Rise of Char

by Turtlehaus

Chapter 43: Gorun, The Last Orc

The Main Hall was swarming with spiders attempting to subdue Nightshade, Cosmic, Peanut, Gleam, Goldie, and Sapphire; none were succeeding. Nightshade and Sapphire were standing their ground in defense of Smolder who just happened to no longer be there. No pony was more surprised at Smolder's sudden disappearance then the spider that had attempted to strike him. It checked under its belly, lifted its legs, all in an attempt to find where the Flame Pony had disappeared to. A sudden blast of ice knocked the spider off its legs, freezing it to the wall, as Sapphire quickly approached the spot where Smolder was last seen.

"Where is Smolder?" Sapphire shouted in confusion; glancing around the area.

"I don't know! He just poofed!" Nightshade shouted, bucking a spider in the stomach.

"What do you mean poofed?" Sapphire asked looking confused.

"I'm not a unicorn pony! I don't know how else to put it!" Nightshade shouted back, getting a sudden save from Peanut who kicked a flanking spider away from him.

"Smolder was there one second, poofed, and was gone the next." Cosmic tried to explain further, riding atop a spider while punching it in the face.

"His dormant magic must still be trying to protect him. It must have teleported him somewhere safe." Sapphire said, convinced of the idea.

"Where would it send him?" Goldie asked, sprinting across the Main Hall, striking over twelve spiders in less than five seconds.

"He could literally be anywhere." Sapphire said shaking her head at the idea.

"Well we can't stay here." Peanut chimed in, lifting a half beaten spider and tossing it at two more.

"We'll need to fall back to the Narrows; we can regroup there and figure out what to do next." Gleam suggested, setting several more spiders ablaze.

Not liking the idea of Smolder being alone in his condition, Sapphire had no choice but to comply. Summoning her magic, Sapphire fired a blast of ice towards the main doors of Castle Char, creating a sudden explosion of icicles that fanned out skewering several spiders. With a whip of her wings, the icicles turned to snow providing a direct path to the entrance for the time being.

"Fall back to the Narrows!" Sapphire shouted allowed.

Goldie would have been first to reach the doors with her superior speed, but elected herself every pony's cover while they galloped towards the doors. Sprinting from one spider to the next, Goldie stopped any and every spider that tried to chase after them. Peanut, Cosmic, and Nightshade slammed up against the Main Doors of Castle Char, the giant stone doors slowly began to slide open as Gleam squeezed through to help pull from the outside. Sapphire aimed a spell at the inside of the stone door, the magic impacted the door having it swing open, while Cosmic, Peanut, and Nightshade stumbled out the front. Goldie could see the door having been opened, racing towards the door to meet up with the others, every pony made a break towards the Narrows with the majority of the spiders poured from the entrance of Castle Char to give chase.

"We gots them on the run now!" Shouted the lead spider.

The swarm of spiders got only a couple meters further when they all realized what a mistake each spider had made. From the Narrows, Shining Armor, Flare Fizzle, Ray Horizon, Wisp Seeker, Twilight Sparkle, and every pony else, along with the entirety of the Flame Pony army came charging back towards the castle to aid the fleeing ponies.

"Bugger me!" A spider yelled in fright.

The swarm of spiders stopped short of their charge, attempting to turn back while others simply scattered in different directions in hopes of making an escape. Sapphire, Nightshade, Cosmic, Peanut, Gleam and Goldie slowed their pace, as the Flame Pony army came charging past them to deal with the spiders; they were met with very relieved faces.

There were brief moments of reunions. Gleam nearly toppled Flare with a hug, overwhelmed with joy to see her big sister in one piece. Twilight and Shining Amor shared a hug while Rainbow Dash got several from Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Every pony but Sapphire who had already determined Smolder not to be among them which only furthered her worry.

"Has any pony seen Smolder?" Sapphire asked aloud looking about.

"I was under the impression he would be with you ponies." Shining Armor replied, looking quite worn out from his battle with the spiders.

