Wingston had pressed his body up against the large stone doors leading into Castle Char. The doors themselves were very heavy, yet it seemed it took every ounce of strength to budge them just enough to allow him to squeeze by. Sliding through Wingston turned to close it behind him, throwing his whole weight against it; feeling it give little by little. With an exasperated sigh, Wingston wiped his forehead, and clutched his chest trying to catch his breath. Wingston could hear mixed voices of ponies at the other end of the Main Hall.
The thud of Wingston's staff reverberated throughout the castle. Discord, Princess Luna, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie Rainbow Dash and Spike had all recognized the sound and turned to see him limping towards them.
"Wingston, you’re alive!" Spike shouted, happy to see him.
"What? Of course I'm alive." Winston remarked, taking it as shot at his age rather than the threat of the Mad King's wrath.
"Have you seen Smolder?" Spike asked jogging over to him.
"He's... gone to confront his father." Wingston replied slowly.
"You're kidding, right? Smolder wouldn't try to face the Mad King all by himself, would he?" Spike asked nervously tapping his claws together.
"The Flame Ponies hiding within the mountains are in danger. The volcano has destabilized the old mining tunnels, and they will be trapped or crushed if something isn't done to help them at once." Wingston stated aloud; ignoring Spike's question.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Applejack asked looking around.
"Wait, Applejack, what if Princess Celestia is able to weaken the Mad King? We'll need to be ready to use the Elements of Harmony." Twilight said with concern.
"We can't just sit here and do nothing like we've been doing." Rainbow Dash replied sounding annoyed.
"We can't just ignore ponies that are in trouble, isn't there some way we can do both?" Fluttershy asked hopefully.
"Splitting up is the last thing we should be doing." Twilight remarked.
"Damned if we do, and damned if we don't." Applejack said shaking her head.
"This is simply becoming unbearable, surely we can just pop off for a moment to assist the Flame Ponies and be back in time to send that mean old King packing." Rarity insisted.
"I'll go." Discord said nobly placing his paw over his chest.
"You?" Princess Luna asked looking concerned.
"It will give me something to do while you ponies eagerly wait to send the Mad King back to the Void. Besides, it will be a chance to get on every Flame Ponies good side." Discord said tapping his paw and claws together.
"Be careful Discord. Those Flame Ponies will be awfully scared. Try rescuing them with a smile." Fluttershy offered.
"I'll do my best, I have to admit, and the idea of me playing the hero is quite exciting." Discord said snapping his fingers and disappearing on the spot.
"These Flame Ponies are going to need one heck of a party once this is all over." Pinkie Pie quipped.
"Indeed, they have not been able to catch the preverbal break that accompanies most unlucky ponies." Princess Luna chimed in.
"We must get you ponies to a safe place until you are needed; I would suggest the North Tower. It will provide a vantage point to oversee the battle and allow you the opportunity to jump in at a moment's notice" Wingston said limping towards the landing.
"Wingston, you never answered my question from earlier." Spike asked anxiously. "Is Smolder going to be okay?"
This time every pony waited for a response. Wingston took a deep breath, letting it go slowly before turning to face them. No pony liked the sadness that accompanied Wingston's face.
"No. He won't be." Wingston answered sadly.
"Princess Celestia is there with him though. She'll be able to protect him, right?" Rarity asked trying to sound optimistic.
"Smolder believed you ponies were still out on the fields facing his father when he took off. I'm sure he has asked Princess Celestia to help his Flame Ponies by now." Wingston said bitterly.
"She wouldn't leave him all alone with that Mad Pony, would she?" Pinkie Pie asked nervously.
"The safety of the Flame Ponies has always been one of Smolder's biggest concerns. I'm sure he convinced her of that, and stayed behind to by her time." Wingston replied.
"I must go and help him then. He won't last a minute against the reckless hate of the Mad King." Princess Luna said a loud.
"That won't be necessary." The voice of the Mad King echoed through the hall.
Castle Char's large stone doors swug open with a blast of fire. The stone doors struck the inside walls of the castle, crumbling to pieces, shaking the entirety of the Main Hall. Clouds of dust billowed from the rubble. The Mad King whipped his wings to clear the air, his eyes trained upon them, and his fire chasing the shadows from every corner of the hall.
