The doors of the Throne Room slid open. Much to my surprise, every pony I had left earlier was still present. What had felt like several hours viewing the past with the Mira must have been just minutes in actuality. Which made all of their surprised looks more understandable; seeing as my sudden storm out was met with me returning almost immediately after. Princess Sapphire and Tea joined me in entering the Throne Room, Tea was very much nervous about being around such important ponies but Sapphire was kind enough to chaperone her.
"Smolder? We weren't expecting you to be back so quickly." Lady Frost mentioned looking quite surprised.
"Had enough time to cool off?" The Duke asked folding his arms.
"There is an old Flame Pony legend that spoke of the Great Dragon Char breathing life into the ponies trapped in volcanic glass after the catastrophic blast of the volcano countless years ago." I announced, ignoring the Duke for now. "Some ponies believe it to be a myth, while other ponies believe it to be true."
"There isn't any record of our beginnings that span back any further then the Exile of the Dragons. All the Flame Ponies had before Lord Smoke was word of mouth. The Great Dragon Char story was only substantiated by Castle Char itself, having not only its name but old stone carvings of the dragon chiseled into some of its stones." Alex Papyrus added.
"What has that got to do with anything?" The Duke asked.
"The Orc has found the Great Dragon Char deep within the mountain and is planning on using it against us." I replied, picking up the crown off the throne and putting it back on my head.
There was an awkward silence that hung in the room. There was mostly baffled looks, but Princess Celestia, Lady Frost, and Lord Tundra wore very serious looks.
"My Lord, the Great Dragon Char, if it had every existed, was said to have tunneled deep into the core of Equestria to drink from its magma pools for the rest of eternity." Alex said looking very unconvinced.
"I have seen it. The Orc used the stolen Obelisk from the North to pierce the dragon's hide and infect it with cave spider venom. I have to conclude that the attack by this Orc was not random but a means to weaken our Kingdom to leave us unprepared for the frenzy this dragon is about to unleash." I said climbing up onto the throne.
"How big a dragon are we talking about here?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"The Great Dragon Char was said to be as large as mountains, fangs as hard as diamond, claws as big as boulders, and a wingspan that could stretch for miles." Alex replied looking very worried.
"Giant lizards don't scare Yaks!" Prince Rutherford declared.
"It's fire was said to burn so hot that it its breath alone could melt stone." Alex added.
"Yaks are moderately concerned!" Prince Rutherford declared.
"Where did you see this, Smolder?" Princess Celestia asked.
"My magic showed me a memory of my father's past." I replied.
"So the King's having visions now?" The Duke asked looking unconvinced.
"Smolder's been having these episodes all week, Princess Sapphire says it's his dormant magic reacting to certain items or pictures he comes in contact with." Twilight Sparkle explained.
"What did you come in contact with this time?" Princess Luna asked curiously.
"It was the gold coin left in Mr. Fleece's office by the Orc. It bore the picture of my father, a coin not used in our treasury." I stated.
"The Orc left a gold coin hoping that you'd figure out his master plan?" The Duke asked still not convinced.
"I believe he was trying to taunt me. Believing that no pony knew the secret my father kept that drove him to madness." I replied perking even the Duke's interest.
"What secret?" Fluttershy asked in a hushed tone.
"The Great Dragon Char threatened to destroy the Ashen Fields during the reign of my father out of revenge for the uprising the Flame Ponies had against its fellow dragons. My father made a deal with Char, promising it a wealth of gold to sate it's appetite for revenge with greed. With the fear of the dragon going back on its word, my father kept the armies of the Ashen Fields at the ready, and sought to solve this problem himself without the aid of friends… or family." I explained.
"So he burned the Dark Marsh, attacked the settlements up North, and terrorized his own Kingdom out of the goodness of his heart?" The Duke asked sarcastically.
"My father was powerless to stop the Great Dragon Char, forced to bow to the Dragon's will, I cannot condone his actions, but I know that, in his own way, was trying to protect every pony. Only his anger and hate for the dragon consumed him; feeding his fire." I continued.
"Making him stronger." Princess Celestia said thinking about it.
