Tending Flames

Chapters

Rainy Day
Another Town, Another Crash
Avoid at all Costs
Yet more Torment...
A Day to Remember
Ah, so that's the deal.
Fire Guard's Service
Aftermath
Broken Ties

Rainy Day

There wasn't much excitement in Firestorm's life. He lived the usual routine of every other pony, going to and from town, greeting, eating and all that. Maybe even talking to a few ponies for a bit. But for the most part, it was just the normal day to day grind, not much to brighten his view of existence.

Oh, and he made fireworks. Buck-tons of fireworks.

Firestorm's Fireworks was THE household name in everything that went bang to any degree all across Equestria. His business made everything from whizz-pops to rain-bombs, cracklers to cannons, and all manner flashy bright and loud pegasus terrors. It was what he loved to do. Blow stuff up.

But yeah, that was about it. Aside from being a wold renowned unicorn inventor and entertainer, his life was pretty boring.

Firestorm was testing some new rocket designs today. That meant he was probably going to ignite something, likely enough himself. Which was why he was currently wearing the heavy dark grey coat that wrapped around his torso and forelegs, zipping up the front and parting again in an enormous hood that buttoned up to cover his neck and head. Only his hind legs, tail and eyes would be exposed, but even so, his light chestnut coat was usually dusted with dark grey powder residue that gave him a very monotone appearance. At least he was recognizable: Nopony else had his dark grey tail, permanently singed and ragged from experiments, or his bright fireball of a cuti-mark, so often hidden beneath ash on his coat. His horn was a give away too. The damn thing never once got any Powder on it, and always looked so clean in it's ochre coloured spledour, it's innate magic repelling all residues. Idiot horn.

Firestorm wandered down to the testing field a good mile from town, but only half that from the Fireworks Factory. The area was silent, all the animals having been chased away over the years by the giant explosions. The clear sky seemed to be leached of colour at the test site because of the magic shield cast over the area for protection. The reason this precaution was necessary was planted firmly in the middle of the the huge clearing in the sparsely wooded wilderness just before the Everfree Forest to the east of Trottingham. There, surrounded by the studious masters of the the factory, was the world's biggest cannon.

The enormous piece of steel was mounted on a huge barbette; no wheels could handle the kind of force of such a high powered gun. The device was currently pointed at it's regular target; the mountain barely visible on the horizon, and the city perched bravely on its side. Canterlot's world famous celebrations were no mean feat, and this gun just made them all the more spectacular, with the amount of fireworks it could deliver just over the city. It was said that the lights brought on by this single invention were as close as any pony had ever come to rivaling Celestia's sun itself.

But it wasn't firing today. Instead, it was the cluster of shoulder high party rockets planted like the Tartarus's flowers in a bare patch of earth a few steps from the barbette's stone base. Okay, time for a bit of fun.

Firestorm may not have been easily excited by...well, life, but that big bundle of joy in explosive form was about to make his day. These were special orders for one of his regular customers, the Great and Prickly Trixie. Anypony trying to impress everypony as much as that pony needed the scariest damn fireworks imaginable, and the patterns these things made would blow her usual spinners out of the sky.

He waved a hoof at all the unicorns and earth ponies standing around, warning them to retreat to the trenches just inside the treeline. They all did so quite quickly, well aware that ten rockets were enough to hurt many of them. The only pony with any sense of safety was the cloaked smudgy brown unicorn at the centre of the clearing, who just so happened to be the world expert on manipulating fire.

The whole fire thing would not go down very well with a certain Pegasus who happened to be passing at that precise moment. He was flying lazily over the site when he happened to look down at the scenery. Seeing an enormous pile of what amounted to bombs clustered around a unicorn was slightly unnerving to begin with. Watching said unicorn lighting the many fuses surrounding him was clearly a sign of deep psychosis. The Pegasus looked around for a second until his eyes settled on a likely looking little cloud nearby. He flew to it, grinning.

It was with much the same expression that Firework merrily set fire to the tapers around him. Then he backed away and crouched down to watch in anticipation. Firestorm felt a rare squee coming on as he watched the fused work their way closer and closer to their rockets. Seconds left...

And then there was a small and incredibly direct rain shower. It drenched the rockets in seconds. the ground turned muddy and the one by one the fuses fizzled out in the pouring rain. One fuse struggled against the tide, but, a hairs breadth from the rocket body, a drop of rain struck it. Firestorm let loose a spell in silent desperation. He gathered all the heat left in the fuse and relit it, trying to force the rocket into life. But it was not to be. Firestorm closed his eyes for a second, before looking up at the now white and fluffy cloud hovering just above the treetops. More importantly, he spotted the sniggering face of a pegasus peeking down at him.

Firestorm growled slightly and rapidly heated the cloud until it evaporated into thin air, revealing his tormentor. The pegasus fell with a yelp. That'll wipe that smug look off his face, Firestorm thought with some satisfaction. This disappeared when the pegasus extended his frankly enormous wings and glided down to just in front of the irate fire mechanic.

"Hiya! My name's Chasing Haze, what's with the sparky stuff?" The pegasus sensed that the Unicorn might be slightly ticked off for some reason.

Firestorm looked the intruder over. He had a light blue coat, like the colour of the sky of a midday autumn horizon. His mane was a loosely hanging assortment of spiky hair, his tail similar, both just off black with long white highlights here and there. It made for an eclectic mix. the Pegasus' frame was very lightly built, all long legs and neck, with a wiry look that bespoke many hours on the wing despite his youth. Speaking of wings, this specimen had a pair at least twice the size of your run-of-the-mill pegasus, which added much to his presence when spread. Folded, they just made him look a little chubby.

"Hello. Would you mind telling me why the buck did you rained on me? Do you know who I am?" Firestorm growled.

Chasing Haze had absolutely no clue what this unicorn was talking about. "Uh...No. I'm new here." He smiled, waving a hoof lackadaisical manner.

Firestorm blinked. "What?...Okay, whatever, listen, this is a designated off limits test area, and you just-"

"Rained on your parade?" Finished Chasing, nearly keeling over with laughter.

Even Firestorm had to admit, that was sharp. And, in truth, no harm had been done. The rockets' wax coated skins had protected them from damage. Still, this had been an important test, and the fuses were ruined.

"Listen, I am Firestorm of Firestorm's Fireworks, And this area is off limits, everypony knows that. You have to recognize the name at least. Now I'm sure you won't mind leaving so I can reset the last of my fuses and get on with my job."

Chasing Haze looked up at the sky, not really paying attention. "Yeah, I guess...If the fire is well tended...and stuff..." He focused on Firestorm, "I come from down south a ways. I haven't heard of Firestorm's Fireworks, but I'm pleased to meet you, Firestorm. I just got a job with the fire patrol, so we might meet again soon! I'm going to Ponyville, ask for me if you're ever in town!" Haze spun and, raising his large wings, took off.

Firestorm caught a glimpse of a cutie-mark. Sort of a raindrop shape, and indeed, the left half of the pattern was one. The other half was half a candle flame.

"Yeah right..." He mumbled, before shouting out to his minions for more fuses.

Another Town, Another Crash

Firestorm had a serious difficulty now. That damn Pegasus had ruined half of his remaining three cubit match fuses. Now he'd need to go buy more in town. This was not as easy as one might think, since Trottingham, being a small border town without the central placing or accessibility of some other towns, could never keep up with the demand of the oversize Factory on it's borders. The only other town nearby, just to the north, would surely have match fuses, but it also had a blue terror flying around somewhere.

Firestorm sat on the barbette and looked up at the brilliant display his brand new rockets put on for his discerning eye. He sighed and looked away. They were good enough to impress the Great and Pompous Trixie. He had a trip to plan. Destination: Ponyville.

Chasing Haze woke up and yawned widely before shaking his head to clear his mane and looking down at the town that seemed to have sprouted under him while he slept. Sleeping on the wing was a hit or miss affair, literally sometimes, and a rare skill among pegasi, but he had always been good at it. He let out an excited squee and rolled to the left into a long bank to avoid overshooting the town entirely. He'd made it! Now he just had to find his new boss. She was sure to be up and about, right?

He was just about invisible from the ground due to his colour, but as he sped up in his excitement, a trail formed behind him, the tell tale mixed blue and black streak with a crackling white energy surrounding it, heralding his passing. The clouds partly hid him from the ground, but not from another pair of eyes nestled among the white expanse.

Chasing didn't see the pony flying along with him so much as sense the change in the air. He looked back and saw the rainbow streak following his own wake, and tracked it back to its source. Not three tail-lengths from him, above and to the left, was the cyan pegasus with the rainbow mane and tail he had been looking for. But instead of joy, the mischievous grin she wore brought a sense of trepidation. This isn't gonna end well, he thought.

