Inferno

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Chapter 01
Ponyville Ablaze!

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WHAM!

Crash!

Bam!

Rainbow Dash shot up out of bed. Turning the lights on, she quickly found a pegasus mare in her bedroom sitting up and shaking her head. "Derpy!? What the hay!?" Rainbow scolded as she landed and rubbed her eyes. "It's the middle of the night!"

"E-emergency Rainbow Dash!" Derpy said as she pointed a hoof out the window she just crashed through. "Ponyville's burning! They need everypony to help out!"

"What!?" Dash exclaimed as she rushed to her window.

It didn't offer the usual gorgeous view of Ponyville. Instead all she could see under the star's cold light was thick, black smoke rising from an orange haze. It wasn't just one house. The blaze spread all across the small town. The constant, dull sound of flames crackling was occasionally interrupted by a faint, distant scream.

After staring slack-jawed for several seconds, she finally snapped her maw closed with a click as she fired up her wings. "We gotta go help!"

Derpy followed after Rainbow as they zoomed towards the flames. As they approached the edge of the blaze, they found a small gathering of pegasi herding several rainclouds over the fires. Rainbow Dash flew up to the pony calling the shots, a pale blue mare with a blonde mane. "Cloud Kicker! What's going on!?"

"Rainbow Dash! Thank goodness you're here!" she eagerly greeted, shouting above the roaring flames. "I've already sent somepony to Cloudsdale to request all the rainclouds they can spare. Raindrop took several ponies to round up any stray clouds that might be floating around and bring them back here to the rally point," Cloud Kicker explained. "We're trying to get what rain we have over the worst parts of the fire."

Rainbow Dash looked around a bit as she tried to assess the situation. "No," she refuted with a shake of her head. "You're not gonna help anypony putting the rain on the worst parts of the fire. Get the word out to get the rain over the edges of the fire, all right? It'll help keep it from spreading any further and help anypony on the ground to get through to help, okay?"

Cloud Kicker gave a salute as well as the few other pegasi that had been around to listen. They all took off in different directions to redistribute what little rain they had to work with. Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to try to get a good handle on what was going on down on the ground. It didn't take her long to find Twilight a stone's throw away from the fire line. In her aura was the town's water tower.

Rainbow watched in awe as Twilight used the water tower to drop a deluge on a few houses. The torrent of water instantly quenched the flames with a loud, rushing hiss. Just as Dash's hopes started to rise, she watched Twilight nearly fall over. The water tower left her aura, crashing to the ground.

"Twilight!" she called out as she landed. "Take it easy a minute. What can you tell me?"

"Oh! Rainbow Dash!" Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. "Please tell me the cloud teams are about to dump a ton of water over here!"

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "All we had on hand was a few clouds to give AJ's crops a shower in the morning. Our next shipment isn't for another three days. We're working with what we have, but I know it's not a lot."

"Curses!" Twilight stamped a hoof. "How could this have happened!?"

"We already sent for an emergency shipment from Cloudsdale. It shouldn't take long," Rainbow Dash explained.

Twilight nodded in understanding. "The Princesses have already agreed to send help, too. I was hoping we could get enough wing power to use the reservoir to drench the whole town."

Rainbow Dash blinked a couple of times. She hadn't even considered that. But as she thought about it, she shook her head. "Not unless we get a whole lot of help. Our pegasi are scattered everywhere looking for clouds and coordinating the rainfall. It'd take hours to round up enough pegasi. Don't you just have a spell to make it go away?"

"I wish," Twilight panted as she looked to the roaring flames. "Just give me a minute and I can refill the water tower at the river."

"I've got pegasi redistributing the rainfall. I told them to put as much water as they can on the outskirts of the fires," Rainbow Dash informed Twilight.

Twilight nodded in understanding. "Good, that'll make things easier for the bucket brigades."

"Anything else I can do to help?"

"Just keep the rain coming," Twilight urged. "We have to get this under control!"

With a curt nod, Rainbow Dash flew up to do what she could to coordinate the cloud teams.

---

A suffocating smell stirred Rarity from her peaceful slumber. Giving a couple of demure coughs, she threw her blankets from her. It smelled like smoke! Racing out of bed, she threw open her bedroom door. A quick search through her boutique revealed no fire, even though she kept smelling smoke. Finally, she opened her front door. What she saw took her breath away.

Ponyville was burning!

She stepped out into a light rain as she looked to the burning buildings around her. The first things on her mind were her family and friends. Without even realizing it, her hooves were already taking her towards the towering flames at full speed.

Navigating the streets through the rain, smoke, and rubble was no small task. Most of the landmarks she normally used for getting around the town were obscured or destroyed. How could something like this have happened!? her mind raced as she struggled to find her way.

Finally, she came across a building she could identify in any condition: her parent's house. It wasn't engulfed in flames like some of the other buildings, but smoke was rolling out of the windows and the roof. It might not have been burning like a torch, but it was on fire.

Her first instinct was to rush in, but her reason managed to keep her at bay. She swallowed as she tried to figure out whether or not anypony was in there. Then she heard it—a tiny, high-pitched scream.

"Sweetie Belle!?" she shouted at the smoldering structure. It took her but a moment to make up her mind. Sweetie Belle was in there, and nothing, not even hellfire, was going to keep her from rescuing her. "I'm coming, Sweetie!" she shouted as she rushed towards her front door.

Her aura failed to open the door. It was locked. Undeterred, she whipped around and bucked the door with all her might. It flew off its hinges, bursting into the house and sending out a wave of smoke. She coughed at the onslaught as she tried to peer into the house. It was completely black inside. The smoke obfuscated everything and she could feel heat radiating from inside.

Another high-pitched scream shattered what remained of Rarity's doubts. With her soaked hide as her only shield against the flames, she raced inside.

---

Racing around above the smoke, Rainbow Dash was feeling more and more useless. All the pegasi had already moved what rainclouds they had on hoof into proper position, and now there wasn't much use for any of them. As much as they may have wanted to dive down and try to rescue any ponies trapped by the flames, they all knew better.

Back in flight school they brought it up every year: When there is a fire, you have to stay out of the smoke. Every lungful of ash saps your strength and your stamina. It makes you cough and suck in more, draining your strength faster and faster. If you fly down into the smoke, you'll get drawn in like a moth and condemned to be consumed by fire.

Rainbow had to keep repeating the lesson over in her head each time she heard a scream or cry from below. Her wings constantly twitched, urging her to forsake her own safety to assuage the suffering of the ponies trapped below. Then she heard it. An unmistakable cry that made up her mind for her. Ignoring the part of her mind that warned her that she was flying to her doom, she took a deep breath and dove down into the sea of smoke and ash.

Instantly her eyes stung as the smoke reduced her visibility to zero. She wandered through the blackness looking until she couldn't hold her breath any more. "Pinkie!" she cried out before sucking in a lungful of smoke. Her lungs immediately rejected the tainted air, sending her into a coughing fit as she hovered there.

"Rainbow Dash!?" Pinkie's voice sounded over the steady howling of the flames. "Help!"

Flying aimlessly towards Pinkie's voice, Rainbow Dash crashed right into the top of Sugarcube Corner. She tumbled down onto the balcony. As she coughed and tried to get up, a pink blur appeared through the smoke.

"Dashie!" Pinkie coughed. "H-here," she said, pushing two bundles into Rainbow's hooves.

It took Dash a moment to realize what she was holding, or rather, who. It was the Cake twins. Rainbow looked back to Pinkie and shook her head. "I can get all of you," she asserted, putting the twins back into Pinkie's hooves. As soon as Pinkie had them, Rainbow circled around her and wrapped her forelegs around the pink pony.

Dash took off. She didn't make it far. Normally she could do backflips carrying three full-sized ponies, but that lesson about smoke was no exaggeration. Try as she might, Rainbow quickly lost altitude. She barely made it to the fire line before she ran into the ground. Pinkie tucked the twins close to her as she and Dash skidded across the ground.

Getting up and trying to suck in fresh air through a coughing fit, Dash hobbled over to Pinkie. Ash and soot marred her hide and mane, nearly making the pink pony appear grey. "Are you...are you okay?"

Pinkie coughed a few times before checking on the twins. Once she was sure they were all right, she nodded at Dash. She tried to say something, but all she could do was cough.

Rainbow helped Pinkie up and pointed away from the fire. "Can you make it to help on your own?"

Pinkie nodded again. "B-but the Cakes," Pinkie managed to choke out, her voice weak and ragged.

Dash looked back at the fires. She would be lucky if she could keep herself airborne. Airlifting another two ponies to safety? No. She couldn't even make it back to Sugarcube Corner on her own. "I have to-to catch my breath," she said, her mind racing.

"Hey! Are you ponies okay!?" a voice echoed as a cart approached.

A stallion drawing a cart galloped over to them. Dash hardly hesitated in pushing Pinkie and the twins up on it. "They...they breathed in a lot of smoke," she urged, still trying to cough the ash out of her lungs. "I'll be fine."

Once the cart took off, Rainbow looked again towards the flames. She couldn't go back for the Cakes, and there was no way she would risk another pony's life by sending in another pegasus. Nopony could fly like her, and she barely escaped with her life. Huffing, she looked up at the dwindling rain clouds. Even if she could justify pulling rain away from the fire line, it probably wouldn't have much of an effect on Sugarcube Corner. Worse was that she wouldn't even be able to find it through the smoke.

There was nothing she could do.

Inferno

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Chapter 02
Smoulder

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The impenetrable darkness was suffocating. Rarity's horn failed to illuminate anything no matter how hard she tried. The inside of her parent's home was completely alien without the aid of her eyes. She stumbled through the toxic smoke almost aimlessly. At the very least she knew which direction the stairs were from the front door.

By the time she stumbled onto the stairs, it already felt as though she were drowning. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't breathe through the smoke. Her lungs rejected the smoke, but the coughing just drew in more. She was lucky not to run into any fire thus far, but that didn't make the air any cooler or less caustic.

Halfway up the stairs, Rarity tried to call out after her family, but all that came out was a hoarse whisper accented by a serious coughing fit. The hot dry air burned her throat and, it was at that point, that she realized her coat was already drying. Pushing thoughts of how terrible she must've looked from her mind, she stumbled to the top of the stairs where she tripped over something small and soft.

She hit the ground hard. For a moment, she just lied there as she tried to figure out where to go in the inky, suffocating blackness. Tracing out her old home's layout in her mind, she told herself just to follow the left wall to find Sweetie Belle's room. As she started to get up, a moment of curiosity compelled her to look behind at what she had tripped over. Even with her horn aglow, all she could make out was a mass of grey. A pillow, maybe?

Putting it out of her mind, she kept a hoof on the wall until she came to the first door—Sweetie Belle's room. Her hoof reflexively recoiled the moment she touched the handle. It burned! Using her aura, she clumsily worked the handle. The instant the door swung open, a burst of orange light consumed her.

Rarity stumbled away from the burning light. Once she was far enough away, she looked back at Sweetie's room. It was completely consumed by flames. From her vantage point, she could barely make out Sweetie's bed and dresser—both being razed by fire. The far wall, the doorway, everything behind that door was ablaze. If Sweetie Belle was in there…

She tore her eyes away as she erupted into a coughing fit. Maybe Sweetie Belle ran to their parents' room? That had to be it. Not willing to accept any other train of thought, Rarity doubled back through the suffocating smog. She found the top of the stairs by again tripping over that soft thing. This time, she ended up entangled with it on the floor. As her eyes fluttered open, she saw nothing but grey, pink, and purple. "Swee…?" she managed to choke out before devolving into a coughing fit.

The little filly wasn't moving. Please be okay! her mind begged as she placed her head against Sweetie's chest. An agonizing second that seemed to last an eternity passed before she felt movement. Slowly and subtly, Sweetie Belle's chest expanded and retracted. Relieved that she was at least still breathing, Rarity nuzzled her sister's face. She didn't stir. A coughing fit reminded her just what must be wrong with Sweetie. She was drowning in the smoke.

