//------------------------------// // Chapter 21: Mira's Mirror // Story: Rise of Char // by Turtlehaus //------------------------------// Representatives and distinguished guests from Griffonstone, Yakyakistan, Fillydelphia, Trottingham, Buckingham Palace, Mustangia, Maretania had all arrived that afternoon by carriage or chariot. It was unfortunate that Pinkie Pie excluded herself from being part of the welcoming committee, claiming that it was better that I do it alone and with my respective Council of Flame Ponies; Pinkie assured me that she'd be watching from the shadows regardless. Luckily, I had Wingston by my side along with Argo Fleece to make the greetings go over smoothly; seeing as I was unfamiliar with the proper formality and customs these ponies hailed from. "It is my honor to welcome you to the Ashen Fields and open my home to you." I said lowering my head to the Queen and the Duke from Buckingham. "If you would be so kind, your grace, to allow me to escort you to your room?" Argo asked bowing his head and gesturing towards the staircase. "Do I really need to say this to every pony that walks in here?" I whispered to Wingston standing beside me. "You'll get a pass on this next one, it's Prince Rutherford." Wingston whispered back tipping his staff towards the Main Entrance. "Flame Pony!" Prince Rutherford cried aloud; his face bore a smile so I returned it nervously. Prince Rutherford and his Yaks guards stomped towards us, taking in the decor and testing the durability of our stone floors. Surprisingly the Yaks and Prince Rutherford looked quite pleased at what they saw and stomped on. "Greetings Prince Rutherford I-" I began but was immediately jabbed in the chest by Prince Rutherford's hoof. "Yaks begin to think party never coming!" Prince Rutherford said aloud. "I assure you that our first available opportunity we scheduled for this party to happen." I said trying to keep my smile from turning into a painful frown. "Yaks like the stone buildings! Strong homes make for wild parties!" Prince Rutherford declared stomping his hooves; his guards joined in. "The Royal Guard will show you to your room." I said passing him off to a very nervous looking guard. "Yes! Rest! Full strength needed for party tomorrow!" Prince Rutherford declared as the Guard Pony nodded in agreement. As Prince Rutherford and his guards followed the guard pony, I clutched my chest and heaved a sigh of relief; feeling the stinging slowly subside. "You did better than I expected." Wingston complimented me. "I'm just glad this isn't a party consisting of only Yaks." I mumbled. "Please tell me that this was the last guest we're receiving tonight?" "You'll be happy to know that Prince Rutherford was the last of our expected guests for this evening." Wingston said reassuringly; patting me on the shoulder. " Why? Have some where to be?" "I still have to write a speech for tomorrow if you must know." I replied. "Well, just so you know, you won't be able to bring the slate with you when you are crowned tomorrow. You'll have to commit it to memory." Wingston informed me. "You're kidding, right?" I asked looking horrified. "If you like, I can proofread it for you before you memorize it." Wingston offered; I could tell he was smiling under that hood. A Royal Guard Pony approached us, throwing a quick salute at me. "All guests have retired for the night, Lord Smolder. At least not ones we are expecting." Topaz reported. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked curiously looking at Wingston. "Well no pony else is sneaking Princesses into his Royal Chambers late at night these days." Wingston remarked. My mane flared as Topaz looked away hoping I wouldn't seem him smiling at Wingston's comment. "I'll be in my room." I said flatly. Several herds of Royal Flame Pony guards and soldiers stood at attention. Standing in formation, General Hearth presided over the Flame Ponies and ready to announce his news. Flare, Solar, Wisp, Ray, and Rainbow Dash stood off to the side, standing at attention as well. "I've gathered you here today in light of recent events. We have received word of a looming threat facing the Ashen Fields. An Orc with an army of Spiders has threatened to wipe us off the face of Equestria." General Hearth began standing before the regiment of Flame Ponies. There were some murmurs running through the ranks of the Flame Ponies but none of them seemed too nervous. General Hearth approached the front line of ponies, slowly pacing his way across them, looking straight ahead while continuing to address them. "Personally I find it rather stupid. The last Orc that tried it failed, I should know, I