Quite rightly. The mare streaked into his back at a terrific speed, knocking the wind out of him and throwing him off the wing. as he spun out, she latched her hooves around his midriff and cannoned them towards the ground, in a move well known as the slingshot. Usually used to speed up pegasi into action, she was using it to throw him at the ground so fast that a normal pegasus wouldn't be able to pull up. Awww ponyfeathers...

This realization was followed by a sickening lurch and sudden freedom as Rainbow Dash peeled off and threw Chasing at the ground at full speed. She flew off into a large loop and looked down to see a bit of a surprise: Nothing. As she looked around, Chasing grinned and laughed into his hoof from his new position just behind her in the loop. She hadn't accounted for his large wings' ability to halt him as easily as they did. Now he followed her all the way to the ground and hovered just behind a convenient tree as she cast about for him.

After a few minutes, she stopped, sat down and called out, "Okay, Chasing Haze, sweet move, now come out here so I can get a look at you."

Chasing obliged, since she was officially his boss after all. As he glided of to her, he gave her a look over. Relatively lightly built, but obviously strong, with excellent conformation. Her colouration was a bit insane, but it seemed to match her personality. No wonder she was the best up and coming flyer around. He landed in front of her and sat at a attention, figuring she liked being in charge. Good call.

"So, you're meant to be the new Fire Guard eh? You look a bit scrawny for such hard work, you know." She waited for his answer.

He couldn't help but smile. He was used to this. "If I was anything like that, you probably would have killed me just now."

Rainbow Dash nodded, smiling too. "I knew you could handle it. Your sister made you sound like the perfect cross between a hummingbird and an albatross."

Saying that was a nice complement was a massive understatement. Not knowing what to say, he decided to counter her, "And that makes you a Falcon, right?"

Rainbow Dash stood and spread her wings, giving them a little flutter as confirmation. "You betcha. Now, stand up and show me those feathers."

Not too much to ask, even if Chasing Haze's wings were sore from so long on the wing, but he raised them into a full arch, spreading his feathers to maximize size. Rainbow Dash's little buzzers were dwarfed by his outsize wings. She, though, understood the mechanics of flight, and the advantages and drawbacks of being able to double as a two-pony tent.

She cocked her head and said thoughtfully, "That's an impressive span. Too bad it makes you look like you've got colic when they're folded. Not quite as large as your sister's, but yours suit you more." She walked up to him and inspected the trailing feathers on both wings as Chasing stood there like a statue, trying not to react to having his wings toyed with. "Your pinion feathers look a bit strained. How long were you flying for?"

Chasing thought for a second. "Um...About two weeks, I think? No, ten days, I stopped in Las Pegasus for a day, and Trottingham yesterday, each for a meal and some rest. That reminds me, I'm hungry..."

Rainbow's jaw dropped. "Twelve days from Broadwing Peak to Ponyville? What, were you sleeping on the wing or something?!"

Chasing rubbed his head with a hoof as he answered a little guiltily, "Uh, yeah, I was a little excited to get over here, so..."

Rainbow frowned at him. "So wait, you're telling me that not only are you fast, strong, and maneuverable, but you can fly asleep as well?"

Chasing Haze nodded. She made it sound like a bid deal or something. She snorted at him. "That's it. You and I are racing in two days. You aren't due to start til next Tuesday so you'll have four days to recover from the whipping I give you before you were due to arrive anyway. See ya at my house Thursday morning."

Chasing looked up at her as she took off and receded into the late afternoon sky. Well that escalated quickly... Oh, right, he'd better find the way-cottage down the road where he was meant to be staying. He flew up and glided over towards the building at the other end of the town. A few ponies looked up at him as he flew low over the town, too tired now to fly higher. He gave them all a friendly wave of a hoof, but focused on the building set on the hill just over the cottages. He landed by the front door and looked at the sign. Rosewood Cottage. He walked in.

The building consisted of two wings on each side of the entrance hall, each made up of a few smaller arched rooms, with beds and and trunks lining the walls. At the end of the eastern wing was a day room/lounge with music currently being played. At the other end, the west, was the kitchen and other necessary store rooms. All in all, it looked like a nice enough place. He walked into the long tunnel-like structure towards the lounge.

He looked in and saw the caretaker, a grey and straw coloured pegasus mare, talking to a similarly coloured unicorn filly. He cleared his throat to get her a attention.

The mare took off in surprise, but forgot how fly momentarily, and crashed down a few hooves from where she had been sitting. Ignoring the laughter of the filly, She stood up and brushed herself off as if nothing had happened, and her eyes focused on the newcomer in the doorway. One of them did, anyway.

Chasing hid a smile and greeted. "Hiya, I'm Chasing Haze, I'm just looking for a place to stay til I start work next week. That cool?"

The mare answered a bit haltingly, but well enough. "Hi...I'm D-Ditzy Doo, and t-this is Dinky, my s-sister. And sure, t-that's what Rosewood is f-for after all. I'll g-get you some supper..."

"Nah, I'm good, I just really need to sleep some. See you in the morning." She nodded, smiling, and sat back down to her conversation.

Well she's nice. And well named. Chasing thought perhaps a little uncharitably as he walked back towards the door. He saw a random bed and decided that it would do, fell on it and promptly forgot himself in the depths of sleep.

Avoid at all Costs

It was a VERY uncomfortable trip. Ponyville was a good five days from Trottingham along the usual road. This road avoided the major bogs and a cursed river or two that lay on the border of the Everfree. An adventurous pony could make the trip in only two days if they took a direct route, but then on the other hand they would probably end up dead. A pony who was simply impatient could avoid this possibly terrible fate by simply walking around the Ursor Cave, but some were still foolhardy enough to chance it.

Firestorm had simply been in a rush. Still, falling in a bog, being chased by timber-wolves and having a chance meeting with an unhappy manticore who had required actual conversation (They weren't bad chaps, actually, just grumpy. FIrestorm could relate), had left him worn out. He stood on the edge of the forest, looking down on the picturesque village that bore the name Ponyville. He looked over the roofs and trees from the rise he had climbed. The neat brightly coloured town was the total contrast to his ragged and mud splattered appearance. His entire body was painted a dull browny-grey from the mud of the bog. his saddlebags were near ruined, but luckily had protected their contents. He began to tiredly stumble towards the town. Maybe I'll take the coach like a normal pony on the way back.

He made for the way-cottage on it's rustic hill just outside the town itself, with it's gorgeous view over the town that Firestorm never failed to miss. He was about the climb the rise when he heard a voice from the building; "Uh, Ditzy... as a fireguard-to-be, I don't think a summer salad is meant to be ON FIRE!"

As crashes and squeals emanated from the building, Firestorm rapidly backtracked and circled the hill, deciding that a pony in the village would be more than happy to take him in. If not...

I could always sleep under a bench, He thought cynically as he made his way into the town. He drew a look or two because of his plainly terrorized appearance, but he didn't bother answering any greetings or such, he had somewhere to be after all.

Firestorm forced his way ungraciously through the friendly streets of Ponyville to the blacksmith's forge. The proprietor was one of the few ponies in town that Firestorm really got along with. The steel grey pony looked up.

"Hm."

"Mmhm."

Sum total of conversation. Firestorm felt like a foal in a candystore. It took a long time to find the right fuses, and even longer for them to be correctly treated. But Firestorm really didn't mind. After all, what could be better than getting a free drink with a pony you never had to talk to?

Of course, it got a little ridiculous, so he returned to his walking, saddlebags finally full, and made a beeline for the only building where he knew he was sure to find a free bath. He stood in front of Carousel Boutique and knocked on the door before taking out his heavy cloak and sitting down with a forlorn look on his face. As he watched, the usual white unicorn with that overdone purple mane opened the door with practiced drama. "Hello there, friend! Welcome to Carousel.." She noticed who she was talking to "Oh, it's you. I see you tried the Everfree route again. Do you ever learn you idiotic stallion?"

Firestorm couldn't disagree with her. he flashed her an ironic smile. "You won't believe this, but I actually made a friend this trip."

Rarity looked at him. "You're right. I don't believe you.". She smiled down at him. "It's good to see you, cousin."

Firestorm stood up and bowed dramatically, "It's so kind of one so high as yourself to recognize one so lowly as me as family."

Rarity laughed at him, well used to Firestorm's level of sarcasm. "Shut up, you make many more bits than I do, it's not my fault you have absolutely no style..." She looked down at Firestorm's hooves. "Uh, is that the special cloak I made you...covered in...dirt?"

She looked fit to drop, so Firestorm threw the slightly ruined cloak inside and walked off with a cursory goodbye, aware that Rarity would compulsively fix the cloak, but wouldn't let him inside until he looked presentable. Which meant a proper wash. He could go to the Spa like Rarity usually forced him to...

Or he could just go jump in the stream over there. That sounded better.

Firestorm dropped his wrecked saddlebags and pulled out everything he'd brought along: A role of parchment, A bag of bits, and his last bottle of rare northern aquavit. It wasn't much, but he had needed to leave space to carry the fuses. And the aquavit was nearly finished anyway, thanks to the manticore. He left everything in a pile and mozied over to the stream. Its clear water and pebbly bed looked inviting and cool...

