The Flames of the Phoenix

by FrostTheWolf

26- Pyrite

The Flames of the Phoenix- Pyrite

---

It took her several hours of non-stop travel on foot and hitching a ride on the roof of a train, but by the time that Ember had reached her destination, the pyromancer had one goal in mind. To either find Frost and stop him before he does anything reckless… or to find Anivia and prevent her from finding the excedian. If Sylvano’s warning was what she thought it would be, then either of them were either planning or trying to make a move of some sort. There were details that Ember lacked, but one thing she knew for a fact was that if the mancer did nothing, the outcome would cause havoc on a global scale.

The main concern though was not about the outcome if Anivia or Frost happened to meet, but about what they had. Both of them had shards of the Wendigo Heart and if it was somehow made whole again, the relic’s power would put Equestria in an eternal ice age. There would be no fire of friendship to hold it back this time as the bearer of the completed heart would become an incarnation of frozen fury. So, if this was to be prevented, the mancer had to intercept one of them and find a way to prevent that from happening.

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. She could attempt to try and track Frost, but even if that were possible, using any of her abilities would more than likely alert Anivia of her presence here. Ideally, Ember would prefer to catch one or the other by surprise. However, even that was wishful thinking at this point since there were a lot of things that Ember did not know. The two of them could be either very far apart or within walking distance of each other for all she knew.

In any case, the mancer had to approach this with the utmost caution. If she tried to go too fast, then the creatures she was pursuing would learn of her presence. If she went too slow, then things would only get worse. Personally, Ember hated this… but there was not much that she could really do to change anything. No matter what angle she looked at it from, it was a case of ‘Damned if you do, damned if you don’t’.

That and trying to navigate the Crystal Empire without any form of map while in the middle of a snow storm was probably not the best idea. Especially when you don’t have much to keep you warm or anything that can help you see where you are going. “Why am I beginning to feel like everyone who has ever climbed Mount Everest? The Empire was definitely not like this when I last visited.”

After about fifteen minutes of walking through the raging storm, the mancer felt as if luck just so happened to be on her side. It wasn’t much, but it looked as if an outpost of some kind was in the distance. Perhaps one that belonged to the crystal guard, for there looked to be a shield shaped insignia along the outer walls of the camp. There weren't any tents there, but instead there were a couple of buildings that resembled cabins made from cobblestone. Icicles hung from the edges of the roof and smoke rose from the chimney.

Cautiously, Ember tried to hurry over to the shelter and get out of the snow. An attempt to try and open the door led to her finding that it was locked and a knock on the door did not exactly bring immediate results at first. For a moment, she could see the reflections of about four ponies on the other side, talking among themselves. Yet, that was only brief as one of them soon quickly trotted over to the door and opened it.

Needless to say, who opened surprised her just as much as her presence surprised him. “Ember?”

“Captain Armor?” the mancer asked, noticing that the other ponies in the cabin happened to be two other members of the crystal guard, “What are you doing out here?”

“I can ask you the same question,” the stallion retorted as he motioned his head inside, closing the door behind her as she stepped in. Once inside, the unicorn handed her a coat and offered a spot by the fireplace, “You don’t exactly look dressed for the weather. Would it be safe to say that your visit isn’t exactly a social call?”

“You can say that,” Ember shrugged her shoulders, “What about you? Wouldn’t you and the guard be back inside the city during something like this?”

“Under normal circumstances, yes. However-”

“Sir, are you sure that we should be discussing this here?” One of the crystal ponies asked, “Didn’t you say this was supposed to be secret and that nopony’s supposed to know? She’s-”

“A friend of the princesses’, Philomena’s caretaker and is a phoenix incarnate,” Shining retorted, before glaring at them, “Considering what we’re dealing with, she’s more experienced in this than all of us, Topaz. So please, show a little more respect.”

The crystal pony named Topaz only sighed as he looked to Ember with an apologetic look on his face, before Shining sighed. “My apologies. Things have been a bit tense over the last few hours and emotions are running a bit high. Before we fill you in though, what exactly brings you out here to the Empire?”

