Chapter 6- Oasis
Pyro stirred with a groan, his head pounding. He lifted his hoof to his aching head, feeling the bump that had formed there. He sat up, shaking his head, trying to clear the fog in his mind. The last thing he remembered was looking down the side of the mesa, and then…. His eyes shot open as he lurched to his feet, only to sit down hard, the pain in his head crashing over him.
“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you.”
Pyro jerked his head around. His head cried out in protest, but he ignored it, not wanting to take his eyes off the gray pegasus for a second. Guard was sitting a few feet away with his back turned. “I’m afraid I hit you a bit harder than I intended,” the older stallion said, never turning around.
Pyro snorted. “What is that supposed be? An apology?”
“No,” Guard said, bringing his hooves up out of a stream and shaking them dry. “It was a warning, of sorts.” He turned only to find Pyro with his head tilted, confusion clear on his face. Guard sighed, closing his eyes and bringing a hoof to his face. “Think about it,” he said, taking his hoof away, “if I managed to do that while holding back… what could I have done if I hadn’t been.”
The cogs turned in Pyro’s mind, the answer still not quite clear to him. Then it clicked, his eyes widening in realization. “Y-you’re a monster!” he said, scooting away slightly.
Guard only chuckled in response. “I’ve been called worse,” he said, shrugging and coming to a stop a short distance from Pyro. “Although, I have to say, being forced to use the transformation spell was a bit of a surprise.” Pyro could only stare… and stare… and stare. Over time, Guard began to frown, and his frown got deeper… and deeper… and deeper.
“So,” Guard finally spoke at length, breaking through the awkward silence. “Want something to eat?” Pyro had sunk into his own thoughts at this point, so the sudden question caught him off guard.
“Um, sure?” he finally replied, blinking away his confusion. They sat for a moment, neither of them moving.
“Right,” Guard said before turning and leading Pyro away, the silence persisting afterwards. As they walked, Pyro took in his surroundings. He had apparently been taken to the oasis the gray stallion had mentioned earlier. Palm trees loomed high above them, creating a thin canopy over them, and a small stream flowed past them, the trickling sound making Pyro’s thirst call out to be quenched. Guard caught him staring at the stream as he glanced over his shoulder. “Go ahead,” he called back, causing Pyro to look at him. “I’m in no hurry.”
Pyro looked between Guard and the stream a few times before making his way to the edge of the water. He leaned his head down and took a sip from the stream. His eyes flew open as the cool liquid made it’s way down his dry throat, leaving a sweet taste on his tongue and making him feel full of life. Pyro broke into a grin before plunging his head back to the water, drinking greedily. Guard simply watched from afar, a small smile spreading across his features at the colt’s antics. Before finishing, Pyro thrust his head under the water and held it there for a moment before bringing it out again, slinging droplets of water as he slung his head back.
Pyro turned back to Guard, a huge smile plastered to his face, only to find Guard trembling. The smile slowly melted from his lips as Pyro watched him, debating whether the next step should be forwards or backwards. “Uh, Mr. Guard,” he began slowly, “are you okay?” Guard suddenly burst into laughter, throwing his head back, flipping onto his back with the force of it. Pyro frowned. “Hey!” He yelled. “What’s so funny!?!”
Guard continued laughing, his legs giving the occasional twitch. “Y-your,” Guard gasped out between howls of laughter. “Your MANE!!!” Pyro narrowed his eyes at the older pegasus, not taking the glare away from him as he stepped back towards the stream. He pulled his gaze away from the still guffawing stallion to look into the reflective surface of the water. Sure enough, his mane was soaked and hanging down on his head like someone had poured a bowl of noodles over his head. He looked back to Guard to find that he had finally stopped laughing, and was now staring at him. Upon seeing the look on Pyro’s face, Guard did his best not to go into another fit of laughter.