was there, kicking those spiders back into the holes they crawled out of. Nevertheless, with Prince Smolder's Coronation and every pony from here to Saddle Arabia is going to be in attendance. Security was already tight but now we're going to lock it down. I want every Captain to instruct those under his command to close any mining tunnel you come across and double your patrols." General Hearth commanded. Several Flame Ponies nodded their heads. "Most of us have dealt with Spiders and half of us have dealt with Cave Spiders. They're similar in that they are both ugly and like to bite. Their difference is their venom. A spider's venom puts you to sleep, and you wake up with a massive headache; if you haven't already been eaten. A cave spider's is a little different, it causes a pony to go into a frenzy, makes your blood boil, and makes you go feral for a while. You'll end up getting lost in the mines, trying to eat your own hoof, and once you regain your senses you'll be too tired to fight them off. Make sure your armor is reinforced, and checked out with Roman." General Hearth announced. A few Soldier Ponies took a quick look at their armor; determining whether or not it required some attention. "Let's just get through the next two days without incident. An incident free, spider-less, and Orc-less coronation. It will be our gift to Lord Smolder. " General Hearth said stopping at the last pony in line who nodded to him in agreement. With ever Soldier Pony seeming to be on the same page, General Hearth felt there was little left to be said. "Dismissed!" General Hearth said aloud. All the Royal Guard and Soldier ponies began speaking with one another, discussing their orders and what mines to prioritize first. Several ponies approached General Hearth to speak with him on certain issues they themselves were curious about before heading back to their respective duties. General Hearth headed back towards Rainbow Dash and the others; heaving a big sigh. "Nice speech, General. Short and to the point." Wisp said encouragingly. "There isn't much to say until something happens. The threat of spiders and an Orc doesn't resonate with these younger ponies as it would with ponies my age." General Hearth said solemnly. "What now, General?" Solar asked promptly. "Rest. You ponies have been on duty for nearly a whole day. Take the rest of the day off." General Hearth replied with a small smile. "Oh yeah! I'm heading straight to that new bakery." Wisp said, already walking away. "I could eat." Flare said mentioned following Wisp towards the Narrows. "What are you going to do?" Rainbow Dash asked looking at Solar. "Sleep." Solar said simply, nodding to Applejack, General Hearth and giving Ray a wink. Ray's mane flared as Solar passed by. Rainbow Dash took notice of this, as did General Hearth who looked at her with raised brows. Ray glanced over at them, realizing she has been found out and started to flush. "W-What are you looking at?" Ray asked innocently, trying to feign ignorance. "I guess things went better than expected down there in the mines?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously. "You wouldn't believe how many spiders there were, Rainbow Dash! I even got the jump on a couple of them!" Ray exclaimed in excitement to her. "You can tell us all about your adventure on the way home, Ray." General Hearth said motioning for them to follow him. "Home?" Ray asked looking surprised. "Your mother is beginning to worry. It would be best to have you come home for lunch and put her nerves at ease." General Hearth explained. "Can Rainbow Dash come?" Ray asked looking over at her. "That's up to Rainbow Dash." General Hearth replied. "A very wise pony once told me, 'Never pass on a free meal or the chance to try something new.' So let's eat." Rainbow Dash said much to the excitement of Ray. "This is going to be so awesome! I can't wait to tell you all about our adventure!" Ray exclaimed walking side by side with Rainbow Dash and General Hearth. Wisp and Flare strolled down the dirt path together, having been part of Rainbow Week, much of the buildings in the shopping district were new to them. Although the allure of the bakery made it that much more tempting by the irresistible smells it brought from further down the path. Unfortunately, as Flare and Wisp got closer to the bakery, they saw the line of Flame Ponies grow longer and longer. "Do you think we'll make it to the front of the line before we go on duty tomorrow?" Wisp asked leaning over to Flare. "It's not that bad, the line seems to moving at a steady pace." Flare said watching Flame Ponies walking into the bakery. Wisp and Flare got in line