The peace was broken by a shattering thunder roll from his left. He looked up and saw two streaks racing through the sky. one was rainbow coloured, the other an unstable mix of blue, black and crackling white. the two unmistakable trails were left in the wake of the two rapidly approaching mach cones. Firestorm knew without a doubt who was about to pass over him. He dashed into the stream as quickly as he could and dived to the bottom. There he remained, staring up at the sky, watching the light as it refracted through the water. the trails suddenly appeared, and then slowly faded away. Firestorm felt his breath burning for release, and pushed to the surface. Maybe I should get inside in case that dumb mule with wings decides to fly over again, He thought as he rapidly scrubbed himself clean. Then he jumped to the bank and trotted up to Rarity's house, dragging along his possessions at a rapid pace. He let himself in at the back door, absently noticing that his cloak had been repaired and washed and was currently hanging on the line. Damn she's fast.

Firestorm dried himself off on a towel in the laundry before walking through to the main kitchen, the central room of the building. He heard a banging and the sound of Rarity's loud sewing machine. He knew better than to enter the workroom, not wanting to become a living mannequin (again) and instead shouted out from the kitchen table, "Hey, Rare! Where'd you go?!"

The clattering sounds stopped for a moment as Rarity called out in a slightly more respectable manner, " I'm just busy making and order for this afternoon, I'll be down in a minute, it's just this material is so difficult..." She trailed off before the machine started up again. Firestorm shrugged to himself and, rather than bugging the busy unicorn, he made himself a sandwich. All the fashion crazy mare had were bloody daisies and a few berries. He found an egg or two, but wasn't going to bother frying one. He ate the simple meal, and waited in silent thought as the ruckus above continued unabated.

He was awakened by a knocking at the door. He shook his head, wondering how long he'd been dozing. He stood up and wandered out into the hall.

"Rare?! Your customer must be here!" He called out.

"Oh, be a dear and let the fellow in, will you? I will bring his gear down presently." Rarity answered. This was followed by a lot of scuffling and muttered curses obviously not meant to be heard.

Firestorm laughed silently at his compulsive cousin. She'd probably overdone the entire thing with jewels and frills and whatnot. On the other hoof, it was probably some bigwig colt looking to impress a mare with some fancy dressing. Not the sort of pony who liked being kept waiting. So of course Firestorm took his grand old time.

Eventually he got to the door and prepared his lungs for a parody of Rarity's classic greeting.

He tossed his head and leaned down, then pulled open the door and rushed up proclaiming, "Welcome to Rarity's Carousel Bou-WHAT THE BUCK?!"

He fell back, carried by his own momentum, and landed against the opposite wall of the show room. He stared at the annoying nightmare framed in the doorway.

"Hiya! Didn't expect to see you here!" Chasing Haze cheered happily, "That was one hell of a reaction, mate, you okay?"

No, Firestorm thought, Definitely not.

Yet more Torment...

A Day to Remember

Chasing Haze woke slowly. He cracked open an eye and peered around the room he found himself in, waiting for the memories to click in his mind. He was lying on the floor, tangled in the green homespun blanket of the bed he had fallen off of during the night, with said piece of furniture partly over him. He craned his stiff neck out from under the wooden frame and took in the sun dappled decor of the building he found himself in. He dropped his head to the floor as his will left him and began to doze.

And then he caught an odd scent...

It all came back to him in that split second. This was his third day in Ponyville, and his second morning waking up in Rosewood Way-cottage. Yesterday had been filled trying to familiarize him with the town (Ditzy hadn't exactly helped, there.) and find out where he would be working, which was everywhere, apparently. But today...today was going to be fun.

But first he needed a good breakfast, and that was the scent he followed as he untangled himself from the captor blanket, and began to stroll toward the delicious scent of summer salad at the west end of the long hall. But as he got nearer, he picked up something different, something that probably should not have been there.

And the smell was getting stronger.

When Chasing heard the sudden 'whumph' that accompanies spreading flame, he shot himself forward into the air. Unfortunately he misjudged the width of the archways along the hall.His left wing clipped the wall, throwing him into a spin. He hit the ground and skidded along the centre of the hall. A chest flew open at a kick from his windmilling hooves. A bed angled across the hall, dragged by his flailing wings. He came to a stop, his snout poking into the open doorway. As the stars fell from his eyes, he looked up and saw Ditzy hovering unevenly in a corner, uncertainty on her face as she looked at the leaping tongues of flame rising above a bowl on the counter top.

Chasing stared for a second as he gathered his wits from the final shadows of sleep, before saying, "Uh, Ditzy... as a fireguard-to-be, I don't think a summer salad is meant to be ON FIRE!"

As he finished, he leapt forward, clamping his wings shut, away from harm, and shoved the slowly disintegrating wooden bowl into the sink before nearly knocking off the tap entire as he forced it open, drowning the unnatural fire before it caused any more damage.

Chasing calmed himself with deep breaths. Then he turned to Ditzy, now sitting in the corner, head low. "Ditzy. Please, in the name of Celestia, how did you manage to turn a summer salad into a blazing inferno?! I mean, if i'd been able to pick that thing up, I could have used it as a flame thrower!..."

He noticed her tears then, and shut his dumbass mouth. She whispered, "I-I'm s-sorry...I d-don't...know..."

Chasing hit himself upside the head for his insensitivity. "Hey, hey, don't worry about it. It was just a salad, no major damage done." He looked at the singed curtains and marked rafters, but that was it, really. "Maybe you should stick to muffins. Those ones you gave me yesterday were fantastic, and supper was great." He could still remember the unforgettable flavour of that roast hake she had somehow made.

She smiled at his compliments. "Well...I know t-the race is t-today and...you said you l-liked s-summer s-salad..."

Chasing grinned down at her, offering a hoof to help her up, which she accepted. "You, Ditzy, are far too sweet for your own good. Thanks for the thought, though." He gave her a quick hug. "Now, the race! I must get ready, otherwise I'll stand no chance. See ya later, Ditzy!"

Ditzy stared after him as he dashed through the hall and out the door, eager for the day. Then she shook her head, giving a small nervous laugh, and began to clear away the results of her attempts.

Chasing Haze was still thinking about how he acted when he soared over the town. He could be so stupid sometimes! There was Ditzy, trying to be nice as always, and he had just insulted her. Shameful. He tried to clear his head as he landed in front of Sugarcube Corner. The building was memorable to say the least. He stepped through the door, a smile pasted on his face.

A large bowl was immediately shoved under his nose upon his entering the bakery, filled to the brim with the most gorgeous looking summer salad he had ever seen. He pulled his muzzle out of the bowl before he lost his self control and looked to see the perpetrator of this act. All he saw was a feint outline in the air as the bowl began to fall into the space left vacant. Chasing grabbed the bowl and looked around quizzically.

He saw the pink mare standing nonchalantly behind the counter. All of a sudden she looked at him, gasped. and rocketed to the table next to the kitchen door, only to see it empty. Chasing watched her in bemused silence as Pinkie searched high and low for whatever he had reminded her of. Eventually she trotted over to him and began an apology, only to see him holding the bowl she had been looking for. "Oh! You found your salad! Now you can have your favorite breakfast before the race! I have to go and borrow the balloon, see you in Horseshoe Valley at noon!"

Pinkie Pie galloped off without further ado, leaving Chasing Haze barely halfway through the first syllable of his greeting. His eyes followed the pink mare as she raced down the street. He laughed at her antics, and sat down to enjoy his breakfast. How did she know about the salad? And the rest of it...Despite her innocent demeanour and adorable antics, that pink mare was, in a small and secret way, terrifying.

Chasing finished his breakfast and remembered that he had to commission a flight suit for his new job today. Rainbow Dash was set to meet him at Carousel Boutique, the only clothing shop in town, at mid-morning. To his amazement, it was already about that. He polished off the salad (One of the best damn meals ever) and walked outside. He was going to take off, but a unicorn trotted up to him with a cheerful hello. He didn't recognize her. She was...green. His powers of description failed him, other than to make the connection that she looked like a peppermint in pony form, right down to her effervescent attitude.

She introduced herself as Lyra Heartstrings. "I'm a musician of sorts. I heard about the race today. I can't wait to watch!"

Chasing was surprised by that, and wondered how big a deal this really was, feeling nervous. "So you know? Um, how many ponies are going?"

Lyra laughed at him a little. "Well, all anypony will have to do to see it is step outside and look up! But if somepony challenges Rainbow Dash, everypony wants to see it, it's always hilarious. I just wanted to see the new guy. I can see what Pinkie meant: you look like you might actually stand a chance." She eyed him approvingly.

Chasing resisted the urge to show off a bit, this kind of attention not what he was at all used to. On the other hoof, Lyra's words had made him more than a bit nervous. The whole town was going to see him get beaten. If they thought he could beat Rainbow Dash, they were in for a disappointing show. "Thanks Lyra, but I doubt I could beat a pony like Rainbow Dash."

