Tears of Fire

by Silentpegasus

Rating: teen
Tags: Original Character, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Other, Tragedy, Twilight Sparkle, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Sad, Main 6, Romance
Length: 8251

After a strange Unicorn stallion with a knack for fire magic crash lands on the outskirts of Ponyville, Twilight takes him in to help him cope with the horrors he's seen. Will this stallion ignite the flames of passion for the scholar?

After a strange Unicorn stallion with a knack for fire magic crash lands on the outskirts of Ponyville, Twilight takes him in to help him cope with the horrors of his past. Will this stallion ignite the flames of passion for the scholar? Join Twilight and her friends as they tackle an ancient foe that has awoken from it's slumber. Will their friendship survive, or will the bridges they've worked so hard to build go up in flames?

This is part three of my series.
Check out 'The Dreams We Share' and 'Spellbound Apples' to get more info on Storm Chaser and Hex Swirl.
Art done by: jewlecho.

Published 2014-05-01 01:10:03 UTC
Last updated 2016-05-21 16:54:43 UTC

Chapter 1: The Blue Star

Tears of Fire

Chapter 1

The Blue Star

Lonely. That was the only accurate word to describe the purple Unicorn mare as of late. Since the incident between herself and Hex, Twilight Sparkle spent most of her days cooped up in her library. She would venture out to have a very brief chat with one of her friends or to buy supplies. Even though the orange farmer and blue performer had forgiven her. Twilight’s mind was still riddled with guilt at the betrayal of one of her closest friends.

The small dragon constantly kept watch over the mare, praying that she’d turn back to her old book smart, happy self. Even though she smiled, Spike knew that beneath the mask she was hurting. No words of comfort could be offered by the number one assistant. The mare sat alone in her room at her desk with only ‘The Fundamentals of Magical Physics’ for company.

Twilight sat by the candle light trying to focus on the book, but felt her mind drift back to the kiss she had stolen from the blue stallion. The look of pure anger on the farmer’s face and the overwhelming guilt that she had wrestled with from that day on. The mare let out a sigh, making sure to blow the candle out before putting the book back. The mare laid down in her bed and stared out the window. She felt small tears form in her eyes as she buried her head in her pillow.

Oh Celestia, why? Why did I do that? I knew he was with Applejack and I still-. Her train of thought was cut short as something bright caught her eye in the distance. The mare wiped the tears from her eyes and saw what looked like a comet. A shooting star? No, and it’s too small to be an asteroid. She thought to herself. As the object collided with the ground, Twilight saw that it landed just on the outskirts of the Everfree forest. Hastily, the mare jumped out of bed and ran out of the library towards the crash site.

The cold outside air whipped at the mare’s exposed fur. She felt the small amount of frost on the ground bite at her hooves. The mare panted as she raced towards the dark forest. As the scholar made it past the tree line she saw several burnt trees fallen over in a row.

Twilight could smell the smoke from the fallen object and gave a cough as she felt the smoke fill her lungs. She reached the edge of the small crater and looked down. She could make out the shape of a medium sized object. Twilight saw a massive flash of blue flames encircle the object and a loud scream coming from the flames. The lavender mare saw the flames die down and an object slump in the center of the crater.

The mare’s horn glowed and the smoke soon cleared and revealed a pitch black object. Twilight gasped as she saw that the object was a black Unicorn stallion with a light blue mane and tail. Twilight also noticed that his mane and tail seemed to be moving like it was pure fire. A groan of pain then escaped the stallion’s lips. Twilight rushed over to him and felt the temperature significantly rise.

“Are you okay?” Twilight called out. No response came from the stallion. As she put a hoof on his coat she immediately retracted her hoof in pain. She looked down and saw that her hoof looked like it had been burned during one of her many failed cooking attempts.

The mare fought through the pain and levitated the stallion as she teleported them both back to the library. The sudden burst of magic woke the baby dragon from his slumber.

“Huh? What? I’m up!” He yelled. Spike then noticed the stallion laying in front of the exhausted purple Unicorn. “Twilight! What happened? Who’s that?” He yelled as he ran towards the librarian.

“I don’t know who he is Spike. I saw him fall from the sky and-” The dragon then saw the mare’s burnt hoof.

“Did he hurt you?” He asked as he quickly got some bandages.

“No....yes...I don’t know. When I tried to jostle him awake I got burned.” She said as the dragon wrapped her hoof with an ice pack. “Thanks Spike. Now we have to work on him. Think you could look him over?”

The dragon nodded and got closer to the unconscious stallion. Spike put a claw on the black Unicorn’s shoulder and felt the heat starting to bite at his nerves. The heat was just slightly cooler than when he went lava diving during the great dragon migration.

“Maybe we should call a doctor?”

“Good idea. We can-” The mare was cut off as the heat in the room rose. The lavender mare looked in shock to see that the wooden floor boards had caught fire. The dragon quickly grabbed the fire extinguisher and the bright blue flames were put out. The lavender mare then put the stallion in a magic bubble. Making sure to separate him from any wooden surface.

“What in the name of Celestia was that?” Spike asked.

