Rise of Char

by Turtlehaus

Chapter 3: Honored Guests

Wingston always meant well. He limped to the beat of his own drum and couldn't be bothered with the rhythm of any pony else. It was rare for Wingston to ever be wrong about something, and his plans never seem to fail. For that reason, many Flame Ponies trusted him to do things he did because in the end it was for the best interest of every pony. Unfortunately for me, it always ended with Wingston getting his way.

"It is my great honor to welcome you to the Ashen Fields, ponies of Ponyville. The Kingdom of Flame Ponies is once more in your debt." Wingston declared bowing his head to Twilight and her friends.

"You invited them here to put them to work?" I asked sounding very suspicious.

"Perish the thought, my King, I merely asked for them to point our misguided Flame Ponies in the right direction. If only to give them a gentle nudge in the right direction to get them going on their own." Wingston said using his sarcastic tone with me.

"Wingston said you were having some trouble keeping up with all the requests that have been coming your way." Applejack spoke up.

"In his letter he asked us to come and share our knowledge and expertise with the Flame Ponies." Twilight explained making Wingston's letter appear out of thin air with her magic.

"Writing letters about me behind my flank, Wingston?" I asked narrowing my eyes at him.

"Don't flatter yourself, my King; it would take me more than a year, several hundred feet of parchment, to write all the things I'd have to say about you." Wingston replied with a chuckle.

"I'm sure every pony's heart is in the right place but I cannot ask any of you to do this in good conscious." I said not liking the idea of having these ponies come all the way here just to work.

"I figured you'd try to undermine my little plan, so that is why I also brought the little dragon as back up." Wingston said pointing his staff at Spike.

"Spike? Back up?" I asked looking surprised.

"Little dragon! Hold onto Smolder's leg and do not let go!" Wingston commanded, raising his staff into the air.

Spike was more than happy to comply. Leaping at my leg, Spike took hold and used his whole weight to drag me down to the stone floor. I was so tired, so weak, that I didn't have the strength to shake Spike off, let alone keep myself standing.

"Spike! Let go!" I demanded but I couldn't fight him off.

"Sorry Fireball, no can do." Spike replied gripping my leg tightly.

"Hold him there Spike, the King will be indisposed for the next few days whether he likes it or not." Wingston said while ushering the ponies back up the stairs.

"Have fun Spike." Twilight said letting Wingston climb onto her back and ascending the stairs.

"Spike!" I said fruitlessly struggling against him trying to follow the other ponies.

"Wingston said you're not feeling well and that you have to take it easy!" Spike said in defiance.

"Wingston!" I shouted after him watching all the ponies giggle at my inconvenience.

---

Wingston led the ponies down the corridor towards the Council Chamber. It was where there meeting was going to take place to hammer out the details of what every pony was going to be doing. The doors to the Council Chamber opened to reveal a couple of Flame Ponies already waiting inside. There was Argo Fleece, Tiff Pitchstone, Burning Sand, and Alex Papyrus; each speaking with other Flame Ponies about their own matters.

Argo Fleece, the Treasurer, was an older pony much like General Hearth. His responsibilities involved the economy, finance, and revenue of the Ashen Fields. He had currently been trying to establish local shops in the Ashen Fields to help interested ponies trade, barter, and sell to neighboring lands. His hide was colored a midnight black, his flames were a soft yellow, and his cutie mark was three gold coins. Argo was known to be short tempered but would haggle to the last bit if he could. Having been given the opportunity to restructure the finances of the Kingdom, Argo takes his job very seriously, and expects every pony to do the same. He is more than willing to speak to any pony rubbing to coins together.