"I've already taken care of him." The Mad King continued; striding towards them.
"Explain yourself." Princess Luna demanded placing herself in front of every pony.
"There is a new rock statue gracing the Ashen Fields, a monument to remind every pony who would dare betray their King. Smolder was kind enough to be the mold for it." The Mad King explained flaring his mane wildly.
Every pony could feel the intensity of the heat coming from the Mad King's flames; no pony looked sure of what to do.
"Every pony," Winston began to whisper. "Make to the door at the side of the staircase, it will lead you to the dungeons below. It's expansive and leads to many old tunnels that let out into the mines. You can hopefully lose him there."
"We're not going anywhere." Princess Luna replied defiantly.
"You will need to regroup with Princess Celestia and Discord who are both heading for the mountains. Your best chance of doing that is by using the tunnels below." Wingston hissed holding his staff towards the Mad King.
"You're coming with us though, right? We can't leave you here, Wingston." Spike asked anxiously.
"I will only slow you down. I will stall him for as long as I can to give you a head start. Now go." Wingston replied motioning with his wing for them to leave.
"We're not-" Applejack began, but was cut short by Princess Luna's wing being raised.
"Let's go every pony." Princess Luna said somberly.
"We just can't leave him here." Pinkie Pie protested.
"The six of you are much too important for this plan to work; you must remain safe by any means necessary." Princess Luna stated.
Every pony looked to Wingston with worry. He continued to motion for them to leave without looking back.
"Goodbye, Wingston." Spike mumbled climbing onto Twilight's back.
"Until next time, little dragon." Wingston replied, sounding sincere.
The group of ponies made their way towards the door in haste, leaving Wingston alone at the base of the stairs to face the Mad King. There were a few last second looks at Wingston before every pony disappeared through the door and shutting it behind them. The Mad King seemed amused by their sudden game of cat and mouse.
"Am I to understand that you a part of this coupe as well, Wingston?" The Mad King asked curiously.
"You would be foolish to believe I wouldn't be." Wingston replied, his staff still raised to the Mad King.
"So the fangs come out, how amusing. I understand where your loyalties resided, Wingston. You were, of course, the Queen's pet after all. It is unfortunate, however, that you continue to aid the enemy at every turn." The Mad King stated; his red eyes dancing wildly in their sockets.
"I'm doing what is best for the crown, this Kingdom, and for it's Flame Ponies." Wingston said. "That is what I swore to you and the Queen."
The Mad King stopped in front of Wingston, his flames raging all around him, the heat wad so intense that it began to burn the wood of Winston's staff, as well as his wings, but he stood his ground.
It wouldn't have been noticeable to any pony else, there was slight change in the Mad King's face as he looked upon Winston. The madness in his eyes seemed to waver just for a moment from a thought the Mad King was having.
"You had stood your ground against the Last Orc many years ago when he entered the Royal Chambers. You were woefully out matched, but yet you protected that which I considered most precious to me." The Mad King stated staring down at him.
With a rustle of his wings, the flames of the Mad King subsided; his fire still flourishing around him, but it was considerably less than before.
"Consider us even." The Mad King remarked stepping past Wingston; without laying a hoof or flame on him.
Wingston lowered his staff, his wings mildly burned, but he was fine for the most part. He watched the Mad King stride towards the dungeon door. With a single breath of fire from his mouth, the door was blasted off its hinges. The Mad King stepped towards the dungeon entrance to follow the other ponies.
"The Last Orc won in the end." Wingston mentioned to the Mad King.
The Mad King stopped short. The flames on his mane plumed for a moment. Standing silently, staring into the blackness of the corridor leading down into the dungeons.
"Through your hate and self-loathing you allowed that Orc to break you. It set you down a path that drove every pony you ever cared for away from you. It broke the Queen's heart and the spirit of your Flame Ponies." Wingston continued; limping towards him.
The Mad King's head jerked from side to side erratically. Snorting viciously at Wingston's words, his flames leaping from his mane, and leaving burn marks on the walls around him. It was obvious that even though his madness had consumed him, the words of his trusted Advisor could still reach his blackened heart.