"He let his anger and hate dig too deep, he lost himself in search of a power capable of handling the dragon. By the time my father was able to overpower the Great Dragon Char on his own, he was already consumed by madness and planned to use the dragon himself against Equestria." I said.
"Leading to the war." Lady Frost said.
"That doesn't excuse your father of any of his wrongs doings." The Duke mentioned.
"My father made several mistakes in his life. The most costly one was not turning to his friends and allies when he had the chance." I explained looking at every pony. "I don't plan on making the same."
I could see some smiles from several ponies, realizing that I wasn't going to be turning any pony away. The Duke even smiled himself, nodding at the decision I had come to.
"So what do need from us, King?" The Duke asked.
Alex Papyrus and Twilight Sparkle were searching through old stone chests down in the dungeon. Twilight was carefully flipping through old stone slates, while Alex Papyrus was quickly glancing over each one before moving on to the next slate. An hour prior to their searching, Smolder had asked Alex if there were any old slates that depicted the design of his father's old armor, or the armor itself for that matter. Alex had informed him that the armor was lost to the Void along with his father, but the plans for it were most likely still in their keep. Having been asked to find it, Alex sought the help of Twilight in searching for it.
"Alex!" Twilight shouted.
"What? Did you find the slate?" Alex asked in surprise.
"Did you know that the Ashen Fields used to have hot springs? Primarily for visiting ponies to relax and rest after their trips?" Twilight asked sounding very excited about this bit of trivia.
"Twilight, we're supposed to be looking for that schematic." Alex implored her, rummaging through yet another chest.
"Right, sorry, I just can't believe some of the things that are just sitting down here waiting to be rediscovered." Twilight said apologetically, picking up another slate.
"We can document these finding later, this is the first Royal task the King has given me and I'm already an hour behind." Alex said almost frantically.
"It's only been an hour. What were you planning to do, just magically conjure up the slate in an instant?" Twilight asked sarcastically.
"Do you have a spell for that?" Alex asked curiously, if not seriously.
"No." Twilight said flatly.
"The search continues." Alex said with his head in a stone box.
Twilight rolled her eyes. Looking down at the slate in her hooves, a charcoal drawing depicted a hot air balloon being solely powered by a Flame Pony's fire.
"Alex, did you know that Flame Ponies used to fly hot air balloons? With their own fire?" Twilight asked excitedly holding it up to him, already forgetting Alex's request.
"Twilight!" Alex shouted in disbelief.
"Sorry, sorry!" Twilight mumbled, almost pouting.
Twilight picked up the next tablet in the stack. To Twilight's delight, it was none other than the schematics Alex had been so desperately searching for. Remembering Alex's rather rude tone about her awesome discoveries, Twilight decided to deliver this personally to Smolder and rob Alex of his desire to make a good first impression. Quietly getting to her hooves, Twilight started heading towards the door, doing her best to not draw any attention to herself.
"Twilight, have you checked any of these chests ye-Twilight? Twilight?" Alex asked, having looked over towards where he thought she was sitting and looking around the room for her.
Having spied her very near the threshold of the door, he saw a slate under her arm and raised a brow curiously at her.
"What's that?" Alex asked accusingly.
"This? Oh nothing, just… uh… hot air balloon." Twilight said looking very guilty.
"Where are you going? That's the slate isn't it?" Alex asked, pointing his hoof at her; seeing right through her fibs.
"I'm going to tell Smolder I found it all by myself, and you couldn't be bothered to look!" Twilight shouted teasingly, sprinting out into the corridor.
"You wouldn't dare! Twilight? Twilight!" Alex shouted nervously, chasing after her.
Rarity was slowly knocking her head against the counter of Stitch Rose Shay. Stitch watched with concern. She knew Rarity was upset over the failed confession between Crow and Rose due to the unexpected Orc attack, cutting the evening short, but didn't quite know how to lighten her spirits.
"There's always next time." Stitch said trying to put on a convincing smile.
"I simply despise that Orc, ruining so many lives in a single night." Rarity mumbled, sounding extremely depressed.