I have to get her to fresh air! Getting up to her hooves, Rarity enveloped Sweetie Belle in her aura and started carrying her downstairs. She made it about halfway. One misstep and she tumbled down. Luckily, Sweetie Belle managed to fall right on top of her. Grabbing her little sister again in her aura, Rarity scrambled to hooves and tried to figure out where the door was. The smoke seemed even thicker than before—if that was even possible.

Rarity made several stumbling steps before a deafening noise threw her off of her hooves. The whole house seemed to shake and shudder. Rarity paid it little mind. She scrambled to figure out where she had dropped Sweetie Belle. Finding her just a few feet away, Rarity started towards her. She didn't make it far. Another crash sounded from above as part of the burning ceiling came down.

The burning debris came down on Rarity. She was knocked flat to the floor as a searing pain blinded her to everything else. A muted scream was all she could muster through the smoke as she flailed her front legs, trying to escape the flames. It was no use. She was pinned!

Daring to look back at what the inflicter of her agony, she found a flaming crossbeam across her hip. Seeing it actually made the pain in her back half worse. Tears formed in her eyes as she desperately tried to focus. She closed her eyes, sending tears down her cheeks as she tried to lift the beam with her magic. At first, she couldn't get any magic to build up in her horn through the pain. Redoubling her efforts, she managed to shift the weight just enough for her to pull herself free.

Once her back hooves were free, she lied there a moment waiting for the surge of pain to pass. After the worst of it passed, she tried to stand. Bad idea. Her hip felt like it was still simmering in the fire, but the moment she tried to put any weight on it a new, stronger agony stopped her dead. It was broken.

She wasn't going to be walking out, and the fire was already spreading. She used her front hooves to drag herself forward, each inch jarring her mangled leg and renewing her suffering. It seemed to take forever, but Rarity managed to crawl over to Sweetie Belle. Her sister wasn't the only thing she found. Sweetie Belle was on top of the front door! The exit was right next to her!

Rarity struggled to pick up Sweetie. Her flickering blue aura lifted the filly just high enough that her little hooves dragged across the ground. Rarity hovered her sister through the smoke until she couldn't see her anymore. There wasn't any wall, so Sweetie must've made it out of the house. At least, that's what Rarity told herself.

The exit and safety couldn't have been more than a few feet away. With her leg the way it was, it might as well have been a thousand miles for Rarity. She lowered her head as she closed her eyes. She let out a few weak coughs as she tried to ignore the pain in her hip. This was it. Rarity realized with a strange sense of calmness that she wasn't going to leave alive. Although she wasn't too afraid of her impending death, she couldn't help but to worry that she was going to found as a blackened, burned, and messy corpse.

As her breaths drew shallower and the flames lapped at her hooves and tail, a masculine voice sounded from beyond the smoke, "Hey! Is anypony in there!?"

Rarity tried to speak, but her lungs refused any more than the smallest of gasps. She couldn't even muster the strength to raise her head.

"Don't go in there!" a second voice warned. "It's too dangerous. Let's just get this filly to the hospital."

She might not have been able to speak or move, but Rarity still had one, fleeting chance of being discovered. Channeling all of her magic into her horn, it started to glow. It flickered briefly before extinguishing.

"Did you see that?"

"Focus, Turner! We need to get this filly to the hospital—now!"

Rarity tried to breathe life into her horn again. It didn't work. She didn't even have the energy to keep her eyes open. The voices faded into nothing as the smoke and ash smothered her consciousness.

"I know I saw it! A glimmer…"

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A/N: This is a really short chapter. Should I just tack it onto the end of chapter one?

Inferno

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Chapter 03
Containment

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Several pegasi gathered on a massive cloud system above Ponyville. Below them, the fires were being inundated by nothing short of a torrential downpour. "It's almost time for Celestia to raise the sun. Please tell me you have some good news to report this time," Rainbow Dash demanded once the last of the pegasi arrived.

"Thanks to the help from Cloudsdale, we seem to be winning," Raindrops confirmed. "The southern line is receding."

The pegasus next to her, Thunderlane, saluted in turn. "The eastern line is making huge strides as well."

"The northern line is holding steady, but we definitely have it contained."

"The western region is looking good. Fully contained, but we are having trouble pushing the flames back."

Rainbow Dash nodded. "Good. If we have full containment, we can shift our personnel to rescue and recovery operations," she announced. "South, North, and West Teams, send any pegasi you feel comfortable doing without to help the rescuers on the ground. They are pushing in from the east. East Team, use any spare ponies to redistribute the heaviest rain to help those on the ground."

The pegasi saluted each other before darting off in different directions. Dash flew along with Thunderlane to the eastern edge of the fire. They parted ways as Rainbow headed down towards the ponies coordinating the rescue efforts. Alongside Twilight and the mayor, was the Princess of the Night: Luna. Unlike everypony else under the hammering rain, Luna's mane and coat were clear and dry.

"Hey," Rainbow huffed a greeting as she landed in front of the trio. She took a moment to catch her breath as they looked to her. "We've got it," she said, forcing a smile. "The fires are 100% contained. I've asked the weather teams to spare anypony they can to come help with the rescues."

"At last, some good news," Twilight replied.

Rainbow Dash nodded. "We should have the fires extinguished soon enough. How're things going down here?"

The trio looked to each other before Luna stepped forward. "We have done well to save everypony that we could," she stated, looking down at the soaked and weary pegasus. "However, as we feared, not everypony was able to escape the fires."

"How-how bad is it?"

"Fourteen," Mayor Mare spoke up, her voice carefully measured. "Seven mares, six stallions...a-and a filly."

Dash's eyes widened before she looked back at the blaze. They had just now gotten the fires under control. The rescue teams haven't even had the chance to check most of Ponyville. "Th-that many? Already!?"

Twilight shook her head. "That's not even counting how many have been taken to the hospital." Her voice cracked as she continued, "It's...I can't believe this is happening."

Dash took a lingering look at the fires before turning back to Twilight. "The weather teams can handle things on their own at this point, especially with Cloudsdale's help. What else can I do to help?"

Twilight considered it a moment before rocking her head, urging Dash to follow her away from Luna and the mayor. Once they were out of earshot Twilight turned to face Rainbow Dash. "I know I should tell you to keep working with the weather teams or help with the rescue effort. However, there is something else I want you to do for me," she explained. "I know it's selfish, but I haven't heard from any of our friends since this whole thing started. I'm worried sick about them." Twilight shook her head. "I wish I could go check on them myself, but I'm needed here."

Dash hung her head. "I don't know about everypony else, but I—" she breathed out a long sigh, keeping her gaze away from Twilight "—I got Pinkie and the Cake twins out earlier."

Twilight cocked an eyebrow. "That's good news, right? Why do you look...ashamed?"

Rainbow finally looked up, her tears masked by the rain. "I-I couldn't go back! Pinkie told me they were still in there, but I could barely get her and the twins out. I just-I couldn't go back in there after them!"

Twilight took a deep breath and released it before speaking up, "You mean that Mr. and Mrs. Cake are…?"

Dash hung her head. "There… I wish there was something I could have done! But there wasn't. I couldn't do anything and now… Now they're gone and it's my fault!" Rainbow spun round, kicking nearby puddles. "Pinkie's never gonna forgive me! I wouldn't blame her if she hates me!"

Twilight quickly got to Dash's side. She tried to put a hoof on her shoulder, but Rainbow batted it away. "You don't know if they made it out or not, right?" Twilight asserted as Dash kept her gaze firmly away from hers. "Even...even if they didn't—I know you, Rainbow Dash. Everypony does. You'd do anything, risk everything, to help somepony in need."

"Then why did I leave them behind!?" Dash shot back, glaring at Twilight. "Why didn't I go back!? I didn't even try!"

Twilight's ears folded back. After an agonizing moment of silence, she sternly spoke, "You made the right choice. I can't say I know much about the situation, but I know you. I'm sure you did what you had to do." Draping a wing over Dash, she pointed back towards the blaze. "We've gotten it under control. We couldn't have done that without you—at least not this quickly."

Dash shrugged the wing off, taking to the air. "If I made the right decision, then why do I regret it?" she shot back. "I'll go check the boutique," Rainbow curtly announced as she took off.

Twilight watched the rainbow trail vanish into the fog of rain and smoke. She hung her head before heading back over to Luna and the mayor. "Wh-what now?" Twilight asked, looking to Luna.

"I have royal guards helping with the search and rescue as well as inquiring about the source of the fire," Luna announced. "This is your relief effort. The calls are yours to make," she continued, looking at both Mayor Mare and Twilight.

"Our first priority should be to make inroads to get any ponies still trapped in there out," Twilight asserted. The mayor nodded her approval.

---

Rainbow Dash hadn't even thought about her tragic decision for hours. She had been so busy coordinating relief efforts that she hadn't time to come to terms with what had happened. And then, like a bit idiot, she took her frustrations out on Twilight.

Landing next to Rarity's door, she gave it a sharp series of raps. Later, she told herself as she pushed the destructive thoughts from her mind—a mantra she'd used too often in the past several hours. Several seconds passed, and the door didn't open. Dash knocked again. Nothing, again. Getting fed up, she tried the handle. It was unlocked.

Stepping into the boutique, she called out, "Rarity? Are you home?" Taking wing, she started to explore. Rarity wasn't in the shop, her workshop, the kitchen, either bedroom—not even the bathroom. She wasn't here.

Flying out the nearest window, Rainbow headed straight up. Where could she have gone? she wondered as she looked about. She could have gone to help with the fires. Most everypony else did. Anypony that didn't go help with the fires…

Dash turned her gaze to the Ponyville hospital. She felt a lump in her throat as she gazed upon it. "No…"

A few seconds later and Rainbow Dash was already in the jam-packed waiting room. There was a crowd clamoring both around the reception desk and a wall off to the side. Not one for waiting, she flew above the crowd and to the desk where a blue nurse braved the desk alone. "Hey! I'm looking for somepony!"

"So is everypony else!" an indignant voice sounded from the crowd.

As the clamor rose to a din, Nurse Tenderheart shouted out, "Everypony! Please! I will try to help everypony, just—one at a time, please!" After the outburst the crowd quieted considerably. "Good. Now, if you give me a name I can tell you if they are here and what their status is only. Don't forget that we don't know all of our patient's names. We have pictures up on the wall over there," she said, pointing to the wall where several other ponies had gathered. "Should anypony recognize any in those pictures, please bring the picture here and identify them.

Rainbow Dash was lucky enough to get a spot near the front of the line. The ponies ahead of her sometimes asked for names she never heard of. Sometimes the names seemed to trigger a sense of nostalgia. Still other names were familiar enough to make her cringe. The worst was when one of the ponies asked for a name she barely recognized and the nurse told the poor stallion that she passed away.

Finally, Dash's turn came and she clopped her front hooves up onto the desk. "Pinkie Pie," she demanded, not even waiting for the nurse to acknowledge her.

Flipping through pages in the log book she nodded and looked up. "Treated and discharged."

"Pumpkin Cake."

"Stable condition."

"Pound Cake."

"Stable condition."

Rainbow Dash sighed as the next name lingered on her tongue, not wanting to be spoken. "C-Carrot Cake."

The nurse flipped through the book a couple of times before looking up with a shake of her head. "Not here," she denied before pointing to the wall with pictures. "You can check to see if they're on the wall."

"What about Cup Cake?"

The nurse sighed and turned to the book again. "Not here."

Rainbow Dash hung her head in defeat. As she breathed in and out, she tried to think, to do anything, but nothing came.

"Next?" Nurse Tenderheart asked.

"Wait!" Rainbow Dash urged as she put her hooves on the counter again. "I'm not done. What about Rarity?"

Frowning slightly, she turned a few pages. "Critical condition."

Rainbow's eyes widened as her pupils shrank. "Critical!? Is she okay?"

Tenderheart shook her head. "I can't say."

