> Smoldering It Over
>  by Turtlehaus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: First Impressions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For a moment I stood on the riverbank, my gaze settling upon Ponyville just on the horizon. I felt my heart pounding, the gnawing sensation that I should turn back, but the thought of disappointing my ponies kept me focused. Swallowing what was left of my fear, I reared back, digging my hooves deep into the riverbank; gauging my jump across the river. 

Stamping the ground a few times, backing up to give myself room for error, and quickly decided to back up even more; providing myself a running start. The earth seemed to spin under me kicking off the riverbank. My hooves striking deep into the sand. I approached the edge of the river, taking this leap of faith knowing that there was no turning back, that there was no room for failure on my part, and that I was risking everything and every pony I cared for. In order to save my family, our Kingdom, and our ponies, I would have to steal the Elements of Harmony. 

I overestimated my jump. I cleared the river with ground to spare. The other side of the riverbank housed millions of different sized pebbles. My landing was less than perfect and far more painful than I had hoped.

I found myself face down in a pile of rocks. Through the stinging pain I managed to wipe away the pebbles in bedded in my face. Clapping my hooves together to shake loose some wedged rocks, I glanced over at the river to see my reflection. 

I approached the edge of the river, seeing my reflection a bit better. I was a Flame Pony. It is what the ponies of Equestria had named us many years ago; it was pretty accurate. It had become rare to hear or see Flame Ponies for last three decades, every pony knew that we kept to ourselves, that our lands were nothing more than volcanic ash and glass, but it was indeed rare to see a Flame Pony beyond its own borders; especially since our banishment. It was most certainly going to be surprising to see a Flame Pony in Ponyville. 

Checking the sides of my face in the reflection of the water, one could say I was a shade between black and grey. My mane, my hooves, and even my tail flickered like a torch. My eyes were grey like ash, but such features were common among Flame Ponies. I smiled at my own reflection, practicing how I was going to present myself to any pony I came across; hoping that my flames would not be the only thing they concerned themselves with. 

As I continued to check my face for blemishes and remaining pebbles, a passing fish thought it good fun to leap from the water and splash down in front of me. I instinctively recoiled, backing away from the river’s edge. 

Even the smallest amounts of water would sting a great deal to a Flame Pony. If we were to be bathed in it, it would not only be unbelievably painful, but it would certainly be the end of any Flame Pony. I thought it best to leave the river, my complexion was clear enough to make a strong first impression, but I still feared that my flames would be all any pony would care to look at. 

I stepped up from the edge of the river bank, the grassy fields stretched on for a ways, but no clear dirt path was in sight. I marveled at the color of the grass, admiring the wild flowers that spotted the land. It was a breath taking sight to see. 

Having grown up in a world of grey, the ash ridden fields I called my home, the Ashen Fields were void of any color: black and grey with our flames was all we knew. I lifted my hoof to my face, the flames that danced about my hoof would prove to be a problem, and I felt my options become more and more slim. 

Deciding to test the waters, figuratively of course, I pressed my hoof into the thick green grass for a few seconds and quickly removed it. The healthy green grass did not start to blaze to my relief, although, my hoof print left a noticeable burnt black ring atop it. Weighing my options, I decided it would be best to try and run across this field in the hopes of minimizing any lasting damage I could possibly do to this green heaven.

I started off in a trot, hoping not to be out of breath by the time I reached the limits of Ponyville but as I proceeded I felt the urge to run faster in fear of even leaving one patch of grass a blackened mess. I galloped towards the borders of Ponyville, I saw a sight that both raised my hopes and sent butterflies fluttering about my stomach. It was a large red barn had appeared over the hillside. Along with it was a dirt path that seemed to lead to and away from it. My intense need to reach this path without meeting another pony had me galloping faster. 

I took great care in leaping over the wooden fence that marked out the acre. I took even greater care to dance around the loose hay that was strewn about. Before long I found myself almost kissing the dirt path that I clambered onto it. 

I took a few deep breathes to regain my composure, looking back towards the grass fields, I wanted to make sure no small fires were left behind by my making. I was glad to see that i had made no more than a few faint blackened hoof prints leading to this spot. My eyes cycled back towards the barn where I met the eyes of another pony, who stood frozen at the sight of me. 

At first glance I merely thought pony, but it was a colt, a rather large colt to be exact. Straw like mane, with an actual strand of straw jutting from his mouth, a large wooden beam laced around his neck, and his bright red body seemed to scream Apple Farmer. I felt my knees shake as I tried to summon the courage to talk. I cleared my throat as this colt continued to stare; unfazed and unspoken. 

"Hello there..." I felt myself mutter. 

This seemed to be the trigger warning the colt needed. I watched as he proceeded to yell fire at the top of his deep voice and disappeared into the barn. I felt a sudden wave of panic wash over me as I looked around to see which way Ponyville was, but even before I could take a step the colt reappeared with a bucket of water. 

Just as quickly as he had appeared, he had swung the bucket, throwing the water my way. I panicked. Leaping out of the way, watching the water splash onto the ground. I didn't hesitate to run. 

I was barely down the dirt path when the sounds of a bell being rung from the barn caught up to me. I could hear a commotion coming from up ahead. Digging my hooves into the dirt path, sliding to a stop, I frantically looked about for a place to hide, but nothing yielded such a place for a Flame Pony. Three more ponies came rounding the corner of the path in a hurry.

"Leaping lizards! That there pony is on fire!" Applebloom cried. 

"Stay back sugar cube! I'll put the poor fella out!" Applejack shouted. 

In her mouth was another bucket of water. I saw this brilliant gamboge colored pony swing her head back before flicking the bucket towards me. The water sailed up into the air to douse me. I found myself panicking once more, only this time I opened my mouth. 

Spitting fire into the air I evaporated the water mid flight while the hiss of steam filled the air as the two ponies before me stared in utter shock. I stood frozen in place, as did they; no pony moved or said a word. It was several awkward moments of silence before an elderly pony slowly walked up to us; out of breath from the journey. 

"Where's the fire?" Granny Smith asked in an elderly southern accent.

The old pony’s eyes fell on me. Her old wrinkled face lit up with excitement.

"Well butter my back side and call me a biscuit. It's a real live Flame Pony!" Granny Smith declared in surprise.

"Flame Pony?" asked Applejack curiously looking over her shoulder at her. 

"I haven't seen one of them since I was just a filly." Granny Smith explained. 

The elderly pony slowly approached me. Her eyes straining to see me, leaning in uncomfortably close, as she rubbed the bottom of her chin with her hoof. She looked back at the other two ponies, before pointing at the bucket the mare with the hat had in her mouth.

"They don't like water none though. I'm sure this fella would appreciate it, don't you think Applejack?" Granny Smith asked.

Applejack looked at me before looking down at her bucket. Quickly putting two and two together she realized what Granny Smith meant. 

"Sorry about that stranger, when someone yells fire around here you don't take any chances." Applejack said tossing the bucket aside.

Before I could say a word the ground began to tremble. The large heavy hooves of the colt back at the barn was charging up the path from the barn. I turned to see the colt with another bucket of water in his mouth. I recoiled once more in fright, but the pony called Applejack rushed past me to cut him off.

"Whoa, there Big Mac! Easy! Easy he's not on fire!" Applejack cried holding up her hooves to stop Big McIntosh from throwing the bucket of water.

The large colt named Big Mac came to a hard stop in front of Applejack. He looked at her, quite confused by her words before glancing up at me looking very concerned. 

"Well, Granny Smith says that this here is a Flame Pony, a pony that is 'supposed' to be on fire... I reckon." Applejack continued as Big Mac looked towards the older pony.

"Well don't just stand there looking like you seen a ghost! This here is a guest of Sweet Apple Acres! Show him some of our sweet hospitality!" Granny Smith declared, gingerly stomping her hoof on the ground. 

Big Mac tossed the bucket of water. The water harmlessly splashing into the grass, while he walked past Applejack and myself saying the word 'yup' before heading back down the path the three ponies had come from.

"Sorry for the mix up, we don't get many Flame Ponies around these parts, well... none til today in fact." Applejack said apologetically.

"Are you really on fire?" Applebloom asked. 

I turned to see the young filly’s hoof reaching out to touch the flames on my tail but lucky for her, as well as myself, I jumped out of her reach. 

"Yes." I snapped at her. 

It wasn't at all how I wanted to sound, but my fear of burning this little filly out-weighed my need to be kind about it. 

"Applebloom! You should know better than to stick your hoof in an open flame; even if it is a walking talking flame pony." Applejack scolded. 

"Sorry." said Applebloom backing away from me.

"Don't worry your pretty head there sweetie, it's not every day a Flame Pony comes around these parts." Granny Smith chimed in, putting her arm around Applebloom.

"You got a name stranger?" Applejack asked, looking my way again.

I raised my head proudly, although my eyes looked away in embarrassment.

"Smolder... of the Ashen Fields." I replied slowly.

"Smolder of the Ashen Fields? Now that there is a mouthful. If it's okay by you, I'm thinking that you can shorten that down a bit, how's Ash sound? It'll be easier for the ponies around here to remember." Applejack suggested giving it some thought.

"Sure..." I replied slowly, unsure if that name would stick.

"This here is Granny Smith, the little one is Applebloom, the big colt you met earlier is Big McIntosh or Big Mac for short, and I'm Applejack. This here is Sweet Apple Acres." Applejack introduced every pony. 

She had held out her hoof to me to shake it but I pulled my hoof back shaking my head no.

"Oh right, Flame Pony." Applejack mumbled awkwardly. 

"Enough chit chat, we got ourselves a guest and we got lots of food to eat." Granny Smith said, turning slowly on the spot before slowly making her way back down the path. 

"Come on mister, you haven't eaten until you've tried one of Sweet Apple Acres very own Apple Pies." Applebloom declared excitedly. 

“You must be hungry from... where ever it is you came from.” Applejack remarked, following the others down the dirt path.

I watched as the three ponies walked off down the dirt path. At first, I was hesitant to follow, but I felt that building a relationship with these ponies would prove useful later on. There wasn't much choice in the matter anyways as I followed them a few steps back to ensure that I would not bump into any of them if they stopped short for any reason.

As we grew closer to the house, I could already smell the delicious baked goods wafting through the air, and my stomach rumbled in anticipation. The very thought of food almost had me bouncing down the road after them, although my mind began to wander back to the ponies at home, and I quickly lost my appetite again. Only by the smell of the Apple Pies did my stomach beat out my guilt. It was a moral defeat but I did not care when I came to look upon the picnic table filled with all sorts of wondrous treats.

"Let see here..." Applejack began.

The wooden furniture the food was placed upon, as well as the benches they were meant to sit on didn't seem 'appropriate' for me and I decided to politely sit down on the ground. 

"Don't trouble yourself, I am used to eating without a table or chair." I said.

In truth, there wasn't much need for furniture for the food we Flame Ponies ate. It was just roots and herbs from their neighboring marsh. Flame Ponies learned quickly what was edible and what was just a root. Apples were a rare delicacy indeed to Flame Ponies, and I wasn't above eating it off the ground. 

"I don't see another way of getting you to sit with us without turning this into one big bon fire." Applejack admitted. 

She took a slice of Apple Pie, dropped it on a plate and brought it over to me. She watched as my eyes lit up from the very sight of it, and watched how earnestly I ate it.

"That good huh?" Applejack asked.

"I've never tasted anything so delicious in all my life." I replied back appreciatively.

"Well that is a mighty fine compliment, thank you." Applejack beamed.

I couldn't help myself, I devoured that slice of Apple Pie as if it were my last meal, I savored every bite, savored the smell, and I had to restrain myself from licking the plate.

"Hey Applejack!" A voice from the sky rang out.

I look towards the sky, as did Applejack, to see a rainbow colored pony come soaring down from the clouds before her.

"I was just passing by when I smelled some of those tasty Apple P-that pony is on fire!" Rainbow Dash cut herself off as her eyes darted to me. 