Tiff Pitchstone, of Agriculture, was the youngest pony of the four. With his father having passed away years back, Tiff Pitchstone was the last of the farming Flame Ponies the Ashen Fields had. Being a dark gray and having a soft bluish tint to his flame, his cutie mark showed a single leaf tipped with a small flame. Among many Flame Ponies, Tiff had become a local hero after the crops finally died off and personally found an alternative solution of eating certain roots found in the Dark Marsh. When offered the Head position in the Agricultural department, Tiff accepted it with some reservations claiming that his knowledge of farming was entirely based of facts rather than actual experience tilling the land, but was more then willing to spearhead the movement to bring the Ashen Fields back from being grey to green.

Burning Sand, the Politician, was the eldest of the four. Being light gray, having a cherry red flame, and a cutie mark of a ballot with an X marking it. Burning Sand's biggest contribution was creating laws for the Flame Ponies to follow, and governing the lands that have been slowly being divided among certain Flame Ponies. Even though Smolder put a lot of trust into Burning Sand's ability to do things fairly, Burning Sand has sought the King's approval for every law and distribution of land that he created and gave out. Trying to set the example for the young Flame Ponies seeking similar political positions. Burning Sand has even gone as far as to negotiating terms of trade with the Crystal Kingdom on the King's behalf.

Alex Papyrus, the Historian and self-proclaimed Archeologist, was older then Tiff but younger then Argo; a colt but not yet a stallion. Colored much like a chalkboard, Alex was a dark black with a green tint. While his flame was the lightest of yellow flames any Flame Pony had seen, some ponies even consider it to be white at times. His cutie mark was that of a bone and spade. Butting heads constantly with Argo, Alex has fought to keep much of the treasures of the Kingdom untouched and preserved due to their history. From documenting to rewriting the 'book' of Flame Pony history, Alex has overseen the preservation of the many culturally significant pieces of Flame Pony history in the hopes to learn and inspire future generations.

With all the chatter filling the room, Wingston cleared his throat to grab the attention of all the Flame Ponies.

"We have business to attend to now, please come back later." Wingston announced; much to the displeasure of the other Flame Ponies.

All but the four head Flame Ponies left the room. Wingston offered Twilight and her friend's seats around the table as Argo, Burning Sand, Tiff, and Alex seated themselves. Twilight lowered Wingston into his own chair before seating herself next to him.

"Thank you all for coming, I know that this isn't easy for any Flame Pony to admit but I assure you this will be for the best of the Ashen Fields." Wingston stated starting things off.

"I am to believe that this colorful group is the help you promised us?" Argo asked with a scoff.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash shouted sounding offended.

"Argo, these ponies are here to offer us help and you demean them before pleasantries?" Burning Sand asked disappointingly.

"To what end? Are we to believe that these ponies are willing to offer their time to us without something in return?" Argo asked sounding skeptical.

Wingston slammed his staff onto the stone table, the strike was loud and abrupt, making every pony jump from it.

"You may keep your opinions to yourself, Argo. Whether you are willing to believe it or not, these ponies are willing to help us without any other motive then allowing our King some time to recover." Wingston said calmly watching Argo adjust himself in his seat.

"We would be very grateful for any help you are willing to give us." Tiff said looking very grateful.

"With that being said, introductions are in order. Wielders of the Elements of Harmony, I would like to present to you Argo Fleece our Treasurer. Tiff Pitchstone our head of Agriculture. Burning Sand our political figure head, and last but certainly not least, Alex Papyrus our Historian." Wingston introduced each Flame Pony.

"It's very nice to meet you, I'm Twilight Sparkle. I'm a student of Princess Celestia and self-appointed librarian of The Golden Oakes Library in Ponyville." Twilight said introducing herself.

"I'm Rainbow Dash." Rainbow Dash said believing her name alone was enough for an introduction.

"I'm Applejack; I own and work at Sweet Apple Acres with my family." Applejack put simply.

"My name is Pinkie Pie! I work at Sugarcube Corner and throw the best parties in all of Ponyville." Pinkie Pie said throwing confetti into the air.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Rarity and I run my own shop known as the Carousel Boutique where I work as a seamstress." Rarity said politely.