"You have crossed over into this madness, Scorch. You have the power to end this once and for all. Do not dwell on what was or could have been anymore and forgive yourself. Every pony, even you who has caused so much pain, deserves a second chance." Wingston insisted, still limping towards him. "I beg you, Scorch, before any pony else is hurt, let go of your hate."
The Mad King seemed to be at war with himself, his flames flaring wildly, struggling with Wingston's words. A flare of his red eyes had his head whippingd towards Wingston. A blast of fire striking Wingston, knocking him off his claws, and sending him crashing into the wall on the other side of the Main Hall. Wingston slumped to the ground, his staff clattering to the floor, and a low hiss filling the air from the searing heat around Wingston.
"You fail to realize that there is no line to cross! Ponies are capable of anything! That I... was capable... of anything!" The Mad King cried, his own words sounding unsure of himself.
Even in his red burning eyes, there seemed to be fear behind them. Wingston's words had disturbed the darkness the Mad King had thrown himself into, a small light of reality breaking through to him for a small moment.
"If not for the rules and laws set by the Summit, I would killed the Last Orc from the beginning!" The Mad King spat in anger.
The flames engulfing him burned so intensely that it the fissures in his hide began to seep magma and solidified onto the stone floor.
"I am the King! I! No one else!" The Mad King declared, thrusting his thoughts back into his madness.
The flames of the Mad King flourished, the unmoving Wingston did not respond, which allowed the Mad King a moment to collect his thoughts. The Mad King was able to compose himself and took one last look towards Wingston.
"Do not worry, Wingston. Smolder and his mother are waiting for you in the next life." The Mad King said calmly before descending the stairs.
Princess Celestia soared across the Ashen Fields towards the Eastern Mountains. Disturbed dirt paths of several hundred hoof prints gave Princess Celestia a trail to follow to find the Flame Ponies. Racing through the sky, as quickly as she could, trying to make time, in the hope of returning to Smolder before it was too late.
Growing closer to the base of the mountains, Princess Celestia could already see large fissures in the earth darting out from the collapsed mouths of the cave entrances. Landing just outside the tunnel Princess Celestia raised her head, her horn beginning to emit a white light. Almost like sonar, her magic began to reverberate the infrastructure within the mountains. The collapse was severe, it spanned a great length into the cave and the structure beyond the cave-in seemed ready to fall.
"If I try to clear it all at once, it may cause the rest of the tunnel to collapse in on itself." Princess Celestia mumbled to herself.
"May I be of assistance?" Discord said aloud slithering up next to Princess Celestia.
"Discord! I'm glad you're here!" Princess Celestia quipped turning to him.
"Really?" Discord asked sounding surprised.
"The Flame Ponies are trap-" Princess Celestia began but Discord wave his paw in her face.
"The bat already informed me of the predicament." Discord said scratching his chin with his claws.
"Then you already know that there are several more tunnels within the mountain that have Flame Ponies trapped by rubble." Princess Celestia stated.
"That's a lot of Flame Ponies." Discord mumbled counting them on his paw.
"Can you get them out safely?" Princess Celestia asked urgently.
"If you can use your magic to direct me to where these Flame Ponies are, then I can be in and out in a snap." Discord said snapping his claws.
"We have to make this quick, Discord, Smolder is in trouble." Princess Celestia remarked.
"Why is he in trouble?" Discord asked curiously.
"He asked me to help the Flame Ponies while staying behind to confront his father." Princess Celestia said hastily.
"Oh dear…" Discord replied looking back towards the Ashen Field.
Princess Celestia's horn shined brilliantly once more with magic. Her spell emanated through the rocks, allowing her to see deeper into the mountain; trying to locate the Flame Ponies within.
"I've found a large group of Flame Ponies trapped in a narrow tunnel about a hundred meters in. It seems that a few unicorn ponies are emitting a shield to keep the rest of the tunnel from collapsing in on them." Princess Celestia declared.
"I'm on it." Discord said snapping his claws and disappearing on the spot.
