//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Reckless Endeavors // Story: The Phoenix King // by Turtlehaus //------------------------------// Chamomile Tea sat within her living room reading this month's issue of 'Better Stables and Gardens', when the sharp ring of her timer broke the silence. Entering her kitchen, Chamomile retrieved her oven mitts, sniffing the air with joyous anticipation of the raspberry tarts she had been preparing for Tea and her friends. Opening the oven, Chamomile pulled out the tray to see her picture perfect raspberry tarts a soft golden brown. Beaming at her own craft, Chamomile slid them off the tray onto a platter before tossing the tray into the sink and sprinkling the lightest layer of powdered sugar over them. Satisfied with its presentation, Chamomile took the platter and headed towards Tea's room. Reaching the outside of her door, Chamomile gave it two swift knocks before turning the knob and opening the door. "Tea, honey, I baked some raspberry-" Chamomile began stepping into the room. "For the Great Dragon Char had toppled the summits of the Western Mountains! Cleaving its claws through the very heart of the Ashen Fields and subjecting the land to its earth shattering roar!" Princess Sapphire bellowed. Tea's entire room had become a winter wonderland. Frost had caked much the room, all except for Tea's lantern that sat upon the table, free of ice, and still burning. A small ice sculpture of Castle Char sat near the door with hundreds of tinier ice figurines depicting ponies and spiders. Florence Gale and Christie Chapel were standing upon the bed, holding small ice figurines depicting Princess Celestia, Princess Cadance, Princess Luna, and Lord Tundra as they seemed to marionette their movements to the story. Tea was holding onto a pony sized, ice sculpted, dragon that seemed to have a great amount of detail carved into it. Princess Sapphire herself stood upon the chair, her horn brimming with magic as the figurines moved about the floor to coincide with her words. Chamomile stood wide eyed as the four mares took notice of her presence. "Oh, hey Mom." Tea said, nonchalantly. "Hi… honey…" Chamomile replied; her eyes still scanning the room. "Hi Mrs. Tea." Florence and Chapel said together. "What are… you girls… doing?" Chamomile asked slowly. "Princess Sapphire is telling the story of the battle that took place in the Ashen Fields last week." Tea explained to her. "O… kay." Chamomile said, scooping up a hoof full of snow off the carpet. "You have nothing to worry about, Mrs. Tea, my magic will have the room back to its original state with no trace of property damage." Princess Sapphire remarked. "As long as you girls are having… fun." Chamomile said stepping into the room. "I baked you some raspberry tarts." "Thanks Mom." Tea said taking the platter. "Thanks Mrs. Tea." Chapel and Florence said together. Chamomile was careful not to step on any of the smaller ice sculptors surrounding the castle as she headed back towards the door. All four mares seemed to be having a good time, which made Chamomile feel good, but still a bit uneasy at the amount of snow in the room; what would the down stairs neighbors be thinking she wondered. With a smile, Chamomile closed the door, hearing Princess Sapphire start up once more with her epic story. "With its mighty roar, every pony and spider scattered from the fields! Its primal urges boiling over, its greed brimming at its eyes, the Great Dragon Char leaped onto the Ashen Fields!" Princess Sapphire shouted dramatically raising her arms into the air. There was a pause that followed. Florence, Chapel, and Tea were very riveted by the story and the way Sapphire told it; nibbling on the raspberry tarts all the while. Princess Sapphire looked at the three of them expectantly, before realizing that none were catching her drift. "Tea… you're supposed to move the dragon." Princess Sapphire whispered to her. "Oh! Right!" Tea said quickly, realizing her part. Tea picked up the dragon, with some degree of difficulty, before dropping closer to the ice sculpture of Castle Char. The loud thump that followed shook the room, if not the whole apartment. "Tea?" Chamomile's voice drifted from down the hall. "It's nothing Mom!" Tea shouted back quickly. "Thus! The Great Dragon Char had turned the ground asunder! The explosive force of its landing through pony and spider alike through the air! I, myself, was thrown off my hooves during my battle with the Orc and slammed against the back wall of