Backgrounds of Fate: Fires


                                            This is a side green to Manos: Hands of Fate by Human Superiority.

                                            The first part was found here: http://pastebin.com/QBMRbrPv

                                            Since Pastebin nuked it I'll also link the earliest thread I could find in five minutes looking in the archive: https://desuarchive.org/mlp/thread/24621019/


                                            For the Manos threads. HEIL MANOS!


                                            >Manos' ponies were very loud.

                                            >N-not that it was a bad thing or anything like that.

                                            >Its just that loud things were... well...

                                            >...scary.

                                            >You are Fluttershy.

                                            >You eyed the stallion across the street yelling slogans and the like hoping to recruit ponies into Manos' browshirts.

                                            >Uniforms had always intimidated you.

                                            >You made your way away from the market with saddlebags full of goodies for your animal friends.

                                            >You've been meaning to restock on supplies for the longest time but ever since the execution you've been a lot more wary of coming into town.

                                            >These were ponies you've lived around for years but you've never seen them nor anypony really ever cry for blood.

                                            >The only reason you went to the thing was because the letter Twilight had received from Princess Celestia promising that Princess Luna would step in if things got out of hoof.

                                            >And you were admittedly curious as about what would happen.

                                            >You had faith in Princess Celestia's word.

                                            >If she said Luna was going to do it then it would happen.

                                            >You knew something was up when you got there and wanted to leave immediately.

                                            >If it weren't for your friends you would have but they convinced you to stay.

                                            >And then you got to witness your neighbors demand for the death of another neighbor.

                                            >It was terrifying.

                                            >Then they ki... got what they wanted.

                                            >That was... worse.

                                            >This line of thought made you move a little faster.

                                            >Ponyville was so different now.

                                            >Bigger too.

                                            >Symbols of him were all over town now.

                                            >Flags and banners fluttered proudly.

                                            >Many ponies sported leg bands with that black hand as well.

                                            >You passed one of the statues of Manos that went up around town.

                                            >...

                                            >Things were definitely different.

                                            >You sighed in relief when you turned the next corner and could see the road to your home.

                                            >And that was it.

                                            >You were out of town an- was that smoke you smelled?

                                            >Wait...

                                            >You could see smoke rising over the trees.

                                            >No...

                                            >Nononono

                                            >You ran as fast as your hooves could carry you.

                                            >So fast that you lost your saddlebags on the way.

                                            >It was burning.

                                            >Every thing was burning.

                                            >A column of greyish-black smoke rose from your cottage.

                                            >You fell to your haunches in disbelief.

                                            >This couldn't be happening.

                                            >You felt tugging at you mane and you looked down to find Mr. Squirrel chittering frantically and pointing at the building.

                                            >YOUR ANIMAL FRIENDS!

                                            >Just before you took off you heard galloping behind you.

                                            >You turned to see a pony in a brown uniform.

                                            >"Are you alright Miss Fluttershy? I saw smoke and came to-"

                                            "I'm fine! Please just go get help! My friends might be inside!"

                                            >"Y-yes right away."

                                            >When he turned and ran you made your way to the front door and bit the door handle intending to turn it.

                                            >Or at least you would have if you hadn't felt the heat radiating off it.

                                            >You sat on you haunches and turned it with your forehooves instead.

                                            >You took both front hooves and opened the door by the handle.

                                            >A wave of heat wafted past you.

                                            >There was no time.

                                            >You made your way in and looked around on the floor and saw some critters cowering in the little houses along the floor.

                                            "Come now little friends, it isn't safe here. The door is right there."

                                            >Some of them made a point to argue that you needed to leave too.

                                            "Oh no, not yet. I haven't made sure that everyone is out yet. Mrs Squirrel can I need you outside next to the tree with bird feeders and I need you to get everyone else there too. Can I trust you?"

                                            >She nodded and led that group of animals out.

                                            >You needed to be sure.

                                            >The bird houses at the ceiling were empty.

                                            >The dwellings in the back were as well.

                                            >You opened the door to the basement and called down to make sure none of the critters were down there.

