//------------------------------// // Chapter 64: The Birth of a Phoenix // Story: The Phoenix King // by Turtlehaus //------------------------------// Glow Sunbeam stood flabbergasted at the pony that stood before her. He was a young colt, a shade between black and grey, eyes the color of ash, and his flames danced about in a mixture of red and yellow. The closer she looked the more she started to realize the smaller details her eyes had missed. Scars upon his legs that reached up his arms like cracks in the earth that seared with heat from his fire. Not to mention the one upon his ear that seemed to have nearly cut it in two. What was the most surprising if not frightening for her was this colts cutie mark that depicted the very name that was burning in her heart “Smolder?” A sudden flare of the young colts mane of his name being uttered told her all she needed to know. Fear gripped her heart at the sudden realization of his being here. “This-This isn’t right. It shouldn’t be you Smolder, it can’t be you. It should have been-“ Glow could not finish her thought. Smolder was already in her arms, resting his head against her chest, trembling against her and doing his best to hold back his sobbing. “No-no-no, don’t cry, sweetheart.” Glow said instinctively. Embracing him as tightly as she could, Glow held onto him, gently rocking back and forth. Nuzzling her head against his, stroking his mane, and quietly trying to calm him down. She could feel him wincing, crying into her shoulder, knowing that all of this was her fault. “I’m so sorry, Smolder.” Glow whispered. “I understand if you can’t ever forgive me for-“ “You’re-“ Smolder’s shaken voice from crying had cut her off. Clinging to him, ready to endure the years of pent of resentment he had for her. Ready to bare the full resentment and anger he would have had growing up alone. “You’re... even prettier than Princess Celestia.” Glow found herself unable to stifle a laugh. Squeezing Smolder even more to convey her happiness and relief to him. It felt like hours had passed between them. Glow having whispered hundreds of times of how much she loved him to earn tighter and tighter hugs from her son. Eventually, Glow found that Smolder’s trembling had subsided, and his crying had stopped. She refused to let go of him, knowing that a hug should never be stopped because it was unclear how much the other pony needed it. It was only a few minutes later did she feel Smolder begin to step away from her hug and really get to see him up close. “Look how big you’ve gotten…” Glow said. Drawing her hoof over his head before sliding it under his chin to lift his head higher to see his ash colored eyes. She smiled brightly at him with such pride. “And how handsome you are.” She felt Smolder clutch her hoof as she held his face. Starved for her attention, cherishing every moment he was given and treasured every touch she gave to him. Leaning in, Glow tilted his head back ever so slightly, and kissed his forehead just below his horn. Holding it for a few seconds, before pulling away and hugging him once again. Smolder clutched her tightly, trying his best to reciprocate all the love he had for her in his hug. “There’s so many things I want to ask you, Mom.” Smolder said. “So many things I want to tell you.” “First of all, Smolder,” Glow began. “There’s something I have to ask you.” Pulling away from her, Smolder sat down in front of her, rather obediently, waiting for her to speak. Glow took a deep breath knowing that this was going to be hard for her to deal with. “Do you have a special somepony?” Glow asked suspiciously. Smolder’s mane flared in embarrassment. Glow turned her head to pout, realizing that her son was already interested in mares and quite possibly already courting one. Annoyed that so much time had passed since last seeing him as just a newborn. “Why-why-why would you ask that?” Smolder asked. “I can smell her perfume all over you.” Glow replied coldly. “So who’s this harpy that’s got her claws in my son?” Smolder buried his flushing face into his hooves, unable to cope with the amount of embarrassment he was feeling. Leaning forward once again, Glow tapped her horn against Smolder’s to generate a sudden plunge of magic that turned the darkened void around them into a sort of projector of his memories. Everything was from the point of view of Smolder. His memories were sporadic, jumbled, and jumped around quick frequently. Although, his thoughts were currently of Sapphire which filled the void with dozens of memories concerning her and caused Glow to gasp in surprise. “My little Smolder is courting Martha’s sweet little Sapphire? Oh it’s just too precious! I approve!” Glow announced in delight. “Mom!” Smolder shouted. His uneasiness about being teased over his relationship with Sapphire had slipped over to the moment back in the cave where the two of them had shared a rather private moment. Glow gasped at the boldness of the two young ponies causing Smolder to only bury his head in shame under his hooves as he sank low to the ground. “You certainly didn’t get that from my side of the