Lyra snorted. "Of course not, she's arguably the fastest pony alive! Just scare her for us, will you? Make it close." She smiled at him reassuringly before walking away. Chasing shook his head, wondering what was with these ponies, all so nice for no reason. Her words helped, but still...

He took off to find the Boutique. spotting it easily from his high vantage point, he sped down to the door, letting the gust of his backwinging landing to push open the door for him. Inside was a a brilliantly decorated showroom, swathed in bright and striking designs. purple and white tiles tessellated across the floor, leading his eyes to the centre of the room and up the form of the mildly surprised and unforgettably beautiful unicorn standing there, next to Rainbow Dash.

When she spoke, it kept him rapt: "Oh, there you are! Rainbow Dash just told me all about you. dear. So, our new dashing fire guard, is it?"

Chasing stuttered an answer as she came closer to look him over. He back-stepped, his wings unfurling slightly at his discomfort. "Uh, yeah, I guess...Rainbow Dash said you would be the pony to talk to about a flight suit, since I...well, yeah...She said you were the best anywhere outside Canterlot?"

Rarity, preened at his compliment halting in her examination as he had hoped. "Ah, it is true! And Rainbow, that was quite sweet of you!"

Rainbow Dash looked uncomfortable now, throwing a glance at Chasing before answering. "Well it's a fact. And Rarity, don't break him. His dad might not approve there. Plus, I got a little race to fly later. I need my competition." And with that, she took off through the door.

Chasing Haze was wrenched from his reverie by Rainbow's mention of this father. He watched her leave, then shivered before turning back to Rarity.

Rarity saw the change in him, though. Nothing noticeable, but definitely different. He looked glazed as she tried to get his attention. "Ahem. Mr Haze?"

He looked at her sharply, then softened. "What? Oh, right. And please, you can call me anything but Mr Haze." He followed her to the mirrored platform she indicated.

Rarity, didn't dwell on his odd behaviour. After all, coming from such a famous clan, perhaps he had picked up a different manner. He was very nearly a different species of pony after all.

Chasing could not have been more uncomfortable during the measuring he was subjected to, but he slowly pulled himself together, and by the time Rarity was done, he was smiling again. He had ignored most of her idle chatter, but that didn't mean he didn't like hearing her voice. "So, when do you think it'll be ready, Rarity?"

She tapped a hoof to her chin as she mused, "Hmm, well, Rainbow Dash gave me some pointers as to what you will need, plus I have the old uniform as a reference. As it stands, it should be done by this afternoon!"

Chasing Haze was surprised to hear that, but didn't question her, just nodded agreement, waiting for her to say something else.

She stopped and looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you have a race to get to, Chasing?"

He shook his head quickly, for the umpteenth time that morning. "Sorry! Yes, you're right. I'll be back later then. He turned and walked to the door, looking back and smiling at her before looking up into the sky and launching himself into the air.

Rarity smiled too, though she couldn't tell why. He certainly looked his part, at least. She turned to her work, still smiling.

Chasing Haze flew around for a bit before seeing the bright pink balloon over to the west. He zoomed over to it, using the flight to stretch out his flying muscles in readiness of the challenge ahead.

It wasn't long before he found himself standing on a cloud beside one of the best athletes in the world, preparing himself mentally as Pinkie Pie dictated a course. "Hellooo Ponyville! Welcome to yet another great race! You've all met Rainbow Dash, our local speedster, but we have a new challenger today, Chasing Haze, fresh from Broadwing Peak!"

Chasing flicked his ears at that. How did she know that?! Rainbow Dash looked at him, annoyed. "Dude, stay focused. It's weird how you get all flustered like that!"

Chasing nodded, and put his head down while Pinkie finished her speech. "Finally, we have pegasus against pegasus, two of the best flyers you'll ever see! And without further ado, threetwooneGO!"

Rainbow was gone in a flash, and Chasing was more pulled along in the vacuum than any planned launch. He balanced, luckily, and beat his large wings through the air, cupping as much of the resistance as he could to force himself forward. But he could immediately see a problem. Rainbow Dash had perfected a certain style of flight, one that Chasing could easily admire from his position in her rapidly appearing contrail.

He wouldn't let her win that easily, though. He tucked his legs in against his narrow body, forming as small a surface as possible, and began instinctively searching out the pockets and eddies of air that would give him the best advantage. Rainbow Dash was leaving some incredible turbulence, breaking his concentration. But he realized that she may also be giving him a solution...

The pair streaked through the air, their trails visible across the sky, the buffeting noise forming around each pony reaching the ground beneath them. But as they sped up, the air began to feel like syrup, pulling on their wings, forcing them to work immeasurably harder. It was here where where Chasing made his move.

He slipped to the right, bursting forward into an area of air that spread out behind Rainbow's right wing. Soon, he felt himself in the slipstream, being pulled along by the wake of spiraling air behind her, where the air was already being dragged forward by the speeding mare. He began to gain on her.

Their course wound around the edges of Ponyville, From Horseshoe valley, where Rainbow Dash had anchored her cloudhouse, out to Rosewood, then back over the town to Carousel Creek. Chasing noticed something on the ground which startled him for a moment, but then refocused on the task at hoof. They flew out over Whitetail Wood before leading back to sweep over the west orchard of Sweet Apple Acres, and up to their starting cloud, high above the meandering canyon. In the corners, Chasing had an odd advantage, being able to use his larger wings to force himself to turn easier than Rainbow Dash, but that movement she used...it was almost a joy to watch. She could build and change speed in seconds. But it also taxed her muscles, and even her impressive endurance couldn't keep up the pace for ever.

Seeing her falter, Chasing capitalized on the months he had been forced to endure on the wing back home, using the steely tendons in his wings to readjust his pinions for maximum wingpower. It hurt, but as they came into view of the valley, he was catching up to the rainbow mare at a rapid pace.

But there was only so much he could do. as he got within a few tail-lengths of her, the cone of usable air he had been counting on thus far narrowed to much to be useful. through the haze of condensation forming ahead of him, he saw rainbow edge fractionally to the left, throwing off his angle and leaving him to fight the air alone. He did so, admirably, but there was a reason Rainbow Dash was so well recognized.

The pink balloon flashed past, almost before he saw it, but it couldn't have come sooner. Chasing locked his wings into a highs peed bank, too tired to pull the breaks, and glided down to the cloud where Rainbow Dash already sat.

But instead of preening in victory, she seemed more shocked. Chasing landed next to her, not displeased with his own performance, but more interested with that crazy flying style. "Sweet Celestia, Rainbow! That was amazing to see! You have got to try and teach me that technique sometime."

She looked...embarrased? "Eh, yeah, but I still couldn't shake you, though." They both looked over the edge of the cloud to look at the source of the faint cheering reaching them from the ground. Chasing wondered why Pinkie was so quiet. The reason was apparent. She was asleep, a hoof-full of confetti still at the ready to be thrown.

Chasing laughed at the dozing mare, who looked a lot less intimidating with her head resting at that odd angle against the wicker of the basket. Rainbow Dash poked him in the ribs, causing him to flinch from the sore muscles under her touch. "Hey, come on, lets get back to Rarity's and pick up your suit." He nodded.

As they glided away, the pink pony behind them snapped awake, throwing out her confetti just in time to see both the racers and her crowd all making their way back to town. In a huff, she worked the bellows of her borrowed contraption to bring herself back the ground.

Chasing Haze smirked over at the pegasus alongside him. "I nearly caught up with you back there, looks like that bumblebee thing was tiring you out, eh?"

Rainbow Dash sent a buffeting gust his way, smiling. "Yeah, but I still kicked your ass, don't get arrogant." They both laughed as they flew through the afternoon sky.

A Day to Remember

Yet more Torment...

Firestorm was still trying to get over the shock of the terror-sus standing in the doorway. He was rather lucky that Rarity clattered into the room at that point, cutting off his incredibly stupid reply. As the mannequin trundled into the room, it picked up quite a bit of speed. Rarity skidded in behind it in a rather ungracious manner, and caught the runaway pony form before it accidentally crushed something/pony important.

She scrambled in front of it, waving a hoof as she exclaimed, "Dear Sir, your protective gear is ready to save your life!...Would you like that on cash or credit?"

A loud guffaw was heard beyond the door, and Firestorm watched a very bemused Chasing Haze step into the room, revealing that damn rainbow mare his cousin was forever hanging out with. He buried his head under a hoof and waited for it to be over,

Chasing Haze chuckled lightly at Rarity's reaction, earlier, she'd seemed so controlled...And then Rainbow Dash causing more hilarity by pretty much laughing herself out of the air. Chasing shook his head and wandered over to the mannequin. He was a little worried to see how ill the gear fitted the form. "Uh, Rarity? I know you're the designer, but that suit doesn't fit that thingy right, does it?"