                                            >You just needed to check upstairs.

                                            >At this point you were sure you would have been soaked with sweat if it weren't for the heat.

                                            >There was so much smoke up here.

                                            >You needed to be quick.

                                            >You opened the door to your room and found angle trying to kick out a window.

                                            "Oh thank goodness I found you, Angel."

                                            >You scooped him up and went back to the stairs only to find flames licking there way up the steps and walls.

                                            >He put a paw to his face as if saying, 'Great, now you're stuck here too.'

                                            >That's not good.

                                            >You went to your guest room only to see smoke wafting into the hallway from under the door.

                                            "Oh dear!"

                                            >You were starting to panic.

                                            >You went back to your room.

                                            >Angle could fit.

                                            >But you couldn't.

                                            >Your heart dropped into your stomach.

                                            >You opened up the window and gave Angel a quick nuzzle before setting him on the roof outside.

                                            >You shut the window before he could protest.

                                            >The little bunny started beating on the glass with all his little bunny strength.

                                            >That silly bunny.

                                            "Angel, I need you to be brave for me okay? I know it looks bad now but I'll be okay."

                                            >You were interrupted by a cough,

                                            >There was so much smoke up here.

                                            "Somepony has already gone for help. I need you to go to the tree with everyone else if you can get down okay?"

                                            >He kept on trying to get through the glass, not heading you words.

                                            >You sighed inwardly and used The Stare.

                                            "You're gonna go to the tree for momma, aren't you?"

                                            >Angel nodded dumbly.

                                            >You wiped your eyes because of an itch and found your foreleg to be wet.

                                            >Oh.

                                            >You were crying.

                                            >Huh.

                                            >You put you hoof on the glass as he scampered away.

                                            "There's a good bunny..."


                                            >Be Rainbow Dash.

                                            >You were in uniform and just about to catch a train to the Crystal Empire when you heard about the fire.

                                            >How you didn't notice the column of smoke was beyond you.

                                            >The train didn't matter to much, you were leaving two days in advance anyways so you could just catch the next one.

                                            >While you could clear the skies in ten seconds flat, gathering clouds were a different issue.

                                            >Fate was fortunate though and the weather was scheduled to be partly cloudy today.

                                            >You condensed the all of them into to storm clouds as quickly as you could and started pushing the cloud bank as quickly as you could.

                                            >Turns out, even with all your wing power, you bit off a bit more than you could chew.

                                            >The storm you made was pretty big and started creating winds and lighting which made it even harder to move.

                                            >You saving grace came in the form of brown shirts assisting you.

                                            >"You taking this thing to the fire?!" one of them yells over the winds.

                                            "Yeah, what gave you the idea!?"

                                            >"Well you whipped this storm up pretty quick! Faster than I've seen the weather team do it!'

                                            >You grunted in exertion when a strong wind tries to knock you out of the sky.

                                            "Y'know I used to be the weather manager before I joined the Black Hands!"

                                            >"Really now?! I was the weather manager in Baltimare before I moved here! Funny how fate works amiright?!"

                                            >You were going to chuckle at that but then it dawned on you just where you were taking this cloud to.

                                            >Without a second thought you sped towards the scene as fast as your wings could carry you.

                                            >There were already brown shirts and a few Black Hands at the scene.

                                            >Fire ponies had also brought out a pump wagon and were spraying down what the could.

                                            >They were also ignore the animals at the base of one of the trees.

                                            >A brown shirt was attempting to shoo them away from the fire ponies before you stopped them.

                                            >That's when you took a carrot to the face.

                                            "Angel this ain't the time for this! Is Fluttershy ok?"

                                            >A sense of dread filled you when rabbit pointed frantically at the blaze.

                                            >You turned to the nearest fire pony.

                                            "Hey! My friend is still inside! We gotta get in there!"

                                            >He gripped the hose and turned to you.

                                            >"No way! Nopony is getting through that door! It's too dangerous."

                                            "The hay its too dangerous! Isn't saving ponies your job or something!?"