"Hi… I'm Fluttershy." Fluttershy said softly hiding her face behind her mane.

There was several replies of hello from every Flame Pony except Argo who seemed already fed up with this whole meeting.

"Mad King burn me." Argo mumbled under his breath.

"You got something to say?" Rainbow Dash asked looking annoyed.

"Wingston, you promised us ponies that could help, not set us back another ten years with know nothing ponies." Argo said bluntly.

"Argo!" Alex shouted in disapproval.

"What we have here is a bookworm, an apple farmer, a multi-colored half-wit, a clown, and a pony who does needle work. Oh! I almost forgot the whisperer." Argo rattled off.

Wingston slammed his staff against the stone table once more before Rainbow Dash had the chance to give Argo a piece of her mind.

"What is setting us back is the negativity you are displaying to our King's honored guests, Argo. Perhaps it would be best if we continued this discussion later, just the two of us." Wingston said calmly.

"Don't count on it. I have better things to do then entertain the locals." Argo said half-heartedly before sliding off his chair and leaving the Council Chamber.

Argo even slammed the door extra hard to really show how much displeasure he had in this whole idea.

"What's eating him?" Rainbow Dash asked standing up in her chair and looking towards the door.

"As it's true that the King has been overwhelmed with the stress of having to rule, there has been stress of our own that comes off differently depending on the pony." Burning Sand explained.

"It doesn't excuse Argo's behavior." Alex insisted.

"Our deepest and sincerest apologies, ponies from Ponyville, for Argo's rude behavior." Tiff said bowing his head.

"You're not responsible for whatever is eating him. I'm sure he'll come around eventually." Applejack said reassuringly.

"That's very unlikely, but that's not why we are here. I have taken the liberty of pairing up Twilight and her friends with certain Flame Ponies around the Ashen Fields where I think they will be of the most help." Wingston said laying out a piece of parchment in front of him.

"What did you have in mind, Wingston?" Burning Sand asked curiously.

"To begin things, I would ask that Twilight accompany Alex Papyrus to help him in his attempts to catalog and list the historical pieces around the castle and in the dungeons." Wingston began reading off his parchment.

"We've been down there before. I saw some old Flame Pony etchings in one of the caves." Twilight stated thinking back on it.

"You did? Where, Ms. Sparkle?" Alex asked excitedly, nearly leaping from his chair.

"All in due time, Alex. Please let me get through this." Wingston said motioning for him to remain still.

"Of course, please continue." Alex replied looking rather embarrassed; sitting himself down.

"Pinkie Pie, there is a group of Flame Ponies in the Narrows who expressed an interest in baking." Wingston said looking up from his parchment at her.

"The Narrows?" Pinkie Pie asked looking confused.

"It's what we call the line of rock huts that stand side by side one another. The space between each home is very narrow and that's how many Flame Ponies believed it to have gotten its name." Tiff explained.

"It is also where every Flame Pony currently resides. Their moral has been at an all-time low with bleak homes, hard work hours, and the bland taste of roots for the last couple of months. I was hoping you could share some of your energy with them." Wingston said hopefully.

"Leave it to me." Pinkie Pie said saluting him.

"Thank you. Next I have Applejack assisting Tiff Pitchstone with the farmland issue." Wingston continued reading.

"What sort of issues are you having?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Some minor issues here and there but our biggest problem is the irrigation." Tiff said looking rather defeated.

"I can see how that can be a rather big issues for you with not being able to touch water and all, what have you tried so far?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Other than carrying buckets of water from the river near Ponyville? None." Tiff said shaking his head.

"We'll think of something." Applejack said encouragingly.

"Next I have Rarity in the shopping district." Wingston continued, reading down his list.

"You have a shopping district?" Rarity asked curiously.

"It's just a couple of stone vendor tables and a few shops that have survived over the years." Burning Sands spoke up.

"There are several ponies very eager to start learning how to become seamstresses, such as yourself. I promised them the best, having shown them the wonderful job you did with his cloak." Wingston said rustling his hood.