“I’m not sure. You go get Red Heart. I’ll stay here and keep an eye on him.” The dragon nodded and quickly ran out of the door towards the hospital. Twilight turned her attention back to the stallion who was still unconscious. “Who and what are you?” She said to the stallion.

Twilight waited for a good forty-five minutes until the door burst open to show the dragon and the white Earth Pony mare with a medical bag on her back. Her disheveled pink mane that was usually tied in a bun and accompanied by the bags under her eyes showed signs of pure exhaustion.

“This had better be good Twilight. I don’t like making house calls at two in the morning. Especially on my day off.” The mare said in an annoyed tone.

“Sorry Red Heart, but I found an injured stallion and I can’t treat him.” Twilight said as she looked at the stallion inside the bubble.

“Mind telling me why he’s in that thing?”

“It’s a magic proof bubble and he’s too hot.” Twilight said. The white nurse looked at the mare in confusion.

“Okay, so what if he’s attractive? That doesn’t-”

“That’s not what I meant!” She said as she face hoofed. “He’s literally too hot to touch. He’s in there because he almost set the library on fire while we tried to examine him.”

“I see. Well, open it up I’m going in.” She said as she picked up her bag between her teeth. Twilight nodded and made an opening in front of the mare. As she took a step inside, the nurse felt as though she had stepped into a volcano. The mare quickly retreated and started to pant. “I can’t...examine him...like this...too hot.” She said as she caught her breath.

Spike thought for a moment and an idea struck him. Spike quickly grabbed the fire extinguisher and pointed it into the opening. The dragon squeezed the trigger and the white foam hit the stallion making his mane return to normal and the heat seemed to vanish.

“Great idea Spike.” Twilight said as the dragon threw the empty extinguisher to the side. Red Heart let out a sigh and trotted up to the stallion who was still giving off some residual heat. The white mare then saw that the stallion had several fresh cuts and bruises strewn across his body. The nurse put a thermometer in his mouth only to have the red liquid immediately jump to the top and started to melt the glass.

“How is that even possible?” Twilight yelled as she looked at the burnt thermometer.

“I don’t know Twilight. Judging from his injuries he’s been through a lot and I’m scared to move him. Can he stay here?” She asked.

“Sure, let me just go fire proof the guest room.” Twilight said as she trotted off. The white mare looked at the dragon and let out a sigh.

“How is she Spike? You know, since the whole Hex thing?” The nurse had heard of what happened between the two Unicorns from idle gossip around town.

“Don’t know. She doesn’t even talk to me about it. I want to help her, but I don’t know how.” He said in a defeated tone. The nurse put a hoof on his shoulder and gave him a nod. “I just feel so....useless.” He said in a defeated tone.

“Just be there for her Spike. She’ll come around.” The nurse said with a smile as Twilight returned.

“Okay the room is all set.”

“Good I’ll check back in the morning.” The mare looked at the nurse as she turned to leave. “Be careful. We don’t know anything about him.”

“Sure thing Red Heart.” Twilight said as she closed the door. The lavender mare levitated the stallion onto her back and realized that he wasn’t as hot as before. The mare’s horn flared and she teleported them both inside the guest room. She laid the stallion on the bed and covered him. The lavender mare pulled up a chair and sat on it watching the stallion. Twilight soon felt fatigue take her and she fell asleep in the chair.

Author's Note

New Twilight fic. Hope you all like it.
~Silent.

Chapter 2: Awakening

Chapter 2

Awakening

The charcoal black stallion awoke to the sun pouring through a window and onto his face. The stallion’s eyes shrank as he saw that he was on a bed in somepony’s home. He frantically looked around the room and saw that it was made out of wood. The door on the far side of the room started to open to reveal a lavender unicorn mare with an indigo mane and a line of pink running through it.

“Oh good you’re awake.” She said with a relived look on her face. The dark Unicorn looked at the mare in surprise and raised an eyebrow. “My name is Twilight Sparkle. What’s yours?”

“Backdraft," He took amoment to clear his throat. "Backdraft Inferno.” He said as he shook his head.

“Nice to meet you Backdraft.” Twilight said with a smile.

“Where am I?”

“In Ponyville. I found you last night and brought you here to my house.” She said as she slowly took another step closer.

“Found me?”

“You fell from the sky and I found you in a crater near the Everfree forest.” She said with a gulp. The lavender mare took another step closer to the confused stallion.

“Oh.....I see.” He said in a flat tone. The stallion cracked his neck and got to his hooves. Backdraft was immediately met with a wave of pain. The lavender mare rushed over to him to be stopped by a raised hoof. “I wouldn’t get too close. Unless you want to get burned.”

“A bit late for that.” She said as she showed him her burned hoof.

“Damn it. Sorry about that, I probably wasn’t thinking straight last night.” He took a step and stumbled a bit. Twilight hurried and caught him. His body didn’t burn her, but she did feel the heat from his coat. As she backed away she saw that there was black powder on her arm and hoof.

“What the?” She said as she looked at the bed and saw that the covers had the same black substance had covered them.

“Sorry about that.” He said with a groan.

“What is this?”