The pyromancer took in a deep breath as she tried to clear her head, before she began to answer the question, “Let’s just say that I was warned that Anivia might be making a move soon. The details are a little iffy, but if the storm right now is anything to go by, then my concerns are warranted. I came out here to try and stop her. What about you?”

“Unfortunately, it seems like our circumstances are similar,” the captain of the guard told her, “Your friend that was staying with us, Frost, left the city a short while ago. While that in itself is concerning, he also happened to take something with him that would be catastrophic in the wrong hooves. Especially if that happened to be Anivia.”

Now the mancer was concerned as she folded her arms, “And pray tell, what exactly did he take?”

Yet, the answer that Shining gave was one that did not settle well with the members of the Crystal Guard that were in the room at the time. “Your friend Frost took the Horn of Sombra with him on his way out.”

“Wait, wait wait,” Another crystal pony that went by the name Malachite spoke up, “This guy we’re trying to find has the Horn of Sombra?”

“Yes.”

“The same one from the ‘Don’t buck with this’ armory!?”

“Yes.”

“The same armory that contains the Alicorn Amulet, the Keys to Tartarus and the original writings of Starswirl the Bearded himself!?!”

“Yes. And I think you have a better understanding as to why I wanted to deal with this immediately instead of waiting for the storm to pass,” the captain finished, before his eyes shifted back to Ember. “While it’s only a fragment of Sombra, that horn still has a lot of power behind it. I don’t know what your friend is thinking of doing, but if that horn is somehow part of his plan, there’s no telling what could happen. I wanted to try and search for him as soon as possible, but then this storm kicked up out of nowhere and now we’re stuck.”

“And how long has this storm been going for, exactly? Has it moved”

“It’s stayed here for the last couple of hours,” the guard named Topaz added, “Just before we could even head out to begin our search. We thought that things would die down if we gave it time, but it just seems to be only getting worse.”

With this information, Ember began to slowly try and put the pieces together. If everything that Shining and the guards described happened recently, then the storm that was happening now was probably no coincidence. She felt that something was off when the weather was too cold for her liking. But now, there was a possibility that the storm wasn’t natural. But if Anivia were responsible, why would-?

Then, a realization hit the mancer as if it was a block of ice to the head. One that, when she thought about everything that was going on, Ember realized that this was going to be a much bigger problem, “Oh no.”

“What? What is it?” Shining asked, “Did you figure something out?”

“Yes, and it’s not good,” she replied back as Ember looked around the room, “How familiar are all of you with Life Force?”

“We’ve heard of it before,” the crystal pony named Malachite replied, “However, we were also told that very few creatures are capable of using it and that it’s separate from magic. Outside of that, we never actually met any creature who could use it.”

“Well, at least that saves me an explanation,” the mancer mentally let out a sigh of relief, before continuing, “Well, similar to how magic works, the power that Mancers draw from Life Force can be amplified to use their power on a much bigger scale. Sometimes, it’s combining their powers with someone else’s… while for others, they use strong artifacts as a conduit to channel it through and amplify it. I’m betting you that Anivia is using the pieces of the Wendigo Heart that she has to create this storm.”

At first, it looked like Shining and the Guards agreed on that. However, it was only a few moments afterwards that Topaz brought up a different question, “Okay, but what exactly is their play here? Is it supposed to be like a flex of her power? A test? What exactly is this Anivia trying to do?”

“It’s worse,” Ember told them, “Consider everything we know. One, Mancers can feel the life force of other Mancers when in close proximity. Two, the same person that your captain’s looking for, Frost, is a Mancer himself and also has the last piece of the Wendigo Heart. Something that Anivia will stop at nothing to try and claim for herself. Three, the storm only seems to be focused in this area and hasn’t reached out to the rest of the Empire or Equestria for that matter.”

She then paused briefly and folded her arms, before posing a new question for them, “With all of these factors, why do you think this is happening?”

It took a bit for the three of them in order to process everything. Yet, after about five minutes, Ember noticed a look of realization and horror on Shining Armor’s face. “No… you don’t mean-”

“Captain? What is it?”

