Equestria's Pyre

Fillydelphia, one of the many fine cities in Equestria, or was, since it had been burned down last night! Not since the Changeling Invasion, had there been any sort of calamities. Celestia and Luna had been trying to investigate, but they were preoccupied with the mass panic and hysteria. So Celestia appointed Twilight and her friends to do so in her stead. Hopefully they can answer the question. How did this tragedy happen? What could have set an entire city ablaze so quickly? What, or who, could have done this...?

The first thing the six of them noticed as they got closer to the ruin of what was Fillydelphia, was the smell. The cinders and smoke had polluted the entire area. When the had finally arrived though, they saw the true horror of it all. The entire city was in ashes and debris of buildings that had collapsed from the fire was scattered among the area. Pega-medics and Fireponies were still helping out with the wreckage, and the casualties. As they looked on speechless, Chief Flashpoint approached the girls. He was a dark brown stallion with a short dark red mane who had seen some action, but nothing like this.

"So," Flashpoint began, "you all are who Celestia has sent to help investigate this..." He paused, looked back at the ruined city, and then continued, "...travesty?"

Twilight who had been staring at the devastation turned to him. "...Yes, Celestia... had appointed us to... handle the matter...," she replied, looking back as well. Twilight sent the other five to help with the Fireponies and Pega-medics while she talked with Flashpoint. "I j-just can't believe something like th-this would ever happen..." Twilight could never have imagined how intense the disaster had been. She saw the destroyed towers and buildings. How many homes were destroyed? How many lives taken? Twilight wanted to cry.

"I know," Chief Flashpoint replied with a sorrowful nod and a sigh, "but that cannot hinder us from doing our jobs." He took out notebook from his pocket. "We had done our own share of investigating, and came up with something you might want to look deeper into."

"Like what?" Twilight said taking the notebook from Flashpoint and began looking through it.

"Well according to one of the... few survivors, he said he witnessed a mare walking through the fire..."

"What!? Walking through the fire!?" Twilight gasped.

"Yes," Flashpoint replied, knowing how strange it sounded, "and it gets crazier, he also thought he heard..." He stopped.

"Heard what?" Twilight inquired anxiously, not wanting to know the answer.

"Singing," He replied, "He thought he heard singing..."

"Singing!?" Twilight wished she had heard that wrong. What kind of pony would be singing while inside a blazing fire, let alone walking in a blazing fire? Twilight guessed that this mare was most likely a unicorn, that would explain the walking through fire, but still... "Could this mare have been a unicorn?" She asked.

Flashpoint checked his report. "Maybe," he replied, "but remember that he saw this mare during the massive fire, so it would have been hard to tell..." A muffled voice then came from his pocket. "'Excuse me," Flashpoint then pulled his radio out. "This is Flashpoint. Over." Twilight couldn't understand what was said. "Really?! We'll be right over! Over and out!" He quickly put the radio back in his pocket.

"What happened?"

"Follow me! I'll tell you on the way!" Flashpoint galloped at full speed down what was once 1st Street with Twilight right on his six. "The rescue crew found another survivor, thank Celestia! A filly!" Flashpoint yelled back at Twilight, who was a bit behind, not being as athletic as him.

"Then there's not a minute to lose!" Twilight said, as she caught up with him.

They ran as fast as they could, while being wary of all the debris on the road. They soon arrived at the site. ""Where is she?" Flashpoint asked one of his stallions.

"She's right here," the rescue pony replied. A little filly stood by the stallion's leg. She was bruised and had a rescue blanket around her. She was twitching from being in such an awful ordeal, and had been bandaged around her waist.

"Where's my mommy?" The little filly asked them. "I want my mommy!" She ran over to Twilight and hugged her while she sobbed.

In response, Twilight hugged the filly as well, knowing that the child's family, was most likely claimed by the fire. "Don't worry," Twilight muttered as she embraced the filly in her arms, "It's alright. Nothing going to hurt you now." This is all she could manage to say; how do you tell a child that her parents are dead? Flashpoint gazed at them, a tear going down his face. He looked to the ground, stared for a second, then continued to talk with the rescue pony.

"I don't want to be here..." Fluttershy meeped. She didn't even want to go, but was forced to by Twilight, as she was one of the best caretakers in Equestria. Twilight had her and Rarity to help look after the survivors, the few lucky ponies to have lived through this disaster...

"I don't want to be here either," Rarity replied, trying to step over all the ashes and debris. "but we have to help these poor ponies. They might be injured or scared."

"I still don't want to be here..." Fluttershy mumbled, now breaking into tears. "Whyyy!" She collapsed to the ground and continued to weep, "Why did this happen?! Why did it have to take so many?! Why?!"

"Fluttershy...," Rarity turned back to Fluttershy and laid by her friend. She held Fluttershy's hoof and wiped her tears away with the scarf she was wearing. "Darling, we need to be strong in this tragedy, for those ponies who are hurt."

"...okay..."

Rarity helped Fluttershy back up, and after a quick hug, they proceeded towards the Med. Tent.

Twilight assigned Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie to the rescue team. Applejack was the strongest of them and able to clear debris, so this was natural. Rainbow Dash, while also strong, is there if they find somepony who needed urgent care she could zip them quickly to the Med. Tent, being the fastest. Pinkie Pie, well, her Pinkie Sense might come in handy in such a dangerous environment.

"Man...., just look at all this!" Rainbow Dash blurted out as they searched for survivors. She also couldn't believe the devastation surrounding them.

"I know what 'ya mean, Rainbow," Applejack sighed, "All these here shops, stores, 'n houses.....'n all the good ponies who spent their lives here..."

"Huh?" Pinkie stopped and looked in an ally.

"Pinkie! What 're you doin'?" Applejack called back to her.

"I thought I saw somepony...." Pinkie puzzled, still looking into the ally.

Rainbow Dash flew back to where Pinkie was. "Let me see..." She went into the ally and searched for a couple seconds, then came back out. "Nothing..."

"But I know I saw somepony!" Pinkie declared again, this time a bit irritated.

"Pinkie, don't fool around with us," Applejack getting angry with Pinkie for some reason, "This ain't somethin' to joke about!"

"But I-"

"No more!" Applejack yelled at Pinkie and stormed off, "Come on, let's keep on movin'!"

Rainbow Dash went to follow her. "I know I saw somepony..." Pinkie mumbled to herself, then ran after the other two.

A minute after Pinkie left, a dark gray unicorn mare with a flame-like mane and tail walked out of the ally. Her cutie mark was just a fire. With a crazed look in her eye and a quick chuckle, she turned away to leave her handiwork behind.