Castle Char." Princess Sapphire exclaimed. The magic from her horn had scattered the ice figurines of ponies and spiders all about the room. Taking special care to move her own depicted figurine to the wall where she covered it with bits of snow to create the illusion of debris. Florence and Chapel had gotten off the bed to get closer to the castle, the small ice figurines still in their hooves as they waited anxiously for what was to come next. "Could I have a tart?" Princess Sapphire asked curiously, noticing the platter. "Sure." Tea said passing her the platter. "We'll be having a short intermission." Princess Sapphire announced, taking a tart and quickly beginning to feast upon it. "No! We have to know what happens next!" Chapel shouted in protest. "I saw your little ice sculpture get moved over here! You're right in front of that dragon!" Florence pointed out, anxious to hear more. "I… told you… it's an… intermission." Princess Sapphire said through bits of chewing. "This is where Smolder does something stupid, isn't it?" Tea asked, having noticed the small Smolder sculpture peeking out from the back door of the castle. "Tea! Don't spoil it!" Chapel hissed at her. "Yeah! Let Sapphire tell the story!" Florence insisted. "Has Smolder done reckless things in the past?" Sapphire asked curiously. "I've lost count of how many times he's down something stupid." Tea replied, sounding annoyed. Mira led me further into the cave she called her home. Each step took us deeper underground, twisting and winding its way into the darkness. Mira's blue stardust like hair, her markings, and my flames was all the light we had to go by. Having promised to teach me how to use my magic, for the purposes of destroying the one called Null, Mira got tired of trying to slap my horn out of my head and decided to on the next best thing. "Where are we going?" I asked, hearing my own voice echo in the darkness. "To a place where I think we can get your horn to come out." Mira replied, looking over her shoulder. Mira had elected not to go into detail about the being called Null, other than that I was brought here to destroy it and the Storm; which we ponies had named the Void. To do so, I needed to become stronger, which meant controlling my magic, and that meant getting my horn. "Which is?" I asked, hoping for more details. "The final resting place of my Eternal Master." Mira stated calmly. "Eternal what?" I asked, sounding more confused than surprised. "She gave me life. She gave all of us in the Kingdom of Naught life. She was my creator." Mira stated, in a matter of fact tone. "Your creator?" I asked. "Like a mother?" "You can call it that if it's easier for you, she never played favorites." Mira explained. "In fact, she never spent time with any of us." "There are more of you? I mean... others that look like you?" I asked, trying not to sound offensive. "There were… not anymore." Mira said bitterly. I could tell that I had brought up something quite painful to her. My curiosity wanted me to find out more, but I knew that losing someone close to was not a subject to dig into when the individual buried it deep down in their heart. I walked in silence. Mira glanced over her shoulder after a while to look at me. "We're almost there." Mira said. My flames illuminated a narrow path the led out into an expanse that was devoid of anything but darkness. Mira continued to float on, I followed her into the black abyss, not so much worried of falling, due to my wings, but losing sight of the path and being lost in this darkness. Eventually the path was cut short, dropping off into the abyss. "This is it." Mira remarked, turning to me. "What is it?" I asked curiously. I approached the edge of the path, taking a look over the edge and saw nothing but more darkness. Even with my flames the darkness seemed overpowering, it almost made me uncomfortable not being able to see anything in the blackness. My anxiety quickly disappeared when I felt Mira drop on my back, her heels kicking into my sides. Glancing over my shoulder I saw Mira smiling back at me, pointing down into the abyss. "Mush!" Mira exclaimed, almost too pleased with herself. "Mush?" I asked in disbelief. "Jump or whatever! Get us down there." Mira stated, kicking her heels into my side a few times trying to get me to move. "Seriously? Are you being serious right now?" I asked. "You're not afraid of the dark are you?" Mira asked, sounding annoyed. "I meant with you kicking me." I stated. "I can slap you instead." Mira offered. "Point