Before Applejack could speak a word Rainbow Dash exploded from her spot into the air, taking a large puffy cloud from the sky and moved it above my head. 

"Don't worry dude! I'll save you!" Rainbow Dash yelled, preparing to pounce upon the cloud. 

It all happened so quickly, while I was busy licking the plate thinking no pony was looking, Rainbow Dash had begun to bounce on the cloud causing rain to fall, but Applejack beat her to the punch as she threw her lasso around me and pulled me to safety with one hard tug. I landed a few feet away from Applejack, I was rather surprised she managed to pull that off but noticed the lasso had caught fire and began to burn away. 

"Rainbow Dash, just stop for one apple bucking second and come down here!" Applejack shouted, stamping her hoof down.

"Applejack that pony is still-" Rainbow Dash began, pointing towards me

"He's a Flame Pony Rainbow Dash. He's supposed to be on fire." Applejack explained, cutting her off.

Rainbow Dash's mouth fell open. Her eyes darted from Applejack to me and then back to Applejack.

"Are you serious?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yup." Big Mac said aloud walking out from inside the house carrying a tray of cups filled with cider.

"That is the second coolest thing I have seen all day today!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"What was the first thing?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Me of course." Rainbow Dash replied, pointing at herself.

I got to my hooves, wiping the dust from my backside, looking down as the ruined lasso still burning in the dirt.

"I'm sorry about your rope Applejack." I said.

"Hey, don't worry about it Ash. I've got plenty more rope up in the barn." Applejack replied.

"Yeah, sorry about trying to douse you dude. But you got to admit, having a pony on fire is just crazy, am I right?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Well it’s not normal around these parts I'll give you that." Applejack said.

"So you got a name Matchstick?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Smolder of the Ashen Fields." I said.

Applejack waved her hoof at me, signaling me to try the nickname she had offered me earlier and I thought it best if I tried it.

"Or... you can call me Ash for short." I added.

"Whatever you say, Matchstick." Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes.

Rainbow Dash walked a few circles around me, looking at me from all angles before sitting herself down in front of me with a rather excited but curious look.

"So what kinds of stuff can a Flame Pony do? Can you breathe fire like a dragon?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"Well..." I began.

"He did that earlier when I made the same mistake of trying to pour water on him." Applejack chimed in.

"You are literally the second coolest thing I've seen today." Rainbow Dash declared.

"What was the first?" I asked.

"Me of course." Rainbow Dash answered.

"Of course." I agreed watching Applejack roll her eyes.

"Look every pony, I appreciate the food..." As I said these words my eyes became fixated on the rest of the Apple Pie but was quickly drawn away from it by their curious looks. "But I really need to get to Ponyville, so if I can-"

"Hey no problem Matchstick, Applejack and I can escort you into town." Rainbow Dash interrupted.

"Sure we will, it will help to have us there to ward off any other pony that may try and pour more water on you." Applejack insisted.

"I... can't argue with that." I said, seeing as that was a high possibility.

"Then it's settled! To Ponyville!" Rainbow Dash yelled, pointing her hoof in its direction.

"But is it alright if I have a quick bite before we head off? I skipped lunch today." Rainbow Dash asked as Applejack nodded in agreement.
> Chapter 2: My First Day In Ponyville
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I said goodbye to Grannysmith, Applebloom, and Big Mac as we left Sweet Apple Acres. I took one last sniff of the Apple Pie that lingered in the air, and before I knew it I was being escorted down the dirt path by an earth pony and a pegasi pony named Applejack and Rainbow Dash respectively. I could not have gotten luckier... I think.

"Ponyville has some of the nicest ponies you'll ever meet. It's like the friendship capital of the world." Rainbow Dash said floating above us.

"I don't know about that, but she's right about the nicest ponies you'll ever meet. You can count on that." Applejack assured me.

Colorful. That was the word I chose to describe Ponyville. It was so colorful when compared to my home, and so full of bright and beaming ponies. They were hustling about, moving carts, buying food, playing games, delivering mail, eating, talking, sleeping, there seemed to be a roll for everyone in this town and at that moment it seemed it was to stare at me.

I watched as Ponyville came to a stop, all eyes were on me for a full ten seconds before a massive explosion of whispers erupted from every pony.

"Attention every pony, if I could have y'alls attention for just one minute!" Applejack announced.

"This here is a Flame Pony, his name is Ash, I've been told that his kin are rare in these parts so I think it would be best to put on our friendliest faces and give him a big Ponyville welcome." Applejack said aloud.

"And don't go throwing any water him! He doesn't like that!" Rainbow Dash chimed in.

Much to my surprise those few words were enough to sway these ponies, there was no longer a look of bewilderment, no more whispers among every pony but a lot of smiling faces that waved and greeted me as I walked into Ponyville. It wasn't long before we were ambushed by a runaway cupcake cart. Or at least a cupcake cart that seemed to be out of control but some how still keeping every last cupcake in place. Like it was magic.

"Rainbow Dash! Applejack! How long have you been hiding this from me?" Pinky Pie asked in a demanding voice.

I watched as the vibrant, excited, energetic and rather peculiar pink pony pop up from behind the cart. I stared in bewilderment as she quickly approached me, she got very close to my face as she squinted as if peering into my very soul. Even as I attempted to lean back away from this pink pony she in turn leaned closer not breaking eye contact.

"Cupcake?" The pink pony asked suddenly lifting a cupcake up to my face. 

My confusion was met with curiosity as I eyed this treat before me, as I began to open my mouth to respond the pink pony crammed the cupcake in my mouth.

"Start talking." Pinkie Pie demanded as she turned to Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

"We just met him this morning Pinkie." Rainbow Dash explained.

"There isn't much time! I have to get everyone together! I wasn't planning on throwing a party of this size today! But never fear Flame Pony! I will throw you the best Newcomer Party ever!" Pinkie Pie cried. 

The one they called Pinkie began to bounce around me, she spoke so fast that I could not make out all the words she was saying but she seemed very excited about the idea of a party in my honor.

"I don't need a party, really." I said after swallowing the cupcake.

"Nonsense, you're the first every Flame Pony to have ever come to Ponyville in probably forever, so it's only natural to throw a party! Unless of course you were not the first Flame Pony to come to Ponyville, which would make this party more about your first time here in Ponyville which would make the party even more special because it will be all about you!" Pinkie Pie said excitedly as she took hold of the cupcake cart.

"I better get started, so much party planning to do and so few Pinkie Pie's to do it!" Pinkie Pie cried as she took off like a shot back down the dirt road and disappearing from sight.

"Don't worry Ash, that there was just Pinkie Pie, she's a little energetic but she throws the best parties in all of Ponyville. It will be sure to make you feel right at home." Applejack said reassuringly.

The thought of a party in my honor was frightening, of all the things that could go wrong, namely setting something or everything on fire was the most distressing thoughts I had but it was also being the reason for the party also made me uncomfortable.

I was snapped out of my thoughts at the sudden shrill shriek of another pony, I covered my ears and looked around to see a very beautiful white and purple unicorn still shrieking at the sight of me.

"Rarity! Can you knock it off?" Rainbow Dash tried to yell over her scream.

"Can you believe it? A real live Flame Pony here in Ponyville! The rumors were true! I cannot believe my good fortune!" Rarity exclaimed rushing over to me.

"Rumors?" I asked curiously.

"Oh darling! Your breath is like a furnace! Your mane is positively on fire! Everything about you just screams wild! Please! Please! May I take your measurements?" Rarity begged.

"Look Rarity, Ash here wanted to see Ponyville and it would be best if he didn't get any more attention than he's already been getting. The last thing we need is to have a line of people asking him to do things." Applejack said, coming to my defense.

"Why Applejack! Comparing me to some pony who would ask him to preform like some circus clown?" Rarity asked offended.

"I don't really mind... if it would help you with... what do you do again?" I asked.

"Oh darling you've just made my day! Come along then dear!" Rarity squealed.

"Rarity is a fashion designer, one of the best in all of Equestria, but lookout though she can eat up your day before you know it." Applejack said.

We followed Rarity to her home. I watched as they entered but I remained outside on the dirt path. There were a few curious ponies that had brought cameras to take a few photos of me. I did not bother me as much at first, but they slowly started to creep forward as if to get a closer shot. I moved closer down the path towards Rarity's house to try and show that I did not want them getting close to me but it did not stop them.

"Be gone you vultures! He is my inspiration!" Rarity exclaimed bursting through her front doors.

Some final pictures were snapped before the ponies ran off as Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash came trotting back out.

"Come along dear, we have much to do." Rarity said motioning towards the door.

"I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Why, whatever do you mean?" Rarity asked.

"I... don't do well indoors. Especially ones that are not fire proof." I said.

"Well, that does prove to be a problem." Rarity said.

"Can't you just turn it off?" Rainbow Dash asked hovering over him.

"Unfortunately I can't. Not even the eldest or strongest of our ponies can 'turn it off.'" I said.

"It must be hard getting around." Applejack said apologetically.

"I've become accustomed to it." I replied.

"Never fear darling, I will just have to work outside." Rarity said.

Applejack did not exaggerate on the eat up your day line she used before, Rarity took her sweet time in attempting to take my measurements, delayed by her tape measure melting and a few supposed fire proof garments catching fire. I myself did not want to be rude, I wanted to maintain a sort of image with them while I was here, and that imagine was apparently a yes pony.

"I've never had a more difficult client, you have proven to be a very challenging obstacle indeed darling." Rarity confessed. Her horn glowing as she magically lifted another tape measure.

"Rarity, can't we do this some other time?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I must strike while the iron is hot Rainbow Dash. Sorry, was that insensitive? I'm not quite sure of what Flame Pony culture is like, but I'm sure it is just as rich and vibrant as the flames on your mane my dear." Rarity said.

"What in the hay are you trying to do, Rarity? The poor guy has been standing there all day." Applejack asked.

"I'm glad you asked Applejack, Canterlot is having a premiere and inviting ponies from all over to participate in what they are calling the 'Next Big Thing.' I, myself, thought that this would be the prime opportunity to showcase a new line of fashion to ponies from all over but I did not know what could fit the criteria." Rarity explained tossing a few sheets of fabrics onto Applejack's back.

"You could imagine how frantic I was, how starved I was for inspiration, I had almost given up hope when I heard a passing rumor on the street. I was on my way to the market when I overheard talk of a Flame Pony here in Ponyville, then Pinkie Pie came bouncing around the corner yammering on about the party for the Flame Pony and I just had to see it for myself." Rarity continued.

"So you're using him to come up ideas for some dresses? You know he's a dude, right?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I thought I could come up with a couples theme for the premiere, incorporating the colors of a Flame Pony and hoping to weave in their culture into beautiful deep designs leaving a bit of mystery in the folds." Rarity said.

"You can't stop her once she's got her mind set on something." Applejack remarked.

The ponies continued to speak among themselves as I stood up on my hind legs as per Rarity's instructions and tried to remain still as she attempted to measure my height from a safe distance. A sudden shake of a bush caught my eye, I glanced over to see nothing and I discarded my thoughts as just a trick of the eye. Although in doing so that same bush seemed to shake once again as I quickly turned to look but it was nothing more than a mere bush. At this point I knew something was there, to what it was I could not tell but I began to think it may be another pony with a camera.

"Rarity?" I asked.

"Yes darling what is it?" Rarity replied.

"I believe some pony is hiding in that bush over there." I said.

At these words the bush seemed to jolt in surprise as every other pony suddenly took notice of this.

"Well what do you know, there is something in that bush." Applejack said.

"I'll go check it out!" Rainbow Dash cried. With a sudden blast of air Rainbow Dash rocketed towards the bush that seemed rather frightened by this and disappeared within its leaves. There was a short struggle as Rainbow Dash reappeared from the bush holding yet another pony, this one was a soft yellow pony with a soft pink color mane.