The unicorn looked back at his companions and then looked briefly at Ember, before he gave his answer. “It’s a lure. Anivia’s using her powers as a way to lure Frost to come to her. Like how you would use bait to catch a fish.”

The pyromancer smirked for a brief moment. She didn’t think that Shining would come to the exact same conclusion as she did, but was still impressed regardless. “Now you see why this is something that needs to be prevented under any circumstances. No matter how you look at it, there’s no telling what could happen if we just let them meet. It has to be stopped now.”

“I agree, but… what exactly can we do to prevent that?” Shining then asked. “It would be impossible to try and navigate through the storm on your own.”

That had the pyromancer look towards the door on the other side of the cabin as she adjusted the cloak over her body. “While that may be true, what I plan to do is different. Since Mancers can sense the presence of other Mancers that use their powers, I’m going to give Anivia a different target to focus their attention on. Have someone else go for her lure instead… and hopefully, it will be enough to get her to focus on me instead.”

It was going to be a gamble, and Ember hoped that it would be one that would pay off.

---

As the howling winds roared above him, the excedian named Frost waited in anticipation. The cryomancer knew that the one he was looking for was here. The same creature who was responsible for the storm and wanted to take his heart was close. With assistance from a spirit that knew his ancestors for the longest of times, preparations were made and risks were taken to get to this point. If the cryophoenix that wanted his heart was after him now, he was not going to go down without a fight… and if the worst were to come and he would fall in battle, he would take the bird with him.

Something’s off.

The two words from Kaldr did not sit well with him. They have come too far for setbacks, so hearing this did not sit right with him? “What’s wrong?”

Do you sense it? The feeling of warmth in the air? It asked as a small amount of pressure directed over Frost’s shoulder. The sound of flames burning that even the winds around us can’t blow out? Something else approaches.

A realization soon hit as the excedian moved his hand over where he kept the Horn of the Umbrum King. “No… Not something. Someone.”

You know them.

The wolf nodded as he looked out into the distance. “Ember, a living phoenix in the body of a mortal. The predator that hunts me has a score to settle with her… as do we. The plan remains the same.”

Even with a possible ally, you still wish to see your plan through?

“There’s nothing left for me here,” Frost defiantly stated, his eyes shifting to what looked like a flickering torch out in the distance “My people, long before Anivia slaughtered us, were responsible for tragedies of our own making. Many of the machinations my ancestors left behind were the source of hardships that the Equestrians had to endure, with what’s bound to my heart being one of them. If I want to bury the past of what we’ve done and ensure that the creatures who live here now have a future… then I must go with them.”

Unknown to Frost, the spectral ally that watched him has a small grim on their hidden face. They thought that they would show some sort of hesitation when speaking about this. Instead, their resolve was unbreakable. Not to mention, there was the phoenix as well.

Perhaps, there was hope after all.

---

The moment she stepped out the door and into the storm, Ember knew the risk that she was taking. Yet, Anivia was something that only she could face. The pyromancer was not going to let anyone else get hurt because of a creature whose hatred For those who gave her a chance in this world was as cold as their heart. This was not their fight, but hers and hers alone.

Phyrron’s final wish came with not just her gifts, but a duty… and now was the time to fulfill it.

As Ember reached the middle of the storm, she extended her hand out towards the sky as flames began to crackle around it and burn brightly. It started small, but then grew bigger and bigger with each passing moment as it turned into a bonfire. A beacon of flame amidst the storm that burned with rage and anyone could see.

“Well, isn’t this a wonderful surprise?” An all too familiar voice echoed as a pair of eyes glowed brightly among the darkening storm, “I thought you would cover behind the comfort of warmth and those you love. Yet, instead, I find you here… Boldly approaching me instead of running in fear. Why the sudden change?”

“You know exactly the reason why,” the pyromancer grit her teeth.

Then, the movements in the wind began to change. Ember watched as the snow that was being blown around began to move faster and blow past her and tear through the coat. Not hesitating for even a second, Ember grasped the flames in her hands and had them surge in a frontal wave as it melted through the frigid air and toward the pair of eyes. At first, it looked like the pyromancer hit her target… only for whatever was there to just crumble like a statue.