Dash leaned in, frowning. "Can I see her!?"

"If you are an immediate family member, I can give you a visitor's pass. Due to overcrowding, I can only allow one family member per patient," Tenderheart explained studying the book before her. "It says here that Rarity is a unicorn."

Rainbow clenched her jaw and just barely suppressed the desire to growl. "Fluttershy! What about Fluttershy!?"

Nurse Tenderheart started going through the book, but hesitated. "Wait, a yellow pegasus? Pink mane?"

Dash nodded emphatically. "Yes!"

"She is a volunteer nurse here. We don't have the staff to handle this kind of disaster, so she offered to help us," Tenderheart explained. "She's helping tend to the injured."

That sounded like Fluttershy, all right. That just left one pony on Dash's mind. "Is Applejack here?"

One more pass through the book and the nurse shook her head. "Not here. I'm sorry."

Grunting, Dash flew away from the desk and headed straight for the wall of photos. She cringed as she actually saw it. Each picture was a still face—eyes closed—picture. The faces were all smudged with ash and some of them quite burned. Right next to each face was another picture with a cutie mark to help identify the unknown ponies. The only thing that made the wall a little less awful was the fact there couldn't have been more than a dozen faces there.

Dash's eyes skimmed over the pictures and only stopped on the very last one. It was a picture that had no accompanying cutie mark. Snatching it from the wall, she rushed it back to the main desk.

"I know who this is!" Dash announced, clopping the picture down onto the desk.

The pony Nurse Tenderheart was attending to glared at Dash as the nurse picked up the picture and turned it over in her hoof. On the back was a room number. Setting it down next to the book, she turned through the pages. "What is her name?"

"Give me a visitor's pass," Dash defied.

"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at Dash.

"You're not gonna let me see her otherwise," Rainbow shot back. "Give me a visitor's pass, and I'll tell you."

The nurse looked down at the picture and sighed. "Here," she said, draping a band over Rainbow's head. A card was dangling from it. A visitor's pass.

"Her name is Scootaloo," Rainbow said.

Tenderheart scribbled the name in. "She is in critical condition. You can find her in room 311." The words barely left her maw and Dash was gone, leaving nothing but a burst of wind and a rainbow trail.

After racing up a few floors and down a couple of hallways, Dash found room 311. Inside, on a lone bed, was a tiny, orange filly. The sheets were pulled up to her chest and she wasn't moving. There was a machine hooked up to a mask over her muzzle and an IV bag and tubing leading down to her foreleg.

Dash found her way to Scootaloo's bedside, her eyes never leaving the filly. Although her face was still, it looked as though she was in pain. The smoke and soot left Scootaloo's hide marred with patches of black and grey. Gingerly, Dash brought her hoof to Scootaloo's cheek. She didn't stir. Drawing her hoof back, Dash ran it through Scootaloo's mane. It felt matted and rough. Even a cursory glance revealed that the fires got close enough to scorch the hairs.

"I wasn't there for you, either," Dash softly spoke, looking away from Scootaloo. She squeezed her eyes shut, heralding tears down her cheeks. "I left you behind, just like everypony else. I'm so sorry."

"Oh!" a voice sounded from across the room. "Excuse me, miss?"

Dash quickly wiped away her lingering tears before looking up. There, in the room's entryway, was a unicorn doctor she didn't recognize. He had a white hide and a greying mane. His face was just starting to wrinkle in old age.

He smiled at her. "I'm glad we had a family member show up after all," he said, grabbing Scootaloo's chart from the base of her bed. "Can you tell me her name?"

Rainbow locked her eyes on Scootaloo again. "Scootaloo," she said, her voice wavering oh-so-slightly. "Wh-what's wrong with her?"

After scribbling the name on the chart, the doctor sighed. "The same thing that's wrong with most of the ponies here—she breathed in too much smoke. It's...kind of like suffocating or drowning. The smoke prevents you from getting air. Unfortunately, smoke can be worse since it's effects linger, too," he explained, checking Scootaloo over and looking at the equipment. "She's still struggling to breathe."

"She's going to get better though, right?" Dash desperately asked.

The greying stallion shook his head. "Honestly, I don't know," he admitted. "Her O2 stats… I mean, she breathed in a lot of smoke. She's alive, but there have been no indications thus far that she is improving. At this point, it's hard to tell if she will ever wake up." The doctor trotted over and put a hoof on Dash's shoulder. "There's still hope."

As much as she hated it, Rainbow Dash just couldn't stop her breaths from catching in her chest as tears overflowed. "I-I should've been there…"

"I'm not sure there is anything anypony could have done," he offered as he pulled his hoof back. "Just be here for her now. She'll need it."

The doctor left without another word, leaving Dash alone with Scootaloo, her thoughts, and her regrets.

---

Rainbow Dash couldn't say how long she'd been there at Scootaloo's bedside, whispering apologies, empty promises, and confessions to the unresponsive filly. All she knew was the sun was out, and Twilight was still waiting for her to tell her about their friends.

Everypony was accounted for—everypony but Applejack. Dash really wasn't that worried about her. There were acres of orchards between Applejack's farmhouse and the fires. There was no way the Apple family was in any danger. The only way something could have happened to her is if she decided to go help with the fires. If that was the case, then there was no telling where Applejack could be.

As much as she hated to, Rainbow had to go. Running her hoof through Scootaloo's mane one last time, she whispered a goodbye to the filly. After prying herself away, she headed back into the busy hallways. Halfheartedly walking over towards the nearest window, something caught her eye.

"Rarity?"

Looking around to make sure she wasn't drawing any attention, she darted into the room. Unlike Scootaloo's, this room had two beds. Much like Scootaloo, both ponies had tubes and breathing equipment hooked up to them. Rarity was in the closest bed. Half of her tail had been burned away and she had an enormous cast on her right thigh. The other bed held Sweetie Belle. She looked just like Scootaloo—marred and charred by the fires.

Rushing to Rarity's side, she tapped her cheek with a hoof. "Come on, Rarity. Wake up," she urged. She didn't stir. "Sweetie Belle," Dash said, zipping to her bed side. "Somepony has to be able to wake up!" she demanded, rocking the bed with her forehooves.

"Is everything all right in here?" a sweet voice sounded.

Dash spun round to face a familiar nurse. "F-Fluttershy! Please, tell me what's wrong with them!"

"Oh! Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy greeted, rushing over to hug her. "I was so worried about you and everypony else."

"I'm fine," Dash claimed, pushing Fluttershy away. "Rarity isn't!" she asserted, pointing.

Fluttershy sighed as she looked Rarity over. She gingerly pulled up the sheet and checked the mask on her face. "I heard that she got hurt saving Sweetie Belle," Fluttershy said, turning to Dash with a smile.

"How can you smile at a time like this!?" Rainbow nearly shouted. "Just look at Rarity!"

Fluttershy's smile faltered just a bit. "I-I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash, but if-if I don't smile then I'll cry." She shook her head, struggling to keep her smile. "If I start to cry, I don't...I just don't think I would be able to stop."

Rainbow's anger evaporated completely. "Sorry, Fluttershy. I just… I don't know. So many ponies are in trouble—suffering—and I can't do anything to help them!" she confessed. "I've never felt so...so…"

"Helpless?" Fluttershy suggested.

Dash nodded. This time when Fluttershy hugged her, she returned the embrace. "I hate this, Fluttershy. How could something like this have happened?"

"I don't know, Rainbow Dash. I just don't know."

---

Shortly after the sun arose, a royal chariot descended from the blackened sky. It clattered down right next to Twilight and Luna. From it stepped the regal figure of Princess Celestia.

"Princess!"

"Big Sister."

"Greetings, Princess Twilight. Luna," Celestia returned the greetings. She fixed her gaze on Twilight. "You have my sincerest apologies, Twilight. I came as soon as I could. I have been busy rallying support for Ponyville from all across Equestria."

Twilight nodded, pulling her rain-soaked mane back with a hoof. "I'm just glad you're here," she said, smiling.

"What can you tell me?" Celestia inquired, taking stand next to her sister as she looked out at the blazes.

"We have separated the blaze into five isolated fires," Luna announced. "It is only a matter of time until the fires are completely extinguished."

"Estimates are that fifty to seventy percent of Ponyville suffered major damage from the fires," Twilight added, her ears drooping. "Last I heard, at least thirty ponies have died. I...I knew most of them."

Celestia draped a wing over Twilight. "This must be so very hard on you. Know that you have done well. From what I have heard, you have handled this crisis deftly."

"There is more, my sister," Luna spoke, taking the time to gaze about. She leaned in close, keeping her voice low. "I have had our guards investigating the source of the fire."

Celestia looked her sister in the eye, giving her full attention. "What have you found?"

"In a crisis like this, it is only natural to hear of a few different stories, but there have been no less than two dozen conflicting reports of the fire's origins—all of them spread out all over Ponyville," Luna explained, keeping her voice just loud enough for Celestia and Twilight to hear. "The hospital alone put out three separate fires in three different rooms all within minutes of each other."

Celestia's eyes widened. "You don't mean to say…"

Luna nodded. "This was no accident."

Inferno

---

Chapter 04
Up in Smoke

---

Out in her fields, Applejack watched as Celestia raised the sun up over the horizon. Usually, this would be a joyous occasion. It was the official start of the work day. But today she shouldn't have been able to watch the sun rise. Her crops were scheduled to get rain first thing this morning! Above her, the morning sky awoke, free and clear of any clouds at all.

"Dangit, Rainbow Dash! Did yah oversleep again!" Applejack shouted at the sky.

Cursing her luck, she reared up onto the trunk of a nearby tree. Examining a low branch, she assessed just how much they needed to be watered. Days without water parched them, but the yield could certainly be salvaged if they got rain in the next day or two. "Dash, yer gonna get it," she muttered as she tried to rearrange her schedule in her head.

Applejack scanned the skies again. She'd half-hoped to see a rainbow she could take her frustrations out on. Instead, the sky just grew bluer as the sun crept higher. Turning her gaze towards Ponyville, she could see a grey haze through the orchard trees. Her rain was still waiting for the weather teams to mobilize it!

Giving a frustrated grunt, she headed off. A few minutes later and Applejack ran into Big Mac at the barn. The big, red stallion was hauling an empty cart out of the barn. "Hey, Big Mac," Applejack greeted. "I'm gonna go an' tend to some of the animals."

"No rain," Big Mac said, looking up at the clear sky.

"I swear, RD can be so irresponsible sometimes. I'll bet yah she's still in bed," Applejack fumed.

"Nope."

Applejack turned to find Big Mac's gaze fixed on the sky. Following it, she found a rainbow trail zipping towards them. Before Dash even had a chance to land, Applejack started laying into her, "This is the last straw! The rain's supposed to be clearin' up by now an' you ain't even gotten it started yet! Why, I got half a mind to—"

The shouting came to a dead stop as Rainbow crashed into the ground a few feet from the Apples. "Dash!" Applejack shouted as she rushed to the pegasus's side. "Are yah okay!?"

"Sorry, Applejack," Dash said, getting to her hooves and shaking the bad landing off.

"Are yah hurt!? Yah look awful! An' yah smell like a bonfire," Applejack replied. "What happened?"

Rainbow Dash swayed a bit as she looked between Applejack and Big Mac. "You haven't heard?"

"Heard what?"

Casting a glance over her shoulder, all Rainbow saw was trees blocking out half the sky. There were no signs of smoke and just a few clouds. Looking back, Dash ran a hoof through her mane. "I just—Applejack, there was a huge fire last night. It was… I've never seen anything like it."

Applejack's eyes widened as she glanced to see Big Mac wearing an identical expression. "H-how bad is it? Did anypony get hurt?" she pressed.

Rainbow grimaced. "It's… I just talked to Twilight. She said—" she swallowed, trying in vain to remove the lump from her throat "—she said that half of Ponyville was...it-it's just, gone."

