Fall of the Trossels

Twilight waited with the others for the last member to arrive. Finally, Fluttershy trotted into the room and sat down with her friends.

"Alright girls," Twilight said. "I think that it's clear why we're all here. We're all in love Infernalo." The others, except Fluttershy, murmured in agreement. "Only one of us can have him, though." Again, the others murmured in agreement.

"Where may I ask is Pinkie," Rarity inquired. Twilight looked around.

"Guess she's just not interested in him," Rainbow Dash said.

"I think that, if anyone should get to be with him," Twilight said earnestly. "It should be me. After all, he is staying at my house, and I did see him first."

"Twilight," Rarity interjected. "As your friend, I believe that Infernalo should be with somepony with, how do I put this, more class. Besides, I need this after that Prince showed his true colors at the Gala and Spike is coveting that annoying Trossel girl." She mentioned the latter with a notable level of malice and disgust.

"You mean Frostburn," Twilight said, not seeming to take any mind to Rarity's attempts to cover up insulting her. "She's really sweet."

"Now hold on there, princess," Applejack said, cutting off Twilight. "I reckon I got just as much chance with 'em as you do." Rarity glared back at Applejack.

"Need I repeat," Rarity retorted. "Infernalo deserves somepony with class." Rainbow Dash quickly intervened, not wanting Rarity and Applejack to kill each other over Infernalo.

"If Infernalo loves anypony here," she said boldly. "It's me. He said so himself." The girls began fighting and arguing, all the while Twilight trying to stop it and Fluttershy getting more and more anxious by the moment. Finally, the Trossels entered and the girls stopped fighting the second they were in Infernalo's line of sight. Stonebolt carried Leafwind upstairs, completely exhausted and sleeping soundlessly on Stonebolt's back. Frostburn carried Spike on her back before dropping him off with the others.

"Night, Spike," Frostburn said, kissing Spike on the cheek. She turned to Rarity. "Good night, Rarity." Rarity responded with a series of barely audible obscenities under her breath followed by an angry huff. As Inferalo looked around the room, the girls followed his every motion to a point.

"Ladies," he said with finality.

"Good night, Infernalo," they said simultaneously. He trotted upstairs and disappeared from their view.

"He's so handsome and so sweet," a voice spoke up. The others turned and saw Fluttershy speaking as though in a dream. "He thinks I'm cute." As she snapped back, Fluutershy blushed at the realization that her friends heard everything she just said out loud.

"I knew y'all liked him," Applejack said as though she'd just won a bet.

"Infernalo," Stonebolt said, tucking Leafwind in. "Have you ever noticed how everypony seems to like you? Not like, like you, even though you're very likable but like-like you, as it were." She sighed. "I've been spending too much time with Frostburn." Infernalo nodded, indicating that he understood what she meant.

"I know that," he stated justly. "The thing is I don't know who I should tell. There's Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Twilight..." he drifted off as he mentioned her.

"What about the pink one," Stonebolt inquired, reminding him about the girl she crashed into the other day. Infernalo screwed up his face in an attempt to remember her, and then met Stonebolt's gaze with a look of dislike.

"If I wanted to date Frostburn, I'd date Frostburn," he said. "Besides, even if I wanted her-though I can't imagine why-she doesn't see me like that." A sleeping Frostburn interrupted their conversation as she started murmuring in distress and tossing and turning. Infernalo pulled the blanket back over her and she slowly started to settle and smiled.

"You're the best, big brother," Frostburn muttered before going back to sleep.

As Stonebolt pried her eyes open, Leafwind's bright orange eyes stared back at her.

"Leafwind," Stonebolt asked.

"Yes," Leafwind responded.

"How long have you been up?"

"Infernalo woke me up," Leafwind whined. Stonebolt rolled out of bed, trying not to disturb Frostburn and Leafwind followed. Downstairs, Infernalo was pacing back and forth, muttering to himself. "He's been like this all night."

"Eureka," Infernalo cried triumphantly. "Stonebolt, Leafwind, tell Frostburn that I found a way to restore our home to its former glory." He disappeared in a flash of bright light just as Twilight entered the room.

"Where's Infernalo," Twilight asked.

"You just missed him," Leafwind blurted out. Stonebolt glared down at the filly with a look that said she wasn't supposed to bring that up. "What?"

Infernalo followed the trail he took into Ponyville the first time when Rarity walked up to him.

"Infernalo," she said. "I never noticed how lovely your mane is. You simply must let me do something with it." Rainbow Dash swooped down and hovered in front of him.

"Wouldn't you rather watch one of my new tricks?" Before he could answer, Applejack pulled him aside and gave him a pie. Infernalo ate it, as the pony stared back at him.

"There's more where that came from, if you want," she said. Infernalo, using his powers, created a mirage image of himself for the girls to fight over while he strode along the path home. After a while, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo blocked his path.

"My sister thinks you're cute," Sweetie Belle said. Infernalo nodded and continued walking, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle following close behind.

"You're even cooler in person," Scootaloo said. "So, where are you headed?"

"I'm off to what's left of my home," he said, trying to get the two to leave him alone. "If my theory is correct, given how Leafwind managed to return here, we should be able to restore it to its former glory." With that, he simply vanished into a dark portal and appeared on the outskirts of his home, the buildings and some of the citizens encased in ice while everything else was burnt to ashes with various blackened pony skeletons sticking out of the ground. He looked down at Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom staring back up at him. Stonebolt, Leafwind, and Frostburn appeared in a bolt of lightning.

"Alright," Frostburn said. "You said you had a plan to fix everything. I can't wait to finally get over all the immense guilt." Infernalo whispered his plan to Frostburn as she nodded with each word. Frostburn flew into the air, emitting flames from her front hooves, but to no avail.

"I don't understand," Infernalo said, collapsing in defeat.