with the other Flame Ponies. Every pony spoke one another about what they wanted to try out this time, and offered their own personal favorites. "How's your arm?" Flare asked after a while. "My what?" Wisp asked, clearly not paying attention. "Your arm." Flare said jabbing him on the arm she was speaking of. "Well, it hurts now." Wisp mumbled rubbing his arm with his other hoof. "Don't be such a filly." Flare replied. "Well why ask how it is if you're not going to care?" Wisp asked looking confused. "I just asked how it is, I didn't say I cared." Flare replied watching the line move forward. "I don't know why you're still playing hard to get." Wisp mentioned. "I don't play hard to get!" Flare snapped glaring at him. "I've seen dragons with more subtly then you." Wisp stated with a grin. "I bet you've never even seen a dragon." Flare said glaring at him. "Of course I have, there's that little purple one that follows Wingston around." Wisp replied. "That's cheating!" Flare declared. "You didn't say it had to be a big dragon." Wisp said innocently grinning all the while. "Can I help you?" Ruby asked aloud. Wisp and Flare moved with the line and found themselves at the counter of Baking It Real; the Ashen Field's new bakery. Flare looked at the all the treats, pies, muffins, cupcakes, cakes, turnovers, scones and bread. "What's popular among Flame Ponies these days?" Wisp asked unsure of what he wanted. "The custard cream pie is a favorite for almost every pony." Ruby said pointing to two ponies outside. Flare and Wisp looked to see two Flame Ponies smashing two custard cream pies in each others faces before eating it off their own face. "I'll take one of those." Flare said immediately tossing a couple of bits on the counter. "Here you go." Ruby said sliding the pie to her. Flare whipped around and smashed it into Wisp's face. The tray slowly slid off, clanking to the floor as Flare smiled in victory. Wisp slowly licked his lips before wiping the cream away from his eyes. "I think I'd like to purchase one of those pies as well." Wisp said putting some more bits on the counter. "No! No he doesn't! He wants the apple turnovers." Flare said quickly pointing to them. "No, I REALLY want one of those pies." Wisp said again glaring at Flare who insisted he didn't. "Here…" Ruby said slowly sliding the pie to him. Flare took off in a flash as Wisp picked up the pie and bolted from the bakery after her. "Wisp! Don't you dare!" Flare shouted back at him. "Running will only make it worse!" Wisp shouted back. It took a lot of convincing but Flare was able to convince Wisp to hold off on hitting her with the pie. It took some feminine charm, a gentle exterior, and a kiss to seal the deal but Flare was spared. Sharing the intact custard pie between each other, Flare insisted on finding Wisp and herself something suitable to wear for the Coronation. Even though Wisp insisted that their armor would be enough, but he wouldn't mind seeing Flare in something more appealing then metal. "Here it is, Stitch Rose Shay." Flare said looking up at the sign. "How do you know about this place again?" Wisp asked looking puzzled. "It was the shop that Argo Fleece used to order all the cloaks for the Coronation." Flare said looking inside the shop window. "How do you know that?" Wisp asked looking even more puzzled. "My sister is his secretary." Flare mentioned. "You have a sister?" Wisp asked with a smile. Flare stared at him. Wisp quickly put his smile away and started to examine the pie tin very carefully. "Just come with me." Flare said pulling on Wisp's arm and bringing him into the shop. "Hi, welcome to Stitch Rose Shay, I'm the best so my names first. How can I help you?" Stitch asked aloud standing behind the counter. "Can I get a dress for the Coronation tomorrow and a suit for my…" Flare looked up at Wisp who, in turn, looked down at her. "…friend." Flare finished, her face turning red. "Sure, just let me get my minions to assist you." Stitch said walking to the backroom's door. Stitch pushed it open, sticking her head inside to shout something. She removed her head as Rarity, Rose and Crow filed out from the back room. "Welcome to Stitch Rose Shay." Rarity said cheerfully. "I already said that." Stitch said from behind the counter once more. "Are you the minions?" Wisp asked curiously. "Minions?" Rarity asked looking surprised. "Stitch! What have you been telling ponies?" Rose asked whipping her head towards her. "Nothing…" Stitch mumbled back away slowly. Rose made a dash for her as Stitch fled upstairs, Rose gave chase as Crow rolled his eyes. "Don't mind them, it's a sort of sisterly bonding kind of thing they