Applejack stared at Dash a moment before snapping to her senses and turning to Big Mac. "Apple Bloom left to get to school a few minutes ago!"

Instantly, Big Mac unhitched himself from the cart. "On it!" he said, galloping off.

"I hope nopony got hurt," Applejack said, turning back to Rainbow Dash. The pain in the pegasus's eyes was all the answer she needed. She reached up and pulled off her hat, pressing it to her chest. "H-how many?"

Rainbow shook her head. "A f-few dozen. That's all we know right now. There are still a few fires we're trying to get out and we have tons of stuff to search and…" Dash trailed off, hanging her head.

"What about our friends? Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie..."

"Twilight and I have been fighting the fires. I got Pinkie to safety and Fluttershy's at the hospital helping out," Dash explained. "Everypony's okay, e-except for Rarity. She—I saw her at the hospital. She's really hurt."

"Is she gonna be okay?"

Dash shook her head. "I-I really don't know, Applejack."

Applejack's eyes shifted back forth a moment before she put her hat back on. "Right. I'll be right there," she announced, bolting towards Ponyville.

Rainbow struggled to catch up to Applejack. "Whoa! What're you doing?" she urged, flying alongside Applejack.

Applejack didn't even glance over at her. "Yah said it yerself that Rarity's in trouble! I'm gonna go do...do somethin'!" Dash swung out in front of her, forcing her to stop. "What the hay, Dash!?"

"Look, I know how you feel," Rainbow insisted, staring Applejack down. "I really do, but there isn't anything you can do. They won't even let you in the hospital."

"What do yah mean 'won't me in?'"

Dash shook her head. "They're so overcrowded they won't let anypony in unless they're directly related."

Applejack just stood there a moment, trying to take that bit of information in. It wasn't just her friends that were in trouble. All of Ponyville must have been suffering. Applejack took several deep breaths as she looked between Rainbow Dash and her farmhouse.

"If you want to help out, I'll talk to Twilight She'll know what you can do to really help," Rainbow offered. "She's dying to know you're okay, anyway."

Applejack nodded. "Tell...tell her the Apples're gonna do whatever we can to help." She looked around the orchard a moment. Cementing her decision with another nod, she turned back to Rainbow Dash. "I figure there's a lot of hungry ponies out there working hard to help everypony."

Dash nodded in turn. "That's a good idea. I'll still go talk to Twilight and see what she says."

Furrowing her brow, Applejack licked her lips. "Do me a favor, RD?" she asked. "On yer way back out, tell Big Mac we're havin' a family meetin'."

Dash nodded. "Okay." Spreading her wings, she took flight.

"An' let me know if anything happens with Rarity at all!" Applejack called after her. "An' take care of yerself! Yah look awful!" She watched Rainbow Dash zip out of sight before turning around and heading for the barn. Galloping inside, she quickly hauled several bushels of apples onto the cart Big Mac left. With the cart loaded down, she hitched herself to it and headed straight for the farmhouse.

"Granny?" Applejack called out as she entered the house with a basket of apples on each of her sides and one on her back.

The wrinkly mare poked her head out of the kitchen. "I was just washin' up the dishes," Granny Smith greeted. "What brings yah back so soon? I didn't go an' fall asleep an' miss half the day again, did I?"

"Naw, Granny," Applejack replied, heading into the kitchen. She set the apples down next to the counter. "Somethin's happened. I'll let yah know jus' as soon as Big Mac gets back. 'Til then, why don't yah give me a hoof? We're gonna be cookin' up a storm today."

Granny let Applejack's worrisome behavior roll right off her back, not showing a hint of worry or trepidation. Instead, she just gave her granddaughter a nice, warm smile. "I'll get the stove relit," she offered. "I'm assumin' we're gonna be needin' the sugar and flour from the pantry, too?"

"Yeah, thanks. I'm gonna go haul some more apples in. I'll let yah know as soon as Big Mac gets here."

The two mares hadn't even gotten anything on the stove before Big Mac came in with Apple Bloom in tow. As soon as Applejack and Granny entered the room, Apple Bloom was complaining, "Sis! What's goin' on? Big Mac came an' got me an' told me I had to come home, but he ain't said a word why."

"Right now, the grown-ups need to talk, Apple Bloom," Applejack insisted. "Go on up to yer room. I'll be up to talk to yah in a bit."

"What!? No way!" Apple Bloom indignantly refused. "Yah stop me from goin' to school an' then jus' tell me to go to my room? Why?"

"I said, 'go to yer room!'" Applejack snapped, her tone harsh enough to wipe the defiant look from Apple Bloom's face.

Apple Bloom tucked her ears back as she dragged herself towards the stairs, muttering "it ain't fair" under her breath.

The trio waited to hear the hoofsteps above them before speaking. Of course, Granny Smith had already been more than patient enough. "Now, who's gonna tell me what's goin' on?"

Applejack sighed as she pawed at the floor. Given Big Mac's reticent nature, it was going to have to be her. "I don't know all the details, but Rainbow Dash showed up this mornin' sayin' that we didn't our rain 'cause there was a big fire in Ponyville." Granny didn't reply, urging Applejack to continue. "Dash said that half of Ponyville went an' burned to the ground last night. Said that a lot of ponies got hurt, or worse. An' even still, half of 'em gotta be homeless now."

"How awful," Granny said.

"I can't stand by an' do nothin'. I don't think any of us can. It ain't the Apple way," Applejack asserted.

"Eeyup," Big Mac agreed.

"We should do whatever we can to help," Applejack insisted. "I was thinkin' we could cook a bunch of food an' haul it over. I'm sure a lot of the ponies there ain't got a proper bite to eat." Granny Smith and Big Mac both nodded in agreement. "Granny an' I can handle the cookin'," she went on. "Big Mac, I was thinkin' you could clear out the barn and set up cots. We could let some ponies stay there tonight if they can't find a proper bed."

"I'll get to it," Big Mac said, turning and heading out.

Granny put a shaky hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "Yah gone an' made all these decisions, puttin' off yer chores an' jus' givin' away our apples."

Applejack averted her gaze. "Yeah, Granny. B-but I can't just..."

Granny Smith wrapped her other forehoof around Applejack, hugging her. "I'm so proud of you, Applejack. Yah put what's really important first, even if yah don't consider anythin' else." The old mare stepped back, smiling at Applejack. "An Apple would never let their neighbors suffer, even that means sufferin' ourselves. You are yer mother's daughter."

"S-shucks, Granny," Applejack muttered, looking away and blushing.

"Now, I'm gonna get to cookin'," Granny said, turned back towards the kitchen. "You have a little sister that needs a good talkin' to."

Applejack sighed as she looked at the stairs. Apple Bloom had every right to know what was going on, but actually telling her was not going to be a pleasant task. "Ponyfeathers," she muttered, heading for the stairs.

Lingering outside of Apple Bloom's room, Applejack mustered her courage as she tried to run lines of what to say through her head. Finally certain of the rehearsed dialogue, she knocked on the door and let herself in. "Apple Bloom?"

The filly was on her bed. At the sound of her name, she looked up, giving Applejack an apologetic look. "What did I do this time?" she asked.

Applejack frowned, rubbing the back of her neck. "Yah ain't done a thing wrong, sugarcube. Don't you worry about that."

"So, why'd Big Mac come and get me? Why'd yah yell at me an' tell me to come here?"

Applejack hung her head a bit. "I, uh, I'm sorry about bein' short with yah, Apple Bloom. It weren't nothin' you did."

Apple Bloom tilted her head a bit. "If I didn't do nothin', then why did yah yell at me?"

"I was—I am upset," Applejack admitted, moving over and sitting on the bed next to Apple Bloom. She sighed as she tried to remember the lines she'd rehearsed in her head. She had forgotten every single one.

Apple Bloom couldn't remember the last time she saw her sister look so uncertain. "Is...everythin' okay?"

Applejack shook her head. "No, it ain't," she blatantly told her sister. "You see, there was… Last night, a fire started in Ponyville."

"A fire?"

Applejack nodded, getting up and heading for the window. "Look," she said gazing out towards Ponyville, but all she could see was a grey-black haze that blended into the sky. Is it still burning? she wondered as she waited for Apple Bloom to approach. As Apple Bloom set her forehooves on the sill and looked out, Applejack removed her hat. "It spread all over," she explained. "Rainbow Dash said that-that fires spread over half of Ponyville. You didn't go to school today 'cause it just ain't safe for yah to go into town. We don't even know if the school is still there."

Apple Bloom just stared slack-jawed at the grey blob off in the distance. "Y-you mean the whole school is gone?"

"It might be," Applejack replied, putting her hat back on and turning away. "I haven't been to Ponyville yet. I'll get there later today."

"I-I don't... What's everypony gonna do if the school's gone?" Apple Bloom asked, following after her sister.

"It ain't just the school, sugarcube. Houses, shops, maybe even the library and city hall…" Applejack trailed off, sighing. "All up in smoke."

Apple Bloom shook her head. "H-How can something like that happen? Why wouldn't Twilight stop it!? She's a princess!"

Applejack rubbed her neck. "Hey, I know better'n most how amazin' Twilight is, but, somethin' like that—I'm sure she did everything she could to stop the fire."

"Is everypony okay?" Apple Bloom asked, looking up at her sister.

Applejack sat down, draping a hoof over Apple Bloom's withers. "N-no, Apple Bloom. A lot of ponies got hurt in the fire."

"Are Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo okay!?"

Applejack's eyes widened as her maw fell open. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking this far ahead. "I-I wish I knew, Apple Bloom, but I ain't got a clue. I didn't think to ask Dash when she was here, sorry."

"Well, find out!" Apple Bloom insisted.

"I'm gonna head into Ponyville this afternoon. I'll be sure to ask around then," Applejack offered.

"What!?" Apple Bloom incredulously asked, jumping away from her sister to stare her down. "It's barely past dawn! I can't wait that long! What if they're hurt!? What if they need me!?"

"I know how you feel, Apple Bloom," Applejack said, keeping her voice calm and steady. "Rarity's hurt an' I know my other friends ain't exactly takin' this whole mess well, but there just ain't a lot I can do to help them. We have to trust that the ponies there in Ponyville will take care of them."

"That ain't good enough!" Apple Bloom snapped. "I need to see them! I need to know they're okay!"

Applejack frowned. "Too bad," she curtly said rising to feet and meeting Apple Bloom's glare with one of her own. "Yer not to leave this farm until I know it's safe!"

"That's not fair!"

"No, it ain't," Applejack replied heading for the door, "but yer still not goin' anywhere. I ain't gonna have yah gettin' hurt like everypony else!"

"I can take care of myself!" Apple Bloom shouted after her sister as she pulled the door shut.

Applejack sighed to herself as she stood on the other side of Apple Bloom's door. Pushing the thoughts out of her mind, she marched down the stairs. As much as she wanted to actually go to Ponyville and see it with her own eyes, the best thing she could do for everypony would be for her to fix up a feast. She'd get to go to town soon enough.

Maybe Rainbow Dash'll show back up. Surely she knows how Apple Bloom's friends're doin', she thought as she entered the kitchen. She plastered on a smile for Granny Smith. "Let's get cookin'! I'm sure Ponyville's starvin'!"

Inferno

---

Chapter 05
Aftermath: Applejack

---

Sneaking past Applejack and Granny Smith—that was the easy part. Her big brother was a bit trickier. Big Mac was hauling stuff out of the barn. That meant Apple Bloom had to wait for Big Mac to duck in, run and hide behind a tree, and wait for him to come back out. Then, when he'd go back in, she'd move again. It took several cycles, but, finally, Apple Bloom was out of sight of the farmhouse.

She giggled to herself once she had successfully snuck away. With her sister cooking and Big Mac doing...whatever it was he was doing, nopony would even notice she was gone for hours! Her rush from sneaking away was quickly shattered as she finally got an unobstructed view of Ponyville.

It wasn't there.

