Smoldering It Over

by Turtlehaus

Chapter 9: Discordant Welcome

It was some to time before I found myself waking up on a slab of granite in a large room that was adorned with banners and held stained glass windows striping the walls. There were several earth ponies walking around dressed in white nursing outfits taking care of other sick or injured ponies in normal beds. It appeared to be some sort hospital, it was very clean when compared to the one in Castle Char, but it was also very colorful. While I looked around I tried to remember what had happened, having regained some memory of my battle with the Queen Spider and as I sat up I noticed an absence of pain. I touched my side to find that there was no longer any pain, and then I remembered that I had passed out in front every pony. That thought lingered with me for a moment. Every pony. I covered my face with my hooves having realized that Princess Luna had seen me faint. I wanted to be eaten by spiders.

"How are we feeling?" A voice asked cheerfully.

I looked up from behind my hooves to see a light green earth pony, her mane a dark green, and dressed in the white garments watching me curiously. Holding a clipboard in one arm and a resting her other hoof at the edge of the slab of granite.

"I… I feel fine." I replied slowly.

"I'm happy to hear that. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna brought you in." The light green pony remarked.

"Where am I?" I asked curiously.

"You're in Canterlot, the Royal Castle to be exact." The light green pony replied looking down at her clipboard.

"I'm just going to need-"The light green pony began but stopped short. I was gone.

I had hidden behind a pillar in the hall outside the infirmary. I peeked out to see the light green earth pony come rushing out of the infirmary looking around desperately for me before running off in the other direction. The idea of me being in Canterlot had made my reason for venturing out from the Ashen Fields in the first place all too real; the Elements of Harmony would sure to be here in the Castle somewhere and that thought alone made me fearful.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I checked my hoof placement to make sure I didn’t step on the expensive looking carpet that lined the corridors. Staying to the edges of the hallway I darted behind pillars from time to time to avoid the patrolling Royal Guards that seemed to be looking for me. The amount of patrols seemed to grow with every passing minute, which meant I was to be found sooner or later. Eventually I came across two large doors, one was ajar enough to pass through and I decided to duck inside.

It must have been the ballroom; it was big, empty, and void of any carpets. Noticing another set of double doors on the other side of the ballroom, I decided to try my luck there in finding a way out of the Castle. I crossed the ballroom looking out the ballroom’s windows to the Castle's towers, seeing some more Royal Guards stationed on the ramparts. Hearing the sounds of my own hooves clack against the marble floor, I almost wanted to shout to hear my voice echo but decided not to. Halfway across the ballroom, I suddenly had the sneaking suspicion that I wasn’t alone, that something was watching me in this big empty room.

"I spy with my little eye, something missing and something found, and something sneaking around. Flames on its back, a home at its back… Can you guess what I see?" A voice leeched out from the walls.

I froze, glancing around and not seeing anything. The door was still ajar but no pony stood there. Quickly I glanced towards the windows, wondering if I would see some sort of Guard Pony staring back at me but saw nothing.

"It's no fun if you're not going to play along.” The voice pouted.

"Who's there?" I asked aloud, looking about to see where the voice was coming from.

"This isn't a knock-knock joke! This is eye spy! Don't you Flame Ponies ever play games? Oh darn it! Now you made me give the answer away!" The voice exclaimed sounding annoyed.

The floor beneath began to move under hoof, it sprang up like water around me and enveloped me. I swirled around me before I felt a paw holding me by the nape of my neck. The most mishmash creature I had ever seen held me up to its face with a sour look.

"I heard through the grapevine that a Nurse Pony had lost a Flame Pony; it having escaped from the infirmary." The creature remarked.

"You mean the light green one?" I asked curiously.

"I think she was more of a lime but then again I am color blind." The creature replied, tapping its own eyeball.

"Really?" I asked in surprise.

"Only when I want to be." The creature retorted.

"Are you going to eat me?" I asked, unsure of what fate awaited me.

"Do you want me to?" The creature asked back, as if sincere.

"Not really." I said.

"Well I'm not partial to spicy foods anyways." The creature lamented.

Every pony knows it was impolite to stare, but I just couldn’t stop staring at this creature without thinking twice about it. It was as if nature had accidently blended nearly every animal imaginable and decided to keep it.

"What? Haven't you ever seen dragon, goat, lion, deer, bat, snake creature before?" It had asked.