"Fluttershy? What are you doing hiding in the bushes? Again." Rainbow Dash asked.

The pony called Fluttershy did not speak merely covered her face with her hooves as Rainbow Dash dragged her over despite this pony's sudden dead weight defense.

"I guess she wanted to see what all the commotion was about." Applejack said.

"Did you want to come see the Flame Pony as well, Fluttershy?" Rarity asked.

Fluttershy did not speak, she merely nodded her head slowly, raising one hoof to peek out from and saw me towering over her; still holding that pose for Rarity. She squeaked in fright as she attempted to run back towards the bush but Rainbow Dash still had a hold on her.

"It's okay Fluttershy, Matchstick is cool. Well hot but in the temperature sort of way." Rainbow Dash said trying to reassure her.

"Yes, go ahead and relax darling." Rarity said to me waving her hoof for me to come down.

"His name is not Matchstick, Rainbow. It's Ash." Applejack corrected.

"Whatever, the point is Fluttershy shouldn't be scared of him." Rainbow Dash said.

I couldn't help but feel at ease with Fluttershy's response, most ponies due cower or run away from me when I approach them. Usually to return with water to douse me but that has been the reoccurring theme today. Conventional methods of shaking hooves were out of the question, so I decided that it would be best to put some distance between me and Fluttershy. I stepped back a few paces, I sat down with a plop, and brushed my flames back down my mane. It really didn't do anything.

"Hello Fluttershy, I'm Smolder of the Ashen Fields or Ash for short." I said in my most pleasant voice. I hoped.

"Or Matchstick." Rainbow Dash added with a large sigh from Applejack.

"...hi." Fluttershy whispered.

Fortunately for me I heard it, which gave me some relief to know it wasn't go away or some pony help me. I guess it really is the small victories that matter.

"Your friends have been extremely kind to me." I continued.

Fluttershy removed her hooves from her face, she looked at me carefully before standing up right, but she quickly looked away. She began kicking away imaginary rocks with her hoof, apparently too shy to continue our conversation, but I did understand the reason for her name.

"Fluttershy, was there anything you wanted to ask the Flame Pony?" Rarity asked nudging her slightly.

Fluttershy hid her face behind her mane, I felt myself becoming anxious, and scrambling for ideas I tried to think of something to break the tension. I suddenly had a thought, a rather clever thought that used to work on fillies and I was hoping it would work now.

"Well then, I guess I'll just be heading back to my home now..." I said begrudgingly turning to walk away but not before throwing a quick wink at the other ponies.

The idea seemed to work as Fluttershy perked up, the other ponies seemed to pile on.

"Oh! Leaving so soon?" Rarity asked dramatically.

"So many questions left unanswered!" Rainbow Dash said aloud clutching her heart.

"Perhaps we shall never see you again!" Applejack said sadly raising her hoof to her head.

"It may be many, many years before I return to Ponyville!" I said hamming up my own line as I echoed 'ville' quieter and quieter as I walked away from them.

"Wait!" Fluttershy shouted.

She quickly covered her mouth with her hooves, but seemed to already be in too deep not to continue.

"I was wondering... if you don't mind that is... but I was just wondering if a Flame Pony ever gets hot." Fluttershy asked.

"That's your question?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yes." I said aloud walking back towards them.

"Really?" Applejack asked sounding shocked.

"Yes. We Flame Ponies can withstand a rather large amount of heat, but dragon fire and lava are two things that can make a Flame Pony very uncomfortable." I said.

"That's so interesting." Fluttershy said. "Are Flame Ponies afraid of the dark?"

"Some Flame Ponies are, even though we have our own light source it's still pretty scary to hear strange noises at night." I answered.

"You don't say." Fluttershy said. She strolled up to, keeping a rather overly safe distance but sat down to talk all the same. "Does a Flame Pony ever catch a cold?"

I would like to say that this didn't go on for another four hours, I would like to say that Rarity did not take this opportunity to continue her work allowing Applejack and Rainbow Dash to continue escorting me through Ponyville, but it did not.

"I can't thank you enough Mr. Flame Pony, I will surely be the biggest hit in Canterlot with these new designs!" Rarity exclaimed hugging her work.

"Glad I could help... I think." I said stretching out my legs.

"I wonder what else I should ask." Fluttershy asked herself.

"How about, do you ever get bored?" Rainbow Dash asked hanging off of a nearby tree branch.

"Or how can you stand to answer all these questions?" Applejack asked yawning.

"I don't mind, I usually never get to talk to anyone that isn't a Flame Pony." I said.

"Oh my goodness! That reminds me, Pinkie Pie asked me to tell you guys that the party is going to start at 6 o'clock and that we shouldn't be late." Fluttershy said suddenly.

"Well what time is it now?" Applejack asked.

"It's about Five Forty-Five, we have just enough time to make it to the party." Rarity said bringing her supplies inside.

Yes! Finally something fun to do!" Rainbow Dash cried as she bolted off towards the center of town.

"Would it be too much to ask to have you come back at a later date? I would really like to get your opinion on my designs after I hammer out a few details and make a few mock models." Rarity asked.

"I'd be more than happy to." I said.

"Then that settles it, let's get to that party." Applejack said.

Escorted by Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy it began to dawn on me how easily it had been to make friends with these ponies. I assumed that we were friends, they treated me like a friend and I felt the need to be like one as well. They spoke among themselves for a time, of things they had done, were doing, what they planned to do in the days to come. For the first time in a long, I felt as though I fit in, I felt comfortable around them and I don't think I could have asked for a better feeling.
> Chapter 3: Party For A Stranger
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Surprise!" Pinkie Pie cried.

There were several loud bangs from party poppers, a couple streamers that flew overhead, and the party cannon that fired hundreds of pieces of confetti into the air. It seemed like every pony in town had showed up for this party, a party for a pony they had only met a few hours ago and technically most of them had yet to even see.

"Welcome to your first day in Ponyville, Sparky!" Pinkie Pie shouted. 

The crowd of ponies cheered as the music began to swell, ponies began to dance, some started to eat, and others began to chat. Some ponies even came up to me to greet me, welcoming me to their town and offering their aid if I needed it.

"Since this is your first day in Ponyville I thought it would be best that you shake off all those worrisome thoughts of fitting in and meet every pony in Ponyville so no pony wouldn't not know that a Flame Pony, that's you, was new in town and felt a little scared about fitting in." PinkiePie said quickly, following up with a party whistle that she blew loudly.

"Pinkie Pie, was it? I really appreciate that you've gone through all the trouble to put this together but-" I began but Pinkie Pie blew the noise maker once more to cut me off. 

She wheeled up the party cannon and fired it once more that drew everyone's attention as the music went quiet once more.

"Hey every pony, our new Flame Pony has something he'd like to say!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

I could feel every pony's eyes on me, I could hear Applejack and Rarity trying to explain to Pinkie Pie my nervousness but I felt that this is what Pinkie Pie meant by meeting every pony.

"Hello... Ponyville." I said as my voice cracked.

I got a few giggles from the crowd but I cleared my throat and kept going.

"I wanted to thank you for taking the time to come to this amazing party, for a complete stranger that showed up only this morning. I was afraid of coming here, afraid that I would be nothing but a burden. That my appearance would have been the reason I was turned away, or met with hostility. Imagine my surprise, standing here in the middle of Ponyville the way that I am, and being able to speak to the kindest of ponies I have ever had the good fortune of meeting." I said aloud.

There was a loud audible 'aww' that ran through the crowd, this did nothing but make me more self conscious to what I was saying, and it made me decide to wrap it up here and now.

"What I'm trying to say is that I felt the heat of my flames all my life, but today is the first time I have felt the warmth of so many caring and loving ponies. So...thank you." I concluded, bowing my head.

It was another surprise to see all the ponies cheer for me, to hear so many compliments and encouraging words come my way as Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie cheered along with them. I felt myself smile for the first time, and genuinely felt happy about myself. There was another blast of the party cannon that got the party back into swing. I made my way towards the center of the party where many ponies encircled me; everypony asking several questions at once.

I ended up answering a lot of the same questions over and over again, but each pony that asked it was very excited to see me so I did not bother me as much. It wasn't long before I was pulled away by Pinkie Pie, well, it was more of her party cannon parting the sea of ponies to allow me to get through. I was getting a little crowded with so many ponies trying to get a closer look at me.

"This way, Sparky! I have someone you just have to meet!" Pinkie Pie shouted waving at me to follow.

I did so, trying my best not to step on the confetti, not to bump into ponies that weren't looking, and overall just trying not set anything on fire.

"Sparky, I would like to introduce you to my good friend Twilight." Pinkie Pie said throwing her hoof around a purple pony's mane.

"Twilight Sparkle, Sparky. Sparky, Twilight Sparkle." Pinkie Pie said introducing us.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, uh, Sparky. I've been trying to read up on Flame Ponies ever since I heard you were here in Ponyville." Twilight said.

"It's actually Smolder, but I've been told Ash is easier to remember." I said glancing at Pinkie Pie.

"But Sparky sounds so much better!" Pinkie Pie argued.

"No it doesn't!" Spike called out; walking up to Pinkie Pie with some candy in his claws. "I think Fireball is a much better name for him!"

"What about Fizzle?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Nah, he doesn't look like a Fizzle. I think 'The Inferno' would suit him better." Spike said.

The small dragon continued to debate my name with Pinkie Pie as Twilight motioned for me to follow her.

"Was that a baby dragon?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, that's Spike. He's my assistant." Twilight replied.

"You have a baby dragon as your assistant?" I asked in disbelief.

"Well yeah, I've read that Flame Ponies were really good friends with dragons." Twilight commented. 

"I suppose we were at one point." I shrugged.

"How are you enjoying your first day in Ponyville?" Twilight asked.

I paused for a moment, I looked back on my day from jumping over the river all the way up to the party in my honor, and it made me smile. Twilight had already noticed my smile and smiled along with me.

"It has been one of the best days I've ever had in a very long time." I said beaming.

"Well that's good to hear, Ponyville can get a little crazy from time to time." Twilight said rolling her eyes.

"Hey guys!" Rainbow Dash shouted swooping out of the sky with a party hat on and a slice of cake in her hoof. She was followed by Applejack, Rarity and Fluttershy who all had pieces of cake in their hooves.

"I see you two have finally met. Twilight Sparkle is the smartest pony in all of Ponyville." Rarity stated.

"Thanks, Rarity." Twilight replied.

"Think nothing of it dear, I'm sure you know all about Flame Ponies with all the research you've been doing." Rarity commented.

"How did you know I was doing research?" Twilight asked curiously.

"When are you not researching something?" Rainbow Dash asked rolling her eyes.

"I think what she means is that you probably took it upon yourself to read up on some Flame Pony culture to help make Ash feel more at home." Applejack said.

"That's very sweet of you, Twilight." Fluttershy said.

"It was just a bit of light reading, the library doesn't have much about Flame Pony history, just some notes and accounts from other ponies that had met them." Twilight confessed.

"I appreciate the trouble you went through... for me." I blurted out. 

After everything every pony had done for me I did not want to have any pony feeling like they didn't try hard enough.

"Don't mention it." Twilight said with a smile. "Come to think to of it, having you around could help us better understand Flame Pony culture."

"Oh yes, I'm sure there is lots of things we could learn." Fluttershy said.

"Go ahead darling, what is life like among you Flame Ponies?" Rarity asked.

"I bet it's filled with tons of volcanoes, hundreds of Flame Ponies spewing fire into the sky, going hoof to hoof with dragons and the heat from their fire melting everything in their path!" Rainbow Dash interrupted.

"Let him talk Rainbow Dash, I'm sure he'd like to get a word in at some point." Applejack said.

"Go ahead darling." Rarity said.

"There's... fire?" I said bluntly.

"We could use a little bit more information than that." Twilight remarked looking surprised.

"What do you want to know?" I asked curiously.