Grey pillars of smoke rose up from blackened husks that were only occasionally accented by a splash of color from a pony. Apple Bloom stumbled into town, transfixed on the charred skeletons of homes and businesses. Many of the ponies were outside of the charred areas. Those that lingered amongst the ashes were anything but the normal, cheerful ponies typical of Ponyville. Most of them were just sitting in front of a charred skeleton of a house, staring at nothing. The rest were crying, or talking, or shouting.

It was really like she wasn't even in Ponyville at all. However, as Apple Bloom trekked through, the damage eased until it seemed as though she had stepped into the Ponyville she remembered. And, like an oasis, there was the schoolhouse, untouched by the blaze.

Inside, she found a classroom devoid of fillies and colts. The only other pony that was there was Cheerilee. The instant she walked in, Cheerilee put on a smile and trotted out from behind her desk.

"Apple Bloom," she greeted. "You know, we aren't having any classes today, but I'm here for anypony that might need to talk to me."

"Where is everypony?"

Cheerilee shook her head. "They're with their families, Apple Bloom. I'm sure you've seen-seen what happened here in town. How are the Apples?"

"My sister an' Granny're cooking up a feast to bring here to help out. Not sure what Big Mac's doin'."

Smiling at Apple Bloom, she continued, "That's good to hear. I'm glad you're all okay."

Apple Bloom looked up at Cheerilee. "Is everypony here okay?"

Cheerilee's smile melted away as her ears drooped. "You-you've seen what it's like out there, right?" She sat down next to Apple Bloom, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "Half of the ponies in Ponyville have lost their homes—everything they own—overnight. Nopony in Ponyville is okay. Even those that didn't lose their homes are bending over backwards to help those that are suffering."

"Wh-what about Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle?"

Cheerilee bit her lip a moment. "Well, Apple Bloom," she said, choosing her words carefully, "I don't know about most of your classmates. Only a few have come in and...I haven't gotten word about most of them. I haven't heard anything about Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle."

"Do you think they're okay?"

Shaking her head, Cheerilee sighed. She took a step back and used a hoof to make Apple Bloom look at her. "I won't lie to you, I'm worried," she spoke slowly and seriously. "I did hear that one of your classmates got hurt in the fires."

"Who? Are-are they all right?" Apple Bloom asked, her voice wavering.

"It was Silver Spoon," Cheerilee explained, shaking her head a bit, "and, no, she's not okay." She finally broke eye contact with her, looking away and sighing. Mustering her nerve, she locked eyes with Apple Bloom again. "Silver Spoon...passed away last night."

Apple Bloom's mouth fell open as her thoughts stopped dead. She just sat there for several seconds before the urge to breathe spurred the gears in her mind to mesh again.

Turning her head, she fixated on the desk next to hers. Yesterday, just yesterday, Silver Spoon was sitting right there, making her life miserable. She was...gone?

Finding it hard to remember to breathe, she looked to the other empty desks. If Silver Spoon was gone, who else might she never see again? "I-I gotta go find Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle!"

In a flash, she was galloping out of the classroom. Cheerilee called after her, "Stay away from the burned areas! They're too dangerous!"

Cheerilee's protests fell on deaf ears. Apple Bloom headed straight back to the ash-strewn streets. Sweetie Belle's parent's house was close, and that was smack-dab in the middle of the disaster.

Apple Bloom only slowed down when Sweetie's house came into view. Some houses burned to nothing but piles of ashes, others managed to become charred skeletons. Sweetie's house still stood. The roof had burned away and caved in, but the walls stood defiant. The sight had her in such a daze that she didn't notice the small crowd of ponies gathered in front of it until she accidently bumped into one of them.

Shaking off the blow, the looked around at the ponies. Gathered there were a few royal guards, a couple of ponies in white adorned with red crosses, and a few bystanders. They were circled around two shapes with sheets draped over them. Apple Bloom only got to see them for a couple of seconds before a royal guard noticed her. He quickly stepped in front of her, obscuring her view.

"Hey! This is no place for a filly!" he said in a gravelly voice.

The other ponies quickly moved to corral her away from the scene. "It's Apple Bloom," Roseluck said, walking her away. "I'll see her home."

"Wh-what's goin' on?" Apple Bloom demanded, constantly looking back over her shoulder. "Where's Sweetie Belle?"

"Sweetie Belle...Sweetie Belle was taken to the hospital last night," Rose said, struggling to keep her voice steady. "You don't need to worry about her, she'll-she's going to be okay. All right?" Once they had gotten out of sight of Sweetie's house, Rose stopped. "Now, can I trust you to get back to Sweet Apple Acres on your own?"

Apple Bloom shook her head. "I ain't goin'! If Sweetie's at the hospital, then I'm goin' there! An' I still gotta figure out if Scootaloo is okay!"

Rose quickly moved to cut Apple Bloom off. "No," she firmly denied. "Fillies have no business being here, and they won't let you in the hospital, either. Go. Home."

Apple Bloom stared her down for some time. Rose never faltered. "F-fine!" Apple Bloom shouted. She turned around and started heading in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.

A short distance later, and Apple Bloom chanced a look back. Rose was still watching her. "Ugh!" she groaned, resuming her march. "I ain't just some helpless little filly," she muttered.

---

By the time lunchtime started to roll around, Applejack was already on her way towards Ponyville with a huge cart of apple treats. She'd made it about halfway towards Ponyville when she came across an odd sight. Sitting there, under a tree just off the path, was her little sister. She glanced over to Ponyville before looking back to Apple Bloom.

"Now here I thought I told yah not to leave yer room," Applejack spoke up, unhitching herself from the cart.

Apple Bloom shook her head a bit, her gaze never lifting from the ground. "Yah said not to leave the farm."

"Didn't I tell yah not to leave the farm?" she restated, sitting down next to Apple Bloom.

"Yeah," Apple Bloom muttered.

Applejack sighed, draping a hoof over Apple Bloom's withers. "I didn't just worry 'cause it ain't safe. In a situation like this… There's a lotta stuff a filly just ain't got no business seein'."

"Yeah."

"Yah wanna talk about what yah saw?" she pressed.

Apple Bloom started to shake her head, but stopped before looking up at her big sister. "Miss Cheerilee...she said that Silver Spoon-Silver Spoon died."

Applejack rubbed Apple Bloom's back. "I'm sorry, sugarcube," she muttered. "I know it ain't easy losin' somepony yah care about."

"But I don't… I didn't care that much about her," Apple Bloom admitted, keeping her gaze on her hooves and the grass between them. "Diamond Tiara an' Silver Spoon were always makin' fun of us an' bein' mean. Now I just… I'm scared." She looked up as tears began to spill over. "They said that Sweetie Belle's in the hospital, but that I can't go see her! An' I don't even know about Scootaloo or anypony else!"

Applejack wrapped her forelegs around her little sister, drawing her into a firm hug. "I know, Apple Bloom. Dash told me this mornin' that Rarity was in the hospital. I been worried sick ever since." Apple Bloom just kept sobbing into Applejack's shoulder. "Tell yah what, why don't yah come with me to Ponyville. We can find out together just how everypony's doin'. It's just...you gotta be prepared to get more bad news." Pulling her sister away, she looked her in the eye. "Can yah handle that? If yah can, I'll bring yah along."

Apple Bloom sniffed, swiping at her eyes. "I just… Yeah, I think so," she muttered, nodding.

"Come on," Applejack insisted, getting up. "If peace of mind is what yah need, we'll go an' get it."

With her little sister in tow, Applejack headed towards Ponyville. It didn't take the duo long to approach the charred streets. "This...this is awful," Applejack muttered as she trudged through the ashes.

"Yeah," Apple Bloom muttered.

"Are yah sure yer okay?" Applejack asked, looking over her shoulder to her little sister.

It took Apple Bloom a couple of seconds to pry her eyes off of the ruined buildings. "I-I need to know if they're okay."

Applejack bit her tongue. Maybe it weren't such a good idea to bring her along.

Before she knew it, Applejack was approaching a large crowd of ponies as she neared the center of town. She easily found the pony she was looking for; Twilight was standing in the middle of the commotion. "Hey, Twi!" Applejack shouted as she neared. "Did RD tell yah I was comin'?"

"Applejack," Twilight greeted, a weary smile gracing her muzzle. "Rainbow Dash said that you were bringing food."

"Yep, an' I wanted to let yah know that Big Mac's clearin' out the barn. By this evenin' I figure we'll be able to put up a couple of dozen ponies," Applejack explained. "How is everypony? Yah don't look so good yerself."

Twilight shook her head. "I'm just a little tired," she dismissed, "though I am glad to hear that you and the rest of the Apple family are helping out." Her gaze fixed on the filly next to Applejack. "You, uh, you brought Apple Bloom with you? Do you really think that's wise?"

Applejack sighed. "Apple Bloom done run off here on her own," she explained. "Now she's gone an' worried herself sick about 'er friends."

Twilight grimaced at the news. "Uh, hey! We've got relief stands set up over here. Let's get your apple treats out here where everypony can come and get them." She hastily led Applejack over to a nearly barren food stand. Instead of levitating Applejack's baked goods off of the cart, she joined the farmer in offloading the apple dishes by hoof.

Applejack glanced back to see Apple Bloom sitting there where they left her. She wasn't sure if she'd picked up that Twilight wanted to talk to her alone or if she was just so out of it that she didn't notice them walk over to the stand. "Is it that bad?" she asked.

"Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are both in the hospital," Twilight revealed, keeping her voice low. "I don't really know the details, but Rainbow Dash seemed really worried about it. And if Rainbow Dash is that worried… It can't be good."

"I was afraid of somethin' like that." Applejack paused in efforts to unload the wagon as she looked back to Apple Bloom. "What am I supposed to tell her?"

"Just tell her that they're in the hospital and that they're going to be okay," Twilight suggested.

"Are they?"

Twilight shook her head. "I...don't know."

Applejack looked to the half-empty cart and urged Twilight to stop unloading, "Wait, I...I know what I'm gonna do. Twilight, can I trust yah to watch after Apple Bloom for a bit?" Receiving a nod from Twilight, she hitched herself back to the cart and marched over to Apple Bloom. "Are yah gonna be okay if I leave yah here with Twilight?" she asked, nudging the catatonic filly.

"Is it bad?" she asked, looking up at Applejack with big, watery eyes.

Applejack sighed. "Twilight said that Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were both in the hospital, but we don't know how well they're doin'," she explained, putting a hoof on Apple Bloom's shoulder. "I'm goin' there right now. I'll force my way in if I have to, but I'm hoping a bribe'll do," she said, motioning over her shoulder at the remaining apple treats. "I'll come an' tell yah what I find out as soon as possible, all right?"

"Okay," Apple Bloom said, nodding.

---

It didn't take Applejack long to get to the hospital, and, with half a cart of treats behind her, she quickly received a hero's welcome. Giving the nurses permission to distribute the baked goods to the staff, patients, and family, Applejack made her way to the front desk. To her surprise, the nurse gave her a pass without any trouble at all and told her to head up to the third floor.

The next thing she knew, Applejack found herself just outside Scootaloo's hospital room. The sight before her nearly made her smile. The little filly lied there in her bed, and Rainbow Dash had her head resting in her hooves. Both of them appeared to be fast asleep.

She stood there for a short time before a doctor started by. Applejack was quick to catch him. "Pardon, but can yah tell me how this filly's doin'?" she requested, pointing over to Scootaloo.

The tawny unicorn nodded. He poked his head into the room a moment before quietly moving over to Scootaloo's bedside. He checked the monitors there and consulted the chart. He took a moment to scribble in something before replacing it and heading back to Applejack.

"Well, I can't say it's looking very promising," he said, sighing.

"How bad is it, doc? Is she gonna be okay?"

He rubbed his neck. "Well, at this point it's hard to say," he revealed. "She's unconscious, and she is not responding well. There are no signs of improvement since she was brought in early this morning."

"Wh-what does that mean?" Applejack asked, looking back over at the motionless filly.