“Soot.” He said with a groan. The mare looked at his body and saw a light grey patch of gray fur coming through.

“Looks like you need a bath.” Twilight left the room with the stallion following close behind. She walked over to her bath tub and turned the knobs and let the water start to fill up.

“Do you have a fire place?” He asked.

“Yeah, why?” She asked.

“Just show me and I’ll explain.” He said as he slowly limped towards the door. Twilight sighed before teleporting the two down to the main floor in front of the fire place. The stallion managed to crawl inside and laid down. “Good now light it.”

“What?” She asked in confusion.

“Relax I’ll be fine.” He said in a flat tone. The mare was about to protest but remembered the inferno that almost broke out in her library the night before.

“Spike. Could you come over here for a second?” She asked as a small purple dragon came out of the kitchen.

“What do you need Twilight?” He asked as he saw the stallion in the fire place. “What is he doing?”

“Oh for the love of Pete.” The stallion’s horn flared and a dropped a book on the dragon’s foot. Spike yelled in pain as a bright green flame shot into the fire place. The fire enveloped the stallion causing the lavender mare to panic. “Calm down. I’m fire proof.” The stallion said as he stepped out of the fire. Twilight noticed that the scratched and injuries were being healed by the flames. The mare also noticed that the stallion was chewing something in his mouth.

“What are you eating?”

“Fire.” He said as he swallowed causing some smoke to come out of his mouth. “Never had dragon fire before.” He said as he licked his lips. “Exquisite.”

“Dude that’s creepy.” Spike said as he made a gaging sound.

“Sorry about the foot.” Backdraft said as he stepped out of the fireplace.

“How did you do that?” Twilight asked.

“Magic.” He said in a flat tone. The stallion followed Twilight back up the steps and raised an eyebrow. “Um, I’m all for some fun in the tub, but we just met.” Twilight’s face turned red and frowned at the stallion. The mare closed the door with a slam and grunted. Draft slipped inside the tub and sighed. Twilight used her magic to watch the stallion and saw the clear water beginning to turn black.

Draft dunked his head under the water and resurfaced twenty-seconds later and gasped for breath. Twilight raised an eyebrow as she saw that the stallion’s coat was more of a gray-ash color. She also saw that his cutie mark was a pair of axes criss-crossing wrapped in blue flames. Draft's ears twitched and he grinned. “If you want to look you can just ask.” Twilight jumped away from the door and heard chuckling from the other side. Twilight shook her head and opened the door.

Draft was now standing on the bathmat with excess water dripping off and accented the lean wall of muscle that was underneath the gray fur. “Twilight, its two bits to look every five minutes. It’s free in private.” The mare then threw a towel at the stallion’s head that hit him a little harder than he was expecting.

“Oh you’re a comedian now?” She asked in a sarcastic tone.

“Among other things.” The stallion said as he waggled his eyebrows. Twilight let out an annoyed grunt as her face went a dark reddish hue. The lavender mare walked over to the edge of the tub and saw that the water was black. She dipped her hoof in it and saw small black flakes dying the water.

“What is this stuff?”

“Soot.” He said as he wiped his mane dry. “That happens whenever I use fire to heal myself. Like dry skin.” Twilight made her horn glow and pulled out the plug at the bottom of the tub.

“Well, since you’re feeling better, lets get you to the hospital so the nurse can check your vitals.” She said in a flat tone. The mare grabbed a purple stripped scarf and wrapped it around her neck. The two Unicorns left the tree house and walked along the street. Twilight noticed that the frost covered grass was melting as the stallion got close.

“Sorry about what I said.” Twilight looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “I use humor to break the ice and it has gotten me into trouble. I am grateful to you for helping me out and I’m sorry if I offended you. I’m still trying to remember a few things before the crash.”

“You can’t remember what you were doing?” The stallion shook his head.

“Not really, it’ll come to me though.” He said with a shrug. The two were interrupted by a cyan mare with a flowing rainbow mane landing in front of them.

“Oh thank Luna! There you are Twilight!” The mare said in a worried tone.

“What’s wrong Dash?” She hadn’t seen her friend this worried since her first best young flier’s competition.

“Sugar Cube Corner is going up in flames!” Twilight’s eyes shrank at the Pegasus’s words.

“What?” Twilight yelled in shock. The grey stallion followed the mares into a gallop. A crowd of ponies were standing in worry around the burning building. The two trotted up to a light blue earth pony mare with a pink mane and a mustard yellow stallion. “Mr. and Mrs. Cake are you okay?”

“We’re fine, but Pinkie and the foals are still in there!” The blue mare yelled. Both mares looked at one another in shock “The fire ponies said that it’s still too hot in there to go in and by the time they do it’ll be too late!”

“Not if I have anything to say about it.” The ponies looked in shock as the grey stallion charged towards the burning building. A line of ponies in fire fighting uniforms blocked his way. Draft’s horn flared and his body evaporated into a cloud of smoke. The grey cloud passed through the line and rematerialized in the stallion’s solid form before going head first into the inferno.