Rarity looked at the gear she'd put together that morning. It was a rough copy of a pegasus flight suit, but with a few liberties taken. Of course, considering the line of work this was meant for, the had to be made of much tougher stuff, In this case, Triple lined and treated silk, with overlapping pads at the shoulders and haunches to make up for the loss in elasticity. The Neck had a thick padded collar, and the neck and face were fully covered with a hood similar to the one on Firestorm's coat rather than the usual skin tight suit. Along with it was a pair of protective goggles and a pair of special saddlebags.

It was coloured oddly, too, with the body and hood being divided by a thick powder blue line running along both flanks and on either side of the neck. Above the line, the material was black, below, white. A similar pattern graced each leg, giving the suit a crosshatched look, but Rarity had been faithful to Rainbow's instructions. She tossed her mane at his comment, "Well, of course it doesn't the mannequin! It was designed for YOU, and I don't happen to have any Broadwing-shaped mannequins just lying around. Do you like the colours? I think they are so you."

Chasing looked taken aback. "Ah. yes...that...And it was a nice thought to use the pattern, too..."

Rarity glared at Rainbow Dash, now sitting just inside the doorway, breathing hard. "See? I told you he had better taste than that drab design!" She looked downcast.

Rainbow was confused too. It was his family scheme, after all. But after what she had just been subjected to earlier that day, she wasn't in the mood to question. She sighed impatiently and looked expectantly at Chasing Haze, "So, are you gonna take it or buy your own?"

Of course Chasing was going to take it, he had no money as of yet, so he graciously thanked Rarity, "I will definitely take it, it looks as if it could stop a hundred lightning bolts! Thank you miss Rarity, for your speed, am still surprised at how quickly you made it."

While Rarity was basking in the afterglow of his praise, He stripped the Mannequin and packed the gear into the saddlebags it came with.

As Rainbow Dash took care of the bill, being weather chief and all, Chasing Haze walked over to the now standing Firestorm.

"Hey, mate, why so sullen? And what are you EVEN doing here?" He looked quizzically at the other pony.

Firestorm mumbled under his breath, not sure himself what he actually said. Then he looked up. "Rarity's my cousin, and I needed a place to rest and clean up while here. I'm in Ponyville buying fuses to make up for some that were RAINED ON a few days ago."

Chasing cocked his head. "Oh, so you're related to Rarity? Makes sense then, why you were swimming in her creek earlier."

Firestorm was staggered for a second, and didn't get a chance to respond before Chasing continued. "Well, since you're in Ponyville, maybe we can grab some hay tomorrow?"

Rarity overheard them, "What a wonderful idea! Rainbow and I will treat you two newcomers to a nice meal at the bakery! And maybe we can invite some other ponies to?" She said, looking over to Rainbow Dash, who shrugged non-commitedly. "Meh, I'm cool with that."

"Great! See ya then, mate. Bye Rarity!" And with that, the two pegasi took off for Celestia knew where, leaving a chattery Rarity and a terrified Firestorm, not having a chance to reply.

And now he'd have to sit through an entire meal with her

Rarity may not have picked up on her cousin's discomfort, for she asked, "Now Firestorm, I heard you talking to our esteemed guest. I take it you're staying at Rosewood, correct?"

Firestorm knew he would regret this, but he would not risk meeting that weird blue featherbrain sooner than he had to. "Well...I was kinda hoping you could put me up for the night, Rarity, considering how I'm already here and it's getting late..?"

Rarity glanced at the high afternoon sun outside before answering. "Oh...kay. Listen, you CAN stay here, but you should get out and meet some ponies. Maybe even go to the library or something, I have no doubt Twilight would be immensely happy to hear about your Powder. Why, you would look almost charming right now...if you didn't look so miserable."

Firestorm shot her a glare. "And I guess you will make it unbearable to just stay here, right?"

Rarity looked up at the ceiling. "Well, I do have another order you could help me with..."

She looked back down to see the front door swing closed, leaving her in an empty room. She smiled. There you are cousin. Maybe you can get some courage before tomorrow. She walked back up stairs with a spring in her step.

Eyes looked down on the gaudy building, watching as the two pegasi flew a frolicked away, followed shortly by the grumpy unicorn. They ignored him. The bigwing was the one they wanted.

Ah, so that's the deal.

It was a beautiful morning in Ponyville. Filled with the usual, sights and sounds of bright skies and birdsong. And absolute torment.

At Rosewood Cottage, Ditzy was dealing with a certain Pegasus made absolutely catatonic with strained wings.

Rainbow Dash found that she physically couldn't move her body from stiffness.

And Firestorm was cowering under his sheets, desperately ignoring the emotional hailstorm about to hit him square in the face.

Rarity was less that comforting in the regard. At sunrise, Firestorm heard the clattering of hooves on the stairway, and tried to sink into the mattress to avoid the day. Unfortunately, Rarity was quite insistent.

A short while later, Firestorm sat at the kitchen table, grumbling and nursing a severe bump on his head. The injury in question was more the result of his own flailing than that of Rarity's surprising attack, but it was her fault all the same.

The mare sat across from her cousin, giggling helplessly into her hoof while she watched him slurp at his oatmeal. "Hm hm...I...didn't mean for you to fall you know...Jumping out the window wasn't your...your brightest moment."

Firestorm glared at her. "Well, maybe you shouldn't have squirted water all over my head. Maybe you could have just, oh, I don't know, poked me, like a normal pony."

Rarity gave him a patronizing look. "Oh, come now, Where's the fun in that? Anyway, we need to prepare for our date later!"

A small fountain of oats found itself on the counter at her wording. Firestorm continued his stare. "It is not a date, if it was..."

"You would be happier, I assume?" Rarity raised an eyebrow. "you should have asked her out sooo long ago."

"Well that might have worked if I hadn't nearly shot her down first." Firestorm finished his meagre breakfast and stalked out of the boutique.

The beauty of mid morning was lost on the annoyed unicorn colt as he stepped out of Rarity's shop, hustled by his cousin into the bright and foreboding sunlight. Today is going to be painfull. Rarity had managed to get him into reasonably good shape. His coat was actually it's natural chestnut, his mane it's dark, almost salt and pepper colouration. his cutie-mark was not dusted with carbon and seemed to glow against his fur. Well groomed and shiny, Firestorm had never felt quite so out of place. He wasn't even allowed to wear his overcoat.

Ponyville was bustling as it ever was in the middle of the week. The talk of the town was some new declaration from Canterlot, something to do with military disarmament or something equally boring; The race from the day before being completely forgotten. Not that Firestorm found this a bad thing; he'd heard all he needed to know of that race. That being, nothing.

Rarity's stint of shopping could not be avoided, but she had planned for it. It wasn't long (That meaning that it felt like eternity) before the two unicorns found themselves standing outside of the town's foremost confectionery, Sugarcube Corner. Also to be noted was the absence of the two pegasi they had come to meet.

Firestorm sighed with relief from his position under the piles of Rarity's perchases. "Oh, darn, looks like they couldn't make it, we'll just have to head back to the boutique-"

"Hey! Hiya! We're over here, where it's safe! No Pinkie!" A chirpy and way too cheery voice called out over the bustle of the street. Firestorm stared straight ahead, desperately hoping that Rarity was too self absorbed to have heard it. "Ah, there they are, the Tulip Cafe. Come along."

Nuts.

Firestorm managed to turn around and walk across the street in a more or less controlled fashion. It took him all of five seconds to bottle up his nervousness into a small pit of depression in his stomach. By the time he got to the open air table where the two pegasi sat, he was so introspective that he didn't even notice their sorry state. He merely dropped the bags and sat.

Rarity, at least, was able to recognize the disheveled condition of her friends. "My word Rainbow! And Chasing, dear...Whatever is the matter?" Both ponies twisted and shifted constantly, unable to get comfortable. Chasing couldn't even close his right wing properly and had his head rested on the table. Rainbow Dash, who at least seemed functional, grinned impishly. "Yeah, that race yesterday was pretty serious. We kinda forgot the stretch it out afterwards, and...well, it's kicked us pretty bad. Chasing couldn't even get out of bed til Ditzy gave him a rub-down!"

Chasing snapped his head up from the table. "Hey! Don't make it sound weird like that, my wings were a bit locked up, and I needed a hoof, okay? And it wasn't as if you were any better. Fluttershy told me about your hiccup earlier."

Rainbow started, but tried to hide it under a cool gaze. "Oh, is that so?"

It was Chasing's turn to grin. "Yep, sure did, Miss Plankback." He turned to Rarity and Firestorm, continuing in a conspiratorial tone, "Rainbow was so stiff she couldn't even fly out here this morning. In fact, she fell clean off her cloud!"

Rarity, giggled as Dash changed colour, rapidly approaching beet red. "Oh my, Rainbow, was the race THAT hard on you?"