"She's breathing on her own, which is good," he explained, "but other than that, she isn't very responsive. Her life isn't in immediate danger. However, if things don't improve, she may not wake up."

Applejack stared slack-jawed a moment before shaking off her shock. "Th-there's nothin' yah can do?"

He shook his head. "At this point, all there is to do is to watch and wait. I'm very sorry," he said, patting Applejack on the shoulder before trotting off into a nearby room.

Applejack's gaze lingered on the two pegasi for some time before she sighed, shaking her head a bit. Prying herself away, she trotted through the hall looking for the other ponies she came to visit. Brushing past nurses and visitors, she stopped dead when a particular sound pricked her ears. It was a soft, familiar wailing.

Following her ears, Applejack found Rarity and Sweetie Belle in the same room. Both ivory unicorns were stained grey. Sweetie Belle was no different from Scootaloo. She lied, motionless, in her bed.

But Rarity, Rarity was awake. She was gripping a pillow tight to her face, crying. It wasn't like anything Applejack had witnessed before from the diva. She wasn't flopping around, wailing. She was just lying there, hugging the pillow as she softly wept.

Applejack quietly stepped into the room and up to Rarity's bed. "Rarity? A-are yah all right, sugarcube?" she gently asked, brushing a hoof against her shoulder.

She recoiled from the touch, snapping a bloodshot eye open at Applejack. Her pupil shrank in recognition before her eye slammed shut, expelling a tear. She cringed, gripping her pillow tighter. "I-it's awful, Applejack. They-they were right there!" she cried, sniffling and sobbing. "Not even fifteen feet away…"

Applejack swallowed, licking her lips as she struggled to ask the question she dared not ask. "R-Rarity, yah ain't makin' a whole lot of sense," she gently said, moving her hoof over to tap Rarity's shoulder again. "Is-is everypony okay?"

This time, Rarity didn't pull away. She just shook her head, her face still seeded well within her pillow. "Mother… Father… They-if I'd just went there first! If I-I-I'd noticed her sooner I could-I could have saved them! I could have…and I didn't! Now...now they're gone. They're gone and it's my fault!"

The rambling wasn't very clear, but Applejack was still able to piece together the basics. "I-I know yah must be hurtin' somethin' awful, but there ain't no way it's yer fault. Even-even if yah were right there… I mean, just look at you, Rarity. How could yah have saved them like that?"

Rarity shook her head. "I-I don't… I just…" She sniffled, gripping the pillow tighter. "They're gone."

Applejack bit her lip as she scrambled to find something to say. "I-I'm so sorry, Rarity. Is there anything I can do—"

"What am I supposed to do, Applejack!?" Rarity sobbed. "What do I tell Sweetie Belle?"

Applejack glanced over at the still filly. "I, ah, I think when she wakes up yer gonna have to tell 'er somethin'. She's gotta know that...that everythin' ain't all right." Turning back to the sobbing mess before her, Applejack removed her hat, setting it at the end of the bed. "She's still got you, and you still got her. Don't forget that." Applejack sighed as she traced over part of her hat's brim with a hoof. "When I...lost my folks...I don't know how I'd've made it without Big Mac an' Granny Smith."

Rarity let out a whimper as she peeked up at Applejack. "Wh-what did they tell you?"

"Truth be told, I don't much remember the words," Applejack confessed, picking up her hat and putting it on low over her face. "All I remember was learnin' that they were gone forever an' that I was sad, an' angry, an' hateful. I was angry for...for a long time." Applejack sighed and shook her head before locking eyes with Rarity. "Yah need to be there for her. Tell 'er that yah love her an' that there ain't nothin' you ain't willin' to do to help 'er. Then do it. Yer gonna have to be strong, for her."

Rarity nodded and sniffled, but said nothing. Applejack patted her shoulder, but quickly stopped when a series of tiny coughs stole their attention away. Rarity finally shot up and dropped the pillow she'd been strangling. "Sweetie!?"

The tiny filly convulsed slightly as she coughed over and over again.

Rarity uselessly tried to reach out for her little sister, but with her leg in traction, she was trapped. "I got yah," Applejack assured, rounding the bed and pushing it towards Sweetie's. "I'll go get a nurse or somethin'!" she announced as soon as the beds were pressed together. It took Applejack but a moment to dash out and reappear with a doctor in tow.

The brown stallion rushed to Sweetie Belle's bedside. "Oh! It looks like she's coming to," he said as he gently pushed Rarity aside adjusted the mask on Sweetie's face. As she erupted into another coughing fit, the doctor fiddled with the equipment at her bedside. "Look up here, can you understand me?" he asked, leaning over the filly.

Sweetie Belle started to say something, but just started coughing again. She nodded as she continued to purge the toxic particles from her lungs.

"Good," the doctor said, nodding. He grabbed her chart in his aura and scribbled on it. "How are you feeling? Does it hurt anywhere?"

Sweetie used her forehooves to point at her ribcage. "It-it hurts," she managed to choke out.

"Your chest hurts? Is it a constant pain, or does it hurt to breathe?"

Gasping in a few breaths, Sweetie replied, "B-breathing."

"Given your situation, that is to be expected. I'm going to schedule you for a few tests, just to make sure you're okay." Giving her IV one last glance, he turned back to Sweetie Belle. "The nurses will be in to check on you in just a few minutes."

As the doctor trotted out, Sweetie Belle's head rolled to the side to look at her sister. She blinked a couple of times before her eyes snapped wide open. "Rarity! Mom and Dad are in trouble!" She stopped long enough to choke out a few coughs. "They-they told me to go get you!"

Rarity reached over to place a hoof on Sweetie's. Her mouth opened to speak, but no words came. Looking up to Applejack, she silently pleaded for help. Applejack just shook her head a bit and looked down. Breathing a wavering breath, Rarity reached up and caressed Sweetie's cheek. "I-I'm right here, Sweetie. You're safe now," she assured, grimacing a smile.

"B-but Mom and Dad! They're in trouble! Everything's on fire!" Sweetie said in a panic.

Rarity shook her head as she stroked Sweetie's charred mane. "It's-the fires are out now, you-you don't have to worry about that anymore. There's no more fire."

"Wh-where's Mom and Dad?" she asked, straining to look around.

Rarity's mouth fell open. Her lips flapped uselessly a moment before she wrapped her hooves around Sweetie and pulled her tight against her chest. "I'm sorry!" she managed to choke out as she began to cry again. "I'm so sorry, Sweetie!"

Sweetie struggled against Rarity's tight embrace. "Ra-Rarity!"

"I-I-I tried, Sweetie! I just-I couldn't! I couldn't get them!" Rarity babbled out between sobs. "Only you, only you…"

"Rarity! I-I don't… You're scaring me!"

Applejack intervened, prying Sweetie free from Rarity's desperate grip. "Dangit, Rarity!" she admonished as she helped fix Sweetie's oxygen mask. "Yer makin' it worse!"

Sweetie held the mask against her muzzle as she coughed and wheezed. Looking up at Applejack with big, pleading eyes she begged, "Where's mom and dad?" She glanced away only briefly as Rarity placed a hoof on hers.

Applejack sighed as those green eyes begged her for the truth. Applejack stole a peek at the blubbering mess that was Rarity, then she looked down. "I-I'm sorry Sweetie Belle. Rarity got you out, but she didn't—she couldn't go back for yer folks." Mustering her courage, she locked eyes with Sweetie. "They—your parents—they didn't make it out."

Shaking her head a bit, she shifted her focus between Applejack and Rarity a moment before focusing on Applejack. "You have to go help them!"

"No, Sweetie," Applejack firmly denied, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "The fires were put out some time ago. It's...too late."

"S-somepony has to go find them! They-they could be hurt! Or worse!" Sweetie pleaded.

"They, already found 'em, Sweetie," Applejack claimed, looking to Rarity for confirmation.

Rarity nodded, slowly but firmly as fresh tears fell down her cheeks.

"It-it's too late, Sweetie," Applejack said, moving her hoof to cup Sweetie's cheek. "Yer folks didn't make it. They...didn't survive the fire."

"What? No," Sweetie Belle breathed, shaking her head. "Th-that can't…" Desperately, she snapped her head to the side to look at her sister.

Rarity was still sobbing. "I really, I just… I-I couldn't save them, Sweetie. I'm so, so sorry!" She quickly wrapped her hooves around her little sister and pulled her tight to her chest. "It took everything! Everything, just to save you!" she wailed. "I couldn't… I-I wasn't..."

"I'll, uh, I'll be outside if yah need me," Applejack excused herself as the siblings wept in each other's hooves.

Once outside of the room, Applejack pulled the door closed behind her. She sniffled as she tugged at her eyelids.

"Um, excuse us, miss."

Applejack perked up to see a pair of nurses. One of them had a pink mane and a white coat, while the other was a yellow mare with a two-tone blue mane.

The one with pink hair continued speaking, "Can you step aside? We need to tend to a filly in this room."

"M-maybe y'all should just-just wait a bit," Applejack said, her voice wavering. She paused to clear her throat. "I think they need a minute or two alone."

"They just lost their parents," the pale yellow mare whispered to her fellow nurse.

"How awful!" the other nurse said, covering her muzzle with a hoof.

"I, uh, I don't think I got the whole story. Do yah know what happened?" Applejack asked.

The nurses shook their heads in unison. "All I heard was that their parents passed away in the fire."

"I see," Applejack muttered, absentmindedly kicking a hoof at the floor.

The nurses stepped to the door. "Sorry we couldn't help you more, but we really must see to this filly," the white nurse said.

Applejack nodded as she stepped aside. She did her best to ignore the weeping and shouting as the nurses went in and carted Sweetie Belle out. In fact, she just stood there, statue still, until long after Sweetie disappeared from sight, and Rarity's wails quieted to whimpers. Finally, almost mechanically, Applejack's legs took her back into Rarity's hospital room.

Rarity's weeping had finally come to an end. She just lied there, gripping her pillow for dear life. Applejack's presence didn't even seem to register with her.

Breathing out a heavy sigh, Applejack spoke up, "I know yer hurtin' somethin' awful. I really do." Rarity didn't utter a sound or move a muscle. "Look, yah just...yah can't fall all pieces like that—not in front of Sweetie Belle. She needs you to support her. Yah gotta be strong, for her."

Rarity finally moved, shaking her head just a bit. "I can't," she squeaked, looking up at Applejack. "I just... I-I-I'm not strong enough."

"Sure yah are," Applejack reassured, patting Rarity's shoulder. "An' even if yer not strong enough for yerself, I know yah can be strong for her. She's yer little sister, and she needs you. Right now, she needs you in ways she don't even know, an' if yah ain't there for her…" Applejack said, shaking her head. "Be there for her."

Again, Rarity didn't speak up. She just gripped her pillow tight as she buried her face in it.

After suffering a nearly eternal silence, Applejack shook her head, sighing. "Yah know, yah ain't gotta do it alone, right? I know of at least five friend's that'll do whatever it takes to help yah out."

Sniffling, Rarity peeked up at Applejack. "So where are they?" she spat.

Applejack flinched at the harshness in Rarity's voice. "Rarity, it ain't like they don't wanna be here," she said. "Everypony'd be here if they could."

"Then why aren't they!?" Rarity demanded.

"Twi's been up all night fightin' fires and coordinating the rescues. She's still hard at work right now. I know RD's plum tuckered out from fightin' the fires, too" Applejack explained. "I dunno why Fluttershy ain't been by. She's helpin' out here at the hospital. Maybe nopony told 'er that you were awake. And I-I dunno what's goin' on with Pinkie."

Rarity didn't reply. She just ducked back into her pillow.

Breathing a deep breath in, Applejack let it out through her nose. "I suppose what it boils down to, is that I'm the only one that ain't totally spent after last night. While you and everypony else were busy fightin' the fire and savin' the town, I was tucked away in bed, sleepin' like a foal." She hung her head. "So all I can do is show up and comfort those that're hurtin', 'cause I wasn't around to actually help everypony when they needed it most."

