The Fourth Alicorn

by Cobalt the Kitsune

Chapter 19: Fire&Ice

Cobalt’s trips to Canterlot were going more and more frequent, as the royal army made preparations for war. And although Cobalt wasn’t officially part of the army, He found himself talking over stratagem or reviewing the troops progress as they trained almost every other day. He only could relax when he was practicing swordsponyship alone, or walking around Canterlot.

During these sunset walks he usually contemplated his past and how to better himself, or his ever changing feelings begin separated from Sweetie Belle made him wonder if she really was the one for him.

On one of these walks he found himself in the back streets after dark.

“Please... don’t.”

“A shy one are we?”

Cobalt poked his head into the alley. A burly, obviously drunk, stallion was pinning a young mare against a wall. There was something different about her. like she was made of....Ice?

“Let me get a better look at you.” He levitated a torch close to the strange pony.

“No please.” Some of the ice that made her mane began to melt.

“Aren't you a beauty” the stallion strokes the mare’s face.

“P-Please....move that torch away.” Water began to roll down her face like sweat.

“Why? Don’t like the heat? Well I got news for you you're in for a hot, hot, night.” He tries to kiss the mare.

“No, NO!”

“Back off!” The stallion turned around to see Cobalt standing in the moonlight.

“Well, well, well it look’s like a high and mighty alicorn wants to cut in. Buck off fly boy she’s mine!” The stallion turns back to the mare

“I said... BACK OFF!” The stallion was jolted by a bolt a lighting and fell unconscious at the young mare’s hooves. “Non-fatal lighting, gotta love it.”

the mare didn’t even manage to get a word off before she fainted into Cobalt’s strong hanches.

.........

“CHRYSALIS!” Night Stallion bellowed. “WHERE ARE THOSE SCROLLS?”

The changeling queen rushed in with several pieces of parchment stuck the holes of her body.

Night was still only half formed. He used one of the shadowy tendrils to pull out a scroll.

He quickness of the pull gave Chrysalis a cut. “Ow.”

Night Stallion gave her a quick leer then reads the scroll. Whatever it was it made Night Stallion smile. And that was enough to put even Chrysalis on edge.

.........

Cobalt allowed the strange mare to have his bed. He paced outside as she was checked out by the royal physician. When the doctor finally emerged Cobalt almost tackled her. “How is she?”

“I can’t sure, I’m not familiar with Iceo physiology”

“Iceo?”

“Yes that’s what she is. There a hybrid of a changeling and a windigo.”

“Is that even possible?”

“It’s hast to be otherwise she wouldn’t be here. Now if you'll excuse me.” She shoved passed the alicorn. Once she left Cobalt slipped into the room. An IV of ice water was contented to the mare. Her clear body made her look a priceless diamond. Cobalt wondered in awe how such beauty could be the product of such evil as the changeling’s and windigo’s. She squirmed and moaned softly in her sleep. Cobalt smiled and slowly shut the door again.

.........

The moon brightly shone down on the Nightmare Moon statue. “They will pay for what they did to you my love.” One of Night Stallion’s shadow tendrils stroked the statue’s face. “Soon you’ll be with me again and together.” Night flicks a lighter open. “We’ll watch the world burn!” He tossed the lighter into the dry underbrush and it lights in an instant. It then climbed the tree and spread for branch to branch and tree to tree until it seemed the whole everfree forest was alight.

.........

The Iceo was recovering well. Cobalt helped looked over her recovery. He often took walks with her in the castle gardens. During these walks they would talk. Buy talking Cobalt learned her name was Iciel. She liked to play the ice flute and had the power to control the cold. She had been left for dead by her parent’s when she was a newborn. She had been taken in by a old couple that died when she was about 5 she then spent the next 12 years wandering canterlot until she was found by Cobalt.

Now she was playing a sorrowful tune as Cobalt watched the stars from a high tree top. when she finished. She asked. “Cobalt, do you ever wonder, What your destiny is?”

“I’m an Alicorn, we hardly think about anything else.”

“Oh....”

“Why do you ask?”

“It’s just I feel my life is incomplete. Don’t you feel like that some time?”

“All the time”

Iciel smiles, knowing that she wasn’t the only one. Suddenly a distinct sent caught her snout. “Do you smell smoke.”

Cobalt sniffed the air. “Yeah I do.” He reared himself up in the tree

“What do you see!”

Cobalt’s eye widened in shock. A bright band was burning in the Everfree. hurriedly he slid down the tree. And started running to an exit.

“Wait where are you going?”

“I’m sorry but there's not time to waste!”

“Oh,” Iciel’s countenance became sorrowful as she watched Cobalt leave.

.........

“Jump harder!” Rainbow dashed urged the others “We can’t let this fire reach Ponyville!” They emptied their rain clouds as fast as they could be sent from Cloudsdale.

Meanwhile “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH”

“Every pony just remain calm!” Mayor Mare’s attempts to call the panicking ponies were in vain. Several ponies collided only to start running again. Reese was in his shop hurriedly pacing his explosive materials he used to make his own ammunition. If the fire reached his shop it be a disaster. Suddenly a deep voice interrupted his packing.

“Reese.” It was Big Mac carrying several pails of water. “Have you seen Fluttershy?”

“I think she went to help the animals evacuate.” Without a word Big Mac took off towards the inferno that was the Everfree Forest. “Wait, Mac!” Reese took off after his galloping Friend

………

Cobalt couldn’t beat his wings fast enough. Ponyville was his home. He had grown attached to it and all that was in it. His mind rushed though memories of Sugar Cube Corners sweet aroma, lazy days with his friends in there little tree house, late nights at the ruins wondering who he truly was.

Cobalt’s eye filled with stinging tears at the thought of losing it all. He then shook these off. He needed to focus on the task at hand.