The dungeons of Castle Char offered little light for the ponies. In just the first few corridors they had found some nearly burned out candles lighting the path, but eventually became pitch black all together. Twilight and Princess Luna led the group through the darkened corridors, their horns offering light to illuminate the path; Rarity stayed near the back with her horn glowing as well. Many other paths lined the corridor, some leading to dead ends, while others led into dirt tunnels, some looped back around to the beginning of the dungeon, and a few led deeper underground. It was clear that no pony had an idea which way to go, but they all agreed that anywhere away from the Mad King seemed like a good place to be.
"We're going to get lost down here at the rate we're going." Rainbow Dash said bitterly.
"Castle Char faces to the south, and we entered the dungeon facing to the west. We've turned left twice which means we're heading east. Wingston assured us that these tunnels would lead us to the old mines of the Flame Ponies." Twilight said trying to sound encouraging.
"Well from what Wingston told us, it seems like a lot of those old caves and tunnels are collapsing in those mines." Applejack replied unsure of the idea.
"This place is just simply dreadful, it reeks of mildew and there is mud everywhere." Rarity whined shaking the mud from her hoof.
"That's the coolest part about being in a dungeon, Rarity!" Pinkie Pie shouted sliding through the mud passed her.
"I hope Wingston is alright." Fluttershy said softly.
"I'm sure he's fine." Princess Luna said comfortingly.
"Do you think Smolder is too?" Spike asked quietly.
"Smolder faced the Queen of Spiders twice; I'm sure he was able to handle himself." Princess Luna replied with a smile.
Every pony traveled deeper into the dungeon's corridors. The further they went the colder it became, the stench of mildew filled the air and mud made it difficult not to slip. Much of Flame Pony lore was still untouched deep within these caves. Old stone chests, ceramic pottery, and even some stone carvings were seen lining the walls. Several times Twilight had stopped to see old Flame Pony etchings in the rocks, attempting to decipher them before Applejack and Rainbow Dash pulled her away.
"We must be getting close to the old mining tunnels." Princess Luna said after a while.
"What makes you say that?" Applejack asked.
Princess Luna's horn began to glow brighter revealing several gems gleaming within the rock walls. The gems sparkled like stars in the darkness. Rarity squealed in delight. It took some time, but Applejack and Rainbow Dash were able to pull Rarity away from the gleaming gems; trying her best to dislodge them.
"Do you smell that?" Spike asked suddenly sniffing the air.
"Yeah, it's called mildew, sugar cube." Applejack said with a grimace.
"No, not that. It smells like… it smells like…" Spike said slowly still having trouble depicting what the smell was.
"By all rights it's probably something gross growing mold down here. This place is just a breeding ground for such things." Rarity said carefully stepping down the tunnel.
"It kind of smells like… sulfur." Spike said snapping his claws; figuring out the smell.
"Sulfur?" Twilight asked looking confused.
"Hey! There's a light coming towards us! It might be Wingston catching up!" Pinkie Pie said happily bouncing the spot.
Every pony turned around to see a faint light at the far end of the tunnel. It slowly began to grow brighter, both in size and intensity. Echoes of roaring flames started to reverberate down the hall as every pony realized that it wasn't Wingston.
"Run!" Princess Luna shouted ushering every pony passed.
A blaze of fire barreled down the tunnel, wall to wall with flames, and slowly closing the gap between them. Twilight led the way, sprinting as fast as she could; looking for a way out. The tunnel led to a fork in the path, left or right, Twilight had seconds to choose. Twilight ducked to the left with Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie following suit. Rainbow Dash over shot the mark heading down the right tunnel before putting on the breaks to back up. Rarity and Applejack had followed Rainbow Dash down this same path before realizing their mistake.
"Keep going!" Princess Luna called out to them.
Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash started to double back when the saw Princess Luna come charging towards them; the flames growing dangerously close. As quick as they could they turned on the spot and started heading back down the right tunnel with Princess Luna in tow; the fire raging only a few feet behind her. After reaching the length of the tunnel it led out into a chasm, littered with stone walkways and old metal chains hanging from the edges of the rock face. The chasing fire flared out at the threshold of the tunnel before dissipating into the air.