A few more moments of silence, and Applejack sighed again. "Yah ain't the only one kickin' themselves about what happened last night." Still, Rarity didn't respond. "We'll see yah through this Rarity," she assured. "Yah gotta know that much."

Again, silence. Applejack stood there watching Rarity do, well...nothing. Finally running out of patience, she started for the door. "I really need to get back to Apple Bloom," she said pausing again in hopes Rarity might respond. "I'll come back by when I get a chance. I promise yah that." Sighing, Applejack shook her head as she left Rarity's room.

"What the hay am I supposed to tell Apple Bloom?"

As consciousness filtered back into her mind, the smell of antiseptic reminded Rainbow Dash that she was in the hospital. Only, aside from some sore wings and a dry throat, she wasn't in any pain. Raising her head, she was blinded by the bright lights. Rubbing her eyes, she found herself fixated on a little filly before her.

That's right… The fire…

She reached out and caressed Scootaloo's cheek. "I don't suppose you'll wake up, now, huh?" Dash softly spoke. Scootaloo didn't so much as flinch.

After several moments, Rainbow sighed as she turned away. How long had she been asleep? How were her friends doing? As much as she wanted to stay here at Scootaloo's bedside, she just couldn't.

"I'll be back soon," she promised the filly as she headed towards the door.

Closing the door, she made a beeline for Rarity's room. The unicorn sisters were still there, but the room was different from what she had left it. The two beds were pressed together, and Rarity held Sweetie Belle in her hooves. They looked like they were sleeping.

"Hey," Rainbow Dash spoke up as she approached.. "Are you two okay?"

Sweetie didn't stir, but Rarity raised her head. Her mane was frayed and her eyes bloodshot. "Shh!" she admonished. "She just got to sleep!"

Rainbow shrugged it off with a smile. "I'm just glad you're okay," she said with a hushed tone. "Last time I stopped by, neither of you had woken up yet. The doctors were worried, but if you two woke up… Well, that's great!"

Rarity pulled her sister closer to her as she lied back down. "There's nothing 'great' about any of this," she said, her voice laced with disdain.

Rainbow Dash's smile faded away. "Are you okay? I mean, the doctor said—"

"No," Rarity insisted.

Dash's ears folded down as she took a step back. "What's wrong? Is it your leg?"

Rarity visibly flinched at the mention of her leg. "It-it's not just that," she muttered, staying focused on Sweetie Belle. "Our parents, they… passed away."

It took Rainbow a moment before she had the presence of mind to close her mouth, let alone speak. "I-I didn't know." Breathing a few heavy breaths, she continued, "I'm sorry. I should have done something!"

"You didn't know," Rarity whispered, doing her best to chastise Rainbow's volume. "What could you have possibly done?"

Rainbow Dash shook her head, keeping her gaze locked on the polished tiles between her hooves. "I… don't know. B-but there has to have been something! I can't… I… I'm not helpless!" she asserted, controlling her volume as best she could, but still disturbing Sweetie. "I'm not…" she repeated desperately as tears spilled over. Squeezing her eyes shut, she spun round and took wing, fleeing from the room.

---

Did I really even help anypony? Dash found herself wondering as she wandered the hospital's halls. Every room she passed seemed to be a different rendition of the same horrible thing. Ponies bandaged up, wearing those masks, and tubes attaching them to machines. They and their loved ones were crying, suffering.

This wasn't even the worst of it. This was the aftermath. The worst of it was last night. Ponies were choked by smoke and burned by the flames, suffering and dying. And where was she? She was at home, comfy cozy in bed, snoring away until it was too late to save everypony.

Rainbow's thoughts came to a dead stop along with her hooves. In the room next to her Pinkie Pie doted on one of the Cake twins. Reflexively, Dash hid out of sight of the doorway. Peeking around the corner, she watched the vapid pink pony.

"No, no, Pumpkin. Leave that alone," Pinkie said, her voice tired and hollow. The foal screamed in protest, but Pinkie didn't seem to react to the wailing at all. "You have to leave the mask on, for now. Okay?" The only reply she got was more screaming.

As much as Rainbow Dash wanted to shuffle off and pretend she'd never come across Pinkie and the Cake twins, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Sighing, she dragged herself into the room, her head hung low. "H-hey, Pinkie."

Pinkie slowly turned to face Dash, a small, sad smile gracing her muzzle. "Oh, h-hey Dashie." She tried to sound upbeat, but she just couldn't muster the energy. Her gaze fell away as her attention turned back to the fussy foal. She pulled Pumpkin's tiny hooves away from the mask on her face. "Shhh, shhh." Although her smile never left, tears flowed down her cheeks.

"Pinkie, I… I don't know what to say. I know… I screwed up," Dash said, her throat constricting more with each syllable. "I'm sorry."

Shaking her head a bit, Pinkie drew a hoof across her face, wiping away her tears. "It-it's not your fault. By the time you got me and the twins to safety… it was probably already too late."

"No!" Rainbow Dash shouted, shaking her head. "It is my fault! Pinkie, I-I didn't even try! I… I never went back for them…" Pinkie didn't immediately reply, though her smile finally vanished. "Pinkie—"

She finally looked at Dash, sending her a wicked glare. She snapped her head away, refusing to so much as look at Rainbow Dash. "Get out." Her tone was absolutely devoid of compassion.

Dash's ears folded back. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. Instead, she just turned around and plodded out. She'd barely made it into the hall before she could no longer hold her tears back. Taking wing, she rushed back to Scootaloo's room. Slamming the door behind her, she broke down completely. She flopped her front half onto Scootaloo's bed, cradling her head in her hooves as her sobs descended into wails.

---

The sound of a door and hoofsteps stirred Dash from a dreamless slumber. She sat up, her eyes bleary and the fur around her eyes matted. Standing before her was a chocolate, earth pony. She wasn't dressed as a nurse or a doctor, though she had a pair of glasses and a clipboard in hoof.

She pulled a quill from her short, green mane. "Excuse me, miss. Would you happen to be Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow rubbed her face. "Y-yeah. Who're you?"

"Oh! Silly me. I'm Keen Quill. I represent the hospital's legal department."

Rainbow Dash blinked. "Then… what do you need me for?"

"I've heard that you were the one to identify Scootaloo here, and that you've you been at her bedside pretty much ever since." She looked over at Scootaloo. "To that end, we've got a bit of a problem with this filly."

In an instant, Dash was alert and doting on Scootaloo. "Wh-what!? She's okay, right!?"

Keen scratched her head a bit. "I'm not really a doctor. This is more of a legal issue. Perhaps I should explain. You see, the orphanage where she was staying burned to the ground, and those in charge… Well, they, uh, they perished trying to get everypony out."

Dash grimaced. "O-oh?"

She nodded. "It doesn't look like there will be another orphanage here in Ponyville for some time, so we've been trying to get all those that survived transferred to other orphanages. To that end, Las Pegasus has an orphanage that has already agreed to accept Scootaloo."

Rainbow's eyes widened. "Y-you're going to send her away?"

"She's scheduled to be transferred later this week," Keen said. "However, we have run into a bit of a legal SNAFU. You see, all the orphanage's files were lost in the fire. We were forced to cancel a couple of transfers because some ponies claimed to be adopting those foals. Without any files, they're having to start the whole adoption process over, but the Mayor has agreed to give temporary custody to any ponies who say they are in the adoption process."

"I don't…" Rainbow muttered, shaking her head. "I wasn't—"

"Perhaps I should be more clear." Keen interrupted Dash. "The files were all lost in the fire. We are permitted to give custody to anypony who so much as says that they were in the adoption process."

"So, if I say that I'm adopting her…" Dash kept her gaze fixed on the motionless filly, running a hoof through her mane.

"We would have to give you temporary custody, instead of transferring her to Las Pegasus," Keen said.

Dash nodded. "And… if I said no?"

Keen sighed. "She would be transferred. It's as simple as that." She shook her head. "I know this is a lot to put on somepony without any notice, but this is really the only option to keep her here. Still, it's your choice to make."

"If she went to Las Pegasus for a while, then she would come back when the new orphanage is done and everything's settled down, right?" Dash asked, finally looking up at her.

"No." Keen shook her head again. "Once she's transferred, she'll stay there until she is formally adopted or old enough to take care of herself."

Rainbow bit her lip as she looked down at Scootaloo. "Can… can I have some time?"

"I'm sorry. I need to know right away. In all honesty, I was just supposed to come here to get a yes or no answer," Keen replied, hanging her head a bit. "I know a decision like this is huge—and you can still say 'no'—but this is the only way she stays in Ponyville."

Dash took a deep breath in, then let it out. "I'll do it," she said with a resolute nod.

Keen smiled. "I'll get the paperwork together." She scribbled fervently on her clipboard before stowing her quill back behind her ear. "It'll be a few hours. Will you still be here?"

"Yeah," Dash muttered, her gazing once more drawn to the motionless filly.

"I'll come find you when I've gotten everything ready," she said, turning back towards the door.

Rainbow never looked away from Scootaloo. She barely even registered the sound of the door closing. She shook her head as she stroked the filly's mane. "I can't do this…"

Twilight swayed a bit as her eyelids fell low over her eyes. She shook her head before rubbing her face with a hoof. Dinnertime came and went, and Twilight had yet to have more than a moment's rest.

A gilded hoof touched Twilight's shoulder. She turned to see Princess Cadance giving her a sympathetic look. Twilight struggled to put on a smile. "Yes?"

"You've done more than enough," Cadance said. "You really should take time for yourself. You won't do anypony any good if you're completely exhausted."

Twilight's gaze fell away. "I-I can't just leave everypony."

"All that is left now is to mourn, recover, and rebuild. Right now these ponies need their family and friends more than they need a princess so exhausted she can barely stand. Don't you have your own friends that need you?"

Twilight's ears folded back as she whimpered. "I just… I can't bring myself to leave," she said, looking out over the desolation left by the all-consuming flames. "I couldn't protect them…"

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Twilight. Even Princess Luna and Princess Celestia weren't able to avert this catastrophe."

"They weren't here," Twilight said, hanging her head. "I was."

Cadance sighed. "What about your friends? Don't they need you, too?"

Twilight averted her gaze. After a moment, she looked back. "Can I trust you to take care of things here?"

"Of course," Cadance said, giving Twilight a reassuring smile.

With a resolute nod, Twilight started trotting towards the hospital. "Thank you," she said as she passed.

---

The moment Twilight set hoof in the hospital, she garnered the attention of the entire lobby. Holding her head high, Twilight reminded herself to stay calm. Walking past the crowd, she made a beeline for the reception desk. "Excuse me," she said to the nurse behind the desk, "Would it be possible for me to visit a friend?"

Receiving a nod and reassurance from the nurse, Twilight smiled and accepted a visitor's pass. "Can you tell me where Rarity's room is?"

"Third floor, room 312," the nurse said, pointing Twilight towards the elevator.

Giving the nurse her thanks, Twilight hurried into the elevator. She found herself sharing the small box with a stallion and a colt. As she pressed the button for her floor, a tiny hoof tapping on her leg brought her attention to a grey colt with a short, black mane. Twilight gave him her best smile "Yes?"

He looked up at Twilight with big, brown eyes. "Are you here to make mommy better?"

Twilight's eyes widened as her smile faded away. Before she could muster a response, the stallion pulled the colt away. "Don't bother the princess, now."

Twilight shook her head. "No, look…" she said, looking back down at the colt. "I'm not a doctor, somepony I care about is hurt, and I came here to comfort her. That's why you're here, too, isn't it?"

The colt just whimpered as he hid behind his father's legs. "I'm sorry about that, Princess," the stallion said as he ushered the colt out.

Waiting a few moments, Twilight stepped out as well. She sighed as her immaculate posture drooped a bit. Walking by room after room, the same scenes played out. Ponies burned and coughing. Sometimes they were alone, sometimes they were with families and friends by their side. It was a far cry from the scene outside. Out there, there were ponies talking about rebuilding, planning their next steps, and trying to salvage their livelihoods mixed in with the wails of despair. In here, there were exclusively tears and regrets.