"No." I said honestly.

"What? You've never heard of me?" The creature asked in shock.

"You’re real? I'm not having a fever dream?" I asked curiously.

"Of course not! For I am the Master of Chaos, Discord!" The creature bellowed throwing me into the air but instead of falling I kept rising to hit the roof.

"Discord?" I asked sounding confused.

"Like the name?" Discord asked sticking his head out from the ceiling.

I struggled to stand atop the ceiling when I felt gravity kick back in and fell back towards the ground. Weirdly enough the floor was soft, I fell with soft thud before being bounced back onto hard floor.

"I can see that you're speechless. It's alright. It happens to every pony." Discord said rowing a boat upside down and throwing an anchor towards the roof before jumping straight into floor as if it were water.

I watched as Discord snaked his way under the tiles of the floor. His shadowy figure circling me before breaching the water like floor and swallowing me whole in one chomp of his teeth. Next thing I knew I was sitting on a couch in the middle of ballroom with Discord sitting across from me in a chair holding a pen and paper. There was a pipe in his mouth, adorned with a fez, wearing a smoking jacket as he wore half-moon spectacles.

"Fluttershy says the best way to meet new ponies is by getting to know them. So question one, does the rooster crow at midnight?" Discord asked curiously.

"Fluttershy said that?" I asked in surprise trying to figure out why the couch wasn't bursting into flames.

"You know Fluttershy?" Discord asked surprised, pulling the pipe from his mouth.

"She asked me about a hundred questions when we first met in Ponyville." I replied, poking the couch with my hoof.

"That's her! You must be the Flame Pony she spoke of at our last get together." Discord cried in excitement, tossing his pipe and notepad into the air.

"I guess." I said looking back at him.

Discord snapped his claws causing the couch and chair to disappear, along with his attire. He soon vanished on the spot as I was left sitting on the ballroom floor waiting to be ambushed by him again.

"So you're Smolder the little Flame Pony from the Ashen Field. I've heard so much about you." Discord whispered his snake tongue near my ear.

I barely had time to turn my head to see him. To my utter shock Discord squeezed his way inside my head, his massive size magically shrinking its way into my ear. I blinked a few times before I shook my head a bit in disbelief.

"Careful! I'm trying to redecorate this place!" Discord’s voice hollered from inside my head.

“What?” I asked feeling very confused and violated.

"Messy, messy, messy. Look at all the hopes and dreams all piled up in the corner. Tsk tsk." Discord's voice echoed in my head, the sound of a broom sweeping all the while.

"What are you doing?" I asked, trying to roll my eyes backwards.

"Just getting to know you better, that’s all. It’s just so much faster this way." Discord’s voice echoed in my head as a little rubber ducky came flying out my nose.

"Let me see here. We have a bunch of nothing, a couple of large empty spaces, something to do with a bat, ash, ash, ash, ash, and more ash. This is all so boring. Is this all you've seen? This colorless grey stuff? It's so bland." Discord’s voice scolded me tossing out heaps of ash from my ear onto the ballroom floor.

I covered my ears, not wanting anything else to fly out of my head.

"What do we have here? ‘Thoughts and Other Things I Think About’, a book authored by one Smolder of the Ashen Fields." Discord's voice echoed in my head.

"What?" I asked, trying to figure out what Discord was talking about.

"Chapter One: Why Am I A Dork? Oh this should be a good read!" Discord laughed aloud, the sound of pages turning in my head.

"Wait! What are you reading? Get out of my head!" I shouted shaking my head around.

"Why is it that whenever I open my mouth in front of other ponies do I sound like a duck trying to play the tuba? I have such a hard time relating to other ponies. Even if I wanted to get closer I'd most likely just end up burning them." Discord read aloud, literally reading my thoughts.

"La la la la la!" I shouted out loud covering my ears with my hooves.

"Chapter Two: Where's My Cutie Mark? This is priceless!" Discord laughed again.

"I'm not listening! La la la la! I'm not listening!" I cried trying to think of other things.

"I've seen foals and fillies with cutie marks, and it makes me wonder why I haven't gotten mine. I'm already old enough to brave the Dark Marsh but I walk around with a blank flank. I should tell ponies that it's just invisible and save myself the embarrassment!" Discord laughed aloud.