"This is bad." Applejack mumbled trying to catch her breath.
"There is no time to dwell on it; we must try to regroup with the others before the Mad King finds them first." Princess Luna said quickly looking around the chasm.
"Or if he ends up finding us first." Rarity said nervously.
The Mad King walked the length of the tunnel, spots of flames still lingering on the ceiling, walls, and floor around him. Coming to the fork, the Mad King turned his head from side to side looking down both paths. Sniffing the air, the Mad King turned his head towards the left path and made his way down the tunnel.
"Dragon." The Mad King whispered to himself.
Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie came racing out from the end of the tunnel only to be met with a sudden drop off of a cliff. Twilight put on the brakes trying to keep herself from flying off the edge as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie ran into her.
"Careful!" Twilight said nervously digging her hooves into the ground trying to stop them from falling over the edge.
"Sorry Twilight." Fluttershy said softly backing up.
"Where are we?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.
"It seems like we're in the old Flame Pony mines. Where are the others?" Twilight asked anxiously looking back down the tunnel.
"They must have gone done the other path." Fluttershy said with a gasp.
"This is bad." Spike said nervously.
"Should we go back?" Pinkie Pie asked peering into the tunnel.
"If we head back we might end up running into the Mad King." Twilight said looking around the cliff.
"I hope the others made it out safely." Fluttershy said.
"I'm sure they're fine, Princess Luna is with them." Twilight remarked spotting a narrow path leading down the cliff face.
"I think I see a way down from here, we'll have to be careful though. It doesn't look all that safe." Twilight said pointing to the narrow path.
"Should we be going down deeper into the mines?" Fluttershy asked skeptically peering over the edge.
"This tunnel started to lead up at an incline, which is why the fire wasn't able to keep up with us. If we're lucky this path will lead us back down to the others." Twilight said heading over the edge of the cliff to start making her way down.
"But what if the other tunnel also went up?" Fluttershy asked worried.
"Come on, Fluttershy! Where's your sense of adventure?" Pinkie Pie asked pushing Fluttershy to towards the path.
Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie started to make their way down the path. The light from Twilight's horn exposed hundreds of gems still embedded in the rock face. Loose dirt and gravel made it difficult to navigate the path carefully, but Twilight was studious in brushing it off the ledge.
"Magnificent, isn't it?" The Mad King called out.
Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie looked up to see the Mad King standing at the edge of cliff face staring up into the high ceiling of the cave. The stalagmites that hung over their heads were dripping small drops of water into the black chasm below. The Mad King spread out his wings, throwing fire into the air and illuminating the thousands of gems and veins of gold that littered the walls of the chasm. Spike hugged Twilight's neck so tight in fear that she began to choke asking Spike to let go while Fluttershy cowered under her own hooves; Pinkie Pie dazzled at the twinkling lights.
"I will now add your elements to my personal collection of treasures." The Mad King said peering down at them.
"Just try and take our elements Mad Stinker!" Pinkie Pie cried giving him the raspberry.
"Pinkie!" Twilight hissed.
"Well it's true! Even Spike could smell him over that mildew." Pinkie Pie insisted.
"Mildew! That's it!" Twilight exclaimed in a sudden stroke of brilliance.
Twilight's horn began to glow brighter, closing her eyes to concentrate hard on the spell she was casting. The Mad King watched with interest, believing her to be readying an attack. He was half right.
"I got it!" Twilight exclaimed; her eyes shooting open.
"Got what?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.
"Just hold on!" Twilight shouted as her horn began to glow once more.
A bolt of purple magic streaked out from Twilight's horn up towards the Mad King. Although, her shot missed the Mad King's head by several feet and struck the top of the cave with a soft zap. Glancing up at the impact point the Mad King looked down unable to hold back a gloating smile.
"Pathetic!." The Mad King shouted to her.
Twilight was bracing herself against the side of the cliff; holding Spike, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie back against it as well. While the Mad King looked confused by their sudden antics a large sound of breaking earth echoed throughout the cave. Looking up once more the Mad King could see the point of impact of Twilight's shot splitting the ceiling open. The stalagmites broke off before a sudden torrent of water rushed down from the ceiling.
