The Phoenix King

by Turtlehaus

Chapter 60: The Dark King Null (Part 1)

Fire was roaring in my ears, my anger surging through my body having come so far to find my brothers only to nearly lose them had me seeing red. Null stood tall, gesturing his hand for me to approach him, while the Storm groaned around him. I marched towards him, feeling my flames flourish, brandishing my wings as molten fire were flicked from the tips of my feathers.

“Where is my Arcana, Fire King?”

A sudden explosion of magic erupted from my horn, firing a concentrated beam of red light straight through Null’s chest. Just as the beam had faded from sight, the line it had drawn from my horn through Null had imploded into large cyclone of fire that engulfed him in flames. A powerful thrust of my wings, sending a magically imbued shockwave of air that blasted Null back and fanning my flames across the fields.

“You know it all make sense now, why Mira spent all these years trying to find some way to destroy you!” I shouted. “Taking the best of the Arcana and bringing her down into the darkness with you only to prolong her suffering!”

“You know nothing of suffering.”

Null’s voice boomed. Echoes emerged from the ground before Null, charging towards me with their malformed limbs of twisted shanks ready to run me through. My flames churned, spearing the Echoes that attempted to skewer me, with long lances of fire that leapt from my body and obliterated them in an instant.

“Suffering? I have seen it on every face of every flame pony! On the faces of my friends, my brothers, and even my father! But my suffering is different from everypony elses. For I have had to feel the stigma of being the son of the Mad King, knowing that weight of all my actions were being compared to him! Always standing in his horrid shadow! Refusing to believe the one simple truth of it all!”

Null got to his knees, his right arm keeping him from falling forward, his husk hide burning away from the fires. Turning his missing half towards Smolder, the Storm exploded from Null, surging its way like rushing water to consume him. What followed was a sudden boom, an explosion of fire that knifed its way through the Storm as Null found himself face to face with Smolder. His eyes burning red, the heat of his flames distorting the air around him, the light overwhelming Null bleaching out the darkness around them.

“That I am just like him!”

Air was being pulled towards me, howling at the speed in which it flew, feeding my flames. With a sudden whip of my wings my body exploded with fire, the force of the blast shattering the land around us and sending hurricane like winds across the world. Null was thrown far across the fields from the blast, striking straight through a large mountainside with the wisps of the Storm trailing after him.

Fire spewed from the scars within my legs, slowly opening up more and more as it drew themselves further up my body. My teeth were bearing down with such force that my horn was surging with magic, ready to cast any spell I so desired, fueled solely by my rage.

“Whoa there, Smolder.”

These words had my body seizing up, my roaring flames being quelled instantly as I turned to back around to see Pyre and Wick standing side by one another and staring at me with raised brows.

“Our little brother has developed quite the temper hasn’t he, brother dear?” Pyre asked.

“I would say he’s developed a lot more than a temper. He’s a bit taller then I remember, wings and a horn hasn’t done him any favors though. He still looks utterly ridiculous to me.” Wick replied.

My legs were shaking. Words were failing me. Much like they had been in Sapphire’s memory, my brothers were standing right before me, having thought them lost forever and now once more reunited with them again.

“Pyre… Wick…”

“You just couldn’t stay away, could you, Smolder? You always had to follow us wherever we went. Even to a place like this.” Pyre asked.

I found myself rushing towards them, overcome by my emotions of having found them at last, only to feel Wick’s hoof striking the side of my face and knocking me flat on my flank.

“That… was for knocking me out back at the castle.” Wick stated.

I held my face looking rather surprised that Wick would have been carrying that around for so long. Pyre quickly slapped Wick upside the head, glaring at him for being so petty over something like that.

“At least try to hide how much you’ve missed him, brother dear.” Pyre remarked.

Pyre held out his hoof to me, offering to help my up, but I ignored it altogether by throwing myself at him for a hug. I clung to him, burying my face into his shoulder, pouring all of my feelings into this one embrace. Pyre staggered back a bit, looking very surprised. Lifting his arm, Pyre slowly returned the hug, resting his head against mine.

“It’s good to see you again, little brother.” Pyre whispered.

