//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: First Breath // Story: Smoldering It Over // by Turtlehaus //------------------------------// Wingston and I made our way back to Ponyville from the riverbed. We were heading towards the Golden Oakes Library where Twilight and every pony else had gone to write a letter to Princess Celestia. I wouldn't allow Wingston the choice of walking; I had him ride upon my back with minor griping on his part. His arms were crossed while his staff rested on his shoulder. I had told him of my plan at the riverbank, and it seemed to go over well with him for the most part. "This is never going to work." Wingston mumbled sounding unconvinced. "Of course it will." I reassured him. I carried Wingston through Ponyville watching ponies retire to their homes. Windows began to glow from the lights within, while young foals and fillies were being tucked into bed. The only word I could find to describe the feeling of Ponyville after dark was peaceful. The Golden Oakes Library was coming into view, my heart was already starting race from anticipation. "So you're just going to walk right up to the door then and knock?" Wingston asked curiously. "Of course not." I said. Walking right up to the door of the Golden Oakes Library I could hear the laughter of many ponies on the other side. "You're going to knock." I said turning my flank to the door. "Oh excuse me; this plan is becoming more and more complicated by the minute." Wingston said sarcastically rapping his staff against the door. "Coming." Twilight called from inside. The door swung opened revealing Twilight on the other side. "Oh, hello Smolder. Hi there, Wingston" Twilight said with a smile; a little surprised to see us again. "Hello Twilight, sorry to bother you, I know it's late." I said apologetically with Wingston waving hello over my shoulder. "It's no bother at all. What can I do for you?" Twilight asked politely. "We're here to steal the Elements of Harmony." I stated smiling back. "Why didn't you just say so? I'll just have Spike get them for-wait what?" Twilight asked sounding surprised; having to double take. It wasn't my best plan; I've had worse. Wingston had earlier pointed out that just asking for something can save a pony a lot of trouble down the road. So I took that approach and ended up with some rather interesting results. I was still unable to enter the Golden Oakes Library to explain myself further. Every pony had overheard what I had said and tried to fit near the door, but that wasn't going to work either. Eventually we decided to sit right outside the Golden Oakes Library with the door open to provide extra light. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Twilight and Spike sat in circle with me waiting anxiously for me to explain. Luckily, I had Wingston with me. I started with the truth, and kept going from there. Having to explain that I was the youngest son of the Mad King Scorch, that my older brothers were the Wardens of the Ashen Fields, that they were twins, next in line to the throne, and that my father was planning on escaping the Void; it wasn't easy. I went on to explain that I was sent to steal the Elements of Harmony by my father with the promise that it would save my mother; who was also trapped in the Void. Wingston stepped in to fill in much of the details for me. Describing the power of the mirror that my mother used to enter the Void and how the Mad King was planning on using it to escape the Void. Leeching the fire from every Flame Pony in the Ashen Fields, growing in strength, and would soon succeed if he was not stopped. Adding that my father had threatened me with the lives of my brothers and promising the safe return of my mother if I succeeded. The more we talked, the more I felt a weight being lifted off my chest, but the sneaking feeling of losing the friends I had made kept jabbing at my heart. "The Mad King must be stopped before he is able to recover his full strength. By telling you this Smolder is giving up any chance of rescuing his-" Wingston began, but felt my hoof stop him short. "What's important now is that we need help in stopping my father before it's too late. I know I've kept this a secret from every pony but the Flame Ponies of the Ashen Fields are not blame for my cowardice." I said to every pony. Rainbow Dash raised her hoof. "Yes?" I asked pointing to her. "Do we have to start calling you 'your Royal Highness' now?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously. "Uh… no?" I said slowly. Pinkie Pie was next to raise her hoof bouncing; up and down. "Pinkie?" I asked pointing towards her. "Since your brothers are older then you, wouldn't that make them the Princes and you a Duke?