"That little-" The Mad King was beginning to utter but was cut short by fierce wave of water washing over him.
The cries of the Mad King filled the chasm, the sound of hissing steam screamed form the Mad King's body while the water kept pouring down. Several stalagmites crashed down a top the cliff face, weakening the ground around the Mad King and the rock beneath his hooves gave way. The water forced him over the side; the Mad King fell past the ponies screaming in anger on his way down. A waterfall of water splashed all around them, dousing Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie along the way.
After a few minutes the water from the ceiling became no more than a trickle. Soaked from the water the ponies carefully peered over the edge and saw no sign of the Mad King below.
"Is he gone?" Fluttershy asked quietly.
"I think so." Twilight said glancing around at the darkness below.
"How did you know there was water up there, Twilight?" Spike asked curiously ringing out his tail.
"Well, with all the mildew we smelled in the tunnels there just had to be a water source nearby to cause all of it. So I used my magic to try and find the source. Sure enough, there was an underground spring right above us." Twilight explained stroking her mane free of water.
"Where do think he is?" Pinkie Pie asked shaking like a dog to get rid of all the water.
Applejack and Rarity sat on a stone bridge knocking pebbles into the dark abyss. Rainbow Dash and Princess Luna soared around the chasm looking for possible exits. They eventually soared out of the air back down to Applejack and Rarity.
"Did you find anything?" Applejack asked curiously.
"I found two paths that were completely sealed off by cave-ins and one tunnel that had the words 'bad idea' written above it." Rainbow Dash reported.
"I found several tunnels of similar problems, but I was able to find one that led up rather than down." Princess Luna said pointing towards a stone bridge cutting across the chasm.
"Do you think it will lead us to the others?" Rarity asked curiously.
"I'm not sure but it is our safest bet without retreating." Princess Luna replied.
"We don't want to run into old Hot Head if we did double back." Rainbow Dash agreed.
"Then it's settled." Princess Luna declared.
Rainbow Dash picked up Applejack and Princess Luna picked up Rarity and flew them up towards the stone bridge. Setting them down gently the group made their way to through the tunnel.
Old rock chisels and steel hammers had been left from years long passed along the tunnel, and a few old metal buckets filled with dirt and gems. Rarity did her best not to look at them, but more than once did she catch herself peering over at them.
The tunnel did lead up for a time, the incline eventually leveled out and led into yet another chasm. Although this one was much different than the other, for it was moderately flat and had a hoof deep layer of water on it. Several stalactites speared up from the ground, while several piles of rocks scattered the area. There was a thin layer of steam that hung in the air.
"What do you think this place is?" Applejack asked curiously.
"Judging by the heat of the water I would say it was an underground hot spring. What I wouldn't give to be able to soak in it after all this is over." Rarity said swooning at the idea.
"I can barely see my hoof in front of my own face." Rainbow Dash remarked holding out her hoof.
"Stay close every pony." Princess Luna said aloud.
Sharp whistles rang out through the chasm, steam violently hissing while the sound of grinding rock filled the air. Princess Luna's horn increased it's brightness, trying to find the source of the noises. Together with Rainbow Dash, Princess Luna began to fan away the steam with their wings. Having forced the steam back; focusing the light of her horn towards where ever she happened to pivot her head.
With a turn, Princess Luna flapped her wings to clear the steam some more, as a massive black cloud of smoke barreled towards her. Piercing red eyes cut through the smoke. A blackened wing slicing through the air striking Princess Luna across the face and sending her through a stalactite.
"Princess Luna!" Rarity cried in horror.
"Whoa…" Rainbow Dash whispered gazing at the Mad King.
The water had robbed him of his fire, his body now spewing black smoke in place of flames. His hide was covered with uneven patches of rock. The burning fissures that etched across his body were barely visible as the Mad King struggled to stand.
"Is that- is that the Mad King?" Applejack stammered backing away slowly.
"Burn!" The Mad King roared in pain.
His mouth broke open, but not fire came out. Only more black smoke. Coughing violently the Mad King staggered away trying to catch his breath.