A small chime above the door rang. Rose had entered the shop, stopping short after witnessing Rarity slowly knock her head against the counter again and again. Glancing at Stitch at what might be the cause; Stitch shrugged her shoulders feigning ignorance, which had Rose approaching Rarity herself to speak with her.
"Rarity?" Rose asked looking awkwardly at her.
"Yes, dear?" Rarity asked, letting her face just lay upon the counter.
"Shouldn't we be doing whatever the King asked you to do?" Rose asked curiously.
"I already did it dear, he asked me to send Crow to him. That was it." Rarity mumbled.
"That's it? Just Crow?" Rose asked looking puzzled.
"I'm afraid so." Rarity replied sadly.
"What's wrong with you?" Rose asked, unable to figure out why her mood was so depressed.
Before Rarity could come up with an excuse the small chime above the door rang once more drawing all their attention. It was Crow returning from Castle Char with a slate under his arm.
"Hello Crow darling, what have you got there?" Rarity asked, greeting him and motioning towards the slate.
"The King c-c-c-called for m-m-m-me, he said that w-w-we needed to d-d-de-de-" Crow struggled to get that word out.
"Date?" Stitch offered aloud.
"No." Crow replied quickly.
"Design?" Rose offered her own word.
"Yes! De-de-design him n-n-n-new armor." Crow stammered placing an old slate on the counter for Rarity and all to see.
"This looks more like schematics then an actual fashion design, dear." Rarity said looking quite puzzled by it.
"The K-K-K-King said he n-n-n-needed… our help." Crow said trying to sound confident.
"This schematic is for a rather tall and broad pony, this is way too big for our pint sized King." Rose remarked looking at it more closely.
"He n-n-n-needs it for the b-b-ba-battle against the… Orc." Crow stammered.
"So he just needs us to make some adjustments to the design so some other pony can make it, right?" Stitch asked curiously.
"Right." Crow said with a nod.
"Well it wouldn't be all that hard, considering that we already have his measurements. We could improve some of the armor placing to allow better movement, a lot of these designs are years old; we could make this almost a hundred times better." Rose remarked, already scratching out a few designs of her own.
"Anything to keep Smolder safe; let's try to get this off to the proper ponies as soon as possible." Rarity said clapping her hooves together.
"I'll research some of the metal the Metal Forge ponies have readily available; maybe we can make it lighter without making it too much weaker." Rose said, giving herself a task.
"If we're going to use lighter metal I'll try to incorporate some of our fire resistant material to it, to keep the armor from melting away." Stitch said excitedly.
"I guess that leaves you with the design then Crow." Rarity said with a smile.
"I was h-h-h-hoping you could… do that, R-R-Rarity." Crow said slowly.
"Me?" Rarity asked looking a bit surprised.
"Lord Sm-Sm-Smolder asked me to de-de-de…design… som-something... sp-sp-specific." Crow managed to get the words out. "Be-Besides, you know him b-b-better than any of us."
"Well, I have spent more time with him…" Rarity muttered.
This was something that Smolder was going to wear into battle; it needed to be perfect in both its design and protection. Rarity had never design anything that was going to be used in such an event, and felt that this was just out of her realm to accomplish. Glancing up, Rarity saw Crow smiling encouragingly at her. Rarity smiled back, knowing how far each of her students had come since meeting them and how uncomfortable a lot of it was for them; especially Crow.
"It will be magnificent." Rarity said confidently, taking the slate in her arms.
Pinkie Pie was bouncing down the Main Hall, heading towards Argo Fleece's office. Having been asked by Smolder to siphon what was left of the unused fireworks and make more; except this time with a bigger boom. She was told to speak with Ms. Gleam Fizzle, Argo's secretary for a slate citing her permission to gather the necessary ingredients from the Flame Ponies who sold them and be compensated by the Kingdom. Bounding through the door, Ms. Gleam looked rather busy trying to organize several stacks of thin looking slates, while Specialist Peanut was assisting her by filing the ones she had finished.
"Good morning!" Pinkie Pie said cheerfully.
"Hi, Pinkie." Gleam said with a tired smile, looking up briefly from the slate in her hoof.