………

Fluttershy watched the counties stream of animal’s rushing out of the forest when she noticed an injured squirrel limping slowly. She swiftly flew over and scooped up the pitiful creature. But as she carried it away a large bow of a burning tree fell from over her. She froze in a panic. But at the last moment she was pushed out of the branches path. When she opened her eye’s she saw Big Mac trapped by under the burning branch.

“Oh my goodness, Oh my goodness!”

………

Rainbow’s cloud was emptied. “I need another rain could, ASAP!”

“Mam there is no more!”

“What do you mean no more?”

“Exactly that, were all dried up.” Several pegasi jumped on the clouds but nothing comes out. Just then a tree topples over the river setting light. To some grass on the other side.

“Nononono!” Rainbow tries to blow out the fire with her wings but it just makes it larger and larger until it was an inferno. “*gulp*”

………

Big Mac struggled beneath the weight of the branch that had fallen over him. Fluttershy tried to lift the branch off of him but she was too weak.

Reese came across the sight. Keep a Cool head he works himself under the branch. “We lift on three. Got it Mac?” Big Mac nodded. “Alright One…Two…Three.” Both stallions strained as they lifted the branch off of themselves. After the branch was off Reese asked. “And you ok Big Mac.”

“Eeyup”

………

When Cobalt arrived Ponyville was already alight. The shops, the library, the apple orchards, everything. He was too late. All the ponies retreated atop a ledge at a safe distance. Foals gathered in their mothers embrace the tearful faces illumined by the orange glow of their burning homes. Cobalt’s heart broke as he went from group to group.

A little ways off he saw Sweetie Belle. She looked at him with eyes full of sorrow then ran towards him. Cobalt, expecting an embrace, watched in sorrow as she ran to another for comfort. She had moved on. It was time for him to move on too.

Suddenly Trixie stopped Cobalt in his tracks. “Cobalt, thank goodness. Have you seen Spir?”

“You mean Reese? No I can’t say that I have why?”

“He followed Big Mac, into the Everfree forest.” They both looked off into the heart of the flames. “I hope he’s alright.”

The fire reflected in Cobalt’s eyes resembled the fire building in his soul. He should have been here. He should have stopped this.

………

By morning the fire had burnt itself out. The citizens looked for anything that might be salvageable, a photograph, a piece of jewelry, anything that might have survived the flames. Twilight and Spike examined the half burn papers and the burnt out trunk of their tree house library. Applejack and the rest of her family (save for big mac) wept over the field of ash where acres of apple trees once stood. Rarity examined the burn holes in her fabric. Rainbow Dash held Tank tight as she cried. The Cakes sadly looked at their recipe books. Even Pinkie Pies spirit was dampened by this scene.

Trixie and Cobalt walked through the setting ash of the Everfree. Trixie called out for Reese while Cobalt just let his head hang down. Soon they came across the ruins where they heard coughing. Trixie rush towards the noise while Cobalt continued to drag his hooves. As he came across the giant zap apple tree he Sweetie Belle and Reese harvested together, and knew it would never give fruit again. He gave a long sad sigh.

“Spir!” Trixie aroused the sleeping stallion.

“Trixie? Oh Luna I must have died and gone to hell!”

“I still see you have you amazing sense of humor.” Trixie gave a sarcastic grin then pulled Reese of his ashen bed. “Where’s Big Mac and Fluttershy?”

As if on cue the two ponies in tandem yawned and brushed there blankets of ash. When Fluttershy looked around she went into shock. “T-the forest!”

“The forest is gone” Cobalt said solemnly. “And so is Ponyville.”

“Cobalt, you’re kidding us right?” Reese said in disbelief “Ponyville can’t be gone!”

Trixie looked into his eyes. “I’m so sorry Reese.” Reese still not wanting to believe rushed past Trixie and Cobalt to go investigate himself. Fluttershy broke down on Big Mac’s shoulder and began to cry.

………

Cobalt was back in Canterlot, attacking a practice log furiously. Iciel then came up behind him. “Cobalt… are you ok?

The log was reduced to wood chips so he got a new one. “I fine.”

“Are you sure you seem upset.”

“I SAID I’M FINE!”

Iciel backed off a bit. She had never seen Cobalt lose his cool. After she recovered from the shock she gingerly said. “I-I’m sorry about your home. I-I know how you feel”

“How can you? How can anypony know how I feel?!” With one swift action he cut the log in half. He then slumped down against the wall.

Iciel carefully sat down next to him. “Maybe I can’t but if you tell me I can at least try.”

Cobalt held his hooves up. “I’ve been given all this power, But for what? I couldn’t do anything to help. I had to sit back and watch the town burn… I had to watch the love which once was mine go to another.”

Iciel looked sorrowful. Not knowing to help at first but then, taking Cobalt’s hoof in hers she said. “If I knew how to mend your broken heart I would. But maybe … I can take your mind off of the hurt for awhile.” They then looked into each other’s eyes and smiled.

Celestia and Luna were in a bush. Celestia had a pair of binoculars pressed against her face. “I’m telling you Luna she’s the one.”

“Celestia haven’t we outgrown spying on our older brother?”

“Outgrow spying? *gasp* NEVER!!!” Luna rolled her eyes as Celestia pressed the binoculars back to her face.

Comments

[Cobalt the Kitsune]

1298786 hehehehe

[Enceledus]

why didn't the ice thingy use her abilities and stop the fire?

[Cobalt the Kitsune]

1351261 because she was to remain on castle grounds until she was fully recoved

[Enceledus]

1351460 ok i was wondering

[Enceledus]

I DEMAND MOAR UPDATES!

[Cobalt the Kitsune]

1488929 srry on it.

[Fluttermac36]

= D'AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW