The Pyro

by The Infinity Doctor


Fire-Fight

Pyro sat with his legs crossed, his masked face resting in his hands as he stared out of the barred window of the room. His thoughts wandered as he glanced backwards, the two guards in the room standing at the door to the decorated room he was currently imprisoned in. He wondered whether his team had missed him or not, or whether they'd already replaced him. He could only guess that time passed here as it did back home, if so, he'd most likely have been erased from the Administrator's files by the time he got back, having been gone for longer than was allowed. If that was, in fact, the case, he'd need a new source of employment, and the fact that he was trapped in a room, thus preventing him from doing so did nothing for his mood. He didn't understand why though, it wasn't his fault he set fire to a Spy, it was one of his main priorities back home.

'Old habits die hard, I suppose...' he thought.

The door to his cell opened, and one of the two leaders of the glittering city stepped in, his horn glowing. Uh-oh, he hung around Medic enough to know a body bag when he saw one. The white unicorn carefully set the bag on the floor before him, the expression on his face a sour one.

"How did you know?" he asked, unzipping the bag with his magic.

"Huddah mmpha huh." he explained, motioning to the bag.

"I don't understand." Shining said "why are you trying to protect us, when you were trying to set the entire empire on fire?"

"Huddah huh, huh-huh." Pyro stated, turning his back to the unicorn.

"I...look, I know we haven't gotten along...but this is for the future of the Crystal Empire."

Shining's words hadn't penetrated Pyro's mask, he'd been lied to enough to know when someone was faking it. This, unfortunately, wasn't one of those times. He sorely wished the unicorn was lying, otherwise he'd be forced to protect his new 'home' here in the Empire. While the city was indeed beautiful, he'd been hoping to settle down somewhere else; full of dry brush and foliage, if possible.

"Mmmphya harrgh mrgha hrghgph..." he sighed, plopping down on the comfortable bed in the room.

"Can I take that as a yes?" Shining asked.


"Mother," a nymph asked, trotting into her mother's chambers "are you alright? One of the nursemaids beckoned me."

The sheen of her mane was a deep scarlet, as were her eyes. She stood out from her hatch-mates, her 'defect' greatly separating her from the rest of the clutch.

"Yes, I have sent for you, my child." Chrysalis replied, slipping off of her bed of hay and nutrient matter.

"What ever for? Surely my duties-"

"Your duties can be held off for the moment; I must ask a favor of you."

"What could be so important as to call on me?"

"Do you recall the summoning spell we performed?"

"I do," she replied, suspicious of her mother's intentions "the spirit escaped before I could meet it, I recall as well."

"It seems I shall have to take 'manual control', as it were."

"Mother!" she sputtered "Surely this spirit is nigh god-like! If it were to break free, the repercussions could wipe out the entirety of the hive!"

"I realize that..." Chrysalis said, walking to a faded chest.

"You can't seriously be thinking of threatening the very survival of our hive, our future, for some spirit!?"

"That is why I have made a contingency, in case the spirit would not listen." Chrysalis said, removing an ornately decorated gem from the chest.

"How will that help us?" she asked.

"This has enough of my magic stored in it to take control of the average pony," she explained simply "with this, the spirit shall be under my control."

"But Mother-!"

"Enough!" Chrysalis screamed "If you are so in love with the spirit, then by-all-means, run to it! But do not question my authority again! Do I make myself CLEAR?!"

She grew placid, keeping her face devoid of emotion.

"Yes Mother, crystal."

"Good, now return to the fertilizing chambers, we must keep trying."

"Yes Mother."

Little did Chrysalis know, spraying changeling eggs in the basement of the hive was the last thing on her mind.


Shining stared at the spirit, dumbfounded, as he'd witnessed the creature remove a foal-pool from no-where, and fill it with a foul-smelling substance from a red container. The infernal spirit then jumped into the pool- suit and all. It appeared harmless right then, playfully splashing in comically-small pool, giggling like a school-filly.

"Ah, what have you got there?" Shining asked, tempted to just leave the room and forget what he'd just witnessed.

It only laughed, dwindling Shining's patience as the creature ignored him, continuing to stare into the shallow water of the pool as it splashed.

"Why don't you and I take a walk...maybe discuss-"

The words died on his lips as he took notice of the Imp's head shooting up suddenly, its round, soulless eyes staring directly at him. A green aura suddenly filtered out of the muzzle of its mask, surrounding its head. His head turned slowly, staring at Shining intensely.

"Er, are you alright?" Shining asked.

"Huh vpshruh huh mah phvur huh huhr huh-huh." it said, chuckling menacingly.

Shining's survival instincts kicked in, and he made a dash for the door, only for it to slam closed. Now trapped in the room with the creature, Shining backed away, trying to get as far away from the creature as possible. The Imp was now carrying its flame-spewer, a finger on the trigger of the handle.

"Can't we talk about this-?"

Pyro's fist gripped the doorknob, and it burst into flame, melting into a bronze puddle on the carpet. Smoke curled up from the carpet due to the molten metal, assaulting Shining's nostrils. It grabbed the foal-pool, still full of the foul liquid, and hurled it across the room, hitting Shining, head-on. The stuff doused him as the pool popped, a direct result of the thing making contact with his horn.

"Huddah huh, huh-huh." It said, before igniting the weapon.

Shining Armor screamed as he was burned alive, trying to douse the flames as he rolled on the ground. The devil stood over him, a thorn-covered axe in hand as the inferno raged around them, spreading to the bed and drapes as he approached.

"Please...no...Celestia no..." he managed to whimper, the fire still eating away at his coat and flesh.

The Imp brought down the axe with a firm swing, and Shining knew consciousness no more.