taken." I said with a sigh. Flaring out my wings, I gave them a few flaps to stretch them out before taking a deep breath. Leaning forward I dropped off the ledge; the passing wind caught my wings and started to glide me down into the darkness. After a few moments, I started to wonder just how deep the abyss really was. Soon it was merely a black back drop of Mira and myself falling endlessly. "How are we going to get back?" I asked after a while. "You've got wings, don't you?" Mira asked sarcastically. I frowned at her sarcasm. We slowly drifted further down into the blackness. I just told myself that Mira wouldn't go through the trouble of bringing me here if she didn't have a plan to get us out. "What happened to the Orc?" Mira asked all of a sudden. "The Orc?" I asked, surprised by her question. "Did you kill it?" Mira asked curiously. "No, I didn't." I replied. "You let it go?" Mira asked in surprise. "Well, no, the Great Dragon Char took care of it." I mentioned thinking back on it. "It ate him?" Mira asked in some weird delight at the idea. "No, no, it just torched him with its fire. The Orc must have passed almost instantly." I explained to her. "So you couldn't go through with it after all?" Mira asked. "The Orc was no longer a threat. I didn't need to take it any further than that." I said. "But you wanted to, didn't you?" Mira whispered in my ear. I didn't reply to Mira. The Orc ultimately met his end, just not at my hooves, and that should have been enough for me. Thinking back on it, I kept wondering why I didn't just finish, why I hesitated, and I always had the same answer to these questions. I didn't want to be my father. "We're here." Mira said aloud, kicking her heels into my sides to gain my attention. I looked down to see that Mira was pointing to a small patch of black sand that was just barely illuminated by my flames several feet below us. We drifted to the ground; nothing else became illuminated by my flames, just this sea of black sand that waited beneath us. Touching down, I felt the sand give beneath my hooves, my flames crackling underhoof, while Mira slid off my back and floated in front of me staring off into the blackness. "Where are we?" I asked. "This is Azimuth's Tomb." Mira said quietly. "Tomb?" I asked in surprise. I felt Mira slap me across the face. She pressed a finger to her lips to shush me. I watched as she bowed her head to the darkness, obviously honoring whomever was buried within this tomb. Feeling the need to follow suit, I lowered my head to pay my respects along with Mira to the silence and the darkness. "Azimuth will help you discover your power." Mira said, breaking the silence. "I thought you said this was a tomb?" I asked in confusion. "It is, Azimuth may be dead, but she can still help you." Mira explained. Mira pressed her palms together. Slowly separating them, she formed a small orb of blue light that she pushed up into the air. The orb of light floated up and away from us, its soft glow bathing us in a dull hue. What it illuminated next had me staggering back in disbelief. A humanoid creature, nearly twice the size of the Great Dragon Char was slumped against the cavern's wall. One of its legs was bent inward, while the other stretched out. Arms rested lifelessly at its sides; similar markings matched the ones on Mira's. Its head tilted onto its shoulder. At first I thought it was merely asleep, it looked very much alive for its skin was still taut and smooth. Its frozen expression seemed to smile softly, eyes closed, its body draped in cloak that gleamed like silver water. "This was Azimuth. My creator. She was one of three Eternal Masters that had ruled over the Kingdom of Naught." Mira explained, noticing my surprise. I was at a loss for words. The blue orb of light fizzled out, draping the massive giant in darkness once more. I drew my eyes from the darkness to Mira. I could see similarities between the giant and her. They shared the same face, the same markings, but wasn't quite as tall. "Your… creator?" I asked, trying to recompose myself. "Azimuth was the bringer of life. She created everything within the Void with her own two hands, breathing life within us, and sharing her light with us." Mira elaborated further. "So... she's your Mom?" I asked. "Mothers love their children." Mira stated coldly. "Creators use them." I stared at her, seeing some of that hatred she had under control come seeping out through the look in her eyes. It was obvious to me that Mira was very much alone in this place now. She was the last of her kind, a creator that never showed her any sort of love, and a tyrant that she feared more than anything. Before I knew it, I began to pity her, once more projecting my own life on to hers. A mother who never was, a tyrant that harmed your friends, she is all alone, just like I was, and it was clear that she still this way; even though I was here. "I… know the feeling." I mumbled. "Your mother loved you." Mira spat at me. "My father didn't." I replied quietly. "But it is nice to know my mother loved me, even if I never met her." "We're not here to talk. We're here to get that horn to come out." Mira hissed bitterly, dropping the conversation then and there. I watched Mira float towards the remains of the eternal master known as Azimuth. Mira was right; our purpose for being here wasn't to chat, but to get to work. Although, I would have time to talk after my horn came about and the real training began. "You're going to need to stand right here and try not to move." Mira instructed me, pointing to the ground she hovered over. "Alright." I replied, strolling over to the spot. "Now…" Mira said floating away from me. Floating several yards away, Mira's blue starlight hair began to illuminate the expansive silver cloak that draped the fallen eternal master. Mira began to ascend higher and higher into the air, slowly approaching what would be the chest of Azimuth. I watched curiously, unsure of what Mira intended to do, but figured that there was some sort of material or ingredient she needed to obtain from it. "Try not to freak out!" Mira shouted down to me; her voice echoing through the darkness. "Freak out?" I asked, not liking the sound of it. The giant itself was unnerving to say the least, but I couldn't imagine what could be freakier then visiting a tomb with the deceased on display. Mira placed her hand against the veil of the silver cloak, her hand passing through it as she passed through it, disappearing from my sight. With her light gone, I squinted in the darkness trying to see any trace of blue light to where she might have gone. "Mira?" I called out into the darkness. To my horror, the eyes of Azimuth shot opened. Her eyes a piercing yellow, the black sand beneath me began to stir as the dead giant began to move. I stood frozen in fear watching Azimuth roll her head towards me, her bent knee stretching out and her leg impacting the ground with such force it nearly blew me over. Raising my hoof to block the sandstorm that followed, I squinted through the raging wind to see Azimuth's arms beginning to rise up. Azimuth's fingers cracked loudly, her hands opening wide, and before I knew it, her hands came clapping down at me; like a small fly being smashed. My eyes were shut tight, believing that I would be crushed and I would feeling death's sweet embrace at any moment. After a few moments I slowly realized that I wasn't about to become a Flame Pony pancake. Peeking with one eye, I chanced a glance to see what had happened. With my flames, I could see that I was still standing on a mound of black sand but was now cupped between Azimuth's hands. Looking around, there was no means of escape; I was trapped within this small pocket. "Within the hands of Azimuth, you will unlock your dormant magic, thus producing your horn." Mira's voice echoed within my head. "We're back to this again, huh?" I asked, thinking back on how we used to speak. "Succeed in unlocking your power or you will die trying." Mira's voice warned me. "A little extreme, but I'm on board for this all or nothing attitude." I replied, stretching a bit. "Stupid Flame Pony." Mira's voice muttered. "What?" I asked feeling confused. "Azimuth's body will absorb your light, your flames, until there is nothing left. You will die in here if you cannot magically free yourself from her grasp." Mira's voice explained. "That seems like something that you could have mentioned on the way over here!" I shouted in a mix of surprise and horror. "You wouldn't have gone through with it if I had told you." Mira's voice echoed. "We don't have time to waste on you and this horn, if you fail, then it was all for not." "Mira!" I shouted in disbelief at this all or nothing plan. There was no response from her this time. There was no sound at all. It was as if I had become deaf to everything. There was no smells, no sounds, nothing to see, the air was thin, and I could feel my heart start to race. It wasn't much of a feeling at first, just an uncomfortableness that I couldn't shake; I soon realized