"You look really busy today." Pinkie Pie remarked, looking very surprised by the workload.
"It's been really busy this morning, several requests for press passes, a bunch of complaints from some ponies named Flim and Flam, notices of damaged property, litter, reports coming in, reports coming out, and it's payday." Gleam said just touching on the issues she was currently dealing with.
"You get paid on a Saturday?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.
"We were supposed to get paid yesterday but with the Coronation going on, every pony was okay with moving it up a day and getting some overtime." Gleam explained.
Peanut came up next to her, taking a pile of slates from her desk and heading back to the cabinets lined against the wall.
"You got your own secretary too?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.
"What? No, this is Charles, he was kind enough to offer me some help." Gleam mumbled, flushing slightly.
"You can call me Peanut." Peanut said aloud, filing the slates.
"I love peanuts!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
"Was there something I could help you with Pinkie?" Gleam asked curiously, taking another slate.
"Yes! King Sparky said that I need a special little slate that said I could make all the fireworks I wanted and that the castle would pay for it. It's like a dream come true." Pinkie Pie said starry eyed.
"I'm sure Ms. Fleece will be able to help you with that, you can go right in." Gleam said, pointing her to the door down the corridor.
"Ms. Fleece?" Pinkie Pie asked looking surprised.
"Argo's daughter Goldie has offered to help out while her Dad's in hospital." Gleam said, sounding sympathetic.
"How is he doing?" Pinkie Pie asked, sounding rather sad.
"She says he's doing better but he'll be laid up for a few weeks." Gleam replied.
Pinkie Pie walked down the corridor, the door was ajar. Peeking in, Pinkie Pie could see Goldie sitting behind his desk, sobbing quietly to herself. Pinkie's want to console her was being beaten out by her not wanting to surprise her, stepping in place, Pinkie quickly knocked on the door.
"Goldie? Can I come in?" Pinkie Pie asked, hearing a small scuffle from inside and a sharp sniff.
"Yes! Please come in." Goldie said out loud, trying to pretend like she was busy.
Pinkie Pie stepped in, all smiles, seeing Goldie holding a slate in her hoof and biting her bottom lip. Looking up, Goldie did her best to smile back and put the slate down.
"What can I do for you, Pinkie?" Goldie asked, her voice still trembling a bit.
"King Sparky said I needed a slate to gather up some stuff to make fireworks." Pinkie Pie said.
"Yeah, sure, no problem." Goldie said quickly, taking a clean slate and started to write on it with charcoal; sniffling while she wrote.
"You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Dad's got this… um…" Goldie mumbled, reaching for a drawer. "Picture of… us…"
Goldie retrieved a very polished piece of volcanic rock, holding it out to Pinkie Pie; she took it and saw a thin sheet of crystal lying atop it. In the center was an old photograph of a very young Argo and Helena, coddling a small filly.
"The drawer was locked, took forever to find the key." Goldie muttered, beginning to write again. "He wanted me to see it."
"He's smiling in this picture!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, pointing at it.
"Yeah! I know, right?" Goldie remarked with a sudden laugh.
"Mom always used to talk to poorly of him, whenever I asked about him she'd say 'he was dork' or 'the single most thick headed pony you'd ever meet', but sometimes when she was sad or lonely, she'd say something nice about him." Goldie mumbled, sniffling again.
"Like what?" Pinkie Pie asked, setting down the picture on the desk.
"She'd say something like 'your Dad used to write me love letters' or 'your Dad used to sing to you to help you fall asleep.' Just things like that." Goldie said, taking an iron seal from the drawer and holding in her hoof so it heated up.
"Your Dad's going to be okay though, right?" Pinkie Pie asked nervously.
"Yeah, he's got mom with him now and he's got me too." Goldie said with a smile, pressing the iron seal against the slate with a hiss.
"One royal decree, all set and ready to go." Goldie said sliding it to Pinkie.
"Hey, you're not too shabby at this. You don't even roll your eyes when I ask for stuff either." Pinkie Pie remarked taking the slate.
"I could yell at you if you'd like." Goldie said jokingly.