"I'd like to know all about Flame Pony history, and how you catalog it without using paper or parchment." Twilight said.

"I'd like to know of all the wonderful little animals that dwell in the land of Flame Ponies, and what sort of pets you keep." Fluttershy said.

"Tell me of the latest fashion you Flame Ponies are wearing this season, I would like to know how you manage not to burn off all your clothes." Rarity said.

"I'd like to know what sort of food you Flame Ponies eat, it must be something mighty tasty if you ain't ever tried apples before." Applejack said.

"Once you get done answering all the boring stuff you can tell me of all the fiery explosions that go on when you go hoof to hoof with some mean dragons." Rainbow Dash said punching the air.

I felt my stomach churn. I could see the look of anticipation in their eyes, waiting for me to tell them of the pleasures of Flame Pony life, but the more I thought of my home the worst my stomach turned.

"What's wrong, darling?" Rarity asked.

"N-Nothing's wrong." I said quickly.

"It didn't look like nothing." Rainbow Dash replied.

"You looked you had some bad cider, Ash, you want to tell us what's wrong?" Applejack asked.

"Are we being to presumptuous with our questions?" Twilight asked.

"No it's not that, I just-" I mumbled. I felt nervous.

"We don't have any recorded history Twilight Sparkle," I began. "Our ancestors left murals carved into walls of our origins but they have since crumbled away." 

Twilight gasped at my words.

"There are no animals within our Ashen Fields, we keep no pets nor do we ever see or hear birds anymore. I'm sorry, Fluttershy." I said watching Fluttershy cover her mouth in shock.

"Flame Ponies... don't have any clothes to speak of Ms. Rarity. We have no ponies capable of making such luxury, nor do we have any material that doesn't burn when it comes in contact with us." I continued.

Rarity seem to almost faint as the others looked on in disbelief.

"We have no farms, no groves; we have no food that we can grow. Our land is barren, full of volcanic ash and glass. We venture into the Dark Marsh Forest to dig for roots, and we've ate them for as long as I can remember." I continued. This time Applejack was taken aback by my words.

"As for dragons, we have none. We are bullied by the spiders that invade our land, the timber wolves that hunt Flame Ponies digging for roots, and fight off Diamond Dogs that dwell in the mountains of our land. They attack us at night, steal our food, scare our fillies and destroy our homes." I concluded. I watched Rainbow Dash stare wide eyed, mouth a gape, in disbelief at me.

"The land of Flame Ponies is nothing but a forgotten kingdom, populated with lost ponies." I mumbled grievously. I shook my head, deciding to keep my eyes trained to the ground, I felt embarrassed and above all else ashamed.

"Why haven't you ever asked for help?" Applejack asked.

"What?" I asked bewildered.

"Help? Why haven't you come to ask for help sooner?" Rainbow Dash retorted.

"Help from where?" I asked bewildered

"Well from Ponyville of course, or the Canterlot, or even the Crystal Empire?" Rarity asked.

"I was told that such places despised Flames Ponies and that making such contact would only further their distaste for us." I retorted.

"Nonsense!" Fluttershy said, stamping her hoof gently.

"Fluttershy is right, you have been nothing but polite and kind to every pony today." Applejack chimed in.

"It sounds like your home is in need of a lot of help Smolder, and I think that we are just the ponies you need." Twilight said. 

The other ponies shook their heads in agreement.

"I cannot ask you for such a request, I have nothing to give you in return or-" I began to ramble as Rainbow Dash interrupted me.

"Friends help each other out all the time! We don't need to be paid or bought to help out a pony in need." Rainbow Dash reassured me.

These ponies smiled so warmly at me, I felt myself become emotional and I felt ashamed for it. I came on the premise to steal, to lie, and cheat my way to get what I needed, but these ponies were offering salvation for nothing. I summoned what was left of my courage and dignity as I lowered my head respectfully to them.

"Thank you." I said.

"I would not have believed it if I had not seen it with my own eyes." An elegant voice said aloud.

The music was cut short, a sudden gasp rushed through the crowd as many whispers soon followed as I raised my head to the tall, white, multicolored maned pony adorning a crown.

"Princess Celestia!" The group said together as she carried herself gracefully towards me.

"What are you doing here?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"I received an invitation to a party for a Welcoming of a Flame Pony." Princess Celestia said.

"I sent her the invitation! It's not every day that you get to see a Flame Pony." Pinkie Pie said springing up from behind Twilight throwing confetti in the air.

Princess Celestia looked down at me without a smile. She seemed displeased at my presence and positioned herself in front of me.

"What are you doing here Flame Pony?" Princess Celestia asked.

"He came all the way from the Ashen Fields looking for help, your Majesty." Applejack answered for me.

"You know it is forbidden for Flame Ponies to leave the Ashen Fields. Yet here you stand." Princess Celestia said to me.

The mood had changed quickly, there was feeling of dread in the air, no pony made a sound and no pony moved.

"Princess Celestia-" Twilight began but Princess Celestia's wing shot out to silence her.

"Listen well citizens of Ponyville, in years long past there was a war between Equestria and the Kingdom of Flame Ponies, for supremacy over the Elements of Harmony. Their Mad King demanded the right to rule all of Equestria under chaos and fire. I had no choice but to banish their King to the Void and punish the Flame Ponies of the Ashen Plains to live a life of solitude from the rest of Equestria. Flame Ponies are known to be lying, mischievous, and dangerous ponies that seek only to destroy and harm those around them; they are not to be trusted." Princess Celestia declared.

"Your Highness, this Flame Pony is different." Applejack said.

"It's true! He's done nothing wrong, he's been with us all day and he hasn't so much as set one thing on fire or forgets to say please or thank you!" Rainbow Dash said.

"He was most cooperative in helping me with my new line of clothes for Canterlot's Fashion Show." Rarity said.

"He was also took the time to answer all of my questions." Fluttershy said.

"Sparky also gave a really nice speech thanking all the ponies for being so nice to him because he was so nervous about meeting everyone today, because it's probably from all the things you just said right now but he was brave enough to do it anyway!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"What we're trying to say, Princess Celestia, is that this Flame Pony has done none of the things you have accused him of, in fact he's the opposite, and he's come here asking on behalf of his ponies for help." Twilight Sparkle said strolling up beside Princess Celestia.

"If what you say is true Twilight Sparkle I would be moved to reconsider my thoughts on this matter but for now I cannot allow-" Princess Celestia had begun, but stopped noticing the growing light coming from me

"Liars? Mischief makers? Is that what you call us?" I asked shaking in anger.

The flames on my mane flared wildly, my face screwed up in anger as I stared back at Princess Celestia. I could feel the rage swelling inside of me. Heat from my flames caused the ponies to back up but the Princess remained still, unfazed by my spectacle.

"You have something you'd like to say Flame Pony?" Princess Celestia asked crossly.

"Take it back!" I demanded.

"I will not. You and the other Flame Ponies will wear such titles for eternity, your cowardice and lust for power has become your undoing, and you will remain in your Ashen Fields, never to trouble any pony else." Princess Celestia stated.

"Then on behalf of our sick, our starving, the lonely, and the meekest of Flame Ponies. The ponies left without hope, without understanding, and the foals and fillies that have grown up with only the colors of fire and ash." I declared aloud flaring my mane.

The flames from my mane leaped out into the air, splotches of fire burned the ground, and from beneath my hooves the ground broke open from the heat spewing steam from the cracks. I could feel my rage almost brimming, the urge to spout fire was caught in my throat, and my eyes fell to the ponies that had shown me such kindness. I could see the fear in their eyes, the worry for my safety as well as every other pony, and my rage began to subside. My mane flickered back to a soft flame, the ground began to cool, the heat I had been generating was beginning to subside and I felt myself kneel.

"I ask that you take pity on my ponies. For much that once was, is now lost, and we are very scared now." I said bitterly.

I kept my eyes to the ground, I felt a wave of shame wash over me, and for all of my bolstering I could not stand up for my ponies but instead pleaded for them.

"I would do anything to see my ponies smile again..." I mumbled. "...please." 

I swallowed hard at that word.

For a moment or two I wrestled with myself to look up at the Princess, when I finally decided to do so I saw that she had one eyebrow raised at me, as if surprised.

"It must have been very difficult for you to do that, Flame Pony. Your kind is a proud race, and any sign of weakness is looked down upon in your Kingdom. Yet, it was not weakness that stayed your anger, but the courage to do what was best for your ponies." Princess Celestia explained to me.

I stared at her, feeling as though I had just been praised.

"Therefore, I will consider your request." Princess Celestia announced.

It was my turn to look surprised, from the cheers of every pony in Ponyville filling the air I felt an immense weight lift from me as I stood up in excitement.

"I will be honest with you Flame Pony, the crimes you have been punished for were agreed upon by several rulers of Equestria. I will bring your request to them in our next Summit meeting, but some ponies may not be so quick to forgive." Princess Celestia continued, warning me of the struggles ahead.

The cheering died down as my heart seemed to waver at this news, but I still felt some hope that I had made it this far regardless. At least Princess Celestia had taken notice of our plea.

"Furthermore, it would help to sway the Summit in your favor if you could prove how Flame Ponies have changed. If you are willing to become the spokesperson, an ambassador, for your ponies, you will be allowed to state your case personally to the Summit. To help with this, I will allow you to stay in Ponyville for a time." Princess Celestia stated.

I almost could not believe what I was hearing.

"While here, I will expect you to learn and understand the magic of friendship, and all about the Elements of Harmony from any pony willing to help you." Princess Celestia stated. " Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yes, Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked.

"I would have you send reports detailing the progress of this Flame Pony. How well he gets along with the other ponies, his contributions, and anything bad that might come about. It will better underline the relationships between his home with ours, and if Flame Ponies are ready to be forgiven." Princess Celestia requested.

The Princess strode forward to me, she looked me over once, taking notice of my missing Cutie Mark and the uncomfortable look on my face.

"Use your time here well, Flame Pony, for it may be the only chance you get." Princess Celestia warned.

"I will make the most of it." I replied.

"What is your name, Flame Pony? I've heard the ponies here call you Ash, Sparky, and even Matchstick. What do you call yourself?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Smolder. Smolder of the Ashen Fields." I said to her.

She eyed me curiously, smirking at my name.

"The name suits you." Princess Celestia said as she spread out her wings before me. 

With a single leap, she soared into the sky as all the ponies in Ponyville cheered and waved goodbye. As I watched the Princess disappear into the night sky, my thoughts circled back to stealing the Elements of Harmony and how it seemed so unnecessary now.
> Chapter 4: Meeting Hotshot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had woken up earlier than I had intended. Princess Celestia had just barely raised the sun over peaks of the mountains to paint the sky a light blue hue; it silhouetted the riverbank around me by contrast. The flames from my mane had illuminated my small spot on the riverbank. The rocks seemed to dance from the light of my fire, and the crisp morning dew began to fade from the ground around me. With a yawn, I stretched out, pushing two small mounds of pebbles away from me; feeling my bones crick and crack.

I had mostly recovered from last night's party that was in my honor. At some point in the night I was challenged to a cupcake eating contest and had lost in great lengths to Pinkie Pie. The rest of the night was quite vague from that point on, but I could recall parts of the dancing, the games, and a very large cake. What I don’t quite clearly remember was stumbling my way back to river where my journey had begun. It was obvious that I had fallen asleep along the river bank, but at least I had the common sense to sleep somewhere that I couldn’t set fire to. 

The relentless thudding of a cupcake induced headache lingered with me. I covered my head with my hooves begging it to go away. To my dismay it did not, so I hoped that some fresh air would clear it up. A walk through Sweet Apple Acres came to mind, if not the scenic view then perhaps Applejack's company would soothe my pain. 

The walk to Sweet Apple Acres was peaceful. The wind blew softly fanning the flames of my mane that made my fire dance in delight. Everything in Ponyville seemed so foreign compared to my life in the Ashen Fields. 