"Oh yeah, tough guy! Eat this!" Rainbow Dash shouted exploding from the spot and rocketing towards the Mad King.
"Rainbow!" Applejack called out trying to get her to stop.
Rainbow Dash aimed a kick at the Mad King's face and landed it square between the eyes. The impact sent the Mad King staggering sideways and crashing onto the ground where the water hissed wildly. Rainbow Dash quickly looked at her hoof to see if it was alright and surprisingly it was.
"Rainbow Dash, are you alright?" Rarity asked urgently.
"I'm fine!" Rainbow Dash declared showing them her hoof.
"How is that even possible?" Applejack asked bewildered.
"I guess old Hot Head got cooled off by all this water and now he's just spitting smoke." Rainbow Dash said flexing her muscle.
From the smoke the Mad King leaped up knocking Rainbow Dash out of the air with his head and sending her sliding across the ground. Rainbow Dash quickly recovered, rolling onto her back to see the Mad King towering over her and trying to stomp her with his hooves. Rolling back and forth Rainbow Dash narrowly missed the rock like pistons stamping down at her. A bolt of white and blue magic exploded from the steam, striking the Mad King in his side and once more knocking him to the ground. Applejack quickly pulled Rainbow Dash away as Rarity and Princess Luna stood at the ready; their horns glowing bright.
"Princess Luna! You're alright!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed getting to her hooves.
"It will take more than a cheap shot to keep me down." Princess Luna remarked.
The Mad King got back to his hooves, slamming up against the side of the rock wall moaning in agony. Pieces of blackened rock broke off of his body as he attempted to bend his knees or extend his wings. The fissures still burned a deep red in his hide, but it was clear that the Mad King was at a disadvantage.
Before the Mad King could catch his breath Rainbow Dash flew in, landing another kick to the side of the Mad King's face and driving him into the wall. Princess Luna's horn began to glow once more; the Mad King was slowly being levitated into the air. Princess Luna struggled to keep him aloft, but was able to toss the Mad King across the chasm and have him slam against the rock wall. Rarity began levitating rocks for Applejack to apple buck them at the Mad King; landing several painful ones into the Mad Kings side.
"We've got him cornered!" Rainbow Dash cried.
The wing of the Mad King braced itself against the wall, the other he lifted to shield himself from the pummeling of rocks. Pushing off the wall with his wing, the Mad King charged them with a painful roar. The black smoke billowed after him. The swipes of his wings made the smoke dance around him and made it difficult for every pony to see him. Leaping up and around Applejack and Rarity dived behind stalactites feeling the passing wind of the Mad King's wings sail over them.
Princess Luna charged head long at the Mad King, scoring a heavy blow to his chest and knocking him back. Rearing back to follow up her attack the Mad King's horn exploded with a blinding white light and forced Princess Luna to back off. A blast of magic from the Mad King's horn sent Princess Luna head over hooves across the chasm. Rainbow Dash had come racing out of the air to break Princess Luna's fall in the nick of time while the Mad King struggled to stay on his hooves.
"Rancid little vermin!" The Mad King roared in anger.
Slicing his wings through the air, he struck at the stalactites Rarity and Applejack hid behind. Darting out to hide behind others the Mad King followed them in a blind frenzy striking at every last one. Eventually striking a stalactite Applejack was taking cover behind and knocking her over.
"This will end it!" The Mad King cried.
Pressing his hoof down on Applejack to keep her from moving, the Mad King's horn erupted with light once more and aimed it down at Applejack.
"Not so fast!" Twilight voice echoed off the walls of the chasm.
A sudden wave of water came crashing over the Mad King, pushing him off of Applejack and sending him through several stalactites before slamming against the wall. Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie started rushing down the steep slant of rock from the other side of the chasm. Applejack got to her hooves only to be knocked down again by Pinkie Pie who embraced her tightly.
"Are you okay, Applejack?" Pinkie Pie asked looking her over.
"I'm fine Pinkie Pie. Thanks for the save, Twilight." Applejack said looking over to Twilight.
"I'm just glad every pony is safe." Twilight remarked embracing Applejack as well.