family.” Glow commented. The word family seemed to have the trigger for Smolder’s thoughts to switch over to their family. Memories of his father suddenly flooded around them, dozens of moments from their conversations to the fight they had. Having realized where his thoughts had gone, Smolder quickly picked himself back up to explain what had happened but his mother seemed to already have an idea. Her face was stern, if not mortified at what she had seen. Try as he might, Smolder couldn’t suppress these memories of his father and it showed every horrible detail of what had occurred between them. Glow’s mane flared angrily at the sight of Scorch even raising a hoof to Smolder but her entire being seemed to become ablaze when seeing him actually strike their son. Turning her attention back towards Smolder, Glow watched him wince at anger and disappointment she wore upon her face. Although directed at Scorch entirely, Glow quickly softened her expression. Already attributing the scars upon Smolder to Scorch’s doing, Glow quickly took him back in her arms and held him tightly. “I never would have believed that he was so far gone. Now you’re here and everything is lost.” “What’s lost?” Smolder asked. A whole lifetime was not enough to explain everything to Smolder, yet it felt that she had traded that lifetime away of her own free will to gamble the future of the Kingdom of Naught and lost. Her earlier surprise of finding Smolder before her rather than her believed flame pony had shocked her from her senses, but the truth of it all was now rushing back in and it filled her with dread. “Smolder, sweetheart, what are you doing here?” Glow asked. “I’m not really sure.” Smolder replied. “Null had grabbed my horn and I was suddenly pulled into my own mind.” “No, Smolder. What are you doing here? In the realm of Naught? Why are you anywhere near Null? How did you even get here?” “That’s a really long story and I-” Smolder had stopped short. A look of panic had washed over him. “I need to get out of here! Null and the Storm are attacking my friends with the carcass of an Elder Dragon! I have to stop him!” Much of that had gone right over Glow’s head, but she gently placed her hooves on Smolder’s shoulders and calmly quieted him down. “It’s alright, Smolder. This isn’t memory or a vision. This a very old and very powerful spell that you’ve unknowingly stumbled upon. When the magic runs out, you’ll be free from this spell and will have felt as if time had stopped altogether while here.” Smolder found a great amount of comfort in this, although the idea of the magic wearing off had him suddenly panicked for a whole different reason now. “You’re not leaving again, are you?” Smolder asked. Glow’s expression changed quickly, becoming sad and tormented by what she was going to say. “Sweetheart,” Glow said tenderly. “This is all that’s left of me. A small amount of my soul, tucked away, waiting for… waiting for your father to find.” “Dad?” The Mad King Scorch walked through the Valley of Shadow, shrouded in the thick veil of darkness that covered the area. Embers and flakes of his own hide drifted from him with each step he took, heading towards a set of Obelisks that Mad King had found in his time within the Void. The Valley of Shadow provided the optimal cover for the Mad King to avoid the Storm. These particular set of Obelisks were the ones connected to the Frozen North, even though the Mad King was unaware of their destination, it provided him a means of reentering Equestria regardless. Through the mist an image began to form in the darkness, its small stature did not pose much of a threat, but as the Mad King’s light drew closer it proved to be wrong. For Wingston stood in the path of the Mad King, sitting upon the ground, seemingly awaiting for the Mad King to come across him. Stopping a few paces away, the Mad King glared at Wingston. “Your persistence was the only admirable trait you had, Wingston.” Scorch remarked. “You once had many.” Wingston replied. “I spared your life once, Wingston. I shall not do so again.” Wingston got to his claws, leaning upon his staff for support, before holding out his wings challenging the Mad King to make good on his promise. Scorch did not act on his impulse to merely blast Wingston away with magic or fire, but instead scoffed at his boldness. “Die here with the others. It makes no difference to me.” The Mad King stepped around Wingston, heading towards the Obelisks that lingered in the distance. Wingston lowered his arms. Tapping his staff upon the ground a few times, causing the rings at the top to jingle and bounce about. “You asked what my council would have been, if you had asked for my advice on dealing with the Elder Dragon.” Wingston spoke up. The Mad King slowed to a stop. It wasn’t amusement, or even a sick sense of humor that had him waiting, but a deep desire to truly know what WIngston was going to say. His silence to Wingston’s words spoke volumes. Turning to face Scorch, Wingston could see that the Mad King had even turned back to look at him and waited to hear what he had to say. “I would have