“Straight to the point as ever,” the voice of the cryophoenix echoed as Ember felt a chilling presence from behind her, before an icy set of talons grabbed at her throat, “As much fun as it would be to put out the fire in you though, I seek something else first… and you will not interfere-”

Immediately, the mancer extended her right hand outward and set off a blast of flame right in Anivia’s face. Yet, despite the amount of power she put into it, it did little to stop the cryophoenix from wrapping a wing around her arm and throwing her into the side of a mountain. The impact was enough to almost knock all the air out of Ember’s body as it felt like her bones were beginning to break.

Before she had the chance to straighten herself up, Anivia was in front of her, “… You know what, forget what I said before. Perhaps if I take the time to leave you battered and broken, then what I seek will come to me instead!”

The pyromancer couldn’t help but smirk at that for a brief moment as a fiery blaze began to burn all around her. Now that she got a hold of Anivia’s attention, it was time for her to hold onto it and not let go for even a second. “Oh, it’s going to take more than just a storm and throwing me around to break me.”

Within a matter of seconds, the fire in her hands began to rapidly flow around her like the winds of the storm she was in. When different creations of ice were hurled towards her, the heat that radiated from the flames had them melt and evaporate before they even came close to touching her as she sent her own blasts towards the frozen bird. Originally, Anivia was taken aback by this. However, much like her opponent, she was quick to adapt and change her strategy as her attacks not only came from the air, but from the ground that Ember stood upon. Cold waves of razor sharp spikes tore through Ember and left scars on her body, but she continued to fight.

Yet, something about this felt off. If anything, it felt like Anivia wasn’t even trying yet. She had two pieces of the Wendigo Heart in her possession, but it didn’t look like the cryophoenix was even using them. Ember was under the impression that Anivia had used them to create the storm they were in, but if she wasn’t using the pieces of the heart now… then did she underestimate her capabilities.

“I think that was a satisfactory warm up,” the words echoed as a chill was felt down Ember’s spine as the cryophoenix’s life force started to grow immensely, “Now, let’s see how long it’ll take before your flames become extinguished!”

“Oh shit-!”

Immediately, an assault of hail and frozen shards came at her from all directions. Ember did not even have the chance to defend herself as the coat Shining let her borrow was torn to shreds as the cold winds can be felt on her arms. Shards of ice cut through her skin like razors as the pyromancer staggered for a moment and tried to refocus her power to ward off any other attacks that came her way.

However, even though Ember was able to create the hottest of flames to defend herself, it did little to slow down or stop Anivia’s ravenous assault. Some of her attacks avoided her flames, while others just looked unaffected and flew straight through before landing on the ground, This in turn forced the pyromancer to think differently about her approach as she had to torch the ground with fire, before creating a slab of molten rock to serve as some manner of defense.

When Ember actually caught one of the shards, that’s when she realized what the cryophoenix was doing. She was using her life force to create shards of ice that wouldn’t melt or break apart under extreme heat. This was a major problem, because it meant that Anivia could just as easily execute attacks that her flames couldn’t stop or create a solid defense that the pyromancer couldn’t break.

“Dammit,” she cursed, “How the hell am I going to get around that? She basically gave herself plot armor-”

Shed your limitations. No defense can save their rotted soul.

Ember flinched. The voice did not belong to anyone she had met previously. Yet, it was somehow familiar. Like she had known them from somewhere else. But that was not important. She couldn’t just stand behind a molten wall and do nothing while Anivia threatened the lives of every creature in Equestria.

For several minutes, this continued on with no end in sight. But then, she heard Anivia say as the cryophoenix looked away from her, “Oh, what’s this? Finally done with hiding now are we, little wolf?”

Immediately, the mancer took her eyes off of Anivia for a moment to look around in the storm. Among the howling winds stood the excedian, snow covering his fur as his life force was flowing from his fingertips. Of all the times that Ember wanted to see him, now was certainly not that time. Especially since the cryophoenix that she was fighting wanted to kill him so she could have the final piece of the heart. Just what was he doing!?