"No! O-Of course not...It's just hard to fly like that for a long time..." Rainbow tried to think her way out of her embarrassment.

Chasing suddenly gave up his teasing, rather following a new line of inquiry. "Oh, yeah, I have to say, if I flew like that for that long, I'd be totally broken. You have to show me how to do that."

Firestorm felt some unwanted curiosity rising in his throat. Before he could quell it, it burst forth in a question. "Fly how, now?"

His interjection was surprised the others, but he didn't care. He wanted to hear this. Chasing immediately jumped at the chance to explain. "Well, when we were racing I noticed Rainbow doesn't fly normally. You know, like normal pegasi raise their wings, angle them back and push the air away to move forward, then raise their wings and push down and back again? That's usual. Rainbow, though, when she raced yesterday, She pushed down, but when she pulled up, she reversed the angle of her wings and pushed back as well, so she was effectively powering on both the down- and upstrokes. That's skill, right there."

He looked over at Rainbow, who grinned under the praise, even standing up and attempting to demonstrate the movement. She grimaced though, and stopped after only three slow cycles. "Yeah, it's pretty hard, but nothing I can't handle!"

Firestorm thought for a second, intrigued, then said, "Oh, isn't that how a bumblebee flies?"

Silence. Rainbow threw him a deadpan gaze before sitting down again. Chasing held back a laugh, and Rarity was seriously beginning to wonder if her cousin was a social nutcase.

Firestorm, realizing his mistake, decided he had two options. One; sink back into morbid silence and allow the others to resume their conversation free of his input, or two; get a hold of his mouth and fix this, even if it meant pandering a bit. Rarity was right, after all, he had interests in this situation.

"I hear that scientists are still trying to work out how a bug manages to fly like that, but a pegasus like yourself learning a technique like that is astounding. In fact, if any other pony told me they had done it, I'd have called them a liar. It's remarkable, Rainbow." He trailed off there, his repertoire of complements being as low as it was.

Dash looked at him for a moment, raising and eyebrow. "Nice save, Fireball.'

"Firestorm"

"Whatever."

Chasing couldn't help himself. He burst into laughter, nearly falling over as his wing muscles twinged at the movement. It was just too much. "Haha! ow...Hahahaha, You tell him Rainbow! C'mon, though, he did try and fix it. Let's order something, hilarity makes my hungry."

Rarity heard Firestorm growl slightly, but luckily it was drowned out by Rainbow's loud order for some hay fries. Chasing Haze ordered a sunflower salad (A little odd, a stallion going for a salad). Rarity ordered the proprietary tulip sandwich, and Firestorm just ordered a coffee. Conversation died after that, an awkwardness falling between the four friends, the kind that could not be borne. Chasing quickly crushed it. "So, 'Storm, how did those fireworks you were working on turn out? You never did tell me."

Firestorm was about to answer, nicely, in fact, before Rainbow shot him another look. "More 'pegasus-terrors' I guess?"

Old memories die hard, especially that kind. He winced. "Listen Rainbow, I'm really sorry about that! How was I supposed to know you were there? The weather team had been told to avoid the test site anyway."

If he had bothered to look up, he would have seen the sparkle in Dash's eye. "But I'm not on Trottingham's weather team, now am I? And I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I didn't expect to be shot at, though."

FIrestorm sighed. Every time he had come to Ponyville, they had had this conversation. "Yes, I know, and now the field is up so everypony knows not to go there, so I fixed it, okay?"

"Not true!" Chasing crowed. "If those poppers had gone off, I coulda been hurt, too! lucky I rained on them though, so I was fine."

Rainbow guffawed through her fries. "You did what?! You have gotta tell me that story!"

Firestorm decided that plan one: Morbid Silence had become the better plan, and sank into his seat, vengefully drinking his coffee.

So lunch wasn't a total disaster. Rarity still couldn't believe how odd her cousin could act. She had seen him a few times with family, being a true gentlecolt, laughing and joking along with the rest. But put him in the same room as anypony he might like to impress, and he turned into a wreck. This was her main reason for getting Chasing Haze to help carry her packages back to the boutique. Getting Firestorm to interact as difficult as it was necessary for his sanity, whether he liked it or not.

Chasing walked along with bags hanging around his neck, smiling and greeting everypony around like an annoying conductor, while Firestorm plodded along, keeping his head down. He didn't even hear Chasing's question at first. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"What? Oh, yeah, why not?" FIrestorm grumbled.

"Okay. You and Rarity are family, right?" Chasing dropped his tone.

Firestorm flicked his ears. "Yes. Cousins tend to be considered family."

Chasing nodded slowly, not really hearing the reply. "Right. Well, I just wondering if it wouldn't bother you if I asked her out to dinner."

Firestorm very nearly swallowed his tongue. "What?! Okay, first off, why would you even think of asking RARITY out, and second, why ask ME about it? Not something I need to be involved with."

Chasing Haze looked across in mild surprise. "Well, I don't want to cause you any trouble, so I'm just letting you know, and I'm kinda hoping the she's one of those unachievable mares that no colt has the guts to ask out. I know it's a slim chance, but hey, why not, right?"

Firestorm felt an uncharitable glee when he heard this. He he gave a toothy smile. "Yeah, sure...why not? You go ahead, I'm sure she'll say yes."

By this point, Rarity had gone far ahead of them, and had already opened the boutique. The two stallions reached the door just as a whiff of smoke began to weave its way into the air. Rarity turned around in the door way, and was about to indicate where her goods should be placed, but Chasing saw the look of shock cross her face as she faced them. But she wasn't looking at them. She was looking over them.

Chasing gulped and turned around. there, in the distance, was a rising pillar of dark smoke. "Oh Luna that's my cue see ya guys gotta go BYE!" He dashed off, trying to get his wings to work and take off.

Firestorm felt a tightness settle into his chest. Everything else fell away as he worked out where the fire actually was. He saw Chasing take off, before dashing into the boutique and grabbing his heavy overcoat. He knew what this was worth. Time for some action.

Time to save Rosewood.

Fire Guard's Service

Chasing Haze felt on the verge of panic. All he could see was flames, the entire building utterly engulfed in an impossible conflagration burning so hot it turned the air blue. And all his gear was inside.

He dashed through the sky, one of many pegasi trying to control the flames. Chasing flew in tight circles, trying to squeeze some moisture out of the air to put into a cloud. He watched as each second brought the flames higher. He tried to use the training he had been given to establish the epicentre of the blaze.

The east end of the building that once made up Rosewood Cottage had completely collapsed, leaving a gaping hole in the tunnel-like building, allowing the fire to suck in vast amounts of air to feed it's growth. The west wing, especially the far end that comprised the kitchen, were only now beginning to catch. The turf roof, which had been built in the hope of repelling fire, was now holding in the heat from the burning wooden structure. Almost anything in that building would be charcoal by now.

Chasing gathered his cloud and flew it straight into the east wing, trying to get a more direct impact on the flames. The heat almost instantly evaporated the small dark tuft, leaving only a few dampened beams that quickly dried and burst into flame. Chasing flew up to a point and tried yet again to try and get a better latch on the situation. Pegasi were milling about in the sky, gathering any cloud, even mere wisps, and sending them all careening into the building at random angles. The moisture was just absorbed by the turf roof and evaporated again. They needed leadership. They needed a Fire Guard.

Chasing gulped. He wasn't in uniform, and wasn't very well known here yet, but he hoped that sheer logic would prevail here. He began shouting over the hubbub as ponies streamed out of Ponyville to assist. "Everypony, listen up! Gather clouds and aim them only at wooden structures! Try and save the building, stop the supports burning out!"

A few Pegasi nodded and immediately set to work. Chasing looked about, then shouted again, "Good! Good! Those of you not doing anything can go and rustle up some clouds over the reservoir, bring as much water as you can!" One or two dashed off to obey, but there were still dome hovering about. Chasing ignored them as he began flying in circles again. Another advantage of freak-wings, he thought to himself, was the ability to squeeze every last drop into a cloud. Another pegasus bumped her own cloud into Chasing's, doubling it's effective yield. He smiled gratefully and began pushing his cloud towards the east wing for a second attempt at taming the flames.

He heard a pony on the ground shout something about Derpy. "Where are Ditzy an DInky?!" Chasing tried to stay focused on the job. It was difficult, since his mind was screaming out the same question. He flew in, barreling around the cloud to squeeze it ever denser. He lined it up with the gaping cave-in, and pushed the cloud as fast he dared towards the inferno. The large cloud managed to dull the flames for a brief seconds, giving Chasing a view into the maw of Tartarus.

The long tunnel that had once made the inviting hall of Rosewood was replaced by arches of flames. Blankets on the floor instantly combusted from the sheer heat, burning away into nothingness in seconds. Bedframes exploded, sending splinters through the air, catching fire as they burst on impact with the blazing walls. But Chasing saw none of this. All he saw, in the minuscule moment before the flames reclaimed the air he had cleared, was a small blue light at the other end of the building, and the two huddled figures beneath it.