As I approached Applejack's place I could hear raised voices. I recognized Applejack's voice, but the other voice was a mystery to me. Luckily, I found that the gate had been left open and decided to let myself in. I walked down the dirt path, trying to follow the voices when I stumbled upon Applejack and a white mare pony arguing in the barn. 

Their voices carried over each other and it was hard to make out what the argument was about. I heard words about of cider while it led into bits, and then I heard something about value and history. Which then led to something about a famous pony, land speed records, and Applejack’s uninterested tone on the matter. 

At this point I felt it would be rude if I eavesdropped any further so I cleared my throat to make myself known. Applejack and the white mare pony both looked in my direction in surprise, but the white mare pony seemed even more surprised by me.

"I don't believe it!" The white mare pony exclaimed.

"Well howdy Ash, I didn't see you there." Applejack said warmly.

"Did I come at a bad time?" I asked curiously.

Applejack glanced at the white mare pony with a coy smile before answering me.

"Not at all, I was just telling Cindy Mayflower here on how we have some of our own fastest ponies on four hooves on this side of Ponyville." Applejack explained.

"I wouldn't know. I haven't met many other ponies." I admitted as the one called Cindy Mayflower carefully approached me.

"You're a real Flame Pony? This isn't some trick?" Cindy asked reaching out to touch my flames.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Ms. Mayflower, those are real flames and this here is a real Flame Pony." Applejack intervened moving her hoof away from me as I began to recoil.

"I've never heard of a Flame Pony coming out from beyond the Ashen Fields! This is extraordinary!" Cindy Mayflower proclaimed stamping her hooves in excitement.

Cindy Mayflower was a stark white pony. Her mane was the lightest of yellows that seemed to gleam in the sun, while her cutie mark depicted several mayflowers. She seemed very groomed, carried herself with a sort of authority that Applejack did not seem to appreciate in the slightest. 

"Ash here is the only Flame Pony to make such a journey, he's going to be staying here in Ponyville until the summit meeting of all-" Applejack was cut short.

"Would you be willing to meet the fastest pony alive?" Cindy interjected her question.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked feeling confused.

"I represent the single fastest earth pony in all of Equestria, Hotshot McFlash! He's won all the Grand Hoof Race Awards for the past three years! I'm sure he would be more then ecstatic to meet a real live Flame Pony!" Cindy exclaimed in excitement.

"Why would he?" I asked curiously.

"Why, McFlash has grown up on tales of Flame Ponies that used run so fast that they would turn into balls of fire and leave trails of flames in their wake. You ponies are the reason McFlash became a racer!" Cindy explained to me.

"Well that's... nice." I mumbled, not sure on how to react to such a humbling tale.

"Promise me you'll stay right here! Don't you dare move a muscle! I'll be right back!" Cindy Mayflower insisted, pointing to the spot in the dirt where I currently stood. 

Sprinting back down the dirt path I had just come from, Cindy Mayflower disappeared from sight as Applejack strolled over to me with a relieved sigh.

"I guess you better stay here until she gets back, wouldn't want to make her mad that's for sure." Applejack said.

"Is that why you two were making such a fuss in the barn?" I asked seating myself on the very spot Cindy had asked me to stay.

"You heard that, huh? It wasn't much of anything, Cindy was just trying to get us to move up on our date for our yearly Apple Cider sale, but I told her that there wasn't anything for it as it has to be done just right and at the right time." Applejack informed me.

"What's Apple Cider?" I asked curiously.

"You're kidding, right?" Applejack asked sounding annoyed.

"Let's say I do and I want you to humor me." I said rubbing my mane in embarrassment.

"It's one of Sweet Apple Acres most sought after beverages, it comes around only once a year and it sells out faster than you can say 'hot cakes'." Applejack explained.

"I'm guessing there are some ponies that just can't wait?" I asked looking down the path Ms. Mayflower left.

"That there pony is a few straws short of a bale of hay. She's been offering us just about everything to give up a few barrels of our Sweet Apple Cider before we start selling them. I told her we don't play favorites here, but she insists that her client, what's his name, Hot Hoof, really loves the stuff." Applejack continued.

"Do you not know who Hotshot McFlash is?" I asked with a chuckle.

"No. Why? Do you?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Not a clue." I said with a smile as Applejack smirked.

Cindy Mayflower had not been gone for very long, but it was just long enough to leave Applejack and I in an uncomfortable silence for several awkward minutes. There was not much I could say, most of my knowledge was of Flame Ponies and of the Ashen Fields, but it wasn't very relatable to the vibrant Sweet Apple Acres. More so, I knew next to nothing about Applejack, I did not know where to start with questions about her and her farm, but I decided that if I kept it simple I might not sound like a dork.

"So... Applejack?" I began, rolling a pebble with my hoof.

"Yeah?" Applejack replied.

I felt the words begin in my throat when a sudden tremble shook the ground, a sudden rush of air nearly blew Applejack's hat off and whipped the flames of my mane. It took a few seconds for the dust to catch up as it billowed in after the rush of air. The colt named Hotshot McFlash stood before us. 

Dressed in a full body suit covered with different brands and names I had never seen before. He wore a pair of tinted goggles strapped around his head and a sparkling smile that seemed to be perfect for photographs. His mane had been tucked in under his suit.

"I wouldn't have believed it if I had not seen it with my own eyes." Hotshot said removing his goggles.

Hotshot McFlash pulled back the head portion of his suit like a hoodie, revealing him to be a light brown colt with a jet black mane. 

"Aha! It is! It is a real live Flame Pony! Mayflower was right after all!" Hotshot hollered in delight as he stamped his hooves in excitement.

I glanced at Applejack who was adjusting her hat and wiping the dirt from her mane, then looking back at Hotshot who was already inches from my face; staring at my flames as close as he could.

"Hi..." I said slowly backing up.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Flame Pony! A great pleasure indeed! You have no idea what kind of impact you had on me and my life! It is an honor! It is an absolute honor!" Hotshot said holding out his hoof to me.

"Sorry, I can't-" As I spoke Hotshot immediately took hold of my hoof, shaking it vigorously and to my surprise was not in any pain.

"This here is a flame resistant suit; I wear it to cut down on friction that builds up when I run. You can get a pretty bad rash if you're not careful." Hotshot explained still shaking my hoof.

"This is Applejack, the owner of this plot, Sweet Apple Acre." I said trying to steer the conversation towards her. 

Applejack did not seem too crazy about me passing the buck.

"Well how do you do, ma'am? Hotshot McFlash, fastest pony in all of Equestria. Might I just say that this here is the finest looking farm I have ever laid eyes on? Not to mention yourself, you're quite the looker if I do say so myself. Not to worry though, I'm not making a pass at you, just trying to get off on the right hoof." Hotshot railed off shaking Applejack's hoof just as vigorously.

"Well that's mighty fine of you to say, Mr. Hotshot." Applejack mumbled trying to loosen her grip from his hoofshake.

"Please, just Hotshot. Mr. Hotshot is my father. Technically it's Dr. McFlash, but he isn't too picky about it." Hotshot informed her.

Feeling that this was my chance to slip away I began to make a move towards the gate when I caught Applejack's eye and knew she wasn't going to let me go that easy.

"I'm sure you didn't come all this way to chew the fat with little old me, I'm sure you have tons of questions for Ash over there." Applejack said with a grin.

"Where are my manners? I didn't even ask you for your name Mr. Flame Pony. If my mother could see me now she'd wonder what sort of foal she raised." Hotshot exclaimed jumping in front of me.

"It's Smolder… of the Ashen Fields." I answered him forcing a smile on my face.

"Well that there has got to be the longest name I have ever heard. We could probably trim that down a bit and make it easier to say. I've got it! How's Blaze strike you? Not bad if I do say so myself, I don't honestly know where I come up with such great names." Hotshot rattled off.

One more nickname to add to so many I had been given already. I watched as Applejack slipped away back into the barn, I felt my flames flicker in envy, and heard Hotshot gasp aloud.

"Do that again! What am I saying? Asking you to preform like some circus pony, mother would surely be shaking her head right about now. Manners, Hotshot, manners. I cannot begin to tell you the stories I've heard of you and your kin. Being able to meet you face to face has been the highlight of my year, no, probably my life." Hotshot rambled.

"I'm glad I was able to do that for you." I mumbled taking a step back.

"Now where did Mayflower get to? I must have run off without her again. I tend to do that when I get excited, poor thing is always chasing after me. Couldn't ask for a better manager though, keeps this wild stallion on a short lasso I tell you what. Wouldn't have gotten to where I am today without her help." Hotshot said looking around.

"I believe that's her over there." I said motioning towards the path.

In the distance there was a pony struggling to catch its breath, taking slow steps just over the hill and clutching its chest.

"Well I'll be, she's getting faster these days. She used to not turn up for hours when we first started out. Be right back." Hotshot told me.

I watched as Hotshot seem to explode off the spot. I had to admit, I had never seen a pony move as fast as him, but I did not feel inclined to tell him this. Hotshot reached Mayflower in a matter of seconds, before I could take a step he was already back with Mayflower in tow.

"Blaze, I'd like you to meet my manager, Cindy Mayflower. What am I saying? You two have already met, how else did Mayflower know that there was a Flame Pony here? I tell you if my mind worked as fast as my hooves I'd be smartest pony in all of Equestria. I guess some other pony will just have to pick up the slack on that one." Hotshot informed me.

Cindy Mayflower's mane had been blasted back by the sheer speed of Hotshot, her face had splotches of dirt from the dust he had kicked up and she did not seem used to being carried at high speeds.

"A…pleasure." Mayflower muttered waving her hoof at me.

"The pleasure is mine." I replied with a weak smile.

"If you two will excuse me I wish to speak to Ms. Applejack further. Hotshot be sure not to leave here without informing me where you are going." Mayflower informed him fixing her mane.

"I read you loud and clear Mayflower. I tell you that girl will not let me take a step without writing it down in triplicate. I don't blame her though, wouldn't be the first time I ran off and left her without a forwarding address, but enough about me, I want to hear all about you Blaze. Come on and bend my ear for a while." Hotshot said slapping me on the shoulder.

The problem with talking to the fastest pony in all of Equestria is that you can't run away from him. I was subjected to answering every single one of his questions about Flame Ponies, humoring him with tales of my life and having to return the favor by listening to his. My headache seemed to be just as interested in sticking around as Hotshot did.

"Hotshot!" Mayflower called out after almost an hour.

Both of us turned to see Mayflower and Applejack standing near the front of the barn looking quite cross with each other. With a sudden blast of air Hotshot was standing in front of both them while I sat in a cloud of dust.

"Ms. Applejack and I just came up with a wonderful idea to help raise a little extra money for Sweet Apple Acres during their yearly cider sale." Mayflower began.

"Ms. Applejack let me be first to say that I live for your cider, I remember when my mother first gave me a glass of that delicious drink. I tell you couldn't stop singing its praises. I have to at least get a few barrels to last me until next year or I simply go cider crazy." Hotshot praised her.

"Hotshot, pay attention." Mayflower said clapping her hooves together to get his attention.

"Shoot Mayflower." Hotshot replied.

"Ms. Applejack has agreed to give us a few barrels of cider early if you agree to race here in Sweet Apple Acres." Mayflower informed.

"For that cider I'd run from one side of Equestria to the other!" Hotshot exclaimed.

"The ticket sales alone will pay for the barrels and then some. It may even draw ponies from as far as the Crystal Kingdom to see you race, which means even more revenue for Ms. Applejack." Mayflower went on.

"Sounds like a win-win for the two of us, who am I racing? A couple of fillies? Some up and coming hotshots? Perhaps the Wonderbolts would like crack at me." Hotshot asked rubbing his chin.

"Actually, we thought that you could race the Flame Pony." Mayflower replied.

"Me?" I asked sounding very surprised.