are trying to work out. You said you wanted a dress and a suit for the Coronation tomorrow?" Rarity asked looking between the two of them. "Yes, please." Flare replied. "Excellent. I will let Crow take your measurements while I retrieve the other two." Rarity said heading behind the counter while Crow motioned for them to follow him into the back room. "P-P-Please stand here." Crow stated gesturing to the two platforms in front of them. "I've never done this before." Flare admitted getting onto the platform. "Alright, Crow, I'm a thirty-two length slim, thirty in the arms, I prefer vests over cummerbunds, and I like a three button suit." Wisp said, much to the surprise of Flare and Crow. Wisp noticed their astonished looks. "I take pride in the way I look." Wisp said flushing slightly. It would be another hour before the measurements were finished and the details of their clothing were finalized before taking their leave of Stitch Crow Shay. Wisp and Flare were told to come back the next morning to pick up their orders. The two of them made their way back to the Narrows where it was becoming evening. The Night Watch ponies were already relieving the guards from their duties by the time they got there. "Should I pick up the outfits tomorrow, or do you want to do it?" Wisp asked curiously. "We could pick them up together." Flare offered. "We could but I live all the way at the end of the Narrows, and I'm not really a morning pony." Wisp said cringing at the idea. "You could stay over at my place." Flare suggested, her mane sparking suddenly. Wisp's mane flared for a moment too. He had trouble looking over at her as he scratched the back of his head. "I wouldn't want to impose…" Wisp said slowly. "Suit yourself." Flare said. Wisp looked over to see Flare stepping away, the flames of her tail whipping him on the nose as she stepped inside her home; leaving the stone door slightly ajar. Wisp could feel his heart beginning to race, wondering if this was another one of her tricks. "Well it is a rather long walk to my house from here, and with the spiders it would be safer to crash at a friend's place." Wisp said aloud to himself. Wisp reached for the door, hoof hovering in front of it but unable to push it open. Hesitating, pulling his hoof back and then pushing it forward but not making any progress. The door opened suddenly as Flare reached out and grabbed his arm. "Just get in here." Flare said pulling him inside. I entered my Royal Chambers muttering to myself of all the things I could possibly include in my speech. Nothing was coming to mind and it was starting to bother me. Memorizing a few responses for the Coronation wasn't all that demanding but having to address every important pony in Equestria with a speech I wrote wasn't something I was looking forward to. "…welcome… back…" I glanced over at the mirror. "Thanks." I mumbled. "…you're still…stressed…" "I have to make a speech for in front of every pony tomorrow and I can't think of anything to say." I explained pacing around my room. "…lame…" "I know, right?" I replied. "…want… help…" "Wait, you're offering me help? You're not asking for it this time?" I asked curiously. "…yes… or no…" "Okay, okay. I'm game." I said going over to my dresser and retrieving a blank stone slate. "…do you… trust me…" I stopped short of the mirror. Usually any pony that starts off with these words doesn't really need to ask this unless whatever they were about to do involved something very dangerous. "That… depends." I said slowly. "…on what…" "Are you going to make me sleep for days on end again?" I asked suspiciously. "…no…" "Then what is it?" I asked. "…a memory…" "A memory?" I asked curiously. "…I will tap… into your past..." "Wait, you mean like what I've been doing with that rubbing?" I asked suddenly very interested. "…I tried to… show you… before…" I tried to think back to the day I woke up from my long sleep. I couldn't really remember what I was seeing, but the feeling of seeing something familiar was the only thing that seemed to stick whenever I started to space out. "Will I remember it?" I asked. "…yes…" "Why did you try and show it me before?" I asked curiously. "…to show you… the truth…" "The truth about what?" I asked starting to feel interested. "…of what your… family… did… to us…" My heart started to race. I wasn't very sure about what the entity in the mirror was going to show me but it didn't seem like it was anything good. Although, if I don't take this chance now, I might never know the truth and staring at the rubbing wasn't getting me anywhere but passing out. "Alright then." I said finally. "…good flame pony…" In that moment the