He wasn't meant to be here. But he was. He wasn't meant to be a hero, but that was his role now. Chasing's eyes hardened. even as his heart broke. He would probably die.

He spun about flew straight up, catching a pair of goggles from another pegasus before reaching the apex of his climb. He saw a flurry of clouds rapidly approaching. Wait! Maybe if those rain clouds got here quickly enough-

He heard a scream. He turned and dived, straight down at first, then leveled out, aiming into the throat of hell. With the goggles as his only protection, Chasing flew at terminal velocity through the collapsed wing of Rosewood. He used the draft created by the fire to pull him in even faster, knowing that speed was his only chance at reaching the other side, and maybe, safety.

Rainbow Dash stared in horror from her position marshaling the cloud bank as Chasing dove directly into the flame. She screamed and windmilled about the clouds, forming them into a horizontal vortex, pulling the mass along with her, in the hope of dousing the flames before...

Firestorm galloped through the crowd that had gathered, desperately searching the sky for the Fire Guard. There he was hovering like a lost feather in the sky...Then a scream cut through the air...It came from Rosewood...Wait..."What the fuck are you DOING?!" he shouted, as Chasing dropped into the heart of the fire, fast enough to leave a flaming contrail in the air. Firestorm realized what was happening. That scream. It had come from the west wing! Firestorm raced over, instantly settling on a plan of action. He only hoped he could get it right...

Pain. Blazing, ripping, eviscerating pain, lanced over every inch of bare flesh. Chasing was too far now to back out. Even when he folded his wings, his momentum sent arrowing through the length of the hall. Flames framed his vision, patterns and monsters leering out at him, carved for split seconds in smoke and fire. He saw the flickering light at the end of the tunnel of flames. rolled onto his side, throwing himself belly fist into the figures of Ditzy and her sister, just at Dinky's shield collapsed.

Chasing threw up his wings, using what was left of their area to block the heat from the two fillies as he unceremoniously kicked both of them up and through the kitchen window.

Chasing lay there, amidst the fire and heat and shattered glass, feeling the flames crawling hungrily towards him. He turned to watch his approaching death, weakly proud that he had not weakened in the moment when he was needed. As he felt his mind begin to slow, and see his vision fade, he heard the cooling hiss of rain. As time waned, Chasing Haze saw the roof tear apart, the flames ripped aside like veils of gauze, to allow in the life saving moisture, and the grey cloaked figure descending towards him like the Valkerie, the spiraling flames flanking the figure like wings of cold fire.

Aftermath

It was a long and painful era of nothingness.

Chasing Haze was at once aware of the immense feeling of pain, and yet also a very tenuous distance from himself. He could see his life and experiences with all the objectiveness of another, viewing it all with detachment and clarity. All of his years flying around the desolate peaks in the deserts around his birthplace, the grueling tests and missions that those of his kind would endure in the name of an objective they no longer followed. The crushing fears of his family when that mission had ended.

Broadwings were not like other ponies, not even like other pegasi. They were born to the mission given to them by the Princess of the Sun herself, over a thousand years ago; To hunt down the remnants of the followers of Nightmare Moon in their haunts in the shadows of the world. But Nightmare Moon was no more, and her loyalists had mostly repented and returned to their places under Luna's charge. The Broadwing Clan no longer needed to keep squadrons of hunters in readiness in case of an attack, which was why the peaceable and meek had been cut from the ranks.

Not even the children of The Chief of Broadwing had been spared.

Chasing's father, Paladin Haze, had given his son a job that seemed to match his skills. He had done the same for both of Chasing's sisters as well, getting them out of the cycle that the family had followed for centuries. Wandering Haze was a pioneer at the borders of the empire, exploring the fastnesses beyond Celestia's realm. Breaking Haze was part of the special services tasked with stabilizing those borders as they expanded ever outwards.

And Chasing Haze had been tasked with being a Fire Guard in a small town in the middle of the country, far from danger. All he had had to do was fly around every day and watch out for any fires that might spring up.

And he had failed before he was even meant to begin.

Even in his unconscious state, a cold pit settled in his heart.

*****

Firestorm couldn't believe what Rainbow Dash was telling him. He sat in the hospital's waiting room, surrounded by dozens of ponies all in need of some form of medical attention for mild burns and such from the fire, but he felt completely cut off from them all by the six ponies that stood around him. Rainbow Dash and Rarity had come to see him, and had brought their circle of friends along. All were silent as Rainbow shared what she knew from her conversation with Breaking Haze before Chasing's arrival. She didn't know much other than the fact that the Broadwings were disbanding their more militant wings, and that Chasing had needed a job. In closing, she shrugged, and said, "I heard that the family was trying join normal society again after so many years out, but that's all I remember."

The group all turned to the alicorn in the room. Literally the the only alicorn in town. Twilight sat with a small book emblazoned with the multicoloured cross-pattern that was the Broadwing crest. She looked up at her friends expectant faces. And Firestorm's..."Well, there isn't much written about the Broadwing Pegasi. They didn't feature much until the banishing of Nightmare Moon. According to this, they once served as the royal guard, much like Luna's thestrals, but when Luna was turned into Nightmare Moon, and her guards became warped with her, the Broadwings became professional hunters of Luna's old guard. I guess now that Luna is back, that the thestrals don't need to be hunted down anymore. It all seems a bit barbaric, really, good thing they've changed lately."

There was an awkward pause. Then Applejack asked, "Well, that's all well an' good, but what about Ditzy an' 'er little sis? What happened there, for them ta survive that?"

It was the question on everypony's lips. How had the two survived that terrible fire? Twilight answered again. "That is something I will have to look into. But from the descriptions I've heard and some deductions, I think Dinky may have cast a heat shield. Considering the sheer heat of that fire, it really is amazing. I...I think I may take Dinky in as my first student. I'll ask Celestia for guidance in this. Right now, though, our foremost concern is the well being of Chasing Haze. he was burned to within an inch of his life. "

A few nodding heads, followed by relative silence. None of these ponies knew Chasing very well, but he had at least made a good impression in his few days here. It was a tragedy that this disaster had hurt so many. Most ponies had accepted that it had to have been a simple kitchen accident. After all, Ditzy had been in the building.

Speaking of whom... Firestorm shot up and walked through the crowd without a word. The girls didn't need his input anyway.

"Hey, Firestorm! Where are you going?" Firestorm turned and was surprised to see Rainbow Dash at his side, looking concerned.

He growled slightly to himself. "Go check with a nurse, will you? You got a bit toasty over that fire, after all."

"And what about you? Look at you! You should be resting. Come and sit with us for a while, Fluttershy can look at that burn." Rainbow Dash said.

Firestorm turned and faced her squarely. "I'm fine! But I don't see why you should care, you couldn't remember my name after all these years. I'm going to visit Ditzy, she at least was always friendly to me."

Firestorm decided to make a dramatic exit after venting at and probably angering the prismatic mare. What he wasn't expecting was her reply.

"I always remembered your name, Firestorm."

He turned again in surprise, only to see her tail vanish into the crowd. Rainbow one, Firestorm zero.

Again.

He looked down at himself. Ash covered his legs and body, and his coat the rest of him, except for the large burn across his back. Grey. Desolate. It symbolized a dispair that came with pain, a pain worse than burning. The pain of being alone.

Firestorm sighed as he accepted that if he felt the way he did, he'd have to say something to Rainbow eventually. Later though. Ditzy would need comfort, now more than ever.

The worst cases were all being tended in the hospital's longest gallery. It also contained both Dinky and the town's new Hero. Chasing had been out since the fire, and the doctors were worried that he may not fully recover. at the moment he was still isolated for fear of infection, most of his body burned. He was lucky to have retained his nearly indestructible pinions, so he may be able to fly afterwards. If his lungs weren't burnt too.

Firestorm would visit Chasing as soon as he was allowed to. Ditzy was awake in her bed against the far wall. She stared blankly out the window. She was alone, too. Firestorm sat next to her on the bed and put a hoof on her shoulder. She whipped up to look at him, but softened into his touch. She leaned away, though, and closed her eyes. "I'm s-sorry. I don't know what I d-did..."

Firestorm forestalled her by pulling her into a hug, something he would never do for any other pony. But Ditzy was hurting, and she was being blamed by the whole town for this accident. Even if she had started the fire, she didn't deserve to be sitting here, alone.

And besides, he had a suspicion that Ditzy had had nothing to do with that fire.

*****

Firestorm heard it first. He was lying down beside Ditzy, holding her as she quietly cried herself to sleep. It started with a low moaning, but slowly increased to full-blown sobbing. With none of the nurses nearby, Firestorm decided then that if anypony should choose to be the first to cross that curtain, it should be him. He disentangled himself from the sleeping mare and crossed the room and stood before the curtain, ready to pull it aside.

Then the crying stopped.