Pyro glared at him. “It’s. Not. Funny.” He said, putting emphasis on each word. With that, Guard couldn’t hold it any longer. He burst into laughter once again, even louder than before. Pyro glared at the old stallion… but the joy was to infectious to resist. Soon, Pyro’s frown began to morph into a grin, and, slowly, he started chuckling, and that changed into laughter. It wasn’t long before Pyro was laughing just as hard as Guard was, maybe even more so. They laughed for a good while, both rolling in the soft dust in their mirth. They eventually came to a stop next to each other, each one gasping for air.
“Oh, that was a good one, kid,” Guard said, a smile still playing on his lips. Pyro could only close his eyes and nod, a smile on his face as well. They finally got their breath back, calming down with a final sigh. They sat there for a moment, grinning and soaking in the moment. After a while, the awkward silence ruled again, neither pony knowing what to say next. “So,” Guard began, just as he had before. “What were we doing again?” Pyro opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by twin growls that echoed through the trees. Both ponies looked at each other, eyes wide in shock. “Oh, right… food.”
Pyro bit into his peach, letting the sweet juices flow down his chin. It was the third peach he had eaten, and he didn’t show any sign of slowing down. Not only was it the sweetest thing he’d ever eaten, but it was also slowly getting the taste of cactus out of his mouth. Thank the celestials for that, he thought to himself. He looked over to Guard who was slowly making his way through an apricot.
After their little laughing fit, Guard had led him further into the oasis to a thicket of fruit trees. Guard had identified each of the fruits for him; apricots, dates, figs, and peaches. Pyro had gone for the peaches, seeing as they were the only fruit he had even heard of. Biting into the first peach had been like heaven on Equis. It was sweet, even the bitter flesh being drowned out in its flavor, and the softness of the fruit was almost relaxing after so many weeks of nothing but cactus. He had devoured the first two in order to fill his belly, but he took his time with the third, savoring every bite.
After swallowing the final bite of his fifth peach, he let out a contented sigh and leaned back against the tree. He closed his eyes, the fullness of his belly making him drowsy. He felt his touch on reality slowly slipping away….
“Alright, kid,” Guard said, bringing Pyro back from the brink of slumber. Pyro blinked his eyes, shedding the sleep that had been wrapping itself around him. “It’s time we talked.”
Pyro looked at him skeptically. “What do we have to talk about?” he asked.
“Who you are and where you come from, for one.”
“Well, that’s easy,” Pyro said, a small frown forming on his lips. “My name is Pyro Mance, and I was a slave. There, happy?”
“I’m not talking about your name, and what you used to be,” Guard said in exasperation. “I’m talking about what you are, your origins.”
Pyro’s frown deepened. “Both my parents were slaves. I never met my father, and my mother died years ago. They were slaves, I was a slave, what else is there to tell?” Guard sighed, shaking his head a little. Pyro felt his anger rising, slowly reaching towards his inner flame. “Well, Mr. Smart Guy, what else is there!?!” Pyro yelled out, getting to his hooves.
“Sit down.” It was a simple statement, not even very loud, but a primal force carried it forward with enough might that Pyro was pushed back down onto his haunches. Guard let loose another sigh. “Look kid, I’m not here to be the bad guy,” he started again. “I just want you to understand everything you are, everything you can be.”
Pyro only stared at him, still shocked by the force of Guard’s words while confusion at his last statement mixed itself into his emotional spectrum. “What… I can be?” he finally questioned, when his mind finally managed to catch up to the situation.
Guard nodded. “You’re not like every other pony,” he stated. “You’re something else.” When Pyro didn’t show any signs of understanding, Guard continued. “Haven’t you felt it? That power… the voices.”
At the mention of the cursed apparitions, Pyro’s eyes widened, his hooves digging trenches into the ground as he drove his back into the tree, trying to get away. “H-how did you know about them?” he asked, lurching his head back and forth as if a predator would leap from the bushes and devour him.