it was my fire slowly being pulled from me. "Okay… okay… okay…" I whispered to myself, trying to remain calm. "Don't panic… don't panic…" Any sort of energy I wasted trying to blast my way out would be wasted. I had to believe that Mira's threat of death was legitimate, and that gaining my horn was my only means of escape. I would need to conserve whatever energy I had and focus it into solving this problem of mine. Closing my eyes I took several deep breaths, trying my best to collect my thoughts. Having closed my eyes, it was as if I stepped into another world. A world bathed in blackness, but it seemed free of the restrictions within the small pocket within Azimuth's hands. My eyes shot open in surprise of this, blinking several times. Slowly closing my eyes once more, I started to recognize this blackness; I had seen it many times before. "Figured it out yet?" Mira's voice echoed from behind me. My eyes shot open. I turned around to see nothing, just the immense fingers of Azimuth clasped tightly around me. I closed my eyes quickly. With my eyes shut I saw Mira floating a few feet away, her arms followed with a brow raised at me. "I'm… I'm inside my own… head?" I asked curiously. "Are you asking me or telling me?" Mira posed. "Telling you." I said more confidently. "You said that you were a statue, and when you came out you had wings." Mira stated floating towards me. "You were deprived of your senses for a while, which caused you to focus solely on the only you could… your thoughts." I could feel her finger press against my head. A small ring of light rippled out from beneath us, terraforming the darkness around us to the Ashen Fields. I looked around in amazement at this but felt Mira's swift hand smack me across the face; it felt very real. "You must look deep inside youself and find what is holding you back." Mira stated earnestly. "Before it is too late." "Oh, so now you're worried about me?" I asked sarcastically. I felt Mira hands claw at my face, hissing at me. I stepped away quickly holding up my hooves in defense. "Azimuth is draining my power as well!" Mira shouted. "If you fail then we both die!" I was dumbfounded by this. "Why… Why would you…" I began to ask. "It doesn't matter why!" Mira shouted at me. The Ashen Fields cracked open behind her. She seemed oblivious to this. Shadows poured out from the broken earth, a humanoid figure started to rise. I watched as the sky grew dark while Mira shook with anger. "I waited too long for this!" Mira shrieked, clenching her fists and shutting her eyes. The Ashen Fields were blown away in an instant as the Void suddenly exploded from this humanoid figure. The wind fanning back my flames, I could feel myself being pushed back by its force. I realized that Mira's mind was linked with mine and that I was seeing what she was thinking. "If I can't save what is left of my home, then I don't deserve to live!" Mira screamed, punching herself in the head with her fists angrily. I could hear the shrieks of countless creatures echo within the Storm. Mira's own voice echoing from a far off distance. I could hear her begging, pleading, crying over the roar of the Storm. I could feel the fear and guilt that surrounded her, a feeling I knew far too well; it made me angry. I felt my fire rage within me. My forehead swirled my power for a moment as I felt my anger rise. "Enough!" I shouted, feeling my fire explode. Mira's eyes snapped open from my outburst. My flames shattered Mira's train of thought, the images of the Storm and the echoes of her past dissolved in my fire. I stood burning brilliantly, a scowl on my face as Mira wavered in the spot. "I used to think the way you do, that my life meant nothing if I couldn't save my home. Such thinking is pointless. In my quest to change my Kingdom I found friends who I've come to care for very deeply and I realized that as long as I am alive that I could protect them." I said to her. "All my friends are dead!" Mira shouted back at me. "I'm still here." I replied. I could see Mira's face soften. She seemed surprised by this, that I considered us friends. I lowered the intensity of my flames. We were once more back in the blackness of my mind. "And I'm going to help you save your home and its creatures; just like I promised." I said confidently. Mira turned away from me quickly. I could see her rubbing her eyes with her arm. I didn't know she was crying, seeing as Flame Ponies could not, but she turned back to me with a mischievous smile. "Stupid Flame Pony." Mira whispered.