supported you in facing this Elder Dragon alone.” A sudden look of confusion had flashed across the Mad King’s face. It had him turning completely back around to face Wingston again. “No clever plans, Wingston? No speech of friendship or humility? You simply… agree with me?” The Mad King questioned. “Yes.” Wingston replied. “My King.” Scorch found himself feeling annoyed by Wingston’s words, his acceptance to what his choice had been, and how he felt the sincerity of his words. “Nothing would have changed, Wingston. Everything would have played out as it has, even to this point. Your support in this plan would have only made you an accomplice to this.” “Are you saying that what you did was a mistake?” Wingston questioned. Flames shot from the Mad King’s eyes. “Do not twist my words, Wingston!” “Everything would have been different, my King.” Wingston began. “After your encounter with the Elder Dragon, after your mind had shattered, we would have sought to save you from this plight. None would have demonized you for what you did. The Queen would have been right beside you in finding a way to bring you back. No pony would have faulted you for your madness.” “Then why not stop me from making such a decision? Why not convince me of another way? Why agree to this, Wingston?” Wingston stepped forward towards the Mad King. “Because you did it to save your son, my King.” Fire flared from every part of the Mad King’s failing body. His anger was mounting, but it wasn’t for Wingston. A part of him was suddenly feeling anger over what he had done, while the other part was feeling rage over what Wingston had said. “That, my friend, is the purest form of love. One of self sacrifice. One that your son has shown time and time again. Offering himself freely to the dangers that plague others, in attempt to save others, and it is the part of you that has made Smolder a light that others have gravitated to.” “Enough!” Scorch cried. “Smolder has only desired one thing in this life. A selfish desire that many take for granted. To be loved. You’ve turned your greatest sacrifice into a burden upon him, believing that he is responsible for your torment and anguish. You still a have a chance my King, to the right this mistake, to show your son that you truly care for him.” “Silence!” “You can still save him, Scorch! I beg of you! I cannot protect him anymore, but you still have that power! You can still have time!” A sudden crack of thunder had rolled in from behind the Mad King. The Obelisks began to glow, creating a sudden ball of dark energy that started to rise up into the darkened skies. “Null is being used, Smolder.” “Used?” “The one that called itself Nadir, one of the Eternal Masters had survived. It’s spirit lived on. When Null was cast out by the Void Walkers and Arcana, Nadir was waiting in the darkness for him. It fed into his hatred, his fears, the anger he was feeling for what was done to him. Nadir is using Null as his host, his plan was to gather all light within the realm and restore himself through Null. The Arcana proved to be more of a challenge than Nadir had predicted, using too much of its power to defeat them and so he fed off of Null for years and years to what you now. A husk of what he was.” Guilt washed over her now, lowering her head to me, shaking from sudden swell of emotions she was feeling. “When I confronted the Storm, it had abandoned Null in fear of being destroyed, and in that moment I saw how scared he had become. I knew it wasn’t right, that he was just an innocent soul being used for a sinister purpose, and I-” My mother had trailed off, becoming overwhelmed by her own sadness. “I couldn’t do it, Smolder. I just couldn’t.” I leaned in, hugging my mother once again, nestling my head against hers. “It’s cool.” I felt my mother hug me tightly, weeping quietly to herself. “It’s not. It’s not, Smolder. I failed the Kingdom, I failed to save your father, I failed to return to you and your brothers, I failed to save Mira… I failed at everything.” “You saved Wingston.” I said quietly. My mother’s crying was cut short by Wingston’s name, her grip on my tightened as she held me like I was always believed a mother would. “Wingston… saved me. With the help of my friends... we were able to save the Kingdom. I was able to save Wick and Pyre from losing their way. I was able to stand up to Dad… an Orc… and even a dragon. All because Wingston was there for me. Just like you were there for him.” I could feel my mother sobbing all over again. Nuzzling her head against mine, whispering how much she loved me and how sorry she was again and again. “I-I-I just don’t understand why you’re here, Mom.” I mumbled. I could feel my mother forcing herself to pull away from me, desperately wanting to hug me further but knew that their time was short. “When I was consumed… I shielded just a bit of my fire from the Storm where it has resided in Null, keeping him alive… until now. I expected your father to be the one to come, Smolder. I believed that my… death would be enough to have him come back to his senses and find this bit of my fire still left within Null. But I can see now that he is truly gone and by some unbelieveale twist of fate, you are here.” “What do I have to do? How do I stop the Storm and save Null?” I asked. Her smile was so wracked with grief. Unable to believe how similar Smolder was to Scorch, his desire to do whatever was necessary to protect those he loved. “Smolder… you can’t do this.” “Why not? Just tell me what I have to do. I have friends that can help me, Mom. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, Twilight and Spike and-” “I won’t let you, Smolder. I won’t let you do this.” “Why?” I felt my mother’s hoof touch the side of my face, gently stroking me cheek as she placed her head against mine. “You’ll die, Smolder.” I forgot to take a breath, the beating of my heart seemed to slow, and my stomach turn. Echoes of the fiery colt that had appeared to me so many times had said it over and over again. That I would die protecting this world. It knew. I always thought I had somehow overcome each of those moments, but it seemed I was heading right for it all this time. “What it will take to destroy the Storm, your body won’t be able to handle the amount of power needed, and you’ll destroy yourself from the inside out.” Glow said. “I have this one chance to finally do something right, as your mother, and protect you. So please, don’t ask this of me, Smolder.” My mother’s arms wrapped around me again, but I stepped back quickly refusing her hug. I knew it must hurt my mom something awful, knowing that I would refuse to be held by her, but I knew that I couldn’t be her son right now. “I made a promise. A promise that I would save any pony that would cry out for help and defend all those who are threatened by darkness. To become a beacon for those who are lost. I am the King now and…” I looked up at my mother with all the confidence I could muster, with all the nerve to look sure of myself and not allow my feelings for her cloud my decision. “I need your help to keep this promise. So please, tell me what I have to do.” My mother seemed riddled with pain, unable to bear the thought of having me give up my life for such a cause. “Please, mom.” Closing her eyes, my mother wrestled with her feelings, trying to find the strength to tell me what I needed to know. A small bit of magic formed at the top of my mother’s horn, her body already beginning to fade from my sight as I felt myself nervously reaching for her. “With the last of my magic, I will show you want you need to know, but I will not ask you to do this, Smolder. Please, understand that I could never ask you to give up your life.” “Because you’re my mother.” I said. Leaning her head down to me, I closed my eyes as she pressed it against mine as I felt her magic pouring into me. “Because I love you, sweetheart.” I opened my eyes to see that she had faded into thousands of embers that swirled around me. The warmth brought such comfort and reassurance to me, feeling the embers touch my skin and sizzle away. I could feel my fire reacting to her magic. “Goodbye, Smolder.” I opened my eyes. Finding myself in a brightly lit corridor. I was inside Castle Char. Everything seemed new, the walls gleamed with obsidian, the windows clear from soot, and the floor was polished to a shine. I stood outside two large, but familiar, doors leading into the Royal Chambers. Two royal guards stood at the door, looking rather distraught for some reason. As I approached the doors to the Royal Chambers, one of the guards had cleared his throat. He appeared to be emotional, trying his best to hold back his own feelings as the other guard took notice of it. “It’s alright, Strike. We’re all feeling it.” The guard on the left had said. “It ain’t right, Flint. No parent should have to go through that.” Strike had replied. Their voices were so very far away, like echoes in a dream I could barely recognize. I stepped into the room, right through the very doors themselves. I saw two ponies standing together. One was an Alicorn, although his wings had been removed, and the other was simply a Pegasi flame pony mare that wept openly beside him. The gleaming obsidian crown upon his head made me realize who I was in the presence of. Lord Smoke the Dragon Rider. Before them was a bassinet. I approached it slowly, looking in to see a small foal without flame laying motionless within. My own heart sank at the sight of this stillborn foal. I was at a loss for words, having known that Lord Smoke had only one son and there never being mention of another. “There was nothing we can do.” Lord Smoke said weakly. This had only caused his Queen to sob harder. I stepped away from the bassinet to see that a name had been chiseled into the base. It read ‘Blaze’ upon it. I found myself staring at the name for a long while, realizing that this name was indeed the son of Smoke who had succeeded his father and bringing the Kingdom of Flame Ponies into its first age of peace. Yet, the unfortunate foal within the bassinet was without flame. From an open window a sudden flourish of flames had soared in. A phoenix had landed atop the bassinet surprising