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously. "She might have something there." Wingston mumbled scratching his chin thinking about it. "I'm not sure." I replied feeling confused. "Which one of your brothers would become King? They both can't be King can they?" Applejack asked curiously. "Which one was the oldest again?" Wingston asked as a follow up question; unsure himself. "Pyre? No Wick! Wait… um…" I mumbled unable to remember. "Have you been betrothed to a princess yet?" Fluttershy asked quietly. "What?" I asked in shock. My mane flaring from embarrassment. "Celestia have mercy on the pony that has to marry Smolder." Wingston said solemnly shaking his head. "Hey!" I shouted feeling my mane flare more. Every pony started giggling. A sudden wave of relief seemed to come over me. It felt like the picnic we had earlier. "Spike, take a letter." Twilight spoke up. "You got it." Spike said whipping out his quill and parchment. "Go ahead, Smolder. You write a letter to Princess Celestia." Twilight stated; Spike strolling up to me. "Me?" I asked nervously. "Of course darling. You said it yourself; you need our help and who better to help with something like this than Princess Celestia?" Rarity asked in a matter of fact tone. "But I- we- she doesn't- I'm-" I stammered touching my hooves together. "Dear Princess Celestia. You'll never guess who this is. I'll give you a hint: I'm the son of the Mad King Scorch." Wingston started to dictate the letter; limping towards Spike. "Don't write that!" I shouted pulling Wingston away from Spike. "Why not?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously. "How is every pony so calm about this?" I asked feeling confused. "We deal with sort of thing all the time. It's just rare that we can get the jump on it so early." Twilight explained. "Just tell Princess Celestia what you told us." Fluttershy said encouragingly. I felt Spike's claws tap me on the arm trying to get my attention. "You can do it, Fireball. The first breath should always be to talk things over." Spike said tapping his quill to the paper. "That's my introduction to Fire Breathing for Beginners." Wingston said in surprise. "Fireball taught it to me earlier today." Spike replied. "What else did he teach you?" Wingston asked curiously. "To never eat rocks." Spike replied. "What?" Every pony asked together. "Okay! I'm ready to write this letter!" I shouted; covering Spike's mouth to prevent him from speaking further. Truthfully, I would have rather gone swimming in the river again than have to write a letter to Princess Celestia detailing my secrets. Lucky for me, I had every pony offering words of advice to help write this letter. I wrote about everything from the Mad King, to me being a Prince or perhaps a Duke, the Elements of Harmony and even something about never eating rocks somehow made it into the final draft. "And… done! All set and ready to go!" Spike said tapping his quill at the bottom of the letter. "Go! Fly dragon! Take it to Princess Celestia and make haste!" Wingston cried raising his arms in the air. "But I can't fly." Spike said shrugging his shoulders. "What?Really?" Wingston asked in surprise. Spike nodded his head yes. "Then how are you going to deliver the letter?" Wingston asked curiously. "Like this." Spike replied. Spike leaned his head back, taking a deep breath before breathing a small green flame onto the letter. As the letter burned away the green flame went soaring through the air, darting its way towards Canterlot. "Well that's just boring now, isn't it?" Wingston asked sounding disappointed. "How long does it take to get there?" I asked feeling my stomach start to knot up. "She's probably reading it right now." Twilight remarked. "Seriously?" I asked feeling suddenly horrified. "Normally she would have written back by now." Spike said rubbing his stomach. Wingston looked at Spike rather confused, poking him on the belly "What? What are you doing little dragon? What is that?" Wingston asked looking perplexed. "When Princess Celestia writes back I magically burp it up." Spike explained. "I thought we were the weird ones." Wingston whispered to me. No sooner had Wingston said that, Spike burped a small green flame that formed itself back into a letter. I could feel my stomach bottoming out. "Well that's weird." Spike said looking over the letter. "What?" Wingston and I asked together. "All it says is 'Hang on'." Spike explained showing us the letter. "Perhaps you have intercepted a different letter, burp again little dragon and produce the actual letter." Wingston said poking Spike in the stomach with his staff. "It has the royal seal on it, so it has to be from Princess Celestia." Twilight said looking over the letter. "Maybe she's got her hooves full replying to all the letters Twilight writes her?" Rainbow Dash suggested. "I don't write her that much." Twilight said defensively. "You do tend to be quite lengthy with some of your letters, Twilight." Rarity said patting her hoof. "I'll say." Spike mumbled rolling his eyes. "Heads up, every pony." Applejack said aloud. Every pony looked up to witness Princess Celestia riding on the back of her chariot. It was being drawn by the Royal Pegasi guards. The chariot came