“I know a lot of things.” The simple statement caused Pyro to once again focus on the stallion in front of him. “For example,” Guard continued, “your mother’s name was Spring Mint-”
“Stop…”
“Your sister’s talent is her voice-”
“Stop.”
“And your father was executed trying to keep you sa-”
“I SAID STOP!!!”
Pyro had slowly been getting to his feet as Guard had been going on, his anger rising with every wound reopened, but the last bit had pushed him to far. His mane, tail, and hooves had burst into pure blue and white flames, incinerating a good amount of the vegetation around him, even taking a large chunk out of the tree behind him. Pyro glared at Guard, the fire in his soul reaching his bright blue eyes, his teeth clenched and jaw set.
“How dare you talk about my family like you knew them,” Pyro growled out, smoke escaping his lips and nostrils with every word. “You don’t know anything,” he continued, starting to walk towards the unfazed pegasus. “You don’t know my pain... my suffering… my longing.” At this point, Pyro stood right in front of Guard, his flames all but licking at the older stallion’s chin... but Guard hadn’t so much as batted an eye.
“You’re right kid,” Guard began, staring down at the flaming colt. “I don’t know anything about that… but I know one thing.” Guard stared straight into Pyro’s eyes. “If you don’t get this under control, you’re going to hurt yourself.” The powerful gaze caused Pyro to shutter, his words striking the message home, but Pyro’s pride wouldn’t let him back down.
“So, what do you suppose I do?” Pyro said pointedly, not letting his intimidation show through.
Guard didn’t let up on his stare. In fact, it only intensified. “I suppose,” he growled out. “You start listening.”
Then Pyro felt it; a deep, dark cold that was creeping into the environment, snuffing out all heat. Pyro felt the flames across his body start to diminish, cooling down from the pure and intense flame to a low burn. Pyro’s pupils shrank as his teeth started to chatter, and the cold crept into his body. It was a feeling he had never experienced. His inner flame had always kept him warm, even when he hadn’t been aware of it, but now the cold was taking over, almost in a suffocating way. That’s when it hit him. Pyro moved his gaze down slowly, breaking the battle of wills the two had been engaged in. His eyes finally fell on Guard’s hoof. Cold steam poured out from beneath it, a purple glow accompanying the dense fog. His pupils shrank, eyes widening, and his flame finally went out as terror washed through him.
He moved his gaze back towards Guard’s eyes, settling on the cold, steely gaze. “Are you done now?” Guard asked, frost snaking through his words. Pyro’s only response was to nod. “Good.” The glow started to dim, the temperature rising back to where it had been before either of them had begun their displays of power. Pyro took the chance to look around at their surroundings, and stopped. The grove of fruit trees was in ruins. Wherever Pyro had been, scorch marks covered the ground and the plant life withered, but on the opposite side, Guard’s frost had frozen any surviving plant life solid, some of the leaves crumbling away like icy dust. What have we done? Pyro thought to himself. Their only source of food had been mangled and destroyed beyond repair.
“Scary, isn’t it?” Guard’s words cut through his thoughts like a knife. He hadn’t realized he had been turning in place, but he didn’t even bother turning around, only shook his head in disbelief of the carnage. “All the power we have, as strong as we are,” Guard continued, using the moment to hammer in his message. “It’s almost… indescribable.”
“But, I didn’t mean-”
“We never mean to,” Guard interrupted. “It is a result of our power and pride. Without control this is what happens.” Guard stopped, giving the young unicorn a chance to absorb his words. “Luckily, there are precautions.”
Pyro started as a wave went through the ground, all the damage caused by the stand off disappearing except for the area where Pyro had first burst into flames. Pyro was in complete disbelief. “H-how did you-”
“It’s the same spell I used to protect the oasis when we first fought: Stabilize. It keeps those outside the field safe from the combatants and vice-versa, all while allowing those inside the field to see and even experience the damage done to the environment,” Guard explained. “When you powered up, I immediately activated the spell.”