Rarity noticed the cloak that she had sent Princess Celestia to give to Smolder. It was apparent to her that Smolder had given it to Wingston, seeing as his own old rags were burned as well as just unsightly. She could not help but smile at the thought of Smolder choosing to give this one of kind gift to his friend.

"That's very kind of you to say Wingston; it does suite you rather nicely." Rarity said with a smile.

"What about me?" Rainbow Dash asked leaning over the table.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Wingston asked looking rather secretive.

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash replied leaning further over the table.

"Are you really sure you want to know?" Wingston asked again slightly tilting his head to her.

"Yes!" Rainbow Dash shouted nearly laying across the table.

"We have several pegasi ponies that had been inspired by the Wonderbolts during the return of the Mad King. I would ask that you teach them how to be the best flyers they can possibly be." Wingston told her.

"Why not ask one of the Wonderbolts to do it?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously still lying upon the table.

"I would rather have the pony, who will one day become the most famous Wonderbolt, to teach the first generation of Flame Ponies how to fly with all the skill and grace I have seen you display." Wingston replied.

"Do you mean that?" Rainbow Dash asked looking so humbled.

"No, the Wonderbolts are currently in Saddle Arabia putting on a show and can't make it." Wingston said quickly.

Every pony laughed. Rainbow Dash could see Wingston shoot her a wink, letting her know he was only joking and this made her feel loads better.

"Last but certainly not least, Ms. Fluttershy." Wingston said looking for her across the table but Fluttershy instinctively hid behind Rarity.

"Hi…" Fluttershy said softly poking her head out.

"Ms. Fluttershy there is a Flame Pony by the name of Ember Tutor who is in charge of a school for our fillies and foals. If you would be so kind to help him regain control of the school and negotiate the release of Mr. Tutor without another incident I would be forever in your debt." Wingston explained to her.

"Incident?" Fluttershy asked looking surprised.

"The foals and fillies had demanded twelve apple pies, twelve goblets of cider and a no bed time for the release of Mr. Tutor but when we refused they claimed to have thrown Mr. Tutor into the Void." Wingston explained.

"Oh my…" Fluttershy whispered shaking on the spot.

"Now that we have everything squared away, I hope we can resolve all of these issues in a quick and timely matter. If any of you ponies have any problems please see me and I'll do whatever we can for you." Wingston said wrapping up the meeting.

"Will the King be indisposed for the next few days?" Tiff asked curiously.

"Indeed he will be, if any of you ponies see him trying to escape, please inform me so that we can chain him to his bed." Wingston stated, sounding serious about it.

"Will do." Pinkie Pie replied seeming excited at the idea.

"Does any pony have any questions?" Wingston asked curiously.

Rarity hoof was raised over her head.

"Yes, Ms. Rarity?" Wingston asked looking towards her.

"If I may, where will we be staying?" Rarity asked curiously.

"I have had rooms prepared for you here in the Castle, I will have one of the guards escort you to them at your leisure." Wingston replied.

No pony else raised a hoof to ask a question, this prompted Wingston to officially end the meeting.

"We will call for another meeting to see how much progress has been made. Burning Sands, I wish you a safe travel to the Crystal Empire today. Dismissed." Wingston said aloud rapping his staff against the stone table.

---

There was a will and determination that drove Spike to keep clinging to my leg. I had dragged myself up several steps in full view of every Flame Pony that happened to be walking around in the Main Hall. No matter how many times I asked, Spike would not let go of my leg. By the time I reached the top of the stairs I had realized the second step in Wingston's plan, for I had completely worn myself out and could no longer put up a fight against Spike.

"Good work, little dragon." General Hearth stated; praised Spike.

"It was pretty easy." Spike said finally letting go of my leg.

General Hearth ascended the stairs from the landing. Feeling Spike let go of my leg had me wondering if I should try to make a run for it but I couldn't find reason to resist anymore. I was feeling so very tired and I could barely move.