Lord Smoke and his Queen along with myself. It waited there for a brief moment, gazing at both Lord Smoke and his Queen, before looking down at their foal. In a sudden show of fire the Phoenix set itself ablaze as its ashes fell into the bassinet and covering the foal. Lord Smoke rushed to the edge of the bassinet, looking at the pile of ash covering his son. A flame appeared from the ashes, a hoof suddenly striking out, before the head of his son emerged wailing and coughing at the ash it was covered in. Immediately Lord Smoke drew him from the pile, coddling him in his arms as his Queen rushed to his side to witness the miracle. It was then I had realized why we bore the name Phoenix. The world was swept away, before another took its place. A tall Alicorn colt stood on the side a bed. I could tell that this was a much older Blaze Phoenix. Within the bed held an elderly Lord Smoke quietly rambling to himself while his son spoke to a doctor pony. “He has moments of lucidness, my Lord. I fear that the disease is in its final stages and I regret that I cannot do more than making him as comfortable as possible. You have my sincerest apologies.” “You’ve done everything you can. I appreciate the help you’ve given my father in his final days. I only wish I knew what his ramblings meant.” “In many cases it is nothing, my Lord. Simply ramblings. In many cases ponies do not even speak words discernible to us, but your father seems to be merely speaking to himself most often than not.” “The war with dragons has surely taken its toll upon him and this is the result of those horrid years finally catching up to him. Thank you for your help, doctor.” The doctor pony bowed his head, excusing himself from the room while Blaze approached his father’s bedside. “The doctor says there’s nothing more can be done. I’m sorry, father.” Lord Smoke had ceased his ramblings, his eyes wearily traveled to his son before smiling softly at him. “The day you were born was the happiest of my life, but it was also the saddest. You wouldn’t draw breath, your fire would not spark, and we feared that we had lost you forever. The entire Kingdom was in mourning, word had spread of our tragedy, and we begged for a miracle. Somehow a phoenix had heard of our grief, it came to us and offered its own fire so that you would live.” I felt my own fire suddenly resonate from these words, a swell of power that seemed to flourish around me. “Never forget that the smallest amount of kindness can change the course of the future. A future that I know leave to you, my son.” “I will father. I swear to you. I will make your proud.” “I’ve always been proud of you.” Smoke mumbled. “Never forget that.” The elderly Lord Smoke took his son’s hoof with his own, smiling at him as if to comfort his distraught son. After a while, Lord Smoke seemed to drift to sleep and Blaze took his leave to allow his father to rest. I waited for the world to fade away again but it remained. “Smolder…” I turned to Lord Smoke not believing that he had just whispered my name. “Smolder…” I approached the bedside looking at the elderly Lord Smoke who stared vacantly back. “I’m sorry… tell them… I’m sorry.” I watched the world race away in an instant. The world stopped hard as I found myself before Blaze and his young son, Aiden, staring out over the Ashen Fields. “Will I have to be the King one day, father?” Aiden had asked. “Yes, my son, and you will have to defend our home from any and all horrors that may come to destroy it.” Blaze had replied. “What if I’m not strong enough?” Blaze looked down to his son, smiling at him warmly and placing his hoof upon his head. “You have the power of the Phoenix inside you. All my strength has been passed on to you and when you have need of it, you merely have to call upon it. I will be with you. Always.” Aiden seemed relieved at this answer. The two ponies faded away, the young Aiden was now a tall Alicorn standing beside his son in the same spot staring out over the fields. “My father once told me that I would King one day, Titus, and with it I would inherit his power.” Aiden had said. “What power, father?” Titus had asked. “A power that was given to my father from a Phoenix, the power to transcend our fire from one king to the next. One day you will be able to call upon this power, and on that day I hope that you will remember me. That I will always be with you in your darkest of hours.” Almost like a flip book I watched the years begin to fly past. King after king speaking to their sons of same power that was being passed down from generation to generation. After a time, the world slowed down in a sudden stop that left me in front of my father and the Wise King Phoenix. My grandfather. My father was about my age. Dressed in his royal armor, looking very serious about the conversation they were about to have, but my grandfather seemed a bit more relaxed. “Do you know why we are called Phoenix, my son?” My grandfather had asked. “Because our line has withstood the test of time. That our blood can be traced back to the very first of our kind. A fire that cannot die, but