Pyro stared awestruck at his surroundings. A spell that allowed you to go all out without affecting the world around yourself. Pyro’s lips started to form into a smile, it was just so incredible. Maybe if I-
“No.”
The single word rang sharp in the air, causing Pyro to jump a little. He turned to find Guard staring down at him with a stern expression. Pyro’s glee melted into confusion, his ears lowering slightly and head tilting.
“What do you-”
“I’m not teaching you Stabilize,” Guard interrupted, answering the question before it could be spoken.
Pyro was shocked, and slightly irritated at this statement. “And why not?” He asked, adding a little sting to his words.
“Because of that look in your eyes,” Guard replied simply. “I know that look. You want an easy way out, something that will let go all out whenever you want.”
“Well, yeah,” Pyro said while rolling his eyes, “you said I needed to learn control.”
“That’s not control,” Guard retorted. “It’s just avoiding the problem.”
“Oh, so I’m a problem now?” Pyro asked, trying to get the stoic pegasus off balance.
“No, but your attitude his,” Guard said, skillfully dodging the accusation while still trying to get the message through. “You get angry to easily, and when you get angry, you immediately try to punch your way out of the situation, regardless of what could happen to what’s around you. Look at the peach tree.” Pyro turned to stare at the scorched fruit tree, flinching slightly at the sight of the ghastly wound he had left behind. Guard let him stare at the tree for a moment before continuing. “You didn’t mean to do that, and now you’ve killed a tree that has been standing since before you were born.” Guard stopped again to let that sink in before lowering his muzzle closer to Pyro’s ear. “Now,” he whispered, “what if that had been a pony?”
Time seemed to freeze for Pyro, the realization hitting like a ton of bricks. His mind flashed back to his first transformation. A single griffon had been standing in front of him beforehand, and was reduced to ash by the sudden burst of fire magic. However, a detail that had never occurred to him hit home; what happened to the two ponies that had been harvesting behind him? He hadn’t seen them since before his episode. Had they gotten away, or had they gotten hurt… or worse? Tears started to form in Pyro’s eyes, something that hadn’t happened since the night of his revelation.
“I-I-” Pyro stammered, tears forming in his eyes.
“They would have been killed,” Guard stated bluntly, striking the final nail into the coffin. Pyro stared at the carnage, horrible thoughts running through his head. He thought of the two ponies that had been so close and what could have happened to them, but his imagination didn’t stop there. What if he had unlocked his abilities earlier? What if he had lost control around his mother, or sister? What if he suddenly exploded in his sleep, surrounded by dozens of other slaves? With each realization, a tear fell, and it wasn’t long before he was sobbing.
“Please!” He cried, spinning around and clinging to Guard’s shoulders for dear life. He buried his damp face into the chest fur of the taller pony. “Please…” he pleaded, “show me how to control this….”
Guard had been taken completely by surprise when Pyro had grabbed onto him like a life-line. His head came back,eyes widening and wings flaring as the young colt begged for his help. Slowly, Guard relaxed, a somber look creeping onto his face. He eventually sat down and wrapped his front hooves awkwardly around Pyro before rocking slowly back and forth. He stayed that way, holding him, rocking, and rubbing his back, letting the colt’s tears soak into his coat. Slowly, the crying began to fade and Guard looked down at his charge. Pyro had fallen fast asleep, chest rising and falling rhythmically with his breathing.
Guard let small smile lift the corners of his muzzle. He carefully got up, holding the small pony easily in one leg as he moved closer to a large tree. He laid the sleeping colt gently next it before silently taking flight. He grabbed one of the larger leaves and plucked it from the tree. He lowered himself down, draping the huge leaf across Pyro’s body as a makeshift blanket. Guard took a step back to take in the tranquil scene. “Sweet dreams,” he spoke softly. “O Prince of Morfflings….” With a small bow, he moved off into the growing shadows of the night.