"Get out of my head!" I screamed feeling unbelievably embarrassed.

"I haven't laughed this hard in ages. I'll bookmark this for later." Discord voice echoed in my head.

I felt myself fuming. My mane flared wildly while I was forced to sit idly by while Discord rummaged through my mind.

"I think I'll pop downstairs for a bit and see what's going on." Discord’s voice rang aloud.

I heard a door slam in my head followed by hoof steps coming down some stairs.

"Downstairs?" I asked feeling very confused.

"Wait a minute. What's this? It seems like a little treasure chest of some kind." Discord’s voice asked curiously.

"Treasure chest?" I asked sounding confused.

"Let see here. It doesn't seem to be locked. Why, it's practically empty. Just a few pictures. Ugh. Some many of these are out of focus. You can't even tell who these ponies are supposed to be. Just ideas probably." Discord’s voice scoffed, the sounds of him rummaging through things.

"Where are you?" I asked suspiciously.

"Now, what do we have here? Does some pony have a little crush on Princess Luna?" Discord’s voice asked accusingly.

"Hey!" I shouted feeling my mane flare up.

"Alright! Alright! I'll put it back. Sheesh. You try and pry into a pony's heart and this is the thanks you get." Discord’s voice mumbled as the sound of a chest slamming echoed through my mind.

Once more I heard a door slam, hoof steps climbing stairs and another door swinging open. I just assumed that Discord had made his way back up into my thoughts.

"No offense but it's pretty empty in here." Discord’s voice grumbled.

"Oh no, maybe you should find some other pony to annoy." I mumbled sarcastically.

"Now what's this?" Discord’s voice asked curiously.

"What now?" I asked feeling annoyed.

"There seems to be some sort of wall here." Discord’s voice mentioned.

I could hear several wraps of Discord’s knuckles against a part of my mind that caused my stomach to drop.

"Why so nervous Flame Pony? Have something to hide do we?" Discord’s voice asked mischievously.

"Please, Discord. Don't do anything. Please." I pleaded with him.

My thoughts had already begun to betray me. Images of my father's fury raced to my mind. I could picture him screaming at me, of how Flame Ponies do not plead, I shook with fear at how vivid this memory was. The thoughts of my father soon passed, forcing myself to push such memories to the back of my mind. Discord came sliding out of my ear, he grew to what I guessed was his normal size before me. He looked down at me while I desperately tried to stop myself from shaking.

"Your father is not a very nice pony." Discord said disapprovingly.

"I'm his son, I keep disappointing him." I said feeling my voice shake.

"Horse Hockey!" Discord spat.

"What?" I asked feeling confused.

"Take it from the Master of Chaos little Flame Pony, you can please none of the ponies none of the time but you can't please all of the ponies all of the time." Discord said proudly.

"What?" I asked not understanding any of it.

"I don't think that came out right." Discord said stroking his beard.

I stared at the ground, trying to calm myself. By the time I had looked up Discord was gone. I looked around to see if he was in the ceiling or under the floor. I even shook my head a few times to see if he was there; Discord was nowhere to be found. Half hoping that the giant mishmash of a creature had found amusement else where I started back towards the door I came from when I heard the sound of hooves approaching.

"Here he is! I told you I would find him!" Discord announced aloud, slamming the ballroom doors open.

Discord was leading Princess Celestia and Princess Luna into the ballroom, both seemed to be in good spirits and thankfully not upset with my escape from the infirmary.

"Thank you for your help Discord." Princess Celestia said sincerely.

"No trouble at all, I was just getting to know this little Flame Pony and his brave quest." Discord said appearing next to me and hugging me tightly.

"Good luck Flame Pony." Discord whispered to me before folding himself into a small suitcase and walking out from around me, carrying himself off.

Discord vanished into thin air with a pop. My gaze fell to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna who seemed to be looking at me with some concern. I did my best to look respectable in front of them, standing up straight, making eye contact, hoping that I wouldn’t let something dumb come pouring from my mouth.

"How are you feeling, Smolder?" Princess Luna asked with a slight grimace on her face.

"I'm fine! Totally cool! Ready to fight spiders! Yeah!" I said awkwardly punching the air.

"But you fell unconscious after I merely touched you." Princess Luna remarked.

I felt my stomach drop and my heart whimper. Having realized that I had completely embarrassed myself in front of them earlier that day.