Applejack smiled wide at me. Hotshot McFlash was in all sense of the word stunned. His eyes lit up, his mouth curled into the biggest smile, hollering aloud and stamping his hooves.

"Now that is a race! Mayflower you are a blooming genius! A race against my childhood idol! I can see the headlines now! Hotshot McFlash, Equestria's fastest pony racing against Blaze, the allusive Flame Pony who leaves a trail of fire in his wake!" Hotshot exclaimed.

"But I'm not a racer. I can't compete against the fastest pony in all of Equestria." I said aloud feeling like things were beginning to spin out of control.

"Words… cannot begin… to describe how much that means to me." Hotshot said choking back his own words, throwing his hoof around me.

"Sure you can, Ash! All you need is a little training, some coaching, and some self-confidence." Applejack said still smiling at me with her pleading eyes.

"Nothing short of a miracle will have him ready to even come close to keeping up with Hotshot, it's a publicity stunt to bring in a crowd who not only wants to see Hotshot race, but to see a Flame Pony that has been unseen for many years. Hotshot will race alongside Blaze for a time and surely beat him come the finish line to give the crowd their monies worth." Mayflower explained to them.

"It will be an honor just to be running alongside a Flame Pony I assure you." Hotshot reassured me.

Before I could decline I could see Applejack mouthing 'please' to me. After the way she and the others had accepted me so easily yesterday I felt I should return the favor.

"I'll do it." I said putting on a smile.

"That's what I'm talking about! Good on you Blaze! I'm going to need a whole new suit to wear for this race! Mayflower, I'll leave spreading the word to you. Ms. Applejack, its' been a pleasure. Blaze I look forward to racing with you." Hotshot said strapping back on his goggles.

Before Mayflower could get a word out, Hotshot McFlash exploded from the spot and disappeared into the distance leaving me and every pony else in a cloud of dust.

"I hate it when he does that." Mayflower muttered.

"Finally, something we can agree on." Applejack mumbled.

"Just have those barrels ready to be picked up tomorrow, I'll handle all the arrangements. Just have that Flame Pony at the starting line come next week." Mayflower said tauntingly, making her way towards the gate.

"Don't worry! He'll be there! He's going to leave that Hotflash McSlow in a cloud of smoke!" Applejack shouted after her.

"Not uh!" Mayflower shouted back slamming the gate behind her.

"Yeah huh!" Applejack cried back.

Applejack wore a frown on her face, watching Mayflower trot away down the path with her nose turned upwards.

"I tell you that pony is a bigger pain in the flank then falling in a bed of roses." Applejack mumbled.

Applejack looked over at me, she noticed my very confused look, and she herself looked quite taken aback.

"Ah shoot Blaze, I'm sorry I roped you into this. She made me an offer I just couldn't pass up and having you run this race seemed like the best way of getting every pony what they wanted." Applejack explained rubbing the back of her mane.

"Consider this my thanks for all your help yesterday." I said trying to sound appreciative.

Applejack beamed at me, the flames on my mane flickered again, but this time it was because I felt nervous.

"Alright then partner, we have to get you in shape for your race against motor mouth." Applejack declared.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked curiously.
> Chapter 5: Flash Stepping
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You call that running? I've seen my turtle Tank move faster than you! Even Fluttershy could run laps around you! Let's pick up the pace, Matchstick!" Rainbow dashed cried, blowing hard into her whistle.

It had been a rather strenuous week for me to say the least. Having agreed to run against Hotshot McFlash, I was put under Rainbow Dash's most grueling regiment of training. I only stopped to eat and sleep; I was running for the rest of it. Rainbow Dash was an incredible coach, she seemed to know everything about pacing, breathing, stretching, dieting and even mentally preparing me to race. She was, however, trying to fit years of training into a week, and I'm pretty sure I was going to burn out before the race had even begun.

"Move it!" Rainbow Dash shouted once more; having noticed my pace slowing.

Today I was running on a track, much to the amusement of other ponies that had come to train as well, but decided to watch me instead. Having an audience did not bother me, I was used to the staring, but it was the cheering that I received from the other ponies that made me feel anxious.

"How's the training going, Rainbow Dash?" Applejack asked strolling up to her.

"For some pony that has never raced before, he's pretty good. Twilight said that Flame Ponies have a unique breathing pattern and makes them perfect candidates for running and, of course, breathing fire." Rainbow Dash replied.

"Do you think he'll be able to keep up with that Hotshot McFlash?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Not a chance, that pony has got years of experience doing this sort of thing. Even if Matchstick had a whole year to train he'd still be miles behind." Rainbow Dash said with a giggle.

"Then why are you making him run so much?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Cause he said he wanted to be at his best for when the race comes. He mentioned that it was important to you and Sweet Apple Acres." Rainbow Dash replied twilring her whistle.

"It sure is." Applejack muttered. “We stand to make a cartload of bits from this race.”

"Come on lets pick up the pace! I want to see some sweat, Matchstick!" Rainbow Dash hollered.

"Do Flame Ponies even sweat?" Applejack asked unsure.

"No idea." Rainbow Dash replied.

It was on the completion of my twentieth lap did Rainbow Dash blow her whistle signaling me to take a break. The whistle was my favorite and most hated sound these last couple of days. I came to a rest near the side of the track where a towel was lifted up to my face. I looked past it to see it was Spike offering me the towel, but I shook my head softly to decline.

"I guess Flame Ponies don't sweat after all." Applejack remarked.

"Hey Spike, what are you doing here?" Rainbow Dash asked, heading over to us.

"Twilight and I were doing some research on Flame Ponies, she wanted me to come find where you ponies were, and report back to her." Spike replied.

For a moment Rainbow Dash, Applejack and I exchanged glances of utter bewilderment and looked back at Spike expectantly.

"What?" Spike asked, looking confused.

"Shouldn't you have gone back to tell Twilight where Ash was?" Applejack asked; stating the obvious to the little dragon.

"Oh… right. I guess I got distracted watching Fireball run around the track." Spike said tapping his claws together.

"You think?" Twilight asked aloud, approaching us from the entrance of the track.

"Twilight! Hey! I, uh, found him!" Spike said nervously pointing at me.

"Thanks." Twilight replied rolling her eyes.

"Alright break time is over, lets get back to it, Matchstick!" Rainbow Dash hollered.

I tried not to roll my eyes in front of her. I nodded in agreement and took off running once more. I didn't get more than two laps in when I heard Rainbow Dash blow the whistle again and motion for me to come over. I wasn’t going to complain getting another break in so soon.

"Alright Matchstick, Twilight says she might have something to help you run this race tomorrow." Rainbow Dash informed me.

"Is it a gluing Hotshot McFlash to the starting line?" I asked sarcastically.

I earned a chuckle out of Spike.

"Not exactly." Applejack replied.

"I was doing some research last night on Flame Ponies. While there isn't much to go on, I did find a letter from a Captain of the Royal Guard of Canterlot many years ago that had mentioned a specific battle with Flame Ponies." Twilight said showing me a piece of parchment.

"What does it say?" I asked curiously.

"She says that the Flame Ponies had charged their ranks head on, and before they could mount a defense the Flame Ponies were already on them." Twilight explained, summarizing the letter for every pony.

"So the Flame Ponies caught them off guard." I said feeling a little lost.

"The Flame Ponies had crossed almost two miles of land in under a minute." Twilight pointed out.

"That sure would give that Hotshot fella a run for his money." Applejack said leaning over to look at the letter.

"If we can figure out how these Flame Ponies were able to cover so much distance in such a short time we can maybe use it to give you a fighting chance tomorrow." Twilight said hopefully.

"You mean Flash Stepping?" I asked, figuring out the point Twilight was trying to make.

"Say what now?" Applejack asked in surprise.

"Flash Stepping, it's a technique we Flame Ponies use to… well run really fast." I said bluntly, finding no easy way to explain it.

There was an awkward silence between Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Spike for a few moments. Every pony stared at me wide eyed and mouth a gape. I could feel that I was about to be yelled at, if not lectured in the coming moments.

"Back up! You can do what these Flame Ponies did in the letter?" Twilight asked sounding shocked.

"Forget that! You could have been running faster this whole time? What did you think I was screaming at you when I said to run faster?" Rainbow Dash hollered right into my ear.

"Well Flash Stepping isn't something Flame Ponies learn overnight. It takes a couple of years to really use it effectively." I explained to them.

"But you can do it, right?" Applejack asked raising a brow to me.

"Well, yes…" I began.

"To the starting line mister!" Rainbow Dash yelled blowing on her whistle into my ear.

Rubbing my ear I walked up to the starting line. Every pony was now watching me with great interest. I rolled my shoulders a few times and waited for Rainbow Dash's signal. The whistle blew and I took off in a sprint. Thus far it was what every pony had already seen me do. The speed I had been running was the limit I had set to myself. Pushing myself to run a bit faster, with the wind whipping past me as it began to fan my flames. 

The fire upon my mane, my tail, and from my hooves roared into a blaze. Before long I was engulfed in flames, I could feel the fire beneath me propelling me forward, my hooves striking the ground as the flames shot me forward. Digging my hooves into the track I came to a sliding stop, my flames dissipated in a wisp of smoke and I stood staring at the trail of fire I had left in my wake.

I left a sizeable trail of fire nearly halfway down the length of the track. I had elected to only run one just to prove that I could do it. Unfortunately, from the expressions of all the ponies present I was sure to be asked to do it again. 

"That was unbelievable!" Rainbow Dash cried in excitement.

The fire trail quickly began to fizzle away, while the ponies looking on cheered at the spectacle I had made. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Spike all hurried over to compliment me and describe to me how amazing my demonstration had been.

"Ash, if you could run like that from the start why didn't you just say so?" Applejack asked in disbelief.

"When I use the Flash Step, I let the wind whipping past me to increase the size and intensity of my flames. The reason I didn't bring it up is that the Flash Step leaves behind a trail of fire, and I'd rather not be the pony who burns all of Ponyville to the ground." I explained uncomfortably.

"Well, we can have some ponies clear the path before the race. We could even have ponies from Cloudsdale watch from above and put out any of the accidental fires before it even starts!" Rainbow Dash suggested in excitement.

"I appreciate it, I really do, but I wasn't planning on using it during the race. I don't want to do anything that could make Flame Ponies look dangerous or incapable of restraining themselves." I said solemnly.

"But if you win the race every pony will be talking about how a Flame Pony beat the fastest race pony around! Everyone would want to see Flame Ponies race!" Spike insisted.

"I'm sorry, but I can't take that risk. I just can't." I said excusing myself.

"Hey! Practice isn't over." Rainbow Dash called after me.

I didn't turn back. This was going to be my first real chance to make an impression in front of a lot of ponies and I was worried that even the slightest mistake on my part would end our chances of receiving help before it had even started. I left the track to find a place where I could rest and unwind for tomorrow's race. The riverbank was my only place to go where I didn’t have to worry about setting Ponyville on fire.



That night I sat at the edge of the river bank, staring out at the mountain range separating the Ashen Fields from the rest of Equestria. My thoughts dwelled on whether I was doing the right thing, whether stealing the Elements of Harmony would have been the better idea. 

A week had passed and all I had been doing was running. I would most certainly lose tomorrow’s race, Hotshot would hooves down win it no questions asked, but what sort of message would that send to every pony? Training for a race I knew I couldn’t win? Wasting time training for a week when I could have been focusing my efforts into something I knew I could achieve?

"Hey there, Smolder." A voice spoke up from behind me.

I glanced over to see Twilight Sparkle strolling up behind me. She wore a smile on her face that seemed to make me want to smile back. So I did.

"Hello Twilight." I replied quietly.

"So tomorrow is the big race then, huh?" Twilight asked sitting herself down next to me, leaving a large enough gap between us.

"Yeah." I mumbled.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" Twilight asked, noticing how late it was.

"Yeah." I mumbled again, trying to keep my eyes fixed on the water.

