This story takes place long ago, in an Equestria ruled by fear. Where you turned, bandits, monsters, and death would meet your hooves. It was a place few wished to live in, and some even wished for Discord to return during these days. At least then they had not the minds to comprehend the pain they were in.
One such town, stuck upon the side of a mountain, with a dense forest on all sides, knew all of this. Nowhere that these ponies went was safe, minus the one, large clearing that held the fifty ponies of their community. Only there could they fight back the horrors that claimed the forest, their home, and even that was turning into a losing battle.
It was during these dark times that a gift came to the village. A sword that appeared in the middle of town. All around the shining, steel blade, was blue flame, threatening to burn any who touched it. Those who came close though, heard its challenge. Heard its want for a master, and the promise that whoever used the blade would be able to keep the village safe, and would eventually make it prosper.
To many of the stallions, the very idea of fame set them galloping straight into the blaze, only to have their forehooves singed. The smell of burnt hair made sure their shame was known as it rejected the unworthy. Some mares tried their hoof at it, and while it did not act as vicious to those merely seeking to save their children, it would still refuse them.
It was not until one stallion, by the name of Raiden, came to the blade that things changed. By then, all other stallions had tried, and failed, to pull out the blade. He himself had always stayed away, not being one for violence and glory, and thus, not interested in the blade. By now though, he had grown tired of the pain. He was wise enough to know that if none of them wielded the weapon, they would all fall. So even though he suspected it would reject him, he walked into the circle of flames, and was engulfed by the ensuing inferno.
At first, the white landscape around Raiden made him think that he had indeed been rejected, and so harshly that he was now dead. The white stallion though soon saw a flame come to life, and a zebra stepped out to face him. No words needed to be said for the meaning to be understood. This was the spirit of the sword, and a deal was to be struck.
“Only one who has no wish to consume, hurt, or destroy may wield me; lest my flames consume them, and the world. This is why I offer to you, and only you, my powers. It will bring you into combat, but in return, your home and people will know your kindness, and you will brighten the land like a great bonfire.”
Raiden opened his mouth to accept, but the zebra stomped a hoof on the ground, causing cracks of magma to fill the landscape. “Do not be so hasty to accept. There is a price. Once I leave the ground, my flame will one day die. The one who wields me, also carries the burden of that fire. If ever it were to go out, so will the wielder.”
This stopped the stallion for only another moment, before he nodded in agreement. At this same moment, the wailing townspeople, who now thought they saw this trickster blade’s true colors, had to rush back as the fire shot into the sky, illuminating it for miles around.
And when they looked back down, they saw Raiden, blade in mouth, shielded from the flames by seemingly nothing.
For the next few months, Raiden went to work, earning what would soon be his nickname. Fireblade became his nickname, and one day, title, to reflect his prowess, speed, and all consuming nature that filled the town. He protected them from chimeras, bandits, and even hydras when they came, spread his flame to those interested
Even with all of this, Raiden never fell from his position in life. If he were not in combat with a danger, he refused to ever lift a hoof against another. Even if a stallion beat him to try to challenge the ‘champion’, he would not dare retaliate. He still insisted on working for his food and living, refusing most gifts that were thrusted upon him. No matter what, he simply tried his best to keep being the stallion he was, and that included making others happy, not himself.
Unfortunately, not even a year would pass before he would be tested. This great obstacle came in the form of a goddess, who came to the town only because she was chasing a remnant of the chaos, and trying to bring it to order. She had been injured recently though, and needed refuge. However, few recognized her for the being she was, and thus shut their doors from what they thought might be a corpse, soon to be made, or a trickster of some sort.
Reaching Raiden’s house though, she was accepted with open, but worried arms. He explained to her that the town was fearful, for this was to be the first winter with him as their guardian, and they weren’t used to being able to trust yet. The goddess acknowledged it as fair, but showed her pain while doing so. It was while Raiden cauterized her wound that the shred of chaos found them.
The house soon became a battle field as the mass of chaotic energy burst through the wall. It had no stable form, instead being a mass of purple, black, and electric magic. What it touched became corrupted, losing form, or changing to something entirely unrecognizable due to the beast. It towered over the two, taking away Raiden’s roof, and most of the walls as it brought itself up, readying its attack.