I’m not sure how long I held onto him. I was shaking all over, so overcome with joy of having been reunited with them at last. An audible retching sound was heard coming from Wick, which had be drawing myself away from Pyre and looking his way. Wick narrowed his eyes at me, trying to read my movements as if to anticipate another hug I would throw his way. I stepped towards him, quickly jabbing him in the chest and catching off guard.

“That’s for leaving.” I said.

I made a move as if I was going to jab Wick again, he flinched to try and block my strike but found my arms coming around him. I found myself hugging Wick tighter than I had with Pyre, probably because Wick had always been so against such things, but also because he cared more about Pyre and I then he would like us to believe. Wick was having trouble reciprocating the hug, looking to Pyre for help, but was met with a approving smirk. Gingerly, Wick managed to get an arm around Smolder and attempted to hug him.

“You were foolish to follow us in here, Smolder.” Wick stepped back with his hoof still firmly on my shoulder. “But I am glad to see you again.”

Pyre’s hoof took hold of my other shoulder, gripping it firmly and beaming at me. I leaned into both of them, embracing both of them at the same time, feeling a wave of relief wash over me.

“I have missed you both far more than you will ever know.” I mumbled. “There is so much I want to tell you.”

“It will have to wait, Smolder.” Pyre replied.

I stepped back from Wick and Pyre, glancing over my shoulder at the Storm raging off near the mountains and the lightning that flashed across the sky.

“We just need to hold out until the portals are activated. It will separate the Storm from Null and give us the chance of destroying him.” I said.

Pyre shook his head. “We’re not talking about the Storm, Smolder.”

“You-You’re not?” I asked.

Wick leaned in, his eyes narrowing at me. “When did you start dating Princess Sapphire?”

I stepped back in surprise. “What? Date...Date... Dating Sapphire?”

“Just what have you been doing while we’ve been away, Smolder?” Pyre questioned.

“Or whom.” Wick added.

My mane was flaring. It was hard to hide our emotions from regular ponies, but my brothers could read me quite easily and knew they had struck a nerve.

“We’re… not…”

“Not what? No pony, or mare for that matter, would come all this way into monster infested realm to save just a friend, Smolder.” Wick pried.

“It is your duty as a colt, as a king, and as a member of this family to be a morally upstanding in all senses of the word, Smolder.” Pyre stated.

I could feel my face burning from their implications. “Nothing happened!”

“Where did you meet Princess Sapphire?” Wick asked.

“My-” I stopped short realizing what my answer was going to be. “...bedroom…”

I received nothing but silent and judging stares from my brothers.

“That was because she snuck in!” I added.

My brothers nodded their heads, quietly agreeing with me, but I knew they were forming their own conclusions.

“She’s not my-”

A bolt of lightning had struck behind me, Null appearing from the flash, his only arm formed into a spike and poised to run me through. From the corner of my eye I could see the lance coming towards me, but just as quickly saw a wall of ice spring up between us. Null’s lance pierced the ice, driving it deep, but unable to reach me. His hand was quickly freezing, immobilizing him, before the ice wall itself turned to snow and magically washed over Null like water. Mounds of snow washed over Null, freezing him in place as it quickly formed back into ice and left him encased.

Leaping over our heads was Sapphire, gracefully landing before Null, her wings magically imbued as they struck the large ice block with razor thin cuts. Her steps were fluid, circling the ice block in mere seconds having sliced the ice more times than any of the Phoenix Son’s could count. Princess Sapphire came to a rest before the brothers in a confident and elegant pose. With a whip of her cloudy mane, a sudden spark from her horn, the ice block collapsed in thousands of smaller chunks before exploding in a flash of blue magic.

“Like I said, Smolder, I’ve got your back.” Sapphire stated.

Wick let out a sharp whistle, walking past me and giving me a hard slap on the back.

Pyre merely glanced at me before shaking his head and walking away as well. “Damn, Smolder.”

My mane was surging at this point, face burning, trying my best to hide my embarrassment. Wick and Pyre gave Sapphire similar expressions, saying things like be gentle with him and welcome to the family, and it only made her flush as well from warranted confusion.

“Did I miss something?” Sapphire asked.