"No thanks! I got to get these fireworks ready!" Pinkie Pie said giving her a wave heading towards the door.
The door swung in, just missing Pinkie Pie as Private First Class Cosmic came stumbling in holding a tray of drinks and snacks. Flushing slightly at the sight of Pinkie Pie, Cosmic tried to straighten up and look presentable as a Royal Guard of Canterlot.
"Ms. Uh… Fleece said she was hungry, so I went and got her something." Cosmic said, trying to explain himself.
"Whatever you say, Romeo. " Pinkie Pie remarked passing him by, watching him turn very red.
I stood at the Main Doors of Castle Char, saying goodbye to Princess Sheva, Duke Wellington, and Prince Rutherford. The cloaks used during the Coronation were meant to be kept by the guests at its end, to ensure that any future encounter with a Flame Pony would be less of a hassle. Although Prince Rutherford still referred to it as a blanket.
"I wish there was more that we could do, instead of just leaving things to you." Princess Sheva lamented her agreement of returning home.
"Canterlot and the Crystal Empire will be more than enough to handle this Orc and its dragon." I reassured her.
"Yaks regret not bringing more Yaks!" Prince Rutherford declared loudly.
"There's nothing to be done about it, we've all had our say and it's time to let the King handle things his way." The Duke said, sort of finalizing every pony's thought on the matter.
"Best of luck to you, young King, a speedy recovery I hope the Savannah Sun will bring." Princess Sheva said nodding her head to me.
"Yak's will want to hear story of how Fire Pony stomped the small ugly Orc!" Prince Rutherford declared jabbing me in the arm for luck.
"Of course and thank you." I said.
The Main Doors of Castle Char slid open. Reporter ponies had been moved back from the front of Castle Char considerably to allow the chariots to move in and pick up their passengers. Princess Sheva was first to board her chariot, the reporter ponies calling to her asking for a statement but she gave none. Prince Rutherford's chariot came next, and when asked to give a statement Prince Rutherford screamed 'I enjoyed my stay' so loud that it blew the notepads out of several reporter ponies hooves.
"You know I'll deny it if you ever breathe a word of this to any pony, but I admired your father; before he went mad." The Duke said to me watching his chariot roll up.
"Really?" I asked in surprise.
"When his own ponies lost faith in his ability to rule, your father took it as a sign to better himself. Never blamed any pony, never complained about the struggles, he just buckled down and did what had to be done. He effectively dismantled his Kingdom, built it back up, and all during a war with the Last Orc." The Duke explained to me. "There weren't too many good things your father left behind, but I consider you to be the best of it."
"Thank you, Duke." I said with a smile.
"All the best, kid." Duke said giving me a pat on the shoulder before heading towards his chariot.
The Main Doors of Castle Char began to slide close while I watched the Duke laugh out loud at reporter ponies try to get a statement out of him. The doors closed and I stood thinking about my father. Wondering what life would have been like if he had asked for help sooner against the dragon. Imagining a green Ashen Field, my mother and father happily ruling side by side, and my brothers being the ones having to deal with important ponies while being coaxed into arranged marriages. I felt my heart waver at the thought of them, closing my eyes and trying to remember their faces. Silhouettes were all I could manage, flames flickering, but no other details.
"Smolder?" Princess Sapphire voice came from behind me.
I turned to see her looking at me carefully, probably wondering if I was having another vision.
"What's up?" I asked.
"My parents have decided to stay and support you in this fight in any way they can." Sapphire said with a reassuring smile.
"Sapphire I can't-" I started to politely refuse their offer but Sapphire interrupted me.
"I'm also staying so before you start trying to convince them to leave you'll have start with me. In case you're wondering, I won't." Sapphire said promptly and definitively.
"I guess being King doesn't matter?" I asked jokingly.
"Not when you're talking with other Kings and Queens and a Princess who wants her Obelisk back." Sapphire remarked.
"Speaking of which, are Rainbow Dash's recruits in the Throne Room yet?" I asked curiously.
"They are indeed, just like you requested." Sapphire said nodding her head.