The goddess repulsed the slam with a pulse of light, trying to force the beast back, as she was in no condition to truly fight it. The barrier was weak though, and Raiden knew it would not hold for long. This beast would consume them, and then all he knew, if he did not stop it.
The goddess was amazed at the speed of the stallion as he drew a blade of blue flame and charged the beast. He danced just outside of its tendrils and fields of destruction, cutting off pieces of it, before letting the sword bring them to dust in a blaze of flame. The process was slow though, and the creature began to move away. No longer would it attack this fringe house, but instead aimed for the center of the village. Once Raiden saw this, he knew he could not allow it.
For a moment, the zebra came back into his peripherals, but was quickly ignored. It would not help him, only distract from the task. The blade became wet hot, and drops of molten steel fell to the ground at his hooves as fire surrounded the earth pony. His brown mane was flecked with ash, his gleaming white coat now burned black at the edges, due to the intense heat. From this heat came a gout of fire that ripped through the mass’s center, burning a large chunk of it almost instantaneously.
The mass cried out in pain, before it raised itself again, now seeing that his adversary was dug in, and most likely going nowhere. It was this stretched pillar that was its downfall, as the flame around Raiden shifted focus, and began to circle the spirit. It howled as the flames grew higher and higher, encircling the beast in a torrent of heat. Parts of it vaporized merely by touching the flame, and it could not stretch any further to escape. Its howl awoke the world as the pillar became true, and all there was, was fire.
The goddess came out and met her hero in the clearing. He was breathing hard, and collapsed upon the ground as she neared. When she asked if he was okay, he promised he was, and that he simply needed to rest. The goddess nodded her understanding, and made sure to promise to thank him properly for what he had just done in the morning.
She would not get that chance though, as unbeknownst to them all, even Raiden, the blade had only embers remaining on it now, and by the time dawn came, the last of the fire on it had left it, and so, had also left Raiden.
When the tragedy was found, the goddess requested a week of mourning, so as to honor his memory. The villagers would not hear it though, as they requested two weeks, ten, even a year of mourning for their fallen hero. The goddess knew better though, reprimanding them for such a selfish action, and forgetting why Raiden had ever fought for them. He had done all of this so they could not simply survive, but thrive, and for them to lose everything just to mourn him was the ultimate injustice they could bring upon his memory.
At the wise words, the town agreed, and a week long celebration ensued soon after. The body was taken care of the only way they saw fit, by burning Raiden with the last of his house, with the blade on his chest. When the blade survived the blaze, now ashen grey instead of steel, they put it back into the ground at the very place they had first found it, in memorial for his service.
The goddess had one more declaration though. One more honor to bestow upon him. With a great flourish, the morning sun behind her, she declared that this is where Equestria would begin to find peace once more. That she would make this her new home, and that she herself would make sure to use the life Raiden gave her to make sure his people headed the thriving new Equestria.
Celestia slowly closed the book, looking down upon her sniffling student, who was but a filly, resting at her hooves. The moment the pages came together, the foal looked up, eyes wide before yelling, “That’s it?”
Celestia nodded, before levitating the compilation of Solaire’s stories back to where it always was. “You know that not all legends end happily, little one. Even then though, there is always something to learn.”
Twilight put her hooves onto Celestia’s leg, her eyes now narrowed as she frowned. “No! He worked so hard, and only gave kindness to others. Why does he deserve to die?”
A sigh left the princess as she stood, stretching her wings for a moment. “It’s the cycle of life, Twilight, and something we must all deal with.” She paused, watching her student huff and cross her hooves. “If you’re that upset about story time being a bit sad though, we could get some ice cream and be even then. Sound like a deal?”
Twilight’s eyes widened, before she began bouncing around Celestia. “I’m going to get pistachio!”
A small laugh escaped Celestia as she glanced out the window. In the main courtyard, the very center of the castle, she could see a pilgrim stepping up to the weathered statue in the middle. They placed a single rose at the base of the weapon, and bowed to it. It caught Celestia’s breath, and she felt a tear well up in her eye.
“Are we going?”
She glanced to the side, spotting her student practically dancing at the door. With a deep breath and a fluttering of her eyes, she recomposed herself and nodded. “Yes little one, let us go.”