Chapter 16

Infernalo looked out at the looming black clouds in the distant capital of Canterlot, still seething with anger and intensity as evidenced by his halo enveloped in flame. He turned to Twilight and Steelmind, his ice blue eyes now a pale white-hot and fiery.

"We have to get to Canterlot now," he said, more urgency in his voice than actual anger. He looked over at Stonebolt, who was still trying to comfort Leafwind. "Are you coming with us?" Stonebolt looked at the door, then out the window, and turned back to the door.

"I'm going to get our sister back," she said firmly, Leafwind clutching her tightly. Infernalo snorted in disgust.

"Why bother," he demanded. "She's caused nothing but trouble and doesn't deserve my time anymore than a common beetle. We'll be stopping the countless fatalities no doubt already imminent." Leafwind was in a state of complete mental whiplash at the mere thought of the same Infernalo who she'd looked up at the stars with and saw as her own big brother could ever possibly say something like that about Frostburn. He, along with Twilight and Steelmind, vanished into one of his voids, Stonebolt leading the filly to track down her twin sister, Leafwind no doubt wanting to take no for an answer in any situation that could be detrimental or have the possibility of causing harm to Frostburn.

Infernalo saw the corruption was slowly starting to move ever closer to the city, ponies running and shrieking in fear of the dark clouds. Infernalo gazed at them in a state of almost animalistic rage, as he had the night he'd fought off the manticore in the forest.

"Split up and get everypony to safety," he ordered. Steelmind dashed one way while Twilight stood by him.

"What will you do," she asked, worried about what could happen to him.

"I'll be looking for Rarity," he said. "You need to defend the Alicorns should the corruption reach the castle."

"Rarity's my friend," Twilight protested.

"Twilight," he snapped, looking into her eyes while slowly seemed to return to normal. "I know what I'm doing. I don't want anything to go more wrong than it is." she nodded and dashed off towards the castle while Infernalo went in the direction opposite Steelmind. They passed each other as Infernalo saw him directing the Canterlot denizens away. "Is everypony safe?"

"I couldn't find Rarity," he said. Steelmind focused his energy before picking a mental image. "I think I found her aura. Follow me!" they galloped as fast as they could to where Steelmind was picking up the aura before finding the unicorn running from the deadly wave of decay that tracked her. Infernalo stomped at the ground one one hoof, blasting a large wave of dark energy, which only seemed to accelerate the mass. Rarity finally stopped and embraced Steelmind.

"I might be able to stop the corruption from spreading any further," Infernalo said. "but I don't know if I can beat it back enough." his halo, no longer flaming, began to turn bright white and he fired a massive wave of bright light into the corrupted space, which reverted back. He continued to keep his power stable and the clouds slowly receded further and further back. Eventually, Twilight and Steelmind joined him with their own magic and the clouds vanished. The citizens of Canterlot cheered, their town saved by Twilight and the mystery heroes. "We need to get back to where it's safe. The corruption might not be able to be spread further, but we can't risk it." they left just as quickly as they'd come, vanishing in a blindingly bright flash of white light.

Frostburn had stumbled around the dark, creepy forest for a long while, crying and using a small circle of will-o-wisps she created from her Fire abilities to see and protect herself. She finally tripped over a root and lay crying in the dirt.

"I-I never met to do it," she protested to nopony. "It's all my fault." those words echoed in her mind just as clearly and bluntly as Infernalo had said them to her face. She looked around at the gnarled trees and blinking eyes around her before realizing she was lost. She continued crying, lying down on a stump she came across and looking down at herself in a reflection of her tears. "I didn't mean to do it."

"He doesn't need you anyway," her reflection said. Frostburn looked at it, thinking she was delusional.

"What?"

"He said it himself. He only has one sister, and it isn't you."

"but he's all I have."

"he's all I have," the reflection quoted mockingly. "Y'know what? Forget it. Infernalo was right. You should just go crawl in some hole and wait to die." with that, Frostburn's reflection vanished as an unwelcome set of shapes emerged from the woods: the Cursed Trossels. She gazed at them in silent fear, her will-o-wisp circle going out. Frarae approached her and extend a hoof to her.

"Room for one more," he inquired. His voice was dark and curled like a dead leaf, and smoothly slipped from his mouth as each word almost felt like it was dripping toxic ooze. She could even see his breath when he spoke or breathed, something that was even shocking to an Ice Trossel such as herself. He didn't run, she couldn't but looked into his glowing yellow eyes as he removed his hood slowly.

"Frosty, are you okay?" Frostburn was bolt awake, having been lying curled up in a fetal position on the ground next to a dead log and crying. "Infernalo didn't mean any of that, Frosty. You know that he loves you." Frostburn didn't even know if that sentence was true anymore.

"No he doesn't," she said. "Nopony loves me, not even Steelmind." Leafwind hugged the Ice Trossel, causing her to notice her for the first time.

"I always wanted to be like you when I grew up, Frostburn," she said. "I still do."

"Of course Infernalo loves you," Stonebolt said. "Everypony loves you." Frostburn started crying again, Stonebolt lifting her up. "Are you hurt?" Frostburn shook her head, Leafwind still hugging her tighter than ever as Stonebolt led her out of the forest. Looking out at the sun slowly starting to set, the girls decided to fly the rest of the way. Twilight, Steelmind, and Infernalo were all waiting around, Spike leaping at Frostburn when she got into the door, Steelmind and Twilight followed.

"I was so worried about you, Snowflake," he said.

"Frostburn, you aren't hurt are you," Twilight asked. Frostburn gave a small smile and shook her head. Leafwind jumped off her back and Infernalo ran to his sister to hug her as well.

"I never meant anything I said to you," he said, almost on the verge of tears. It was something Frostburn had never seen from her big brother. He was always the strongest one emotionally and had never seemed so happy or relieved to see her in all the time she'd known him.

"You forgive me," Frostburn said, crying tears of joy. He nodded. "Now go get some rest. It's been a very long and stressful day." Stonebolt followed her sister upstairs. Spike looked over at Leafwind, who'd fallen asleep close to his feet.

"I suppose I should probably put Leafwind to bed too," he said. He lifted the small filly up. "She's a lot heavier than she looks." he walked with her upstairs, Steelmind leaving for Rarity's just before the light rain outside started to increase, along with thunder.

"Why don't you come up to my bedroom," Twilight said. Initially, even given the circumstances of the day, he'd have declined the offer and stayed in his own bed. However, the look on Twilight's face suggested that he should for her own moral support. The unicorn did seem a bit rattled after what had happened in Canterlot earlier. He nodded and followed her upstairs. The thunder got even louder when they reached the bedroom. "Sounds like a pretty bad storm out there. I always get scared of these at night, but it's a good thing you're here." she got into bed and patted the mattress eagerly as he got in. She snuggled up next to Infernalo and hugged him.

"This is just like all those times with Aquashine," he said. "She always did say I had a way with beautiful girls." Twilight blushed.

"Who's Aquashine," she asked.

"Just somepony I used to know," he said absently. "Looking back on it, I don't think we were ever right for each other. Maybe I could find somepony better here." Twilight snuggled closer; her fur felt very warm against his.

"Maybe." she blew out the candle of the nightstand and fell asleep. Infernalo stayed awake, something eating away at him in the back of his mind.