The gray stallion made his way through the raging fire. As his horn flared a circle of blue flames appeared around him. “Is anypony in here?” He yelled as he reached the kitchen. He heard a loud thump coming from the upper level.

The stallion raced up the stairs and broke down the door. He looked around to see a foal crib over turned. He heard a series of loud coughs coming from the other room. Draft raced inside to see a medium sized bed and a puffy pink tail sticking out from it. The grey stallion hurried over to the bed side and lifted it up with his front hooves.

He looked down to see a barely conscious pink mare with a unicorn filly and a Pegasus colt by her side. He grabbed the mare and rested her on his back. He put both foals on the back of his neck and slowly started to make his way back out of the burning shop. The foals held onto the stallion’s mane and watched in wonder as the blue flames surrounding them fought against the violent red flames that had destroyed their home. Back outside, the crowd of ponies were sick with worry.

Twilight had just finished explaining the situation to the rest of their friends who had just arrived.

“Ya mean that Pinkie is still in there?” Applejack yelled.

“Yeah, but some crazy stallion just went in and-”

“What’s that?” The white mare said as she pointed towards the burning building. The ponies squinted and saw that there was bright blue flame amongst the red. The flame grew bigger and the ponies saw the shadow of a stallion. The group watched in amazement as the gray stallion came out of the inferno with an unconscious pink mare on his back along with two foals holding onto his mane.

The six mares hurried over to their friend and laid her down on the ground. Twilight looked at Backdraft in amazement as he kept staring at the fire.

“You got her out!” Twilight yelled as she looked over her friend.

“Games not over yet sweetie. There’s still this thing to contend with.” He said as he looked at the burning building.

“Let the fire ponies handle it.” Twilight said as she looked at the raging inferno.

“And miss out on all the fun? Not a chance.” He said with a wink. Twilight felt her face heat up either from the fire or her emotions. The grey stallion raised his right hoof and his horn started to glow a deep blue color. Twilight saw a small blue ball of flame form in the center of his hoof.

“You might want to take cover.” He said as he threw the fire ball into the inferno. The grey stallion smirked as the blue ball exploded and felt a massive force come from the bakery shop. The ponies all ducked as they felt the force hit them. The red flames grew larger for a moment, then suddenly vanished from the structure.

The building started to smolder and smoke the heat seemed to leave the area. Backdraft walked over to still burning piece of wood and scooped the flame up in his hoof. “Hello there.” He said as he inserted the flame into his mouth. The ponies’ jaws dropped at what they just saw.

The stallion scratched his chin for a moment and swirled the ball of fire around in his mouth. He closed his eyes and focused on the flavor of the flame. Draft tasted traces of frosting, batter and pineapples within the small fire before swallowing. As he belched a small bit of flame came out from his mouth. “Sorry.” He said with a small laugh. He trotted over to the Cake’s who were holding their foals and helping Pinkie sit up.

“What happened?” Pinkie asked as she rubbed her head.

“Judging by the texture and flavor of the flames I’d say a burnt pineapple upside down cake is what caused the fire. Purely accidental.” He said with a grin. The pink mare then hugged the stallion.

“Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” She said with a smile on her face.

“No problem.” He said as he broke the hug. Twilight and the others then trotted up to the stallion.

“What did you just do?” A white Pegasus stallion asked.

“That is what’s called a ‘backdraft.’ I made my fire explode inside the existing inferno to suck all the oxygen out of the area. No oxygen equals no fire.” He said with a grin. He was then surrounded by a mob of ponies with smiles on their faces.

“Awe crap, paparazzi. Exit stage left!” He said as his body turned into a cloud of smoke and moved through the crowd of ponies. The mob looked at one another in shock and confusion as they saw the cloud move through them. The six mares looked at one another in shock before helping their pink friend towards the hospital. As Backdraft left the town limits he let out a sigh and smiled.

Well, that was fun and I got a snack out of it. He thought as he yawned. Time to head out and-....where is it? He thought as he began searching his body. Ugh! I must have left it at what’s her name’s house...Twilight I think? With that thought he turned around and started to make his way back towards the small town.

Chapter 3: The Pendant

Chapter 3

The Pendant

The five mares sat around the bedridden pink party animal with the blue and white stallions beside them. Twilight had just finished explaining to them who the grey stallion was and how she had found him the night before.

“So this guy fell from the sky?” Hex asked.

“I know it sounds crazy, but that’s what I saw.” Twilight said in a weak tone. Pinkie let squeak of delight. “You okay Pinkie?”

“Now I gotta throw him a party!” She said with a smile.

“Let’s just see what the doctors have to say about your condition.” Applejack said as she put a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. The door suddenly opened to see a tan Unicorn stallion in a white lab coat and a stethoscope around his neck. “How is she doc?”

“Ms. Pie is going to be just fine.” He said with a smile. “She has a minor burn on her left fore hoof, but other than that I can see nothing wrong with her and we can check her out this afternoon.” The ponies all smiled and thanked the doctor.

“What about the twins?” Pinkie asked.

“Barely a scratch on them. It was a good thing that stallion came when he did or else things might have turned out a whole lot worse.” He said before trotting out of the room.