Sapphire looked to me for some sort of help to what was going on, but I was too embarrassed to even look at her in fear that it would give Pyre and Wick more ammunition. My attention was already on the remains of Sapphire’s devastating ice attack, which had destroyed any trace of Null, but the streaming wisps of the Storm were pouring out of the icey debris and circling up above.

I stood alongside my brothers who were watching the Storm gather as well, Sapphire had put aside the awkward conversation she had stumbled into and prepared herself for what was to come. From all of their collective experiences with the Storm, none had seen it so tame, or meek as it was at the moment.

A tether of the Storm reached down to the ground below, churning up the sand, as pieces of Null’s husk like body began to reform itself. If the point needed to be driven home any harder, every pony would need to somehow separate the two before attempting to destroy one or the other.

“Are we just going to stand here and let it regenerate?” Sapphire questioned.

“You’ve got something under your saddle that can put this thing down for good?” Wick asked.

“I was merely pointing out that our enemy is weakened and we’re not taking advantage of it.”

“If the portals do not open soon, we’re going to have to find some alternative way of dealing with it, and until then I suggest we explore some of these ways before it tries to kill us again.” Pyre offered.

Null’s form was nearly whole again, save for the missing arm the Twins had managed to destroy, but with a body so broken it would be too early to assume that it would make the Dark King any less dangerous.

“Sapphire,” I said aloud. “I ask that you remain at a distance and cast magic to immobilize or maim Null. Your experience in magic far exceeds my own and would be better suited in supporting us.”

“Right.” Sapphire nodded.

“You’re suggesting that we face it head on?” Pyre questioned.

Stepping forward, flaring my fire and fanning my wings open, I found myself smiling at the prospect of fighting alongside my brothers for the first time.

“Let’s show him what happens when it challenges the might of the Flame Ponies!”

My flames erupted, throwing me into my flash step.

Pyre stepped up alongside of me, sharing in the fire of my flash step which sparked his own. “Well said, Smolder.”

“Try not to slow us down.” Wick’s voice drifted in from my opposite side, engulfed in a blaze of fire.

Bathed in the light of our flames, Null stood silently before us, once again reformed in its husk like state. A low roar started to drift from Null, the Storm churning from within its body, but the sound grew louder with each passing moment. Sounds were suddenly beginning to roll from the raging Storm, words indiscernible by any pony present as it bore down upon their ears like massive drums being struck beside them. Like a sword slowly being drawn out from its sheath, the sounds of the Storm stopped in wailing ring, as Null remained motionless through the whole ordeal.

“So be it.”

Without warning the Storm exploded from the missing limb of Null’s torso, spewing like a stream from the crest of a cliff as it raced across the fields away from them. It wasn’t long before the Storm had completely left Null’s body, leaving only the empty husk before them as it staggered in place, seeming as frail as the paper like skin it sported.

Neither Pyre nor Wick could discern what has taken place. Sapphire’s horn brimmed with magic having assumed the Dark King was going to attack, but now every pony looked on in confusion to what had taken place.

“Any pony want to take a guess at what just happened?” Pyre asked.

“The Storm has separated from its host. The opportunity to kill it has presented itself.” Wick replied.

“Why would it do that? More importantly, where has it gone?” Sapphire questioned.

Null’s husk like skin had him falling to all fours, in his case threes, as his flimsy appearance seemed to me nothing more than a scarred mannequin. There was a feebleness to him now, so weakened that it seemed unable to survive on its own, and for one reason or another I felt pity for him.

Wick was first to flare his mane and step forth. “Destroy the host and the Storm dies with it.”

Wick did not hesitate to release a powerful blast of fire upon the crippled figure of Null, bathing him in fire and washing the surrounding area in flames. A familiar magical cipher had bled its way through the flames of Wick’s fire, absorbing it through the magical seal and being directed into Null’s palm as it coursed through his body. Null’s husk body had tightened, sealing the legions within his person, while trickles of embers wafted out from the shoulder of his missing arm and forming veins within the lines of fire. Contracting into a fist, Null’s hide formed around the strings of fire, forming a new arm. The Dark King stood before them, a scarred shell of an empty being, that didn’t show the slightest bit of fear at the prospect of facing them.