"He was until he teleported." Cosmic remarked.

"Teleported?" Twilight asked in surprise.

The sun was suddenly eclipsed; the shadow of the Great Dragon Char having passed over them sent a chill down every pony's spine. It drew every pony's attention to the skies above where the Royal Families fought alongside Discord to stop the dragon. Sapphire's thought of Smolder were quickly placed aside, remembering Smolder's suggestion of using the Obelisk against the dragon once more, she quickly approached Wisp to question his mission.

"What of the Obelisk? Were you successful in retrieving it?" Sapphire asked quickly, looking towards Wisp who seemed a bit embarrassed about the question.

"Well… yes and… no…" Wisp mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Explain." Sapphire asked immediately.

"The Obelisk flew away from us the minute we got it clear from the Spider's Lair." Tiff spoke up.

"Just like it did when it got free from the dam." Applejack added.

"If that's the case… logic would dictate that it would be near the other one in the fields." Twilight spoke up thinking about it.

"It is." Solar remarked.

"We were going to get stomped by a Spider Queen when the Obelisk speared her from below." Ray remarked with awkward glances from both Rainbow Dash and Flare.

"If it has positioned itself in the fields, then it is most likely to remain there. It seems as though a magical force keeps the Obelisk's in place once they're there." Alex Papyrus added.

"So what does that mean?" Fluttershy asked looking rather worried.

"It means we'll have to find another way of taking down that dragon!" Rainbow Dash shouted determinedly. "Pinkie Pie! How many cannonballs do you got left?"

"They're technically not cannonballs but burnt soufflés." Ruby mentioned, holding one up.

"We can make more!" Pinkie Pie declared.

With every pony beginning to throw out alternative solutions to how to rid the Ashen Fields of the Great Dragon Char, Sapphire was so engrossed with her own thoughts it drowned them all out. Almost like echoes, Sapphire was trying to piece together exactly how spearing the dragon was supposed to work. It wasn't too much of stretch, considering that she could spear a spider with an icicle, the idea was just on a much larger scale. With Smolder missing, the Obelisks standing tall in the fields, a sudden light seemed to turn on inside Sapphire's head that made her heart skip a beat.

"He wouldn't dare." Sapphire whispered to herself; the etching of the portal she had smashed flashing through her mind. "No pony would be that stupid as to…"

The thought occurred to her that Smolder was, in fact, stupid enough to try and open the portal to the Void.

---

From my slab of granite I stared at the Orc sitting against my door. It seemed rather calm; it made no sudden moves, but looked a little surprised to see me. The Orc breathed slowly, as if resting, it seemed almost amused by my appearance, probably glad that I was not capable of standing or fighting at the moment. A few silent moments passed between us, the Orc refused to move, as did I, but it was very clear why he was here.

"Are you here to kill me?" I asked with a groan.

I watched as the Orc slowly raised his hands up, as to mime that I had caught him red handed, before letting his arms drop to the floor. I could see that he was in no shape to fight, more or less, move at this point.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" The Orc asked amusingly.

"That tired, already?" I asked, with a halfhearted laugh.

"Spider poison; numbs the pain, and everything else." The Orc replied with half a smile.

Barely lifting its arm up, the Orc showed my two spider bites.

"What's the other bite?" I asked curiously.

"The second is Cave Spider venom. It won't be long until its poison throws me into a mad frenzy." The Orc said looking pleased with himself. "It was difficult getting back here."

"The North Tower?" I asked, thinking of how the Orc snuck in.

"North Tower." The Orc agreed, nodding its head.

It was unusual to be having any sort of conversation with the Orc after everything that had transpired up to this point, but the battle had taken its toll on both of us. We rested in silence for a few minutes. Every second that passed brought the Orc closer to having the poison start burning through its veins; assuring his trump card of overpowering me. Sounds of the battle with the Great Dragon Char drew both of our gazes to the shattered windows of the room.

"I was unaware that you had your own dragon to combat my own." The Orc spoke up, as if to make small talk.