“You said that his name was Backdraft right?” Storm said as the group happily trotted out of the hospital.

“Yeah, why?” Twilight said.

“Just sounds familiar.” He said with a shrug. The ponies continued to talk amongst one another as they reached the library.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The grey stallion snuck through the town undetected as he saw the large tree house. He quickly turned into his smoke form and seeped through the key hole of the front door. He quietly snuck up to the guest room where he stayed the night. Backdraft then started to rummage through the room.

C’mon where is it? He thought as he grunted. The stallion then heard a group of voices enter the library. He quickly evaporated into the air duct and solidified as he reached the top of the stair case. He kept low as he saw Twilight talking to a group of unfamiliar ponies.

“So he stayed the night?” The white one asked in a refined voice.

“After I fireproofed the guest room, yes.” The young scholar was then approached by a small purple dragon holding something in his right claw.

“Hey Twilight, is this yours?” The lavender mare levitated the object and saw that it was a medallion with a bright blue sapphire in the center. Within the gem showed a small glowing flame.

“No, I have no idea what-” She was cut off as the fashionista gasped and galloped forward to look at the gem.

“Thats a phoenix tear sapphire!” She squealed in delight.

“A what now?” Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s only one of the most rarest and precious gems in all of Equestria!” She said as she examined the gem. “Remember that fire ruby Spike gave me?” The mares all nodded in unison. “This gem makes that look like a pebble.” The small dragon held his head low. “Not in sentimental value dear. The ruby you gave me will always have a special place in my heart.” She said as she patted the small dragon on the head. Spike gave a smile at the words from his crush.

“So now what?” Dash asked in a bored tone.

“Oh idea~” Rarity sang in her sing song voice. “I just thought of a complete ensemble I could center around this!”

“Settle down there Sally.” The farmer said as she snapped her friend out of the trance. “We don’t even know who’s-” She was cut off as the farmer noticed a bright blue whip like flame wrap around the top beam of the librarian’s home. The ponies looked back in surprise to see the gray Unicorn stallion swinging from the other end towards the group.

“Stop right there criminal scum!” He yelled with gusto. The ponies ducked. The seamstress tripped in the panic and the gem went flying out of her hoof and right into the stallion’s grip. “Thank you. Now I’ll be-” He was cut off as he looked forward and saw the brick chimney of the fire place. He slammed face first into the bricks which resulted in several groans of pain from the group of ponies.

Draft slowly slid down the rocky surface and groaned as he stood up and shook off the collision. The group then trotted over to him and cocked an eyebrow in confusion. “Anypony get the number on that carriage?” He said in a dazed state.

“Who the buck is this guy?” Dash asked.

“This is the stallion I was telling you all about!” Twilight said as the ponies looked at one another. The grey Unicorn shook his head and got his bearings. “Why are you here?”

“That’s one of life’s greatest mysteries isn’t it? Why are we here?” The group looked at him in confusion. “Are we the event of some cosmic coincidence, or is there really some greater power watching, listening and has a plan for us all? I don’t know, but it keeps me up at night.” A long silence fell over the group.

“I meant what are you doing here in my library?” Twilight said as she face hoofed.

“Oh.” The stallion said in an embarrassed tone. “Just getting this.” He said as he held up the gem.

“So that thing is yours?” Rarity asked. Backdraft nodded as he put it around his neck. “I see I.....wait what did you call me?” She said as she gritted her teeth and frowned.

“And that’s my cue to scram.” As he turned to bolt out the door only to be met with the wooden surface slamming into his face. “Locked eh? Oh well, up and out!” His horn flared a bright blue and he turned into cloud of smoke and shot up the chimney and out of the house. The ponies gave chase and galloped after the stallion. Rainbow and Storm took to the skies and chased the stallion that returned to his physical form.

“Gotcha!” Dash yelled as she tackled him. Backdraft smirked and turned into his smoke form again and slipped between the mare’s hooves. “What the hay?” She yelled as the cloud moved through town. As the group pursued him Hex’s horn flared and trapped the cloud with four bright blue walls of magic.

Draft returned to his physical form and examined his magical prison. He smirked as the group of ponies surrounded the box. He looked at Hex who smirked.

“Nowhere to go now.”

“Wrong on that note pal.” He said as he looked towards the sky that was open. Draft closed his eyes and focused his magic. The group then saw his mane and tail started to move and glow as though it was on fire. Draft smirked and the ponies saw that his hooves were following his mane’s example. The stallion crouched. A small crater formed around him and the air became humid.

“Geronimo!” He yelled as he jumped. The group watched in amazement as fire erupted from his hooves propelling him up into the sky. Draft smirked and rocketed forward away from the magical prison and group of ponies. The gray stallion could feel his magic draining and started to descend. As he landed he saw that the pink mare’s tail was twitching.

He looked up to see a large bucket of water falling towards him. As the cold liquid hit his coat his fire like mane returned to normal. “Buck.” He said in a flat tone as the bucket hit the side of his head.

“Sorry!” A mint green Unicorn mare said as she looked down with a worried look on her face. Draft rubbed the sore spot and smiled at the mare.