There was a silence between us. It was very clear that I couldn't sleep and that the cause of it was my nervousness about the race. Twilight caught onto that from the start, but she was kind enough to humor me with idle chit chat.

"You know, I wrote a letter to Princess Celestia a little while ago." Twilight began, looking up at the moon that hung over head.

"Oh… really?" I said with a grimace.

I felt the bottom of my stomach drop, besides from running, I had done nothing and I was sure it would be reflected in Twilight's letter. I could only imagine Princess Celestia expecting a report on how I had learned a great many things about friendship and the Elements of Harmony, but instead she would know I was just ‘goofing’ off.

"I told her about this great new book I was reading, pertaining to the proper way to store ink wells and the temperature they should be kept in." Twilight continued.

"Sounds… interesting." I mumbled, unsure if she was joking.

"I told her about how Pinkie Pie baked a cake within a cake, how Fluttershy got a flower to bloom with just a hello, how Rarity nearly fainted over a missing button on her new coat and how you selflessly offered your help to Applejack." Twilight remarked, glancing over at me.

"Yeah." I muttered.

It took a moment, but I suddenly realized what she had said. I perked up a bit and looked over at her as she seemed to smile to herself. I was still unsure if I had heard her correctly, but it sounded as if she had praised me for my ridiculous running.

"I told her how Sweet Apple Acres was hosting the fastest pony in all of Equestria, Hotshot McFlash, to race against our very own Smolder. That you agreed to do it without asking for anything in return, that even though you were clearly outmatched you spent the entire week training with Rainbow Dash to give it your very best shot. I told her you had this amazing technique called the Flash Step. How it could give you a chance of winning the race, but how you didn't want to use it in fear of setting something on fire." Twilight went on to explain.

I could not think of anything to say, I merely stared at her, feeling dazed by the way she spoke about me to Princess Celestia.

"Call it a hunch, but I bet you were feeling pretty nervous about your time so far in Ponyville. Whether or not you were making the best of it." Twilight mentioned.

"Well… I uh…" I stumbled over my words.

"A part of having friends is that we can come and talk to each other when things are bothering us." Twilight informed me. 

"I guess…" I mumbled. 

I childishly kicked a few rocks down the sloping river bank into the water, pretending to be interested in the ripples. From the corner of my eye I could see Twilight patiently waiting for me to come clean, to get whatever was bothering me off my chest, and I felt myself give in.

"I guess I feel privileged to be here, to be able to do the things I do while my Flame Ponies aren't so lucky. To have met the ponies I have, to be considered their friend, and to feel… needed. All my life I have always felt unwanted, useless; like a mistake. Now I feel like I can really make a difference; when it matters the most." I confessed to her.

I could feel my insides turn, it was embarrassing to admit this; especially to Twilight.  

"Thank you, Smolder." Twilight said after a while.

"For what?" I asked curiously looking at her.

"For being able to open up to me, it's a sign that you're beginning to trust me with your feelings. As a friend that is very important." Twilight explained.

Once more I did not know what to say. The best I could was just nod nervously and stare into the water. I nodded my head slowly, understanding that I did trust her and every pony else. I had no reason not to. 

"Well, I'll let you get some rest for the race tomorrow, goodnight Smolder." Twilight said getting up to leave.

"Goodnight Twilight." I said still focusing on the water.

"By the way." Twilight said, stopping to look back. "Princess Celestia wanted me to wish you good luck tomorrow."

I looked over my shoulder to see Twilight striding away, her words echoing in my head. The Princess was wishing me luck in tomorrow's race. I felt a smile creep across my face, my heart seemed to flutter with excitement at the idea of racing against Equestria's fastest pony and deep down I wanted to win.
> Chapter 6: Racing Hotshot
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had never seen so many ponies in one place before. Mayflower must have reached out to every pony in Equestria about this race. Viewing stands were built all the way down the path of Sweet Apple Acres. Although, there were so many ponies that had shown up for this race that every pony began to line up even further down the edges of the path. 

Fortunately for me, Hotshot McFlash was entertaining the crowd with idioms and autographs. I decided to stretch at the starting line. It didn’t stop any pony from taking pictures of me though. I could understand that Flame Ponies were all but unseen for many years, yet the amount of pictures being taken almost blinded me.

"Blaze! What are you doing? There will be time for stretching later!" Hotshot cried trotting up to me.

Hotshot waved to all the paparazzi ponies with cameras to keep their lens pointed at him. He walked up next to me, flinging his arm over my shoulder, smiling wide for the sea of sudden camera flashes to wash over us.

"Come on, squeeze in close so that every pony can get a picture of us together! Our faces will be on every magazine, newspaper, and billboard from here to the end of Equestria! I'm so excited I feel like I can fly! Watch out Wonderbolts, you may just have your newest recruit!" Hotshot said waving to the crowd.

I decided I wasn't going to humor him with a conversation. The flashing of the cameras were still very blinding, I could already see spots in front of my eyes. Several minutes had gone by before the flashes came in short bursts; allowing me to focus my eyes again.

"Well tie my hooves together and call me a pogo stick! If that isn't Mama Hotshot in the first row! I tell you I have the best mother in the world, Blaze! Excuse me for a minute." Hotshot informed me before trotting over to the stands.

I watched Hotshot head over to the stands to an older pony, he flung his hoofs around her without hesitation and Mama Hotshot did so as well. The sudden barrage of flashes began once more as the two embraced and I found myself wondering what a hug from a mother would be like.

"Smolder! Hey, Smolder!" A voice cried out over the noise of the crowd.

A few more shouts of my name turned my head towards the left side of the stands where Twilight Sparkle and Spike stood behind the roped off side of the path to keep ponies from getting too close. Spike motioned for me to come over. I did so cautiously as ponies began trying to lean in, and take pictures. Some even seemed to have marshmallows on sticks trying to hold them out near my flames.

"Hello Twilight, Spike." I said with a smile.

"Are you ready for the big race?" Spike asked curiously.

"As I'll ever be." I replied, looking back at Hotshot.

"How are you feeling?" Twilight asked.

"Like I'm Equestria's most wanted; with all the pictures ponies have taken." I replied with a chuckle.

There was a sudden flash of a camera. I blinked rapidly and looked down to see that Spike had taken a picture. He smiled apologetically and I nodded with a smile. We heard the speaker come on and Mayflower's voice boomed out.

"Welcome every pony to our Sweet Apple Acres Race Across Ponyville! Your racers today are the three time Equestria Race Champion Hotshot McFlash!" Mayflower announced, allowing the crowd to applaud and cheer for him.

"His challenger, coming straight out of legends, a pony rarely ever seen outside of the Ashen Fields, Blaze the Flame Pony!" Mayflower continued.

I was surprised to get the amount of cheers that I did from the crowd. It might have been just ponies being polite, but it was better then not having any pony cheer.

"Racers! To the starting line!" Mayflower announced with cheers still roaring from the crowd.

"Are you going to use your secret weapon?" Spike asked excitedly.

"They don't call me Fireball for nothing." I replied, giving Spike a wink.

Spike seemed excited by my remark as I walked away feeling pretty cool about that quip. The feeling quickly changed when I got to the starting line, Hotshot McFlash was no longer goofing around. His face was full of confidence, he wore smile of a winner and looked me over.

"This is it, Blaze. I know this is just a friendly race, but if you think I'm going to go easy on you, you're in for a big surprise. I've waited my whole life to race against a Flame Pony and at long last I can finally live out that dream." Hotshot said pulling down his goggles.

"There's something you should know, Hotshot." I said rolling my shoulders.

"Oh right, your name was Smores or something?" Hotshot asked, with a chuckle.

Raising my forelegs up, I brought them back down onto the ground with great force. My flames erupted, engulfing me with fire. With the screams from the crowd, Hotshot McFlash jumped to the side in surprise at my sudden transformation. Every last pony had their eyes trained on me, the flames flourished and danced all around me as I turned to Hotshot.

"I will be winning this race." I stated confidently.

It may have been the reflection of my flames from Hotshot's goggles, but I could see the fire in his eyes. The smile he wore was from ear to ear, he positioned himself at the starting line ready to race and I followed suit. The crowd roared with anticipation, I could feel my heart beginning to race as we both stared at the checkered flag whipping in the wind.

"On your mark! Get Set!" Mayflower announced, pausing for a dramatic effect.

"GO!" Mayflower cried.

The checkered flag had no more than a ripple from being waved before we took off. A trail of fire and a dust cloud were all that was left at the starting line. The delayed passing of wind blew the crowd sideways, mixed with the cheers and excited chatter that the race was officially on.



"Do you believe it? I said, do you believe it! This is Pinkie Pie as your eye in the sky broadcasting the race to you live from a hot air balloon. With me, to help bring you all the breaking news, is my good friend, Fluttershy. Fluttershy, say hi!" Pinkie Pie said holding the microphone to her.

"Hi." Fluttershy said softly.

"Moments before the race started, Sparky, Ponyville's very own Flame Pony, had erupted into a raging ball of fire! Much to the surprise to every pony, Sparky exploded off of the starting line and is currently keeping neck and neck with ol' Hotshot McFlash! A fan favorite to win this race today. Sparky is the underdog, who is quickly winning the hearts of so many ponies here for his unbelievable performance! Wouldn't you agree, Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie asked holding the microphone to her.

"Yes." Fluttershy said softly.

"What clearly should be a race of fortitude and endurance, that would normally take a pony a few hours to finish, these two ponies are moving so fast that it may only take a half hour at most! First they'll have to run around the outside of Ponyville, cut through the canyon and then race through the Everfree Forest before cutting back into Sweet Apple Acres! Can you not feel the excitement, Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie cried.

"Yes." Fluttershy replied softly. 



I had never used the Flash Step in such excess, only for short bursts, but never for racing. The faster I ran the hotter I seemed to burn, the fire under hoof propelled me forward and thanks to Rainbow Dash's coaching I could pace myself without trouble. Even so, Hotshot was already ahead of me, he took turns tight, sped up on straight paths, and slowed down to take hard turns. I had no such experience in racing. I would run full tilt, slide into a turn in hopes of maintaining my speed and it showed how much of a better racer Hotshot was.

We had already reached the canyon in no time at all. A few ponies had set up along the edge of the canyon to cheer as we barreled through. Luckily, this terrain was more my speed, the jagged rocks, gravel, displaced stones all reminded me of the Ashen Fields. This was no place for a seasoned race pony, and I used it to my advantage. 

Leaping over loose dirt, vaulting off of set rocks, I was able to navigate the canyon with little difficulty. Much to Hotshot's dismay he could not read the surroundings as well as I could, he lost his hooves on loose gravel, and slid on loose stones. It gave me the chance to pull ahead slightly; no more then a few seconds between us.

"It seems that Hotshot McFlash has had some difficulty traversing the canyon, giving Sparky a momentary lead! Even though Sparky does not seem to be showing any signs of slowing down, Hotshot McFlash is still just a cupcakes throw away from taking back the lead! Let me hear you scream every pony!" Pinkie Pie cried.

"Yay." Fluttershy cried softly.




"This can't be happening, no one can beat Hotshot! He's the best! He's the champion!" Mayflower whined tapping her hooves together.

"What if Hotshot loses this race? He'll lose all his supporters! All his sponsors! Every pony will want to market the Flame Ponies for new products! Hotshot will pass into obscurity! I can't let this happen!" Mayflower hissed under her breath.

Mayflower slipped out from the announcers' box, quickly making her way out from the stands. Carefully sneaking her way through the crowds, Mayflower was able to duck behind Sweet Apple Acre's barn. Checking to make sure no pony was following her, Mayflower rounded the corner and bumped into Applejack and Rarity carrying barrels of cider.

"What are you doing back here?" Applejack asked in surprise.

"What? Me? I was just, uh, going for a walk. Whenever Hotshot races my nerves get the best of me so I just have to excuse myself." Mayflower said nervously.

