much soot. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked nearly asleep on their hooves.
“We are very grateful that you alerted us, Zecora,” said Cheerilee as a couple of the guard began to douse a tree that was still hot. “If it wasn't for you, Ponyville might have been overrun by monsters.” She smiled kindly, then continued in a conspiratorial tone of voice, “I even overheard the Mayor talking about giving you the Prized Pony award.”
“Eeyup,” said Big Macintosh.
“It is I who should be grateful too,” said Zecora in a voice hoarse from the heat and soot. Her coat was almost charcoal from the ash, but she looked pleased, “My home would be gone if not for you.”
“Um.” Sweetie Belle began.
“Yeah, about that...” Said Scootaloo.
“We're really sorry.”
“Yeah, we didn't mean for it to happen.”
Zecora's brows rose on her forehead as she looked down at the two foals. One ear tilted back in confusion. “You foals did not start the flame, why do you wish to take the blame?”
Apple Bloom rubbed a forehoof against the other shyly. She looked away from Zecora, not wanting to face her. “Well, we maybe kinda did. Y'see, we were trying to get our Firefighter cutie marks, and we really needed a fire to do it. So we tried making a fire near the forest where it wouldn’ hurt anythin’, and I guess...”
She trailed off when she heard Zecora chuckle lightly. The three foals looked between them in confusion, then up to the zebra.
“You have nothing to fear dear Apple Bloom.” Smiling softly, Zecora stood up. She walked over to where she had placed her saddlebags some hours earlier. From inside of it, she took out a large glass jar. Many black marks dotted the sides, like someone had tried to burn the glass from the inside. Inside of it, a dozen little red spots flitted and darted about a charred piece of wood. They appeared almost like some sort of bug, but they emitted little sparks of light and flame every few seconds. “It was not you who nearly caused Everfree's doom.”
She offered the jar for the stunned foals to see. “These small creatures, you can see, are the ones who nearly burnt Everfree. Firefries they are called, just one touch and they will scald. They look much like the bug you call fireflies, and in fact can use that as a guise.”
Alarmed, Scootaloo stood up quickly, ignoring how tired she felt. “Wait! I saw those things before! When we were under the wagon, and then earlier when we were trying to get our Cutie Marks!”
Zecora nodded. “It is then as I suspect, these Firefries have gone unchecked. Usually they are prey of gas frogs, but these have strayed far from the bogs.” She put the jar back inside of her saddlebags, and then pulled the bags up on her back. “Have no fears, my little dears. I will make sure they are nopony's concern. In Froggy Bottom Bog they will not burn.”
With a smile, she tipped her head to the crusaders, Big Mac and Cheerilee, then turned to walk back into the forest path towards her home.
“Well, that's a big weight offa my shoulders!” Apple Bloom said with a nod. She stood up, wobbled, and had to be caught by Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle before she toppled over.
Curiously, Scootaloo looked back at her own flank. “Did anypony get any cutie marks for saving the forest?”
The other two checked their own flanks.
At once, Apple Bloom let out a gasp. “Look, look! I got my cutie-” But then Sweetie Belle used her tail to brush a dark smudge of soot off of Apple Bloom’s side. Underneath it even Apple Bloom’s flank was still blank. “-… Nevermind.
“Well, at least we didn't end up in pine needles and tree sap this time!” Sweetie Belle grinned in what she hoped was an encouraging way as Cheerilee helped them back into the fire wagon. The grin quickly slid off Sweetie’s face when she saw the way that Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were glaring at her. She scuffed a hoof on the wagon floor. “I guess soot and burns are just as bad.”
“Gee, y’think?” Scootaloo retorted.
But none of them were in the mood to argue. By the time that Big Macintosh pulled the wagon on the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres, all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders had fallen asleep in a pile in the back.
******
A navy blue potion bubbled and churned in the large cauldron placed in the center of Zecora’s little hut. The fire underneath it was just so bright to provide enough light for Zecora to see by.
Some soot and ash still clung to Zecora’s fur coat from dealing with the fire earlier on in the day. While her eyes drooped and her limbs felt heavy, she still hummed a tune from her native land under her breath as she stirred the bubbling mixture.
Content with the consistency of the mixture, she set the stirring spoon aside. Then reaching down, she pulled a purple flower with a white stem from her saddlebags. The same flower that she was searching for late the night before. She admired it for a moment between her hooves, before placing it into a stone bowl and began to crush it into a fine powder.
“Monster’s Bane I shall now provide, to insure my scent should it hide,” she said, pouring the powder into the brew. Picking the large ladle up again, she began to stir until the mixture had turned a bright purple.
Zecora smiled down at her work. “For a night shall it boil, or else should it spoil.” Turning away, she started eagerly for her bed and a long awaited rest. But she stopped as her gaze passed her desk. The jar with the firefries sat there, casting a reddish light over the desk. Next to it she had some writing implements out from copying ingredient lists. The sight of it it though, gave her an idea.
With a smile, she settled down before her desk and took a quill carefully in her mouth. In a thick, flowing script, she began to write.
Dear Princess Celestia,
With the Elements of Harmony on vacation, I suspect your letters have had a cessation. But while it is they whose lessons you yearn, it is not only those girls who learn. Today was a lesson for all of Ponyville. I fear it had nearly gone downhill. When the fire broke out, few were there with the clout. While depending on certain friends be nice, care must be taken to not become a vice. Ones you depend may not always be there, for that you must always take care.
Your faithful court alchemist,
Zecora
Zecora looked over the parchment again in satisfaction. Rolling it up, she sealed it with a bit of wax from a candle. She set it aside to send the next day, and very gratefully, collapsed on her bed, exhausted.