in low pulling up alongside every pony. Stepping off the back of the chariot Princess Celestia fanned out her wings and approached us. "Good evening, every pony." Princess Celestia said. "Hello, Princess Celestia." Every pony replied. "…hi." I said nervously. "Princess Celestia." Wingston said bowing his head to her. "Wingston? My, you have aged much since our last meeting." Princess Celestia said wearing a smile. "You are still as beautiful as the day we met, my Lady." Wingston said humbly. Princess Celestia turned my way and I felt my courage take a holiday. I couldn't help but look at the ground. My insides were squirming. "I… got your letter." I said meekly. "As did I." Princess Celestia replied. I took a deep breath but I didn't know what else to say. I ended up staring at the floor again; tapping my hooves together. "… surprise…" I mumbled feeling my mane flare; a small guilty smile appearing on my face. "Indeed. I was wondering if you were ever going to tell me." Princess Celestia replied. "I'm sorry that I- wait, what?" I asked looking confused. "You knew, Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked curiously. "Not at first. I wasn't aware that the Mad King had fathered another son aside from his twin colts." Princess Celestia explained to every pony. "Well how did you find out?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously. "His medical chart." Princess Celestia replied. Princess Celestia's horn flashed for a moment. A piece of parchment appearing out of thin air. Wingston reached out his wing, taking the chart, and looking it over. He then proceeded to knock his staff against my head. "You put your brothers down as your next of kin you dork." Wingston said shaking his head in disappointment. "I-I-I-I-I-"I stammered feeling very embarrassed. "So you knew who Smolder was well before the Next Big Thing event in Canterlot?" Rarity asked surprised. "At that point I knew where he had come from and what his lineage was, but I was not so sure about whom Smolder was as a pony." Princess Celestia explained. "He's a dork, a dim witted, pint-sized dork." Wingston replied knocking his staff against my head again. "If Smolder did have some ulterior motives, I needed a way to figure out what they could be. So I had Discord follow him around to uncover his motives and report back to me with his findings." Princess Celestia continued. "Discord?" I asked mouth a gape. "Surprise!" Discord shouted. Discord slithered out from underneath Princess Celestia's mane. Standing idly by, looking quite pleased with himself, throwing out his chest and sucking in his gut; expecting applause for his involvement. "What did Discord find?" Fluttershy asked softly. "Everything you ponies wrote down in this letter. Discord explained how Smolder was being manipulated by his father and threatening the ponies he cared about if he did not comply. So we started keeping a closer eye on Smolder to determine if he could still be trusted." Princess Celestia went on to explain. "B-B-B-B-B-" I stammered incoherently. "I know I said I would keep our little chat between us, little Flame Pony, but my appendages were tied. Princess Celestia already knew who you were so all I did was confirm it. I hope you're not mad." Discord said looking sheepish. Discord slithered his way over to me placing his paw on my head: tussling my fire mane. "I'm just overjoyed that you decided to spill the beans before things got too out of hoof for you to handle." Discord said shaking jelly beans from his ears. "Jelly beans!" Pinkie Pie cried diving to the floor. "How exactly did Discord find all this out?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously. Before I could open my mouth to tell every pony of the strange and mean ways he used to get his information, Discord had slapped his claws over my mouth and smiled wide. "Details are not important, what every pony should take away from this is that I trusted this little Flame Pony to come clean on his own." Discord said with a big grin. "From what I understand, Discord had slithered into Smolder's mind and…" Princess Celestia began to explain; turning her back to us to address every pony else. I took that opportunity to bite Discord. Discord swallowed a scream while struggling to pull me off his paw. Wingston joined the fight by whacking his staff against Discord's goat leg. "Back! Back Flame Pony! Back!" Discord hissed, attempting to wretch me from my bite. We struggled against each other, fighting amongst ourselves, until Princess Celestia turned back around and we separated quickly. "Discord may have broken his promise to you, but he had the utmost faith in you, Smolder." Princess Celestia said looking curiously between the two of us. "Think nothing of it, little Flame Pony, consider it my token of friendship." Discord said hugging me tightly. Discord put me down and slithered over to Fluttershy hiding behind her and sticking his snake like tongue at me. "What about the act that Smolder