"Come along, my King. I will escort you to your chambers." General Hearth said pulling me onto his back.

"I'm coming too, I'm the back up." Spike said with some sort of authority in his voice.

General Hearth was kind enough to lug me back to my room. The large doors to the Royal Chambers opened, General Hearth entered the room with me upon his back, and set me down on my slab of granite. Spike climbed atop the granite as well, seating himself next to me and folding his arms.

"Come along little dragon, the King needs his rest." General Hearth said motioning Spike towards the door.

"No can do, General. I'm the back-up, if Fireball tries to run I'm supposed to grab on to him and not let go." Spike explained refusing to move.

"Alright, little dragon. You can look after our King. I'll be placing guards outside the door. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask." General Hearth said with a chuckle.

"Will do." Spike replied, throwing him a quick salute.

"Thank you, General." I mumbled in a very tired voice.

"Of course, my King." General Hearth replied bowing his head and heading back towards the doors.

I yawned loudly, stretching out over the slab of granite before my eyes shut closed; I fell asleep immediately. Spike carefully reached over and pulled the obsidian crown off of my head and placed it on the other side of him. Looking around the Royal Chamber, Spike noticed the lack of almost everything that a room normally had. Aside from the sun dial, Spike's eyes fell to the twisted metal mirror that rested up against the wall on the side of the room. Sliding off the granite, Spike walked over to the mirror looking rather curious to what it was supposed to be.

"I wonder if this is some sort of Flame Pony art." Spike said to himself looking it over.

Flicking his claw against the twisted metal frame, a low ping came resonating off of it as Spike looked behind it.

"Doesn't look like anything. Perhaps it's some sort of abstract art that only Rarity can understand." Spike mumbled to himself scratching his head.

Spike's stomach suddenly rumbled. A burp followed with a message forming from the green fire escaping his mouth. Catching it out of the air, Spike opened the letter and began to read it.

"Dear Spike, Princess Luna has just informed me that Smolder has fallen asleep. Please ensure that no pony disturbs him while Luna enters his dream. I look forward to hearing from you and the others. Princess Celestia." Spike read it aloud to himself.

"Seems simple enough." Spike said looking over at the sleeping king.

Rolling back up the letter Spike noticed a glint coming from near the bottom edge of the mirror. Curiosity caused Spike to further investigate the source of this glint by getting on his knees and claws to get a better look. Squinting through the twisted and branching arcs of metal, a small shard glass could be seen still wedged into the frame.

"Huh? It's a mirror" Spike said looking at it.

"…BOO…"

"Gaaah!" Spike hollered falling back onto his tail.

The soft sound of giggle could faintly be heard by Spike as he crab walked away from the mirror in a hurry.

"H-H-H-Hello?" Spike stammered looking rather nervous.

There was no response. No whisper or giggle to follow. Spike stood still tapping his claws together, debating on whether or not to wake the sleeping King or just wait until it said something again. The door to the Royal Chamber slid open prompting Spike to jump again; Wingston entered slowly.

"Good little dragon, you did not leave the King's side." Wingston said praising him; pushing the door closed.

"Y-Yeah, no problem." Spike said sounding nervous.

"What's the matter little dragon? You look scared." Wingston asked curiously making his way towards Spike.

"I was looking at that thing over there, because there was nothing else besides that sundial to look at and I was just trying to figure out what it was. That's when I saw something shiny near the bottom of it and I saw the little piece of glass wedged in there. So I got down low to take a closer look at it when I head some pony say 'boo'." Spike explained nervously.

Wingston listened to Spike's rant, eyes growing wide in surprise and turning to look at the mirror.

"Are you sure it was the mirror?" Wingston asked curiously.

"W-W-Well, after it scared me I heard it giggling at me." Spike said embarrassed.

Wingston looked towards the windows of the Royal Chamber, noticing the scaffolding vacant of any Flame Ponies. Strumming his fingers along his staff Wingston decided to approach the mirror for himself.