The chasm suddenly got brighter before the shadows came creeping back in, the light surged back and the shadows soon followed. Every pony looked towards the Mad King who was breathing heavily, trying to get his fire started one more. The black smoke that billowed from him looked like a storm, fire spewing out from the fissures in his body as he roared in misery trying to rekindle himself.
"This is our chance! Is every pony ready?" Twilight asked allowed.
"King Hot Head is about to get a one way ticket back to Loser Ville." Rainbow Dash said slamming her hooves together.
Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash stood side by side, the Elements reacting with one another.
"Do you hear something?" Spike asked suddenly holding his claws to his ear.
Every pony paused for a moment to listen. Pebbles and bits of dirt trickled down around them; it became more and more frequent. Suddenly a stalagmite crashed down right next to Fluttershy that made her jump into Rainbow Dash's hooves. One after another the stalagmites crashed down around them, and the ground beneath them began to give way.
"The mine is collapsing! We have to get out of here!" Princess Luna shouted shooting a beam of magic from her horn to deflect a falling rock.
"This may be our only chance to stop the Mad King!" Twilight shouted looking back towards the Mad King, but he was gone.
"No! We had him! We had him!" Twilight shouted looking around noticing a trial of black smoking leading into a tunnel.
"We must leave now, Twilight Sparkle! Before it's too late!" Princess Luna shouted pulling Twilight over with her wing and forcing her to run in the opposite direction.
Every pony made a dash towards the only available tunnel to them, sprinting down the dark corridor feeling the earth shake beneath them. The ground around them started to break open, dirt began pouring in from the ceiling.
Applejack came to an abrupt stop as the tunnel led to a dead end. Every pony looked panicked, looking back down the path to see the tunnel collapsing towards them. Fluttershy hid her face on Rainbow Dash's shoulder, Applejack lowered her hat, Pinkie Pie was squeezing Spike for dear life, while Rarity flat out fainted, and Princess Luna put her hoof around Twilight.
"Now boarding Discord's Flight of Fantasy, every pony please remain in an upright position and keep your hooves inside at all times." Discord said aloud.
Every pony turned to see Discord standing behind them. He had a microphone in one paw and his claws ready to snap in the other. With a snap, every pony vanished on the spot as the tunnel caved in. Princess Luna, Twilight, Spike, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash reappeared at the base of the mountain where Princess Celestia stood waiting for them.
"I know you have other ways of travel, but thank you for choosing Discord's Flight of Fantasy. Bye-bye," Discord said releasing the microphone in his paw and watching it poof away.
"Discord!" Fluttershy cried in delight leaping to hug him.
"You didn't think I'd let my dear friend be crushed under all the rubble now did you?" Discord asked playfully.
"Is every pony alright?" Princess Celestia asked worried.
"Another few seconds and we would have been permanent residents." Applejack said fanning herself with her hat.
Princess Celestia hugged Princess Luna who was still trying to wipe away the dust from her mane, but returned the sentiment all the same.
"What were you ponies doing down there?" Princess Celestia asked.
"The Mad King came for us in Castle Char, Wingston told us to use the old tunnels in the dungeon to escape and meet up with you here." Twilight explained also receiving a hug from Princess Celestia.
"Where is that old bat? I hope I didn't forget him down there." Discord asked looking around.
"He stayed behind to give us time to escape back at the castle." Spike said sadly looking down at the ground.
Princess Celestia hung her head solemnly at the news. Princess Luna rested her head upon Princess Celestia's trying to comfort her.
"It seems that we have lost Smolder and Wingston to this madness." Princess Celestia said sadly.
"What did you say?" A voice asked from behind them.
Every pony turned to see an older looking Flame Pony, dressed in old metal armor standing by looking rather authoritatively. Behind him were hundreds of Flame Ponies that had been rescued from the mines, several dozen Flame Ponies rushed around the small groups they had made trying to tend to the injured and feeble.
"You said something about Prince Smolder and Wingston if I was not mistaken." General Hearth said aloud looking worried.
"General Hearth…" Princess Celestia said slowly.
"My lady." General Hearth said straightening up.
"We need to talk." Princess Celestia replied.