put on during the Next Big Thing event?" Rarity asked curiously. "If you knew who he really was, why let him partake in it?" "It was an opportunity to see how much control Smolder had over his fire. Discord was on sight in case things got out of hand but Smolder showed great restraint and control. It also gave Shining Armor a chance to see Smolder in action." Princess Celestia replied. "You planned to have Shining Armor evaluate Smolder while he was at Canterlot." Twilight said beginning to put pieces together. "That's correct. I have always found Shining Armor a very good judge of character, but Princess Cadance is also a fan of Rarity's work." Princess Celestia added. "Really? Princess Cadance appreciates my work! I can't breathe!" Rarity cried in sheer delight as Fluttershy tried to calm her down. "The report of the missing ponies arrived the following morning, and Shining Armor requested to handle it with Smolder's help. Stating that it would be a chance to see what sort of pony Smolder was." Princess Celestia explained. "That's when Smolder had his rematch with the Queen of Spiders!" Rainbow Dash cried in excitement. "Indeed. Upon their return, Shining Armor described to me the sort of pony Smolder was. I believe he used the words kind, compassionate, brave and loyal to a fault. Stating that when Private Nightshade had gotten hurt, Smolder went into frenzy and attacked the Queen. This had concerned me." Princess Celestia stated. "For a Flame Pony cannot hide their emotions, they are forced to wear them on the manes and every pony can see that they are troubled. It is also true that these emotions can feed a Flame Pony's fire to great and terrible power. I feared that Smolder would become like his father, using his anger and hate to fuel his fire and achieve a wicked strength." Princess Celestia explained. I kept my eyes glued to the floor. My mane seemed to be business for itself; flaring every few seconds. Wingston's wing rested upon my shoulder and I could feel my nerves settle a bit. "I decided it was best to speak with Smolder personally, and see for myself what sort of pony he was willing to become." Princess Celestia stated, turning her attention to me. "Do you remember our talk on the rampart, Smolder?" I nodded yes. "There was a sense of fear in your voice then, Smolder. You felt ashamed of what you had done. Guilty for what had happened. You questioned your own fire, your own feelings, you questioned yourself. You wanted to better yourself, not in strength, but in character. These were not the feelings of a pony who sought to harm others, and it put my concerns to rest." Princess Celestia remarked. The weight of my anxiety lifted in that moment, I was able to raise my head to Princess Celestia and see that she was smiling at me. I could feel myself trying to say thank you but all I could do was smile back. "So Smolder was able to prove himself to you after all!" Pinkie Pie said joyfully. "Not entirely. It was not until this morning, after Smolder had left, did I come to realize what sort of pony Smolder really was." Princess Celestia said happily. "What sort of pony is he?" Applejack asked. "It's simple. He's a dork." Princess Celestia said cheerfully. There was a sudden silence that fell over the group of ponies. "That's what I said!" Wingston exclaimed through his hands up in the air. "Very true, Wingston. Although, I did not learn this from you Wingston but from a friend of Smolder's." Princess Celestia explained. "Who would tha-" I was cut short by a clipboard hitting me over the head. "You really are the biggest dork in all of Equestria!" Tea shouted hitting me repeatedly with her clipboard. "A fine hit, Ms. Herbal! A fine hit indeed!" Discord cheered. "A clipboard is not nearly thick enough." Wingston said. I scrambled to get away but Tea was right behind me. I tried to do a zigzag pattern to try and shake her but Tea was pretty fast on her hooves. Her clipboard slicing through the air at me, while she scolding me for keeping secrets. "Ms. Tea Herbal had looked after Smolder during his stay in Canterlot. When Smolder had returned to Ponyville that morning, I had gone to the Infirmary to check on Private Nightshade's condition. That is where I found Ms. Herbal with a lit lantern on her desk." Princess Celestia explained watching Tea chase after me. "He gave the lantern to Ms. Herbal?" Rarity asked sounding surprised. "Ms. Herbal told me of how quickly they had become friends during his time in Canterlot. Of how Smolder opened up to her one night about his childhood, his fears and doubts. The lantern was a parting gift for Ms. Herbal. She explained that she was to return to Manehatten in the coming weeks and Smolder had lit the lantern using his own fire; so that way he could always be with her no matter where she went." Princess Celestia continued. "That is so adorable!" Rarity shrieked. "I didn't teach him that." Wingston said surprised. "So Smolder's gift convinced you?" Twilight