rise again from the very ashes of our failures.” Scorch replied. “Amusing, but a little fantastical to say the least. We have been given a very special power, my son. A power that can lead to utter ruin if used unwisely, but if used for the right reasons, can be unstoppable to our enemies.” My grandfather watched Scorch nod his head very quickly in agreement which made him laugh. “You’re alone with me, Scorch. There is no need to continue this farce. You’re not that serious.” For the first time, perhaps in all my life, I had seen my father smile. It was a real smile. One of comfort and joy of being with a pony you truly cared for. “Have you been to see your special somepony lately?” My grandfather had asked him. “I-I-I… well… she made it rather clear that I wasn’t…” My father struggled to say. “That we should just be friends.” My grandfather noticed the sadness in his voice. Putting his arm around Scorch, my grandfather comforted him with a doting smile. “Love, my son, is all about sacrifice. If she believes that you are not her special somepony, then I commend you for accepting that. To give up on your feelings is not an easy task, but you allow her the chance to find her own happiness. Just don’t give into despair. You never know how much someone is sacrificing on your behalf in the name of love.” This seemed to do little to cheer Scorch up. Words rarely heal a broken heart, but the Wise King Phoenix knew that his son needed something more than that. “Who knows, maybe she’ll come around after a while.” “Do you really think so?” Scorch asked quickly. “If your mother and I are any example of two mismatched lovers, then I would assume that you still have a chance to prove yourself a worthy somepony.” “How can I do that?” “Scorch, I want you to listen these words and take them to heart. Let them be the foundation of every action you will ever take when you are faced with hardship in your life.” Scorch swallowed hard, feeling the gravity of his father’s words, knowing that he would one day be standing as the most influential and powerful pony in this land. “My son, I will not be there to council you on the troubles you may face during your life. You will need to remember that our family has always ruled with wisdom and strength. Even with our great power, we have always shown restraint in using it against our most fearsome enemies. For all our wealth and ingenuity our most valued success comes from the trust the ponies of Equestria have given us.” My grandfather gripped the shoulder of Scorch firmly, giving him a loving smile to reassure him of the responsibility that would one day befall him. “I tell you this, Scorch, for when my reign comes to an end, you shall be king.” I watched as my father’s eyes light up, having been given the confidence and assurity from his own father made all the difference to him in that moment. The world began to fade away, knowing of the hardships my father was soon going to face and the horrors he would one day bring. I could only feel the stinging pain in my heart knowing that everything he had fought so hard to protect had come undone because of me. From the darkness the fiery stallion that had dwelled in the deepest parts of my mind, suddenly blazed forth and towered over me. The shriek of its fire was becoming more high pitched, growing into the sound of the phoenix I had heard in my own fire many times before. The fiery stallion started to change its shape, forming into fiery form of the bird itself, spreading its wings wide in show of power. From its flames several heaps of fire spawned from it, each taking the form of fiery stallions and surrounding me in a large circle. Their fire raged violently before being blown away and revealing the kings of old standing around me. Just to my right was Blaze Phoenix, staring at me silently, to his right was his son, and so on and so forth. Yet, when it got to me grandfather, the Wise King Phoenix, there was a place missing. A place where my father should have been. The fiery phoenix occupied the space, a powerful light growing from its presence, if beckoning me to come. I was beginning to realize that my father had been denied this power, never fully achieving the right to wield the fires of the phoenix, and that I had been granted his place. The intensity of the light of the phoenix was growing exponentially, bleeding out the kings that had come before with its intensity, and I knew that this was where my journey had taken me. To where I had always been going. What I had promised to do. Racing towards the fiery phoenix I could feel the light envelope me, surging through every inch of my body, and as I collided with the phoenix I felt myself suddenly slamming into something rather hard. Null had toppled back from the sudden headbutt I had given him. I sprawled out on the ground, trying to get my bearings on what had just happened. I lifted my head to see Null clutching his chest, his breathing labored, having lost the fire my mother had hidden inside of him, and now feeling the full effects of his husk like body. “What… what did you do… to me?” Null wheezed.