“I was born of eternal light and imbued with the magic of ancient wisdom.” Null stated. “I need not the power of the Storm to overcome you meaningless beings.”

“Meaningless? Apparently it knows nothing of flame pony pride.” Wick declared.

“Nor does it fear our fire.” Pyre added.

Raising his newly formed arm towards us, Null beckoned us to attack.

“Show me what pathetic power runs through your veins.”

“Wick! Pyre! Let’s send this creature back into the abyss!” I shouted.

Null flew forward, his speed having only increased even with the absence of the Storm. My horn brimmed with magic, just as another ice wall sprang up between us, Sapphire already being on the draw. The force of Null’s fist shattered the ice wall with ease, striking hard upon my own magical shield, but found that he was unable to break it. Wick and Pyre lunged forward, driving their hooves hard in Null’s body and sending him flying back from us.

Fire roared my body, bringing me into my flash step as Wick and Pyre followed suit. Exploding from the spot, three trails of fire streaking across the fields as we collided with Null in a powerful impact. Gripping tightly the hooves of both Wick and Pyre in Null’s hands, I was blocked by a shield of dark energy that resembled much of Mira’s own magic. Thrusting out my wings I knocked Null’s arm away, freeing my brothers from his grasp, and they in turn struck back. Pyre went low kicking Null’s knee so hard that it broke backwards as Wick leapt high bucking him in the head that had it snapping almost completely around. With Null’s magic fading I let loose a powerful blast of fire that was concentrated by my magic which blasted him several leagues away.

Sapphire’s magic swirled past us, forming large spikes that struck the land like rain and puncturing the area. The magic sparked, exploding in a massive show of force as Wick, Pyre, and I charged head long at Null.

From the smoke, Null held two of Sapphire’s magical spikes like swords, dark energy sparking from his hands. His leg suddenly snapping back into place as his head spun forward with a sickening snap. It was rather disturbing to say the least but I watched as he through them back at us with great acuity. I leapt into the air, avoiding the first spike while using my own magic to shield myself from the second, the impact threw me through the air but had cancelled out the magic.

Wick dove head first into Null’s chest, landing a hard blow before being tossed away like a sack of apples. Having left himself open for a second attack, Pyre dived low, knocking Null from his feet as Sapphire’s magic came into play again. Several spells twisted through the air, striking Null repeatedly, each one more devastating then the last, and throwing him higher into the air. The last spell was abruptly caught by Null, clutching it in his hand as he turned over in the air and tossed it down towards the Twins. Sapphire’s horn sparked again, creating a barrier between them and her hijacked magic as the resulting explosion shattered the ground around them.

Dark energy sparked from every part of Null, flashing in bursts of speed, as he flew towards Sapphire to quell her interference. The first strike from Null was parried by Sapphire’s wing, yet the flurry of strikes that followed were much harder to defend against. Whenever a blow landed against Sapphire, the dark energy pulsing from Null would numb and dull her senses.

Dropping out of the air, I landed between Null and Sapphire, using my wings to catch Null’s arm mid way through his punch. A quick blast of fire, followed by a simple spell to knock Null back, before Sapphire and I were on the offensive again. I had taken a page out of Sapphire’s book, imbuing my wings with magic, although mine did not become razor sharp, but rather blunt from the dark energy that surrounded them. It was unrefined, raw power that backed my every swing, but it was enough to keep Null from taking the advantage.

Null took the full force of my attacks, blocking many of them, but finding it hard to counter with the weight behind each strike I threw. I felt Null’s leg connect with my chest, having lured him in by giving him the opening, and I firmly took hold of his leg. Using me as a stepping stone, Sapphire mantled over me slamming her razor sharp wings together between Null’s head. The force of her attack had cracked the helm upon Null’s head, forcing him to stagger back grasping his helm, while I used both my magic and strength to drag Null by the leg flinging him away from the two of us.