                                            >When he didn't respond you hastily took off your uniform and tossed it at angel.

                                            "Watch that for me will ya?"

                                            >You unfurled your wings but looked back and said,

                                            "Maybe you could speed this up for me. What part of the house is she in?"

                                            >Angel feigned sleeping and at your lost look he put a paw on his face and pointed at an upstairs window.

                                            >You were never really good at charad- her bed room!

                                            >You took off just as the brown shirts brought the storm overhead.

                                            >Did that thing grow on the way here?

                                            >No matter.

                                            >The bigger it was the faster the fire would be out.

                                            >You went to the most charged portion of the storm and broke away a portion of its clouds, your fur standing on end.

                                            >You positioned it over the roof of the building and pounced on it, your pegasus magic coaxing water out as well as its intended effect.

                                            >Lightning.

                                            >You jumped on it a few more times, the little cloud discharging only twice more before you stopped.

                                            >Grinning you bucked the cloud flew up bit and dove down on the cracked roofing, busting straight through onto a bed.

                                            "Fluttersh-oof!"

                                            >Fluttershy tackle hugged you off the bed and to the floor.

                                            >Looking up her, you see she managed to tie a pillow case around her muzzle probably to filter out the smoke.

                                            >Say what you want about her but the girl could hold her own in a lot of situations despite being so... her.

                                            >"I-I was so scared! I tho-"

                                            >Whatever she had to say devolved into a coughing fit.

                                            "Tell me about it when we get out of here. Ok?"

                                            >The yellow pegasus just nodded.

                                            >You stood up and helped Fluttershy fly out of the hole in the roof.


                                            >You are Fluttershy and you were happy to be alive.

                                            >You made sure to get a head count on the critters and were relieved that all of them made it out.

                                            >Small miracles.

                                            >You stood with Rainbow Dash as the fire that was consuming your house battled with the torrents of rain falling form the storm overhead.

                                            >It was oddly therapeutic.

                                            >It gave you a chance to process what just occurred.

                                            >You just lost everything.

                                            >Yes, it made you horribly sad but it was fine.

                                            >Your animal friends were okay and that's what mattered.

                                            >YOU were okay.

                                            >Rainbow Dash made sure of that.

                                            >After she brought you down she ordered another Black Hand who was fighting the fire to go find medic.

                                            >That pony just dropped what he was doing and went to find one.

                                            >It was odd though.

                                            >There were more Black Hands and brown shirts fighting the fire than the actual fire ponies.

                                            >You were thankful of course and that was the odd part about it.

                                            >You never thought you'd be thankful to them, as loud as they were.

                                            >The medic came and checked you over.

                                            >You were fine of course, aside from minor smoke inhalation.

                                            >That didn't stop Rainbow from asking every five minutes.

                                            >"Are you sure you're alright? If you aren't I could zip you over to Ponyville general real quick."

                                            "I'm fine Rainbow Dash. I'm just not sure where I'm gong to go."

                                            >"Y'know you could stay at my place as long as you need right?"

                                            "Oh n-no, I couldn't do that to yo-"

                                            >She stops you and gives you a look that brokers no argument.

                                            >"I won't leave one of my best friends hanging. I insist; crash at my place until you're on your hooves again."

                                            "I-I don't know what to say. Thank you so much Rainbow."

                                            >You wrapped her in a hug and it caused her to flinch.

                                            >It didn't go unnoticed by you but you didn't mention it.

                                            >Rainbow Dash sighed and returns the hug.

                                            >"Look, its just I know we don't hang out as much and I know its my fault. So consider this my way of saying sorry."

                                            "Oh Rainbow, you don't need to apologize but if it makes you feel better, apology accepted."

                                            >The two of you continued to watch as the fire was put out be the storm.

                                            >It was funny really.

                                            >The rest of the girls thought Rainbow Dash had changed but that wasn't the case at all.

                                            >Sure she was a little different.

                                            >But she was still the same Rainbow Dash you remembered on the inside.

                                            >Even if she didn't believe it herself.