"I need to stop by Argo's office and find the information pertaining to their skills and abilities. It's a bit soon but we need a Leader for the Royal Air Force, and it has to be today." I mentioned strolling towards Argo's Office with Sapphire by my side.
"How long have they been training?" Sapphire asked curiously.
"About a week." I replied.
"A week?" Sapphire asked, not looking at all sold on the idea.
"Believe me, Rainbow Dash is one hay of coach." I said remembering the training regime I was under leading up to my race with Hotshot McFlash.
Entering the doors I was delighted to see Cosmic and Peanut on the other side, but was surprised to see them working. Ms. Fizzle was hard at work while Ms. Fleece was giving her instructions, all heads turned towards Sapphire and myself as we entered.
"Hey, Smolder." Cosmic said with a wave.
"Hey guys." I said striding up to the desk.
"Your Royal Ponies get paid way more than we do." Cosmic mentioned.
"What?" I asked looking confused.
"Here." Goldie said passing a stack of slates to Cosmic who nearly collapsed under the weight. "Go file these." She seemed rather nervous as she turned to face me.
"Lord Smolder, I'm Golden Fleece, Argo's daughter, we haven't had a chance to meet yet but I just want to say that what you're doing an amazing job helping the Ashen Fields get back on its hooves." Goldie said shaking my hoof.
"Thanks?" I asked looking a bit confused at this sudden compliment.
"We're here to get the reports on the recruits eligible for Leader of the Royal Air Force." Sapphire said to Gleam behind the counter.
"You're going to pick a leader today?" Gleam exclaimed in shock.
Every pony looked her way as her mane flared, looking extremely embarrassed by her outburst.
"Ms. Fizzle has an older sister who is one of the candidates for the position." I mentioned to Sapphire.
"Just one moment, Lord Smolder, I remember going over that slate in my office." Goldie remarked hurrying off to go get it.
"Your office?" I asked curiously.
"I-I-I mean my father's office, of course, I was just using it, and uh… yeah… um… one sec." Goldie mumbled looking slightly embarrassed.
"Goldie self-appointed herself as the new Treasurer, is taking over for her Dad until he's well enough to come back." Cosmic mentioned to me, leaning over the counter in a hush voice.
"She's almost as good as Mr. Fleece, but she didn't ask you for permission yet, so she's trying to make a good impression." Gleam added in a whisper.
"I like her initiative." Sapphire remarked.
Goldie came back, carrying a slate with her and looking slightly flustered.
"Lord Smolder, I know I've only just arrived and we've only just met but I've had years of experience doing-" Goldie began to make her case.
"Ms. Fleece, would you accompany me and Princess Sapphire to the Throne Room, seeing as you are already familiar with the material as it is?" I asked, cutting her off.
"O-O-Of course! Let me just get the slate you'll need when you address the Soldier and Royal Ponies later today about the battle tomorrow." Goldie said hurrying off to get another slate.
"How did she know about the battle?" I asked looking surprised.
"Nightshade came by to tell us." Peanut remarked.
"Well how did this Nightshade know?" Sapphire asked curiously.
"Because Shining Armor told him." Cosmic replied.
"Why would Nightshade tell Ms. Fleece?" I asked still not putting two and two together.
"Shining Armor told Nightshade, Nightshade told Charles, Charles told Cosmic and to impress Goldie Cosmic told her." Gleam explained, while I raised an eyebrow at her.
"Wait, who's Charles?" I asked.
"I'm Charles." Peanut said.
"Your name is Charles? Then what's Cosmic's name?" I asked in disbelief.
"Don't you dare Peanut!" Cosmic shouted pointing his hoof at him.
"Well, why did you tell Goldie?" I asked.
"I was- I didn't- she just- I wouldn't-" Cosmic stammered looking very guilty.
Luckily, Goldie raced back from her office holding the slates in her arms. Nodding her ready to get going, I looked accusingly at Cosmic who started to flush in front of her. Deciding to let it go for now I motioned for Goldie to follow as Sapphire and I headed towards the door.
"His name is Bob!" Peanut shouted to me, with a loud gasp of betrayal from Cosmic.
"Ha!" Shouted in a laugh as I walked through the door.