Sapphire tended to her wings, having shattered the ice that caked them against Null’s head, and checking to see if she was hurt during the lull in the fight.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

I didn’t occur to me that I was standing so close to Sapphire when I had asked, nor did I realize that I already had her wing in my hoof looking it over to see if she was injured. I could see Sapphire’s face flush from my boldness and felt my own mane flare from my absent mindedness.

Sapphire quickly pulled her wing away. “I’m… I’m fine.” Sapphire mumbled.

“Cool… cool.” I replied.

Wick and Pyre bolted past us, their flash step burning brilliantly as they charged after Null.

“Proposing already, Smolder?” Wick’s voice trailed after.

My mane flared so furiously that it sparked my flash step. Sapphire seemed equally surprised and embarrassed, considering what had transpired earlier, and found herself slowly forming frost around her face. Our eyes met for a brief second, before turning away from one another feeling too embarrassed to say anything. I cleared my throat, taking off in a sprint to join my brothers as Sapphire got the hint that we should just focus on the fight.

With the chance of Null consuming more of the Twin’s fire, Wick and Pyre relied upon their own strength and stamina to beat the Dark Lord down. Their flash step was more refined than my own, burning constantly and yet flared whenever movement was required. It was a way of conserving energy, something I had yet to master as mine roared with wild abandon.

It was becoming more noticeable that the longer Null fought, the more he was beginning to learn of his own weaknesses, as well as our own. With two of us grounded and without magic, and two more with flight and spells, it was simply a matter of splitting the four of us up. Wick and Pyre struck against Null, throwing hooves, bucks, and even headbutts at him trying to land a solid blow. Even with their speed Null was dodging and countering most of their attacks.

Dark energy sparked from Null’s foot, twisting it in the dirt as the ground around him suddenly turned with him. Wick and Pyre lost their footing having felt the earth slide out from under them. Null swung his leg around, striking the Twins in one swipe and knocking them away. I barreled towards him watching him fall into a stance that mimicked Mira’s magic casting posture.

“Come!”

I collided with Null, finding myself being held back by a familiar black sphere that shielded him from my attack. Feeling the shield push back, I rolled over the top, before bucking the back of it to send me clear of Null but also testing the strength of his magic. Mira had mentioned in passing that magical shields could be concentrated in certain areas more so than others. Finding a weakness was a matter of directing your attacks and luring your opponent into a false sense of security.

The black sphere split in two, its shape turning two dimensional and forming it large disks that hovered in Null’s hands. Tossing one of them towards me, the large black disk sliced through the air coming in low towards my legs. It was easy enough to dodge, but found out too late that these disks were more than just weapons.

Acting like portals, the black disk beneath me erupted with a blast of dark energy that blew me high into the air. The remaining black sphere hovered before Null, his hands outstretched feeding the portal his dark energy showing no signs of letting up.

Sapphire’s ice coated wing struck down hard against Null’s arm, but his dark aura had prevented it from cutting through. The surge of dark energy flowing from Null ceased, the portals fading from sight as Null took a firm grasp of Sapphire’s horn and tossed her to the side. Leaping over Sapphire was Wick who took Null by surprise and tackled him to the ground striking hard against his helm. Pyre had lessened Sapphire’s fall by catching her before hitting the ground.

“Are you alright, Lady Sapphire?” Pyre asked.

Sapphire got to her hooves, massaging her horn from the rough way Null had thrown her.

“Yes, I’m alright.’ Sapphire replied.

Pyre was suddenly knocked away by Wick’s body as he had been tossed by Null. Sapphire attention turned again towards Null. His hands slammed together, drawing them apart, creating a large thin spike of dark energy that he swung over his head like a spear. Sapphire’s wings flashed with ice, gleaming from the magic her horn produced as Null charged at her.

Her wings were a good substitute to steel, but it required a lot of concentration to ensure that her ice with thick enough to withstand each blow.Training with Summer Hearth in swordplay during her academy days had proven extremely fruitful in defending herself against Null’s attacks. Blasting a sudden breath of ice at Null’s leg, his foot froze the ground and caused him to fall forward dropping his dark energy spear. With a vicious strike to Null’s chin, Sapphire had the Dark King leaning back and leaving himself open to her next attack. Whipping her wings from side to side, Sapphire threw her feathered icicles into Null’s body constricting him further as the ice began to creep across his body.