“It’s fine. I’ve taken worse-” He was cut off as he was tackled by a lavender blur. The two ponies tumbled in the dirt. Draft opened his eyes to see a familiar and very cross purple Unicorn mare glaring at him. She had his hooves pinned and was pressing her forehead against his.

“What is your problem?” She yelled.

“Hey if you’re gonna put me in a position like this then at least have the decency to buy me dinner first.” He said with a chuckle. Twilight thought for a moment and then realized the position they were in. Her face turned red as she got off the stallion. The rest of the group then surrounded the stallion. “Jeez, what do you ponies want?” He yelled.

“Why did you run away?”

“Your friend there,” He said as he pointed at Rarity. “was about to turn my family heirloom into a headdress.” He said in a flat tone.

“I was just thinking out loud!” The white mare said as she puffed her cheeks in frustration. The stallion rolled his eyes and steam started to seep off his body.

“Well, don’t do that when you’re talking about my stuff.” He said as he put it back around his neck. The pink mare then galloped up to him. “Oh yeah, how are you feeling?” He asked as his sapphire blueeyes fell on the pink Earth pony.

“All better!” She said with a smile. “Thanks to you!”

“No biggie.” He said with a shrug.

“No biggie? You dove into a burning building!” Dash yelled.

“Wouldn’t be the first time.” He said as he started to trot away. The stallion was then stopped by a pink mare.

“Wait! I have to throw you a party for saving the twins and me!”

“Thanks for the offer but parties aren’t really-” He then saw the pink mare give him the biggest puppy eyes he’d ever seen.

Damn. You found me weakness!

“Knock yourself out.” He said with a smile as the mare quickly zoomed off laughing to herself. An orange blur then chased after the mare. Draft turned back towards the dumbfounded group. “Is she always like that?”

“Pretty much.” Storm said. “So craziness aside, what’s your name?”

“Backdraft Inferno at your service.” He said with a bow.

Chapter 4: Party Time

Chapter 4

Party Time

“Okay now open your mouth and say ah.” The grey stallion complied as Nurse Red Heart stuck a tongue depressor in his mouth. Par Twilight’s request, the two stopped by the hospital and Nurse Red Heart was giving Draft a check up and was comparing it to his condition to the night prior. “Seems normal.” Red Heart packed up he medical bag and looked at the stallion. “Odd, last night you looked like you’d been run over by a train.”

“What can I say? I heal fast.”

“Well, just be careful.” The nurse said as the lavender mare and grey stallion left the examination room. The two Unicorns soon made their way back towards the small town and walked down the street to see Big Mac, Storm, Hex and a few other stallions hauling boards, nails, and other construction equipment towards the burnt out building with Mr. and Mrs. Cake standing outside.

“Seriously fellas, you don’t have to do this.” Mr. Cake said as the stallions put the supplies down. “The missus and I will be just fine.”

“Sorry Mr. Cake,” The blue stallion said as his horn glowed and several boards fell into place. “but we take care of our own.”

“You guys have always been there for us.” Storm said as he held the boards in place. “Least we can do is help you guys out when you need it. Ain’t that right Mac?” He asked as the red stallion hammered the nails into place.

“Eeyup.” The red stallion said in a firm tone. Draft watched as more and more towns folk showed up and offered their help.

“Aren’t you gonna help?” Twilight asked.

“If I tried then all their hard work would literally go up in smoke.” The stallion said in a flat tone.

“Why?”

“Things tend to catch on fire when I touch them, which is why I was nervous when I woke up in a building made out of wood and filled with paper.” Twilight raised an eyebrow at the words.

“Right. Speaking of which, where did you learn that magic? I can do a few fire spells myself, but nothing on that level.”

“Runs in the family.” Draft said as he scratched his mane. “So you’re a librarian then?”

“Yeah, I love books.” She said with a wide grin.

“You must be the egg head of your friends right?” The mare frowned at the stallion. “Oh relax, I’m just pushing your buttons.”

“Well, what about you?” She asked in a snooty tone.

“Don’t read books often.” Twilight stopped walking and felt the gears in her brain stop moving. Draft looked at the mare and her face was like one you’d see on an actress, before she gets violently murdered by the masked killer in one of those cheap slasher flicks.

“What? Why? Books are amazing.”

“Things tend to burst into flames when I touch them, and it’s kinda boring for me to stand still for too long.” Twilight rolled her eyes at the words. “So what can you tell me about this town?”

“Not much; relatively small, everypony’s friendly.” She grinned. “Where are you from?”

“Manehattan. Rough neighborhood, but we look out for each other.”

“Why’d you leave?” The stallion shrugged.

“Kinda on vacation.” The two then saw a familiar white Unicorn with a purple curly mane. In her telekinetic grip were several different paint designs. Twilight waved her over and smiled.

“Hey Rarity,” Twilight then noticed the paint designs. “what’cha got there?”

“Well, since they’re rebuilding Sugar Cube Corner, I decided to lend my expertise by providing the colors.” The fashionista then showed the different colored paint. “I just need to double check the colors with the Cakes, they said that they wanted the same color scheme as the last one.” She said with a hint of disappointment.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Draft asked as he raised an eyebrow.