I glanced over at the Orc, determining that the dragon he spoke of was Discord. I was honestly quite surprised myself that Discord showed up at all, a part of me knew I would have to formally thank him and the other part of me knew Discord was probably looking forward to it.

"How did you find the Great Dragon Char?" I asked curiously after a while.

"Your father." The Orc replied with a scoff.

"You met my father?" I asked in surprise.

"Only once." The Orc answered coldly. "He brought the charred body of my late father to the mountain to bury him."

The Orc chuckled to itself, closing its eyes and letting his head drop back against the wall.

"I don't think he expected to find the son of the Last Orc waiting anxiously for his father to return." The Orc continued shaking its head. "I'll never forget that look of guilt on his face, knowing that he had taken a young boy's father away from him."

I watched the as the Orc smiled to himself, staring off, thinking back on that day.

"My father was to name me when he returned from that battle. A name means everything to an Orc." The Orc said quietly. "When your father found me, he offered me two words. Do you know what they were?"

I shook my head no as the Orc looked my way.

"Go, run." The Orc answered. "He let me go. I hid in mountains, afraid for my life. Days went by before the King entered the caves of the mountain, calling to me, promising to help. I think he sought to take me in, promising that I would not be held accountable for the sins of my father. His searching eventually led to the discovery of the dragon."

The Orc trailed off, a cruel smiling forming on its face listening to the roars of the dragon outside.

"He tried to help you?" I asked in disbelief.

"So he claims. His mistake was letting me live and he sought to correct it." The Orc replied.

"It wasn't a mistake, he showed you mercy. He tried to help you." I insisted.

"He did, in a way. He named me. A name I carved into my heart, a promise to myself and my father. That I would never run from this fight, that I would see the Kingdom of Char suffer for what it did to our kin." The Orc said somberly.

I could tell that the Orc had no intention of changing its mind, that the moment it had some sort of feeling its body that it would attack me outright.

"You let yourself be consumed by the darkness." I said after a while.

"I lived underground, of course there was darkness." The Orc laughed at the idea.

"But you had the opportunity to turn away from it. You could have done things differently, you could have been something else entirely, and you didn't have to let yourself be consumed by this." I stated sounding surprised.

"Is it so hard to believe that I let myself grow to hate you? To let myself feel this pain, let it rage inside, to seek revenge for my father? Would you have not done the same for yours?" The Orc asked curiously.

"I would have done anything for my father." I said angrily, my fire starting to flare.

"So you understand why I have done all this?" The Orc asked.

"I understand that you allowed yourself to become what you are. You let hate and anger dictate your life, never once considering that your father might have been wrong." I said forcing myself to stand.

"That is a bold statement coming from the son of the Mad King." The Orc said coldly, its hands balling into fists.

There was a fire starting to rage inside me once more. The Orc clawed at the wall, rising to its feet, deep black veins pulsing from his arm up to its head. The venom was taking its effect, I could see the anger turning to rage in the Orc's eyes, teething grinding against each other. Somehow I knew that this would be our last fight.

---

Discord cut through the air like a ribbon, dodging several swipes of the Great Dragon Char's massive claws. The sheer size of the Elder Dragon would have any pony believing that it would be slow, especially as it was flying through the air, although it would continue to surprise. Much like a snake slithering upon the sand, the Great Dragon Char, propelled itself through the skies effortlessly. Its massive wings brought it immense lift, and throwing clouds to the other side of Equestria. The Royal Families were firing magical spells, blasts of ice, doing everything they could to impede the dragon, but it only seemed to infuriate it. Char's shadow casted entire pony settlements into brief moments of darkness, its roar shaking snow from neighboring mountain tops, and scaring any wildlife back into their homes. Many ponies would later claim to have felt the winds thrown by the dragon's immense wings, some would even claim to feel the heat of the dragon's fire from as far as Manehatten; one thing was for certain, no pony would ever forget such a sight.