asked curiously. "I knew about everything Smolder had done since his arrival at Ponyville. The fact that Smolder would give such a gift to a pony whom could not help him in any sort of way, whether it was to steal the Elements or assist him at the Summit, told me that Smolder really did care about Ms. Herbal. That was all the convincing I needed." Princess Celestia said warmly. Eventually Tea's clipboard turned to ash but only because she had hit me with it so much. We were both out of breath and several yards away from the rest of the ponies. "Were you… ever… going to … tell me?" Tea asked hotly taking a breath in between. "About what?" I asked. Tea made a move to hit me with her hoof while I cowered before her. "About being a prince you dork!" Tea shouted putting her hoof down. "Maybe? I didn't want any pony to know." I said tapping my hooves. "You could have told me." Tea said looking annoyed. "Would you have wanted to be friends with the son of the Mad King?" I asked curiously. "Maybe, having friends in high places could be useful down the road." Tea said with a matter of fact tone. "I'm sorry." I mumbled. "You're such a dork." Tea said whipping her mane back. Tea wasn't wearing her white nurse outfit; I guess she wasn't on her shift for the infirmary. It just made me wonder why she had the clipboard to begin with. "Tea?" I mumbled. "Yes?" Tea replied looking very cross with me. "It's nice to… see you again." I said rubbing the back of my head. I could see Tea's face soften. A smile crept across her face while she tried to hide it with her hoof. "I saw you this morning Smolder." Tea said blushing slightly. "I know." I said feeling my mane flare. "Sorry to interrupt this tender and yet awkward moment but we need to discuss the prevention of the Mad King's return." Discord said suddenly lifting me off the ground by the nape of my neck. Discord carried me back over to the other ponies with Tea following right behind us. It appeared Wingston had every pony's attention; tracing his staff in the dirt. I felt Discord drop me beside Wingston while Tea looked on over my shoulder. "The Void Mirror is located in the Throne Room of Castle Char. It has but one way in and out through the main doors; apart from smashing in the windows." Wingston described drawing a crude diagram in the dirt. "There are no Flame Ponies on guard anywhere near the Throne Room, only the Twins stand watch over it." Wingston explained. "So reaching the mirror will be easy." Twilight stated encouragingly. "So we smash the mirror and call it a day." Rainbow Dash said confidently. "The mirror possesses great and powerful magic. It won't be as simple as merely smashing it. With Luna's help we should be able to suppress the power of the mirror long enough for you ponies to use the Elements of Harmony and seal it permanently. " Princess Celestia replied. "That doesn't sound too hard." Pinkie Pie chimed in. "The problem does not involve sealing the mirror, it is reaching it." Wingston replied drawing a large circle on the ground. "The mirror, if you will, is a door that swings only one way. Capable of transporting ponies in but not out. The Mad King has been forcing this door to allow him an exit. Causing the rift between Equestria and the Void to become strained." Wingston explained further. "I don't like the sound of any of that." Fluttershy said softly. "The Void has been slowly leaking into the Ashen Fields, leeching strength from everything surrounding it; namely the fire of Flame Ponies. The Mad King has somehow utilized this phenomenon to recover much of his lost power. In recent days, coming anywhere near Castle Char will begin leeching a pony's strength and the closer to the mirror one gets the worse it becomes." Wingston continued. "So if we move every Flame Pony away from the castle, the King won't be able to steal anymore power." Applejack concluded. "I have already moved the elderly, foals, and fillies to the old mining tunnels here in the mountains; with the help of our General Hearth and the hoof full of Flame Ponies that still have strength." Wingston replied drawing a smaller circle off to the side. "So how are supposed to get all the way to the mirror without losing all of our strength in the process?" Rarity asked sounding puzzled. "What if we moved the mirror out of the castle?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Having the mirror outside would allow us to use the Elements of Harmony a safe distance away." Twilight stated. "Well that just leads us right back to square one on how are we supposed to get it outside if we can't get close to it?" Rainbow Dash retorted. "I think I have an idea." I said scratching my chin. "Are we going to stroll up to your father and carry the mirror outside?" Wingston asked sarcastically. "Not quite, we're going to give him the Elements of Harmony." I said confidently. I got a lot of puzzled looks after saying that from every pony. Wingston hit me upside the head with his staff again.