Instead of saying anything, the excedian resorted to actions as he clapped his hands and slammed them into the ground as his life force surged forth as two claws surged from the ground to strike Anivia. Yet, when the attack struck, the pyromancer realized that it was more of a diversion than anything else as she realized that the wolf was next to her. Not to mention that they did not seem entirely relieved to see her.

“What are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here? What are you doing here?!” Ember retorted, trying to make sense of what the wolf was saying to her, “You know that she’s after you-”

“And if I stayed where I was, I would’ve put more creatures at risk,” Frost retorted, “I know what I’m doing.”

The pyromancer grit her teeth, “I’m honestly not so sure about that. Because from what Shining told me, you also took something that shouldn’t-”

Much to her surprise, before she could continue, the excedian placed his hand over her mouth to silence her. “Listen, it’s not what you think… I’m counting on her trying to come after me and come for what I have. If she does, then I have a plan to capitalize on her greed. All we ask for is one thing.”

That left the mancer even more confused. What the hell did he mean by ‘we’? Was it something to do with the voice from earlier? At this point, she didn’t care. There was too much going on and Ember couldn’t focus on everything at once. And Anivia was not going to stand by and just let them freely converse like this for long, “What is it?”

“Trust me,” Then, the sound of crackling ice was heard as both of them turned back to see Anivia shrugging off the attack from earlier before sending another attack back at them. Both mancers had to separate quickly as both of them looked towards the creature that they were facing.

“Are you two just about done? Because you have what I want and I’m not going to just wait for you to give it to me!!”

The excedian just smirked at that, “If that’s what you want, then you’re going to have to pry it from my corpse.”

“Heh. Ironic for you to say that considering the blood on your people’s hands,” the bird grinned, “Tell me, what makes you think that you will stop me?”

At this point, Ember couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something that Frost was keeping from her. Unlike the last time they saw each other, the wolf’s attitude and demeanor had changed. Originally, she saw him as just being as rebellious as she used to be. Now though, his actions reminded her of Sylvanos… but came off as if his time was short.

“Because I accepted the sins of my people long ago and I know that my time is up. You are still obsessed with ending a feud that’s long since over,” the excedian said. As he spoke, Ember couldn’t help but notice that there were lingering shadows around his feet. They did not move, but their presence felt intimidating as he continued to speak, “Not just in this life, but all the lives you had before.”

“And what would you know about that? You mortals are not like us. You don’t have second chances!”

“Because I have seen them for myself,” he told her, some shadows forming around his eyes, “My people hunted your kind back then out of fear of the unknown. Your father and mother were the first to fall.”

As he spoke, Anivia’s calm demeanor was beginning to deteriorate. Something that, from Ember’s perspective, had never been seen before, “No. Stop.”

Yet, the more she made demands, the more that Frost continued, “The feathers from them were used to create the heart. My people intended it to be used as a way to commune with the elements. Yet, the heart was stolen by the Wendigo’s and used for their own ends.”

“Lies!! That’s not what-”

“Then, when you saw that the heart was gone, you did not hesitate to murder every creature in that village. In your eyes, all of them were guilty,” As he spoke, Frost dared to step closer. Anivia lashed out and fired off bolts of ice as they shredded through his fur and clothes and hurt his arms. Yet, he still spoke, “Over time, as you died and came back, you saw the phoenixs and began to hate them. For unlike your kind, they made peace with mortals and did not have to suffer your hardships. They were the same as you and had your curse of rebirth, yet you hated them… and then, hated all life. Does that seem right, Hail-?”

“SHUT UP!!” the outburst from the cryophoenix was followed by a furious storm of attacks as each one of them shredded the wolf to pieces. Ember could only watch as Frost persisted through the onslaught as his blood stained the snow. What the hell was he doing!? Was he trying to get himself killed?! He couldn’t barely make sense of what he was saying, yet he was freely throwing his life away. She had to do something-

Don’t

The voice from before ringed in Ember’s ears. Yet, this time, she could see a figure alongside Frost now. One that marched with him. Yet, it also seemed like everything was… slowing down. Like time itself was beginning to become still. He knew this was a risk and despite my insistence, he chose this path. Would you dishonor his last wish?