With a blast of fire from the Great Dragon Char, Discord wormed his way around it as the blast continued on, striking an empty meadow on the outskirts of Ponyville. The land was scorched beyond recognition, leaving several areas glassed, while others still burned; the rest was blackened.

"We have to keep it within the fields, Discord!" Princess Celestia shouted in her Royal Canterlot voice.

"What do you want me to do? Ask it kindly to not spit fire anywhere outside those dreary fields?" Discord questioned her sarcastically.

The Great Dragon Char lunged through the air at Discord, its jaws ready to bite him in two. Discord dodged the dragon gracefully, only to realize that the Dragon did not turn back to fight. Char had missed its target, but had seen the ponies in Ponyville shriek at the sight of its approach. The underside of its scales began to glow once more, fire beginning to surge to its throat, about to bathe Ponyville in an ocean of fire.

"Discord!" Princess Celestia shouted in terror.

Stretching out his arms, Discord traced his fingers around in the air in front him quickly, drawing magical incantations before him. With a quick snap of his claws, Discord appeared above Ponyville, his magical runes still hanging in the air before him, shaping that of an eye, the Great Dragon Char just seconds away from breathing its fire. Slamming his claw and paw together, Discord raised his arms at the dragon, the ruins widening to cover all of Ponyville; creating a magical circle above it.

"By the Eye of Agamotto!" Discord yelled aloud.

The Elder Dragon's jaws erupted flames, disappearing within the ruins conjured by Discord, before the Great Dragon Char itself flew through the ruins vanishing from sight. With a sudden clap of his claw and paw, the ruins disappeared, and Ponyville was spared of dragon's fire. Wiping his brow from such an exhaustive endeavor, Discord leaned upon on the houses in Ponyville to fan himself. The Royal Families soared down to Discord in utter amazement and confusion.

"That was incredible." Lord Tundra remarked, not seeing a single cinder of fire anywhere in Ponyville.

"Yes, but where is the dragon?" Princess Cadance asked looking towards Discord.

"I really haven't the faintest idea, I simply moved him someplace else." Discord remarked, magically producing a towel to wipe the beads of sweat from his brow.

"Where?" Princess Luna asked urgently.

"When it reappears, I'll let you know." Discord replied.

---

The Orc charged me, its iron clad armor striking hard against the stone floor; its cry echoed from the walls. I summoned some of the fire raging inside me, blasting it at the Orc, who in turn just charged through it taking the brunt of it without fear. I watched as its fist broke through the flames, striking me across the face. I felt a kick connect to my chest, the Orc grasping me by the head and arm, tossing me across the room; smashing into my dresser.

Pages of my mother's journal scattered about, there was a sudden fear that jumped in my heart at the sound of the papers rustling, but was stomped out by the Orc's heavy metal shoes charging my way. Pushing hard against the ground I leapt up into the air, my wings opening wide, providing me some height to the Orc. To my surprise the Orc, mantled up a top my dresser before kicking off the wall to make a grab at me. Clutching my back hoof, the Orc ripped me out of the air, slamming to the ground.

I was dazed, my body hurt all over, I struggled to keep my fire burning as fierce as it was; unwilling to give up. The Orc was soon upon me, its iron hands gripping my throat tightly, squeezing with all its might. I struggled to against its grip, striking at its arms, trying to loosen its grip but the Orc's fingers tightened further. The metal of his gauntlets were beginning to turn red, the sound of his own skin searing beneath his arm hissed, its wild eyes staring into mine.

"For a while there, I really believed you were going to kill me. I could see that rage blazing from you. You truly are your father's son." The Orc hissed, trying to squeeze the life from me. "You'll be dead soon, remembered as the Failed King. In your final moments you'll be plagued with the knowledge that you were too weak to stop me, to protect those that you professed to love, and the many that will have suffered from your failure. In the end, you were a disappointment just like your father." The Orc rasped; saliva spewing from his mouth.

"I may… have been born the Mad King's son… but he was never… my father." I wheezed.