world started to melt away, but the mirror remained. I watched as the twisted metal of the mirror started to etch out towards me. Taking hold of my hooves, and my legs before digging beneath my hide; darting its way up towards my head. The pain was unspeakable. Before I knew it, the metal had worked its way to my eyes and darkness took me. A storm of colored water poured down before me, it trickled like rain on the black canvas, droplets splashing upon the ground like puzzle pieces. Like the twinkling of starlight the darkness disappeared beneath the veil of color, the sound of a thousand wind chimes came clanging against my ears, thrusting me to and fro, my steps creating ripples in the water, changing the scenery, swirling the colors. The noise, the noise, there was no end to the noise. From the water the colors began to climb, reaching heights well above, like paint the colors began to fade leaving not but the dry cracked flakes that fluttered away in a breeze that took the chimes further from my ears. Colorless splotches of the once rich water hung in the air, a rain once more came pouring from above, washing away the stains from my sight, revealing to me the darkness that still lingered behind it. "Your Majesty!" A voice called out to me. I turned to see blackness. "The storm is coming!" Slowly the figure of a pony revealed itself to me through the rain. My eyes were drawn forward, the portal opened once more revealing the creatures that stood upon their hind legs, the storm in the darkness raging in the distance, and the Castle collapsing at its fury. These creatures running in fear, I could feel their gaze fixed on me, crying for help. "Lord Smoke!" My wings fanned opened, the flames leaped from my wings, the fire reaching two obelisks on the ground below. The obelisk's markings began to glow a brilliant green, the cries of these creatures were elevated; their fear resonated with me. The storm billowed towards the portal, consuming the creatures as it passed, with the wave of my wings the portal began to close. Cries of terror filled the air, soon muffled by the roar of the storm, and silence fell with closure of the portal. A heavy feeling was left in my heart, a pain so weighted that it lowered my head. On the ground I saw a metal chisel, mounds of dirt and rock at my hooves. Lifting my gaze I saw the etching in the dungeon before me, sorrow filled my heart as the light of my flames slowly drifted away bringing me into darkness once more. I found myself standing at the Summit, every pony eyes were on me, there was cheering to be had. I felt myself smiling but my heart hung heavy. The cries of 'hero' and 'savior' rose above the applause but I knew deep down that I was a 'coward' and a 'murderer'. The Summit swirled, the colors began to blend, slowly the world's rotation came to a stop and I stood before the Void Mirror; unbroken. "Help us." I could see two yellow eyes, two small hands pressed against the glass on the other side. It was so small, the same markings upon the obelisks were apparent on her arms. "I'm sorry, Mira." I shook my head and walked away from it. Leaving the mirror and the creature in the darkness of the dungeon, I could feel my heart growing very heavy as the stone door slid shut and our problems were finally put to rest. The world around me disappeared once again. My Royal Chambers came back into view. I blinked several times to adjust to it, looking down at my hooves and legs to see if the metal had actually dug into me but I was free of injury. My heart was throbbing with sadness as I stared at the twisted mirror, where this creature still waited; asking for help. "Those Obelisks…" I started to say, breathing rather hoarsely. "…a portal to… our world…" "My… Lord Smoke…" I said through breaths. "…trapped us… with the storm…there are… so few of… us now…" I was trying to catch my breath, hundreds of questions were still running through my mind but I couldn't seem to pick the right ones to ask; even if I did, I couldn't get them out. "Mira? That's your name isn't it?" I asked. "…yes…" "I… I don't…" I mumbled, unable to find the words. "…we're so few now…" "Why do you need my help?" I asked finally. "…you are the last… in the line… of Kings…" I swallowed hard at its words. "…only your fire… can open the portal…" "I cannot let the Void into Equestria." I said shaking my head, realizing what she wanted from me. "…will you… abandon us… like Smoke… did…" I closed my eyes for moment. From an assassin's attack, to an Orc with an army of Spiders, to a race of beings trapped in the Void because of my ancestor; I was really not looking forward to what tomorrow had in store.