“I suppose, but there’s nothing wrong with making improvements.” She said in a confident tone.

“Right. Sorry about the whole ‘criminal scum’ thing earlier.” He said as he rubbed his fire like mane. “Ponies touching my stuff without my permission get’s on my nerves.”

“Oh I’m the same way when someone moves things around in my inspiration room.” Rarity grumbled as she thought of all the times when her sister and her two friends blew through her home like a chaotic hurricane that would impress Discord.

“You an artist?” The stallion asked as he walked with the two mares. Rarity chuckled at the words.

“I suppose I am. I design and create ensembles for ponies who are in need of fashionable attires.” Her tone was filled with pride.

“You’re a tailor then?” She gave a nod. “Forgive me, but we’ve never officially met.” Draft outstretched his hoof. “Backdraft Inferno.” The mare shook it with a smile on her face.

“Rarity, and I do apologize for my words concerning your gem. It’s just that I’ve never seen one up close so I got a bit ahead of myself.” She said with an embarrassed blush on her cheeks. “No harm done I suppose. Ta ta~” The mare deviated and got back on course towards the construction zone.

“So how long do you intend to say in Ponyville for?” Twilight asked as she looked at the ash colored stallion.

“Don’t know. I still owe you for saving my flank.”

“Oh you don’t have to do anything like that. I was happy to help.” She smiled.

“Nope.” Draft shook his head at the words. “I always pay my debts and I owe you a lot.” He smiled as his stomach growled. “Heh, sorry. I guess I forgot about breakfast, know a place for a stallion to eat?”

“Normally there’s Sugar Cube Corner, but since that’s under construction we can head back to the library.” The lavender mare took the lead and made her way back to the treehouse.

“Um Twilight, no offense but I can eat fire, not paper.”

“Spike can cook.”

“The dragon?” The lavender mare gave a nod. “I’ve been meaning to ask, how’d you get a dragon anyway?”

“Well, it all started when I was a filly. I was young, gifted with magic and-” Draft held up a hoof, cutting the mare off.

“Short version please. I have a very short attention span. Nothing personal.” Twilight frowned and sighed.

“I messed up a spell while trying to pass an exam and poof, I turned a baby dragon into a fifty foot monster. Thankfully Princess Celestia came by and turned Spike back to normal and he’s been my assistant ever since.” Draft raised an eyebrow.

“Wait, THE Princess Celestia helped you out?”

“Yup, I am her personal student after all.” Draft’s eye twitched at the words.

“Didn’t know you were so well connected.” The two made their way inside the tree house and saw the baby dragon reading one of his comic books.

“Hey Spike.” Twilight smiled. The dragon looked up from his book and saw the two Unicorns.

“Hey Twilight.” The dragon smiled getting to his feet. “Want some dinner?”

“Yes, and prepare some for Draft here.”

“Sure.” The dragon quickly went into the kitchen.

“Do you need any-”

“Nope!” He quickly dashed the mare’s attempt aside. “I don’t want to have to put out another kitchen fire.” The mare scowled as the stallion chuckled.

“I take it culinary arts is not your forte?”

“I’m not that-”

“She burned soup.” Spike said from the kitchen.

“That doesn’t seem physically possible.” Twilight just growled at the words as she walked over and found a book to read. Draft went over to Spike’s comic book and gave it a glance.

“What’s that for?”

“Eh, like the pictures and I like to compare the older X-Mares to the new ones.”

“Old ones are better!” Spike yelled.

“Thank you! Finally somepony...er some dragon that respects the classics.” Twilight face-hoofed at the conversation they were having.

“How old are you?” She glanced over at the stallion.

“Physically, twenty-five. Mentally, I’d say somewhere between sixteen and eighteen.” He chuckled. Twilight rolled her eyes and grunted at the response. “What’s the point of being an adult if you can’t be childish every once in a while?” Spike quickly made them some cooked vegetables and served himself a side of gem stones. The meal was spent in silence until Spike decided to speak up.

“So draft, what do you do?” The grey stallion swallowed the veggies in his mouth before answering.

“Well, back in Manhattan I was a fire pony.”

“So that’s why you rushed into that fire?” Twilight asked.

“No, I was just looking out for some civilians. You’re telling me you wouldn’t do the same thing?” Twilight went to speak up, but closed her mouth. She could have helped put out the fire in some way. The lavender mare looked at the ground. “It’s okay I’m not trying to guilt trip you or anything. I know better than anypony how scary a fire can be.”

“Well, it’s a noble profession.”Twilight stated. “Why’d you decide to do it?”

“Dad did it, his dad and his dad. Stuff like that runs in the family.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“But isn’t your magic fire magic?” Spike pointed out.

“My fire eats other fire.” There was a knock on the front door and Spike got up to get it. He opened the wooden door to see the five mares along with Hex and Storm. Twilight quickly rose to her hooves and walked over to the group. A wave of guilt soon washed over her as she saw Applejack and Hex. The lavender mare immediately shifted her attention to Pinkie Pie who was out of her bandages.

