The Firebird

by Titan Commander Sebaste

The Spring Elemental Awakens

In the time before time, before ponies lived in Equestria, before Celestia, Luna or even Discord , all that lived in that land were very different to what the future occupants would know. Here, four elementals were in charge of the seasons. These were alicorns who could turn a day scorching hot or blanket a land in snow and ice. But one Elemental would have a run-in with a creature that would shake her to her core and leave a trail of destruction behind. And this is where our story begins, at the end of a harsh winter…..

Equestria
What would be Ponyville, near the Whitetail Woods
Broken Hoof, a reddish brown stag in his prime except for a slight limp due to a injury he'd suffered seasons past, had been making this journey ever since the the elementals first appeared. He had seen bucks and does come and go and had sired many grand-fawns in his lifetime. Now, he was headed to a secluded spot that only he knew. A small cave in the side of a cliff, big enough for him to fit. But the stag knew that this cave was special. For it was the home of the Spring Elemental, an Alicorn mare called Jade Leaf.

As Broken Hoof pushed through the heavy snow, he wondered how his old friend had fared during the winter. The Winter Elemental, another Alicorn mare named Frost Bolt had slammed his home with snowstorm after snowstorm. While she got along with Jade Leaf from time to time, she was prone to fits of jealousy and rage, causing her powers to go unchecked as her anger blinded her to the harm she caused. This year was especially bad, as her storms caused many creatures to starve or freeze.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, he spotted the cave he had been searching for. Using the last of his strength, he pushed through the last of the snow in his way before shaking himself off at the entrance. His hooves clicked as he stepped on the stone floor of the cave. Ahead of him was a small chamber, and inside, fast asleep, laid a light green Alicorn. Her dark green mane and tail were rumpled and messy, yet they flowed in the air even though there was no breeze. Her body was covered by a blanket of leaves to stave off the freezing temperatures outside.

The sound of hooves caused Jade Leaf to slowly stir from her sleep. Through sleep blurred eyes, she made out a horned shape outside her chamber. "Mmmph.... F-Fallen Breeze? Is that you?” she asked through a massive yawn.

“Nay, tis I, ma'am.” Broken Hoof replied, an amused tone in his baritone voice. “Although I don't think yer sister would happy to be confused for a stag.”

This elicited a snort of laughter from the Alicorn. As she stood up, leaves cascading down her barrel and back, she stretched out her wings to remove the stiffness, before blowing a strand of her mane out of her face and turning to preen her feathers.

Broken Hoof raised an eyebrow at her slightly disheveled state. “By the by, were yeh trying to become one with those leaves? I've seen does that have fur tidier than your mane is right now.”

Jade Leaf gave the stag a mock glare as she looked up at him, several wing feathers still in her mouth. “Yourf lucky yorf stfil my fwiend…” she muttered through her mouthful. Spitting out the feathers, she continued, “... If I was one of my siblings, I wouldn't be taking that comment lightly.”

“Duly noted, Ma'am.” Broken Hoof said, his voice giving no hint of his emotions. A small smile, however, threatened to break his composure.

Jade held her glare for several more seconds before snickering. She gave the stag a quick nuzzle. “It's good to see you after these last few months.” She said.

Broken Hoof returned the gesture. “Last time I saw yeh, you were still growing a bit! Now look at you, a full grown mare and bringer of Spring.” he said. Jade blushed at the praise. “Yer parents would've been proud.”

Her parents, Midnight Dawn and Solaris Twilight, the former controllers of the seasons, had died centuries earlier defeating a creature that had destroyed swathes of land and killed thousands of creatures in its final rampage before being sealed within one of several mountains in the area. Some said it was a rouge phoenix, others contended that it was a creature that had been around since the forming of the world. In all instances, they told of a bird like beast that was formed of molten earth with a wingspan that spanned several forest's lengths that could melt into the very substance it was made of and spread itself to cover the entire earth in lava and then suddenly appear somewhere else to consume its prey. But Jade had been too young to remember her parents.

“I could hear the storms from in here. Were they as bad as they sounded?” Jade asked, remembering the shriek of the winds as she huddled in her cave.

Broken Hoof lowered his head as memories of seeing herdmates lying frozen on the ground flashed through his mind's eye. “Aye, they were. Not much food could be found. We lost almost half the herd to either the cold or starvation.” he said. He then felt a hoof on his shoulder.

“I'm truly sorry to hear that. But you'll rebuild, I know it.” Jade said, her face sympathetic.

“Aye, that we will. But it'll be a long time till we're at full strength.” he said. By this point, the two had been walking towards the cave entrance. Upon arriving, they looked at the silent snowy forest. The light green Alicorn shivered as the early morning chill bit into her fur. As Broken Hoof watched, Jade Leaf began to trot forward, her horn charging up a spell. At the same time, her mane and tail started to spread out, blanketing both her body and the ground. Wherever they touched, snow began to melt and grass and flowers poked their heads from the soil. Birds began to chirp and up in the trees, the first buds began to form. The air started to slowly warm, not entirely losing the bite of winter. Jade by this point had broken into a gallop, her face alight with joy and excitement. She suddenly halted and looked up at a single tree, a broad wild cherry tree bare of all of its leaves, memories flashing through her eyes. Broken Hoof soon came to a stop beside it, breathing hard. “You'd put my best runners to shame, Jade. I haven't ran that fast since I was just a fawn.” he panted. Looking at the tree, his eyes softened. “Ah, this old tree… I remember when I would see yeh hide among the leaves while your siblings looked for you. Even then, yeh were a spark of joy.”

“Maybe one day we can come back here together. Just me and my siblings, talking about what our plans are for the future and catching up on past events.” Jade murmured. She slowly walked up, her mane and tail leaving a trail of green behind her. With a flash of her horn, she teleported to the second top branch of the tree, causing it to groan under her weight. She then waved her horn, causing pinkish white flowers to appear on the branches around the Alicorn. As she leapt back down, leaf buds also began to form. With a small flap of her wings, she slowed her decent enough to land with a small canter in her steps next to Broken Hoof.

“I'll make sure my brother takes over watching this tree when his turn comes around.” Jade said, looking back up at the tree. “Right now, I just want to see this forest in its entirety!”

Before Broken Hoof could say anything, she leapt into the air with a whoop of excitement, her mane and tail streaming behind her. Higher and higher she flew, till even the stag couldn't see her. Broken Hoof shook his head in amusement and worry. 'She's enthusiastic, I'll grant her that. But….' Here his thoughts began to turn dark. '... She doesn't remember what happened to her parents, or what they managed to seal inside one of those mountains. And I doubt her brother or her sisters have told her the tale of that… creature.' He shuddered as tales of what happened before his time echoed through his mind. 'Jade, whatever yeh do… do not explore those mountains… '

A few hours later,there was a sudden rumble that caused the ground to shudder, causing Broken Hoof to stagger for a few seconds. “What in Queen Cervida's name…!?” he muttered, uttering the name of the deer's first ruler before there was an earth-shattering BOOM that cut through the air. Overlaying the sound of the thunderous blast was the rage filled screech of some massive avian creature, but the sound had another quality to it, a hissing gurgle, as if some sort of liquid was caught in its throat.

“Faust protect us…. JADE!” Broken Hoof began to gallop to where the cry had originated, his heart hammering like mad. If his guess was correct, his friend and his home were in grave danger.

Author's Note:

Same chapter, just with a few changes.

Sorry if I spooked everyone with the chapter vanishing.