“The hell-? Who are you!?”

Many have referred to me by different names over the ages. Your friend calls me Kaldr, but I call myself the Wanderer. We have met once before, but right now it does not matter. The being then looked over to Anivia. Frost knows that he will not win and that his life will end by her hands. However, he wasn’t planning to go down so easily. For you see, he has one last trick up his non-existent sleeves.

At first, Ember didn’t get it. Her emotions were running high to the point that she wanted to just punch this ‘Wanderer’ in the face. However, that was when it hit her. “The horn?”

It may not have looked like it, but the pyromancer couldn’t help but feel as if this… presence was smiling at them. Exactly. Umbrum magic is known to corrode and corrupt anything it touches, including magical artifacts. If she were to take the last piece of the heart, she would not realize that she took in the Umbrum magic corroding it. Her defenses will break and lose control on the power she worked tirelessly to master. A fitting send off, for all of us.

That hit Ember with a realization as she looked at the Wanderer, and everything began to come to a standstill. “You’re… dying.”

Afraid so. You see, to many, my brothers and sisters are seen as gods. The excedians were our children and we helped foster and grow life on this world long ago. However, the thing about gods is that we only live through belief. Through our stories and history, creatures believe in our deeds and take it upon themselves to do the same. However, because of what our children did, they ended up meeting a premature end… and Frost has been the only one to keep us alive. However, I knew that wasn’t enough. So, I needed another… one who can be the opposite of the cold that had killed so many that could burn away our wrongdoings. And then, I found you.

Something in the pyromancer’s mind clicked as she looked at the scarf around her neck as a realization hit her. “Wait… did you-?”

All I did was bring you here. Everything else that had happened on your journey was through fate. Now though, it’ll be your task to finish this. As the voice grew faint, Ember couldn’t help but feel a warming sensation running through her scarf. Break her down, for she can’t bear the weight of what she hopes to do. You have the fire to outweigh her desires, so pull her down and burn her to the ground.

Only one final remark was said before the Wanderer faded into nothingness. Be a beacon for all the world to see.

Then, time sped up back to the way it was as Ember watched the events unfold before her very eyes. When Anivia was close, she swung forth and drove her claws into Frost’s heart as she tried to extract the final piece. However, instead of the intended results, shadows from his body overtook her as the excedian ceased to exist. The cryophoenix began to screech in pain as the armor on her body began to crack and break. “You WRETCH!! I WILL-”

Like a firework, Ember launched herself at Anivia as her scarf began to glow hotter with each passing second. Rage took the wheel as the pyromancer grabbed her by the neck and slammed her to the ground. All the snow and the cold winds were gone in an instant and now, both of them were in a burning crater as the melted ice from the phoenix’s creations evaporated into the air. When Anivia tried to channel her life force through her wings, a pair of burning arms took form from her scarf and grasped hold of the wings. Searing pain was all the cryophoenix felt as the arms not only stopped her from casting anything, but tore them right off as they evaporated alongside everything else.

As the cryophoenix hollered in pain, Ember grabbed her face as the arms grabbed the heart of the beast. In that moment, only one thing could be said after everything she had gone through in her life and knowing that this was now coming to an end. “This is for Phyrron… and every other soul you’ve taken!!”

In one final strike, Ember launched herself up into the air, before pulling what was left of Anivia and plummeting her to the ground before slamming her to the ground. In a flash of fire and fury, the cryophoenix’s body was broken and the heart turned to ashes. As exhaustion took hold, Ember dropped to her knees and just stared into the sky. The fire in the sky that she created took the form of a mighty phoenix, and unknown to her at the time, every living creature could see it no matter where they were.

A beacon for all the world to see.

---

End Chapter 26

Author's Note:

One more chapter to go... and then, I can bring the phoenix's story to a close.This may seem fast... but I didn't want to drag this out forever. I thought that with this, it could help give Ember some peace.

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