“How are you feeling Pinkie?”

“I’ma all better!” The pink mare reached into her mane and pulled out a light blue cannon and pressed the button on the back. Streamers and balloons erupted from the end and decorated the library in many streamers and confetti. “Now let’s party!” Draft crawled out from under the tableland walked up beside Spike with a confused look on his face.

“Where was she keeping that thing?”

“It’s Pinkie Pie, don’t question it.” Spike said in a serious tone. Soon more ponies from the town funneled into the small library and they started conversing with one another. Draft properly introduced himself to Mac and the rest of the stallions. A little while later a cream colored stallion with a grey mane and mustache walked up to Draft with two other ponies beside him. One was a bright red unicorn that had a short brown mane and the other was a blue pegasus mare with a purple mane. Draft remembered them from the fire.

“So you’re the stallion that ran into the fire?”

“Correct and you are?”

“Sorry where are my manners? Name’s Smokey. I’m the lieutenant of the local fire department. This here’s my son Crimson and our probationary are pony, Misty.” Draft bit his lip and looked at the trio. “Thanks for your help.”

“No problem and it looked like you needed it.” The chief looked at him in surprise.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” He said in a defensive tone.

“How far away is your fire house from that shop?” He asked in a bland tone.

“Three blocks.” Misty answered unsure of where he was going with it.

“Right, and it took you over ten minutes to gear up and get to the fire.” Draft frowned. “If I hadn’t been there then Pinky and the foals would have been burned to a crisp. You lot could set a record for worlds slowest response time.” He started to clap his front hooves slowly. A vein could be seen on Smokey’s forehead.

“And who are you to judge us?” Misty hissed.

“Oh you know, a real fire pony.”

“What division?” Crimson asked.

“Manehattan, division thirteen.” That made Misty pause and rub her chin as she ran the name through her mind.

“Never heard of-“

“Lt. He’s a Hell Trotter.” The two stallions looked at the mare and then back at Draft. “My cousin is a fire pony in Manehattan. He told me that Division thirteen has the fastest response times and has the longest running house out of any other in the city.”

“Correct.” Draft smirked. “That fire today was a normal Tuesday afternoon for someone like me.”

“Bull,” Smokey said. “prove it.” Draft got to his hooves and parted the fur on his front left leg to reveal a jagged scar running along the length of his leg.

“That is from a window I had to break on the third floor of an apartment building to get a mare and three foals out. Stung like Tartarus.” He then parted the fur near his right shoulder. “That is from when the floor collapsed underneath me and fell three stories. Landed on a piece of rebar and stabbed me through the shoulder. Those were the least painful ones too. Wounds that real fire ponies get.”

“You smug-“

“That’s enough.” A gruff voice said from behind Smokey. A tall red earth pony stallion made his way up to the group. The stallion had a faded brown mane and tail. “This is a part gentlecolts. Let’s not spoil it.”

“But chief, he was badmouthing our house.” Smokey stated.

“As he should. That response was pitiful.” The older stallion stated as he glared at Smokey. “I take one day off in years and my favorite shop burns to the ground.” Smokey huffed and walked away from the group. “Still, you need to understand that this is a small town. We’re not used to that type of action.”

“That’s not an excuse.” Draft stated.

“Didn’t say it was, just a fact.” He held out his hoof. “I’m Garnet. I’m the chief of the local fire house. Thanks for your help.” Draft shook his hoof. “So you’re from Manehattan eh? Tell me, do you know an older stallion named Viridian?”

“Green coat, brown mane and a pole shoved so far up his flank you can see it overtime he talks?”

“That’s him,” Garnet chuckled. “I take it he hasn’t changed much?”

“Nope. Last I heard he was transferred to headquarters and has been chained to a desk.” Garnet laughed at the news.

“Serves him right. Anyway if you ever feel like coming down to the house you’re welcome to.”

“I might just do that.” Draft bid the fire ponies farewell as Twilight walked up to him.

“Making some friends?” She asked.

“Maybe, I was just chatting with the chief.”

“About what?” Draft raised an eyebrow at the lavender mare.

“Sorry, sort of a code we fire ponies have. We don’t talk to civilians about the job.” Twilight was confused by the answer.

“Why not?”

“It’s just an unspoken rule.” He shrugged. “Anyway, do you know a cheap inn I could stay at? I don’t exactly have a lot of money.” He said sheepishly.

“You can hold up here for a while.” She said the words without thinking at first and a small blush rose to her face.

“Are you sure? I don’t want to be a pain or anything.”

“I-It’s no trouble. I don’t mind if a friend stays for a little while.” Draft smiled.

“Well, thank you Twilight. I appreciate it and as soon as I find some income I’ll help pay back what I owe.” He said with a smile. Twilight returned the gesture. As time passed the herd of ponies thinned and returned to their homes for the night. Draft made his way upstairs and laid down in the guest room’s bed before falling asleep.

Author's Note

Wow it had been LONG since I updated this story. So sorry for the delay other projects and real life have constantly been getting int he way and I've been prioritizing my more popular and newer fics over this one.
I'm so sorry!