"Exhaustion! Yeah! Taking on the Queen of Spiders and getting blown up takes a lot out of a pony. I just decided to take a quick nap the minute you nudged me!" I said promising myself I would jump in a river after this embarrassing moment.

"Flame Pony pride, they prefer not to look weak in front other ponies." Princess Celestia whispered to Princess Luna.

"I'm glad you are unharmed then." Princess Luna said with a smile.

"How's Zecora?" I asked curiously.

"We saw her home before bringing you to the castle." Princess Celestia replied.

"Cool, cool." I said, wishing I had never left the infirmary to begin with.

"I must prepare for the tonight's patrol. I will see you in this evening, sister." Princess Luna said excusing herself.

Princess Celestia and I watched Princess Luna leave the ballroom before I face hoofed myself.

"Did it sound as bad as I think it did?" I asked miserably through my hooves.

"Worse." Princess Celestia said with a small chuckle.

I buried my face in my hooves slowly wishing I could fold myself into a suitcase and be carried out like Discord did.

"I'd like to know if you are feeling alright, I had the nurse ponies give you a remedy I had made." Princess Celestia inquired.

"A remedy?" I asked in disbelief.

"I know that your medicine differs from ours but I knew Flame Ponies in a time before the war. I was unsure if the remedy I had would be out of date at this point." Princess Celestia explained.

"Well, I feel fine." I remarked patting my side with my hoof.

"I’m glad to hear it; I feel that you will need your strength for the challenge that is coming." Princess Celestia said motioning me to follow her.

"What challenge?" I asked, walking alongside her.

“Canterlot is holding an event that has been lovingly named, The Next Big Thing, and will be drawing ponies from all over to present and display their ideas and inventions.” Princess Celestia began.

“Cool, cool.” I replied, having thought I had heard that somewhere before.

“The challenge in question is one that will be of great patience and willpower on your part, Smolder. Zecora had told the other ponies in Ponyville of your fight with the spiders, as well as the Queen, and informed them that you were being taken to Canterlot.” Princess Celestia continued, ushering me through the ballroom doors and back into the hallway.

“Okay.” I said, keeping close to the walls to avoid stepping on the carpet.

Princess Celestia’s horn started to glow, a letter magically popped into existence as it floated down in front of my face. The letter unraveled, revealing some rather nice handwriting, luckily Wingston had taught me how to read, and I read over the letter. I felt a sudden tenseness wash over me, Princess Celestia smiled apologetically as I covered my face once more; it may have seemed rude but even Princess Celestia seemed to sympathize with my plight.

Dear Princess Celestia,

Zecora came by Ponyville today telling us of the incident that had occurred with her, Smolder, and the Spiders. Every pony in Ponyville hopes that Smolder is alright, and that we are very glad that he stood up for Zecora against some pretty mean spiders.

I’ve been asked by Rarity to have you keep Smolder in Canterlot for the next couple of days for the Next Big Thing event that is to take place. She would be most appreciative if you did so, it’s for her new line of Flame Pony inspired clothing she has been working on.

I’m sure Smolder won’t mind posing for Rarity again.

Twilight Sparkle

"I'm sure you will be up to this great challenge." Princess Celestia said with a warm smile.

It wasn’t that I was unappreciative for the kindness that Rarity and the other ponies had given me. It was having to stay in this castle for the next couple of days, having the nagging thought of the Elements of Harmony floating around in my head whenever I passed any door here. I didn’t intend to steal the Elements anymore, but there was a part of me that wanted to save my mother and it kept coming back to the Elements.

“I have made the proper arrangements to have you stay with us for the next couple of days, although I’m afraid we are not so well equipped to receive a Flame Pony under such short notice.” Princess Celestia explained. “So you will have to sleep in the infirmary where the slab of granite has been set up for now. I’m sure the nurse pony you ran out on will be pleased to see you again.”

Comments

[Rammy]

“I have made the proper arrangements to have you stay with us for the next couple of days, although I’m afraid we are not so well equipped to receive a Flame Pony under such short notice.” Princess Celestia explained. “So you will have to sleep in the infirmary where the slab of granite has been set up for now. I’m sure the nurse pony you ran out on will be pleased to see you again.”

Trollestia strikes again!

[Robot Sparky]

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Indeed