Sapphire was summoning a great amount of magic, lightning sparking from her horn and her eyes turning an icy blue. Null’s body melted into shadows, catching Sapphire by surprise as his being reformed before her and taking hold of her throat. Her magic fizzled out, striking Null’s arm trying to force him to release his hold on her, and gasping for breath.

A sudden blast of fire struck Null hard in the face, having him reel back dropping Sapphire from his hand. Leaping over Sapphire, Wick reared his head back to breathe another blast of fire but found Null’s hand taking hold of his throat instead. Pyre rushed in, feeling Null kick him abruptly, bringing the full weight down upon him and pinning him to the ground.

“Your fire is mine now.”

Lines of fiery embers began to trace themselves up Null’s arm and leg, siphoning the fire within the Twins. With the sudden screech of a phoenix coming from up above, Null had only a second to glance up to see me almost nose to nose with him as I tackled him at full force and driving him hard into the ground. The speed of the impact had me driving Null across the ground, digging up rock and dirt, as my fire scorched his body.

With a solid kick, Null knocked me from him, sending me bouncing away as he finally came to a stop. His body blackened by my fire, seering from the heat, not being able to absorb my fire like he could the Twins. Bringing his hands together I watched as his hands formed complicated gestures and weaved seals around him. It was reminiscent of Mira’s own casting of spells as I found myself dreading what was to come.

“Behold the power of an Eternal Master!”

Slamming both hands upon the ground, nine different sigils as vast as villages sprang up across the fields, as the world began to crack and break. One of them had me at the center.

“Eternal Zenith’s Heavenly Terrene!”

The sigils began lifting into the air, bringing with it the very foundations of the Kingdom of Naught, creating massive floating islands that rose up ever higher. These floating islands began to form, growing in size, rapidly generating new earth, distorting the very gravity around them as massive islands began to have a pull of their own. The pressure was so intense that it had me flattened upon the ground, struggling to breathe and fight against the force trying to crush me.

This spell of Null’s seemed limited, his own power waning from the strain it took to achieve the full effect, and left him struggling to maintain his spell. A flash of multicolored spells struck Null repeatedly, staggering him and knocking him off his feet as his spell remained unfinished.
Twilight, Rarity, and Princess Sapphire stood together, having unleashed a coordinated attack using their magic. Spike was helping Wick to his hooves while Pinkie and Fluttershy were checking on Pyre.

“How did you ponies navigate the tunnels?” Pyre asked.

“We didn’t really have to.” Spike replied. “We came out of the really big hole over there.”

One of the sigils Null had created had torn open a part of the underground tunnel system that allowed the group to have an escape. It proved most advantageous as they were able to assist in stopping Null from completing his spell, to whatever end it would have had.

“We told you to make a run for it.” Wick mumbled.

“You also said that we had to get Sparky out of here.” Pinkie Pie pointed out.

“And where else would Smolder be if not defending his brothers?” Fluttershy asked.

Wick snorted in disdain for such a sentimental reply. Pyre seemed quite humbled at the idea of these ponies coming to their rescue.

“Where is Smolder?” Twilight asked.

Streams of light flashed overhead, one of the floating islands had erupted in flames, heat the rocks to a molten state. Standing within the fires of this floating island, my horn flashing with magic, and magically rolling the island towards Null. It picked up speed, falling out of the air like a meteor as fire and smoke trailed from it. Spreading out my wings, the wind lifted me into the air, being pulled clear from the fiery earth plummeting towards Null.

“That would be our little brother, showing about as much restraint as our father would.” Pyre mentioned.

“I would think the resulting shockwave of the impact would be rather eventful, brother.” Wick concluded.

Wick and Pyre dropped low, shielding their heads as every pony dived to the ground following their lead.

Null raised his arms to defend himself against this fiery rock barreling down towards him. Disappearing in a flash of light as the meteor struck him and the earth around him with such force that it broke the entirety of the Kingdom of Naught in two.

Comments

[Night_Striker]

geeesh talking about overkill. and dang is that guy resiliant to death

[Stellar_]

How the heck did I miss this upload