Gorun grunted in confusion, applying more pressure to my throat, trying to squeeze the last breath from me. My flames started to thrive, roaring back to life, emanating from my body, setting the Orc's hands ablaze. I pressed my hooves against his chest, the Orc's grip lessening, my Flash Step consuming me.

"My father taught me to never eat rocks." I stated, kicking off the Orc; an explosion of fire throwing Gorun back.

Gorun was thrown back against the wall, smashing down on the dresser, effectively destroying it as the Obsidian Crown knocked against the stone floor; the rest of my mother's pages being thrown about. Rising to my hooves I felt more fore head begin to burn, a felt the surge of my dormant magic being concentrated, flaring my wings out I reared back. Gorun was on its knees, its hands blackened from my flames, lifting its gaze to me with such hate seething from its eyes.

"Now get out of my Kingdom!" I shouted to the Orc.

I let loose a blast of fire that burned so fiercely that it bathed the interior of the walls with golden light. The barreling inferno raced towards Gorun, who in turn raised its arms to shield itself from the blast. From the fire, Gorun could make out a shape beginning to form within the flames; a blazing phoenix soaring towards him. The fiery image of the phoenix slammed into Gorun, knocking it back, sending it sailing through the wall of Royal Chamber. The fiery magic of the phoenix clawing at the Orc within the inferno of my fire, the flames soon dissipated allowing Gorun fall to the ground into the dirt and rubble below.

The crackling of flames could be heard coming from Gorun, its head blackened by fire. Armor red, searing with heat, faint hisses of the Orc's skin being branded by its armor, and yet it struggled to stand. Gripping its fingers tightly, suppressing the pain, the Orc touched the tender and sizzling blackened flesh of its face. Gorun looked towards the castle to see me slowly gliding my way towards it; eyes blazing yellow. Gorun found it difficult to move its legs, the metal of his armor already beginning to cool, fusing itself together.

Gorun looked up at me, its face disfigured, one eye burned shut, wracked with pain and armor rent. Raising its arms out to its sides, the Orc offered itself to me, awaiting the finishing blow that would end its suffering. My flames swirled around me, crackling as I landed a few meters away from him. I paused, staring down the Orc; then I allowed my flames to die away.

"What's the matter? Finish it." The Orc hissed poisonously.

"No…" I whispered shaking my head.

"Come on then! Do it! Do it! Just do it!" The Orc shouted angrily, striking his arm against his chest challenging me.

"I refuse." I said defiantly.

"Coward!" The Orc shouted, staggering forward; nearly falling over.

I stood silently shaking my head no. The Orc grinded its teeth, breathing hard, possibly in remarkable pain, but refused to show even the slightest bit of it.

"I like to think that you and I were the same in some ways, Gorun." I said sadly, watching the Orc shake with anger. "Both having to grow up in such dark and lonely places."

Gorun said nothing. His eyes glaring hatefully at me while spat whatever saliva he could gather at me, falling short; mixing its green blood with the dirt.

"In ways, I pity you, and the life you chose to make for yourself." I said remorsefully.

Gorun snorted in anger, breathing hard, lurching forward, lifting his arm and pointing at me while his free arm hugged his waist, nearly doubled over in pain.

"Save your pity and your mercy! For I am the Last Orc and I will never have need of it!" Gorun shouted.

I stood ready to face off against the Orc once more, but that is when the sky began to grow dark. A shadow quickly started forming around us. Our eyes drew towards the sky, the Great Dragon Char diving in low from above, fire billowing from its mouth. I didn't waste a second in leaping into the air flying back to the threshold of Castle Char to get clear of the dragon's fire. I looked back to see Gorun staring up at the Great Dragon Char, its dragon fire let loose on the ground below. In its last moments, I saw the Orc known as Gorun look my way. Lifting one of its arms and pointing towards me; mouthing something I could not understand. Letting it's arm drop to its side, I could have sworn I saw the Orc smile as it was suddenly consumed in the inferno of the dragon's fire. The Ashen Fields having witnessed the passing of the Last Orc for one final time.