"What are you going to do?" Spike asked curiously following behind Wingston.

"Well, I think I'm going to talk to it." Wingston confessed.

"Is it supposed to talk back?" Spike asked tapping his claws together.

"At one point it did, this mirror was where the Mad King resided trying to break out from the Void. I believed it all but destroyed by the volcano but Discord had found its remains; believing it best to return to us." Wingston explained standing before the mirror.

"You mean… that Mad King… is in there?" Spike asked quietly and very slowly.

"I highly doubt it. The Void is a place of darkness, the only reason he found it the first time was due to Smolder's mother entering it and leading him to it." Wingston explained further giving it the once over with his eyes.

"So… who is it then?" Spike asked quietly.

"Well, I have yet to hear any voices come from this ruined mirror so I wouldn't be able to say, but then again I do not believe any voices are coming from this mirror. The Void is not a place where ponies can simply walk around and shoot the breeze. It consumes your energy, your strength and leaves you much like Smolder is now; exhausted." Wingston replied tapping the metal with his staff.

"How come you know so much about the Void?" Spike asked looking impressed.

"The Void was used many times by the old Flame Pony Kings as a punishment. Casting a pony or creature into the Void for a time, before bringing them back after their sentence was served. It was said that even the cruelest of ponies were rehabilitated after spending only an hour in the Void." Wingston said examining the bottom part of the ruined mirror.

"It sounds like a horrible place." Spike mumbled feeling himself shiver at the thought.

"I'm wondering if there was a pony that got left in there from a time long ago." Wingston muttered curiously.

"You… you really don't think that… do you?" Spike asked looking very scared.

"No… it could just be a creature they left inside." Wingston said thinking of another reason.

Spike started to bite his claws from his anxiety watching Wingston step a few steps back from the mirror.

"If the entity within this broken mirror can hear me, then listen closely, for I will only say this once. Be gone with you! You have no place here!" Wingston shouted aloud raising his staff over his head for dramatic effect.

"Shhh!" Spike hissed patting Wingston on the shoulder and pointing towards Smolder.

"My bad." Wingston said realizing his loudness.

There was no response from the mirror, no whisper or laughter that came from it; Wingston seemed satisfied.

"There now, all better." Wingston said happily turning towards the Royal Chamber doors.

"…no…"

Wingston stopped short. The ears under his hood perked up as Spike hide behind his cloak. Turning to face the mirror once more, Wingston stared wide eyed at the mirror.

"So it is true, there is a voice that comes from this mirror or what's left of it anyway." Wingston said knocking the bottom part of the mirror with edge of his staff.

There was no reply from the mirror. Wingston wasn't going to play this game.

"Tell me what you want or I will have this mirror moved deep into the dungeon where we will find a large crevasse and throw this abomination into the deep dark bowels of the earth. Speak. I might just do it anyway depending on what you have to say." Wingston warned.

Spike shook nervously behind Wingston, clutching his cloak and glancing back and forth between Wingston and the mirror. Spike was impressed with Wingston, even though they were essentially the same size, Wingston never seemed to back down from a fight or let anything scare him.

"…Smolder…"

A silence hung about the room. Wingston eyes were wide, staring at the ruined mirror and Spike covered his mouth his claws.

"I've decided to throw you into the crevasse." Wingston said simply limping away from the mirror with Spike quickly following him.

The mirror remained silent. Wingston did not glance back at the mirror nor did he feel the need to ask it anymore questions.

"Who was that, Wingston?" Spike asked quietly.

"I am not sure. I will have words with Discord about what it might be but for now I will take matters into my own wings." Wingston replied cautiously.

"Why does it want Smolder?" Spike whispered.

"I'm not sure, but it's not getting Smolder." Wingston said in a very serious tone.

"…yes I will…"

Wingston and Spike stared back at the mirror; they could hear a soft giggling come from it.