Rarity heard the scream first, being the only pony awake in the waiting room. Rainbow Dash woke up to see Rarity galloping though the door towards the intensive care ward with the final tones of the blood curdling scream hanging in the air. Rainbow wasn't the only one to hear it either; Few ponies could hear that sound, one of sheer pain and anguish, without reacting as she and Rarity did.

Ponies dashed through the halls as the screaming increased, grating tones between vengeance and loss calling all to bear witness. Rarity and Rainbow Dash burst through the doors, only to stop dead at the sight. Firestorm's body was hidden by the broad span of wings and bandages, and the form of the pony pinning Firestorm to the wall beside Chasing Haze's bed. As ponies began to gather in the room from all corners of the hospital, the bandaged head turned to face the crowd, looking blankly over the heads of the ponies that had been so friendly to the new Fire Guard.

Chasing Haze felt hooves on his shoulder, burning the raw skin beneath the gauze. He looked around and saw his foreleg pressing into Firestorm's throat. The chestnut unicorn held himself up, in no real danger,and looked down with pity in his eyes. Chasing hated that. He looked back and saw Rainbow Dash holding him, the same expression on her features. Chasing felt at that moment all the eyes in the ward bearing down him, radiating pity and concern. Because he was hurt. Because he had failed. They pitied him because he could not do what he had been tasked with. He had failed them and deserved none of this.

He couldn't stand anymore. He fell and tried to hide himself under his wings, the the feathers were too sparse to provide any cover. He choked as his lungs attempted to clear themselves, but he shouted out at the chattering group of ponies anyway, "I-I'm Sorry!"

Chasing Haze lay on his side and looked through a closing gap in between the legs of the surrounding ponies. He saw the shocked face of Ditzy staring at him from over the edge of her bed, eyes wide with fear. Fear

"I'm sorry!" He choked out, As he felt himself being lifted, but if by hooves or by his slipping consciousness, he couldn't tell. All he could focus on was his failure to protect those he should've helped.

I am so sorry

Broken Ties

Things became rather complicated after the incident in the hospital. Firestorm hadn’t really noticed it before, but now, a few weeks after the fire, he couldn’t help but look back on it all a bit cynically.

They had had to sedate Chasing Haze that day, and nearly every day after that. His fits had been attributed to shock, and had been as irregular as they had been sudden, until Twilight Sparkle herself had been called to cast a sleep spell on him, knocking him out.

Rainbow Dash had been given the less than desirable duty of informing Chasing’s family of his condition. She had flown to Canterlot in the hope of contacting one of Chasing’s sisters, who often frequented the city. A letter had been sent to the royal barracks to intercept them, and Rainbow Dash had been due to arrive back today with one of them in tow. Firestorm hadn’t inquired after her, for reasonably obvious reasons.

Ditzy had recovered well from her injuries, as had Dinky, though both bore other scars. Of course, they did, they’d just lost their home. The pair had all but moved in to Rosewood when Dinky was born, because of course, a unicorn couldn’t live comfortably in Cloudsdale. The pair had looked after the place admirably ever since, with the help of a regular allowance from their family. Now though, not only had they lost Rosewood, they were being blamed for it. Firestorm was disgusted by the willingness of the townsponies to accept the first explanation given to them. At least Ditzy had friends like that Carrot Top filly to take her in.

All things considered, Ditzy agreeing to come today was very strong of her.

Fire storm paused in his thoughts, and in the middle of the street. He had spent a lot more time in Ponyville than he had expected, but he couldn’t have changed that if he wanted to. Questions were still racing through his mind about the fire, questions that only Chasing could answer. And besides that, Firestorm couldn’t help but care for the blue Pegasus. His gallant, if extraordinarily risky actions had saved a pony Firestorm considered a friend. If nothing else, Chasing had proved himself a brave pony.

Firestorm started walking again, noting the irony in the way the ponies around town treated him. Chasing was considered a hero, and by extension so was Firestorm, having been the rescuers’ rescuer. But while Chasing was fretted over, and would no doubt be showered with praise later, the citizens of Ponyville treated Firestorm with reverent distance, knowing and for once honouring his preference for his own company. Firestorm may not have expected or welcomed lavish praise, but this awed silence that seemed to follow him everywhere seemed a little unwarranted, too. All he had done has move the fire...along with half the roof, but Twilight Sparkle had actually been responsible for that.

Firestorm stopped off at the Blacksmith’s shop on his way to the hospital, for a small order her had put in. The slate grey pony behind the counter looked at him blankly before actually recognizing him. Firestorm grunted a small laugh at that, noting that this was probably the first time that he had ever walked into this shop minus his trademark firecoat and layer of ash. The pony grunted in return, immediately reaching under the counter and pulling out the small wrapped package Firestorm had asked for.

Firestorm hoofed over the bits and placed the package in his saddlebag before turning halfway to the door. Then he stopped, and decided that after all these years, it was time to ask, “Hey, you know, I never did learn your name?”

The other pony hesitated. Then she answered, “Steel Grey, sir. Good to see you’re well.”

Firestorm smiled and replied, “You too Grey, and its Firestorm; it’s long overdue as is. Thanks for all the help.” Firestorm turned and made his way back into the street, thinking, I can’t believe she was a mare under that apron all this time! He actually hoped that this was due to his own apathy; otherwise that girl had it bad...

His terrible humour aside, it wasn’t long until He found himself looking over a small gathering under the eave of the hospital entrance. He joined the group just as they began to lead off into the building. Following the bleached corridors through the building gave Firestorm plenty of time to inspect his company. Twilight headed the column, followed by a Pegasus Firestorm assumed was Chasing’s sister. From the descriptions he’d heard, this should be Wandering Haze. Her caramel coat and long magenta mane certainly didn’t mark her as an explorer, but her cutie-mark – obviously a dotted line leading to a red X-marks-the-spot – made her occupation quite clear. Following her was Rainbow Dash, resolutely looking forward, away from the unicorn behind her. Firestorm understood her actions, but was still a little disappointed. Of course, things would have been better if he had just apologized...But that could wait a bit more. Instead, Firestorm dropped back ‘til he was shoulder to shoulder with Ditzy.

Immediately, Ditzy turned up to him and gave him a bright, hopeful smile. “Hello. Do think Chasing is awake yet?”

Firestorm shook his head as a smile forced its way onto his lips. He and Ditzy went way back: He had stayed at Rosewood many times in her early days at the cottage. They were comfortable with each other, and had become close since the accident. Even Ditzy’s usual nervous stutter had fallen away. He gave a single emphatic nod and stated, “Trust me, that Pegasus has many more moments to ruin. I can even tell what he’ll say,” Firestorm stopped for a second, leaning to one side and throwing a hoof in the air in a parody of Chasing’s usual greeting, “Hiya! Whatcha all do without me? Can I ask annoying questions until you fall asleep?”

Despite being majorly exaggerated, it wasn’t a half-bad impression. Ditzy giggled into a hoof as Firestorm fell back into his own character. The small moment was, however, was not lost on the other members of the party. Twilight Sparkle looked back at them with a bemused and perhaps mildly annoyed expression, forehoof still raised in the act of walking. Rainbow Dash gave Firestorm a derisive glance before snorting and turning back to the hallway ahead of her. He knew that he had been a little insensitive, but the mood was unbearably dark for what was supposed to be a happy day.

Firestorm was about to call out an apology before he saw the third expression directed his way: Wandering Haze stood half facing him, a brow raised and a small smile gracing her features. Firestorm regarded her nervously. In his bid for a laugh, he hadn’t thought what her reaction might be. When she didn’t continue, Firestorm walked up to her. Ditzy followed him, also noticing the reactions of the others. Wandering Haze fell in next to them, giving Firestorm a small nudge on the shoulder with one of her oversized wings. “That was a pretty good imitation. Heh, Chasing actually used to say stuff like that all the time.”

Firestorm snorted slightly. “You he doesn’t anymore? First time I ever saw him, he ruined an important project of mine, then he flutters down and greets me like a canary after the last birdseed.”

Wandering Haze gave a harrumph before replying; “I see what they mean about you being grumpy. Rainbow warned me about that, but I still owe you a debt of thanks. You saved my little brother’s life. It was brave of you.”

The unicorn sighed dejectedly, but spoke before the broadwing could move away. “Please, excuse me, I didn’t mean to sound so rude. Maybe if I spoke like your brother more often, my humour would be less lost. I honestly hope he’ll make a full recovery. After all, he saved the life of one of my closest friends.” Firestorm found himself looking towards Ditzy, and he noted her odd little smile.

Wandering Haze cocked her head at him for a moment, before her expression softened at the sight of the two. She nodded understandingly before turning back to the hallway, following the now receding Rainbow Dash. Firestorm and Ditzy, relieved, followed her.

The terse little group wound its way through the hospital, and soon found themselves in the ward that had contained two of their number recently. Now, they all waited nervously for the awakening of a third.

Twilight’s horn began to glow.