Finally, she came to room 312. Inside, two hospital beds were pressed together. Rarity was in one, her hind leg in a cast and traction. The other bed was empty. A quick glance around the white, barren room revealed Sweetie Belle sitting with her back in a corner. Her ears drooped down, dragging her head down as well.

Twilight licked her lips as the words in her throat refused to be spoken. For lack of another greeting, she raised a hoof, rapping it on the door frame. Rarity's ears pricked at the sound, drawing her gaze to Twilight. "H-hi," Twilight said as she slowly stepped into the room. "Sorry I couldn't be here earlier."

Rarity cast her gaze aside, a small frown accenting her muzzle. "It couldn't be helped, I'm sure."

Twilight hesitated, her ears folding back. "I… I really am sorry, Rarity. I've just been so busy taking care of everything." When Rarity didn't respond, she plodded over to her bedside and sat down, reaching a forehoof up to Rarity's shoulder. "I… heard about your parents. How are you holding up?"

Rarity shook her head. "I just… I-I keep going through it over and over in my head. What I could have done. What I should have done." She sniffled, her eyes repeatedly darting over towards Sweetie Belle. "They didn't have to die."

"Nopony did," Twilight replied, placing a hoof on Rarity's. "There… should have been someway, somehow to have prevented this."

"What am I supposed to do, Twilight?" She shook her head ever so slightly as she fixated again on Sweetie Belle. "I… Sweetie. S-she won't talk to me. She won't even look at me!"

Twilight looked back at Sweetie. She was still just sitting there in the corner, staring at the floor between her hooves. "She's hurting, just like you. Everypony grieves in their own way." Sighing, she withdrew her hoof, staring at it as it returned to the floor. "I've been seeing it all day."

She closed her eyes as tears fell down her cheeks. "No," she said, shaking her head. "Sh-she blames me. Me." Failing to suppress a sob, she swiped at her eyes. "Don't you understand? It's my fault our parents are dead! I was right there and I didn't save them."

Twilight was on her hooves in an instant. "Rarity, you couldn't save them," Twilight replied, pressing a hoof to Rarity's jaw to coax her to make eye contact. "I'm a princess with alicorn magic, and I couldn't save anypony." She then turned her gaze and Rarity's to Sweetie Belle. "You did one better than I did."

When Twilight let go, Rarity looked back at her.. "How could something like this have happened?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Twilight licked her lips, her eyes tracing both to Sweetie Belle and to the open door. Her muzzle moved next to Rarity's ear. "We're not saying anything because we're not one-hundred percent sure, but we think that somepony did this on purpose," she said, keeping her voice low enough that Sweetie Belle wouldn't hear.

"Wh-what?" Rarity hissed. She thrashed around in her bed, nearly coming out of her traction. "Who?" She grabbed Twilight's shoulders. "Who did this?"

Twilight pulled the hooves away. "Calm down," she said in an authoritative tone. Glancing around again, she pulled her attention back to Rarity. "We don't even know if there really is a somepony, or even if it is just one pony."

"What kind of monster would do this?" Rarity asked as tears sprang anew.

Twilight shook her head. "We've faced evil wanting power, chaos, revenge… you name it, but I've never seen anything like this." She nibbled her lip a moment before sighing. "I… I don't like admitting it, but I-I really don't know what to do in a situation like this. I just-I'm trying to do everything I can and I don't… I don't know what to do."

A pair of white hooves snaked around Twilight's neck, pulling her into a hug. "Thank you," she said, burying her face in Twilight's shoulder.

Cradling Rarity's head with one hoof, Twilight draped a wing over her. "I wish I could do more."

---

As draining as this entire day had been, it didn't hold a candle to visiting Rarity. After leaving Rarity's hospital room, Twilight seriously considered just leaving and going home. She couldn't imagine relaxing in a situation like this, but as it stood, she was dead on her hooves. A soft bed, a pillow, and two seconds were all she would need to slip into blissful nothingness.

But no. She had other friends, and they were hurting. Abandoning them in their hour of need was simply out of the question. And so she found herself standing outside another hospital room. Instead of her friend being in a bed, this time, she was at the bedside. Pinkie was sitting next to Pound Cake's bed. She was just staring at the foal.

"Pinkie?" Twilight said, knocking on the door frame. Pinkie didn't move. She didn't even blink. "Pinkie, I-I came to see how everypony was holding up." Still, nothing. With a small sigh, Twilight stepped in and slowly approached Pinkie. "I… heard about the Cakes. Are you okay?"

"Mr. Cake's brother lives in Manehattan," Pinkie replied in an almost mechanical manner. "He says they can take the twins in. They'll be here in the morning."

"You don't want them to go?" Twilight asked.

Pinkie shook her head just a bit. "It's good they'll have a place to go… They'll stay together."

Twilight gingerly placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Are you sad about what happened to the Cakes?"

Pinkie finally turned to Twilight, tears dripping down her cheeks. "Why does it hurt to smile?"

Twilight wrapped her up in a hug. She felt Pinkie shudder as she began to cry. Gingerly, Twilight rubbed Pinkie's back. "Shh… Shh…"

"I just… I-I don't know what to do Twilight," Pinkie said, sniffling and hugging Twilight tight. "They said I could come live with them, but I don't want to leave Ponyville. B-but I don't want to stay here, either!"

Pulling Pinkie back, Twilight looked her in the eye. "If you need a place to stay, you know your friends will make room for you. And the rock farm isn't far from Ponyville either."

Pinkie shook her head a bit. "I don't know if I want to stay in Ponyville."

Twilight blinked. "What?"

Pinkie sat down, keeping her gaze locked on the floor. "Everypony is hurting, and I can't… I can't even cheer myself up. How am I supposed to make anypony else happy? I don't… want to be here surrounded by all this sadness."

Touching a hoof to Pinkie's chin, Twilight guided her gaze to look her in the eye. "Pinkie, running away isn't going to help. I could understand you wanting to be there for the twins, but leaving here just to get away from the pain and suffering… Your friends need you right now. You're needed here, now more than ever. You understand that, right?"

Pinkie shook her head. "I just… I-I don't want be here," she said to Twilight as she looked away. "I've never felt this way before."

Sitting beside Pinkie, Twilight draped a wing over her. "I can't really tell you what decision to make, but I can tell you that, if you run away now, I'm sure you'll regret it."

Pinkie wrapped her hooves around Twilight, hugging her tight. "I don't know what to do. It hurts, and I hate thinking about it, and I was mean to Rainbow Dash. I-I'm starting to think I won't be happy again," she said, sobbing. "I'm scared."

Returning the hug, Twilight resumed the mantra of comforting sounds as she rubbed Pinkie's back. This continued for several minutes until Pinkie finally calmed down, slipping into a fitful sleep. The poor thing must've been up since the middle of last night.

Flagging down a nurse, Twilight got a blanket and pillow. She set Pinkie down out of the way at the foot of Pound Cake's bed, slipping the pillow under her head and draping the blanket over her. She took the time to check the twins over before plodding back out into the hallway.

Her own eyelids drooped and her hooves dragged. She'd gone days without sleep before, but a lack of sleep combined with physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion was nearly too much, even for a princess. Part of her wanted her to continue her rounds, but her body just cried out for rest.

Blinking her bleary eyes, Twilight scanned the signs. She could come back tomorrow. If she kept this us, she'd be in a hospital bed, too.

Finding the sign to the nearest exit, her pace picked up just a bit. Twilight made it about halfway to her staircase of freedom before a splash of color caught her eye. Stopping dead in her tracks, she turned toward yet another hospital room. This one held a rainbow maned pegasus sitting in front of a hospital bed.

"Rainbow Dash?" Twilight said, prompting the pegasus to look up.

"Twilight? Oh, uh, hey," Dash muttered, her tone anything but enthusiastic.

As Twilight approached, she identified the pony in the bed as Scootaloo. "How is she doing?"

Dash sighed, her eyes trailing over to rest on the filly's face. "She still hasn't woken up, yet."

Twilight grabbed the chart. She had to blink a time or two to get the words to come into focus. "This… doesn't look too good." Chancing a glance up as she replaced the chart, she saw that Rainbow was still fixated on the filly. "H-how about you? How are you holding up?"

Rainbow licked her lips before looking back up at Twilight. "I… I adopted her," she said.

Staring blankly a moment, Twilight shook her head. "S-sorry, I'm really tired," she said with a bit of a laugh. "I thought you just said that you adopted her."

"I had to," Rainbow replied, looking back down at Scootaloo. "The orphanage here is totally gone. They were going to ship her off to Los Pegasus."

Twilight shook her head again. "N-no, it takes months, sometimes years for somepony to adopt. You can't just… Overnight."

"She said the orphanage lost all its papers," Dash said. "All I had to do was say I was in the process of adopting her. I did, and I signed some papers. She said that everything should be finalized within a week."

"That's incredibly reckless!" Twilight replied.

"We didn't have much of a choice," a new voice said.

Twilight spun around to see a brown earth pony. "Wha-who are you?"

"I'm Keen Quill, and I'm the pony tasked with handling Scootaloo's adoption. I know the situation isn't ideal, but we have no records and no other way of resolving things." Leaning over the bed, she handed Rainbow Dash a folder. "You'll need to retain these files. Her birth certificate and other records will be released to you as soon as everything is finalized."

Rainbow just stared at the folder. "Y-yeah, okay."

"You-you cannot do this," Twilight said, levelling a glare at Keen. "Rainbow Dash is in no position to be adopting a filly!"

"I assure you that she will be properly and fully assessed just as soon as things calm down," Keen said. "But right now we have a figurative mountain of red tape to plow through. The mayor herself has given the all clear to take whatever shortcuts necessary to get everypony taken care of."

Twilight turned back to Dash. "Rainbow Dash, you know this isn't a good idea."

"Sending her off to Los Pegasus isn't a good idea," Dash retorted. "All of her friends are here. This is the only town she's ever known. She… she can't even fly, Twilight."

"You're making a mistake."

"Letting them take her away, that's a bigger mistake."

Twilight turned just in time to see Keen Quill making a stealthy exit. "Wait!" A flash of purple, and Twilight appeared in the doorway, blocking Keen's escape. "Please, there must be something you can do. I don't want Scootaloo to be sent away any more than anypony else, but this…"

"The wheels are already in motion," Keen said, stepping around Twilight. "It's out of my hooves. The only one who has any say at all is Rainbow Dash."

After Keen left, Twilight turned back to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow…"

Dash just shook her head. "I have to."

"Why you? Why not somepony else?" Twilight replied.

"There isn't anypony else."

Twilight averted her gaze, shaking her head. "This is a mistake."

Dash sighed, looking back at Scootaloo. "I know."

Rubbing the side of her head, Twilight sighed. "I… I'll think of something," she said.

Rainbow gave her a small smile. "Thanks."

---

Stumbling underneath the starlit sky, Twilight finally made it home. "I'm back," she called out as stepped inside the library.

In a flash, Spike rushed down the steps. "Twilight! I was getting worried."

Twilight gave him a weary smile. "Sorry, Spike. This whole mess has had me swamped." A quick glance showed the library to be immaculately clean. "Thanks for taking care of things here."

"I heard… what happened. How is everypony taking it?"

Twilight shook her head. "Bad. I mean, Applejack and Fluttershy seem to be handling everything okay, but the rest…" She rubbed her head as she groaned. "I'm going back to the hospital tomorrow. Why don't you come with me?"

"Are you okay?"

Blinking, Twilight tried to give a reassuring smile, only to succeed in a grimace. "I'm tired, Spike. Why don't we talk in the morning?" Not waiting for a response, she trudged by Spike and towards the stairs.

"But… I've been waiting all day…" Spike muttered, his voice too low to be heard over Twilight's hooves stumbling up the stairs.