"I get that way sometimes, whenever I'm up against the best designers in all of Equestria; it can be so overwhelming." Rarity said levitating a barrel of cider with her magic.

"You'll have to excuse me I really can't let Hotshot see me in such a dire state." Mayflower said quickly.

Mayflower trotted off, glancing over her shoulder a few times before making her way down the dirt path.

"Now where is she off to?" Applejack asked suspiciously.

"I'm sure she just wants to have a bit of space, some ponies can't handle the stress sometimes." Rarity suggested.

"That's what I'm worried about. I think we should follow her." Applejack said, placing the barrel of cider down.

"Why, whatever for?" Rarity asked curiously.

"She's up to something, I can feel it." Applejack replied.

"What makes you say that dear?" Rarity asked.

"Call it a hunch." Applejack said.

Applejack took off after Mayflower down the dirt path leaving Rarity behind.

"Applejack! Wait for me! Really, all this running and we're not even the ones in the race." Rarity said placing the cider down gently and taking off after her.




"Okay every pony, our racers are just about out of the canyon! They'll be entering the Everfree Forest, and our eye in the sky will be temporarily blind from the action, but we'll be able to pick it up when they cross the river. In the meantime I have an exclusive one on one with our very own Fluttershy. Fluttershy, thank you for joining us today." Pinkie Pie announced, turning to face Fluttershy.

"It's nice to be here." Fluttershy said softly.

"So Fluttershy, what sound does a butterfly make?" Pinkie Pie asked.




We stormed out of the canyon. Hotshot had made up some time. I didn't think he could adapt so quickly to the terrain but he managed to close the gap between us considerably. Fortunately, he could not slip stream behind me due to the amount of fire that was trailing from my Flash Step. He would have to push up on his own power and to my amazement he was doing just that.

"I had no idea you were this fast!" Hotshot shouted to me.

"That makes two of us!" I hollered back, noticeably tired.

Through the forest tree tops the sunlight disappeared due to the thick canopy of tree branches that soared overhead. We had entered the Everfree forest, shafts of light poured through splits in the canopy, but my fire seemed to light our way.

"I have to say, I'm impressed you've pushed me this far, but this is the part where you find out why I'm called McFlash!" Hotshot yelled to me.

To my disbelief Hotshot galloped past me, not only did he over take me, but he was slowly pulling away and I was already starting to feel fatigued. I could feel my heart beginning to race, the aspect of winning was slowly slipping away from me and with the race being close to being over I knew that if I were to give it everything I got I could maybe take back the lead. With the possibility of my fire burning to hot, spreading to the trees around me, I decided that I would have to wait until the final stretch to make one final push. All I needed to do now was keep as close as I can to Hotshot and not let him pull away any further.




Applejack and Rarity went racing down the dirt path, entering the edge of the Everfree Forest to look around for Mayflower. 

"Applejack dear, I don't see Mayflower anywhere. Could you have been wrong?" Rarity asked curiously, doing her best not to step in the noticeable mud on the path.

"Nope." Applejack said coming to a hard stop.

Applejack and Rarity arrived at the river where the bridge that connected the two sides of the river bank rested. Mayflower was found apple bucking the bridges supports on the opposite side. It would seem that she was attempting to collapse the bridge.

"Ms. Mayflower!" Rarity gasped in shock.

Mayflower jumped in surprise, looking across the river at the two of them; she seemed very embarrassed, face racked with guilt.

"Of all the no good dirty tricks, you're trying to sabotage this race!" Applejack yelled.

"This isn't what it looks like! I was just... uh, fixing it! Yes! I was coming out here to check the stability of the bridge and saw that it was rather loose. So I took it upon myself to try and fix it before they got here." Mayflower said hastily.

"Horse Hockey!" Rarity cried.

Applejack gave her a surprised look and Rarity shrugged it off.

"You were trying to collapse that there bridge and force Ash to drop out of the race!" Applejack accused her.

"You don't understand! Racing is all Hotshot has! If this Flame Pony actually beats him he'll be ruined! Every pony will want everything Flame Pony, no one will want to see Hotshot race anymore." Mayflower protested.

"Every pony has his time in the sun, Mayflower! What if Hotshot saw you doing this? Do you think he'd feel the same way? Racing is all he talks about, and I can bet you he wouldn't want to see you trying to cheat for him." Applejack argued.

"Applejack is right, we can't win all the time, but it gives us a chance to learn from our mistakes and grow as a pony. It breeds healthy competition and we can learn from each other." Rarity agreed with her.

Mayflower hung her head low. Having been caught, there was no way of getting around it. She started back over the bridge looking very ashamed with herself. The race would continue with the possibility of Hotshot McFlash losing.

"I-I-I- I've been Hotshot's manager ever since his first race. I wanted to see him live out his dreams of being the fastest racing pony in all of Equestria. I'd watch him day after day train harder than any pony out there to get to where he is, and I fought to give him the chance to show the world how great he is." Mayflower confessed.

"I'm sure your heart was in the right spot but-"Applejack stopped short.

Smolder and Hotshot rounded the bend, charging up and over the bridge flying past Mayflower who turned her head to avoid the wind and flames. Just as they had crossed the bridge a low groan was heard coming from the bridge beneath her. The wood planks began to snap as the bridge started to implode on itself, Mayflower struggling to keep her balance.

"Mayflower! Get off of there!" Applejack shouted in panic.

It was too late. The bridge collapsed into the water taking Mayflower with it. The river carried the bridge down stream with Mayflower trying to keep her head above water with the sudden shrieks of terror from Applejack and Rarity.




I looked over my shoulder, wondering if I had seen Applejack and Rarity when crossing the bridge, and to my shock I saw the bridge collapse under Mayflower. I couldn't imagine why or how she had gotten there. 

I dug my hooves deep into the dirt, coming to a hard stop and bolted back towards the river. I raced around the bend. Rarity and Applejack were already giving chase along the edge of the river after the wreckage calling to Mayflower. The current was picking up speed with Applejack and Rarity struggling to keep up.

"Applejack! Rarity! Get ready!" I cried.

I bolted past them. Racing  alongside the wreckage and leaped onto the largest part of the destroyed bridge. The water splashed me, causing my flames to hiss, forcing me out of my Flash Step and sending a very strong stinging sensation throughout my body. I tried my best to use the wreckage as a raft to move up towards where Mayflower was fighting to stay above water.

"Mayflower!" I called out to her.

She was too panicked to hear me. I closed my eyes for a brief second. I took several deep breaths. I tried hard not to think about it as I jumped down into the water to help her.




"Sparky has just jumped into the water to help that pony! This is just horrible! Flame Ponies can't swim! They hate the water! Rainbow Dash! Twilight! Princess Celestia! Gummy! Some pony do something!" Pinkie Pie cried into the microphone.

"Oh dear!" Fluttershy gasped.



So this is what swimming was like. The pain was almost unbearable. I fought the current, kicking at nothing, trying to turn myself right side up. Eventually, I kicked against part of the bridge and propelled myself towards Mayflower. My head came above water, I gasped for air as I took hold of her. 

The flames on my hooves were doused, my hooves were rapidly cooling, I wasn't too worried about burning her at this point. I tried dragging her towards the edge of the river. I was essentially trying to gallop in the water, and it was working to little effect as we inched closer. A great amount of steam was rising out of the water, my body was trying to defend me from the water by turning up the heat, but it wasn't helping much. I could see Rarity and Applejack running alongside us. I dragged Mayflower up onto a beam of wood and kicked off the wreckage. The beam cut across the water bringing us closer to the shoreline.

"Look out!" Rarity cried in terror.

The river was quickly becoming more dangerous. Large rocks under the water began to break up the wreckage. At this point, I had gone numb all over. I slipped off the beam and disappeared under the water. I'm pretty sure I hit a rock or two. I felt myself roll over some wood that was being pulverized from the rocks below. 

This had to be a Flame Pony record, submerged under water for almost a minute? I could almost see myself being lifted into the air by my fellow Flame Ponies, cheering me for setting such an incredible reckless feat. Another rock struck me, jarring me from my pain induced delusions. I couldn't find the strength to try and resurface anymore. 

I felt an arm come around me. Tugging me hard through the water, my body had already gone limp, my vision fading quickly. That's when I felt myself being dragged out of the water.

"Come on Blaze, stay with me buddy." Hotshot said coughing up water.

I passed out at this point.




"Is he going to be alright?" Rarity asked sounding concerned.

"I'm not sure, his flame is out." Applejack replied nervously.

"Maybe we should build a fire! Like, right on top of him!" Spike offered.

"Would that even work?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'm not sure. We don't know anything about Flame Pony medicine." Twilight remarked.

Their voices were coming in much clearer now, my head seemed to pound out of my skull, and my eyes began to open. I exhaled through my nose, which caused my mane and tail to flicker back. I choked on some water that was caught in my throat.  I could hear sighs of relief all around me. Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Twilight and Spike were standing over me.

"Hi." I mumbled.

"Hi." Every pony responded.

"I'm Smolder." I mumbled once more; not fully aware of my surroundings.

"Hi Smolder." Every pony replied.

"Are you going to be okay?" Spike asked sounding worried.

"You took the plunge mighty deep, Ash." Applejack said.

"I'll be okay." I said, trying to reassure them.

I paused for a moment to sniff the air.

"Do I smell smoke?" I asked curiously.

"Well… we tried to cover you with a towel." Rarity said sadly.

I looked over my shoulder to see that my mane had already burned away much of the towel.

"Sorry." I said getting to my hooves.

"Whoa, take it easy there, Matchstick. You're in no condition to be moving just yet. I think. Do Flame Ponies recover faster? I mean you did just go swimming." Rainbow Dash asked unsure.

"I'll be alright." I said confidently.

That was a huge mistake on my part, the moment I put pressure on my hooves my body rejected the idea and I slumped to the ground with a thud. My muscles were strained, joints inflamed, and I think I finally knew what a sun burn felt like, but with water. In any case, I decided that resting for a bit longer may be the best idea.

"Hey there, Blaze." Hotshot spoke up.

I looked up to see Hotshot McFlash standing over me, beaming at me and Mayflower by his side. She looked very solemn, hanging her head low and not making eye contact.

"I've seen some crazy things in my day, but watching a Flame Pony jump in a raging river to save a friend of mine just topped my list." Hotshot said looking over at Mayflower.

"Don't mention it." I mumbled weakly.

"I guess that there bridge must have been on its last legs before deciding to collapse. What I don't understand is how you ended up on that bridge, Mayflower?" Hotshot asked glancing at her.

Mayflower shook nervously. She began to stammer trying to get the words out while every pony waited.

"Well you see, Mayflower was worried about that bridge collapsing on you fellas during the race. So she asked Rarity and I to come help her check it out." Applejack spoke up.

"She did? Yes! That's right! She did! Mayflower was deeply concerned and went out to inspect it. Turns out the bridge was rather rickety, fortunately it didn't collapse on either of you two, but Mayflower wasn't so lucky." Rarity chimed in, trying to spare Mayflower from the truth.

Mayflower looked like she was on the verge of tears.

"What's wrong, May-" Hotshot began but was cut off by Mayflower's sudden wailing.

"It was me! I did it! I tried to knock the bridge down to stop Blaze from finishing the race!" Mayflower sobbed.

"Say what now?" Hotshot asked confused.

"I tried to knock down the bridge, but Rarity and Applejack stopped me before I could finish! I ended up falling in and ruined the race anyways!" Mayflower wailed covering her face with her hooves.

"Now why would you go and do a thing like that, Cindy? You always played it by the book." Hotshot asked sounding surprised.

Mayflower sobbed quietly to herself, unable to speak coherently, and I found some strength to try and stand up.

"I don't know..." Mayflower mumbled through her sobs, wiping her eyes with her hooves.

"I think she likes you." I said, trying to keep myself up.

There was a loud gasp from every pony, Mayflower immediately stopped sobbing and looked completely horrified; blushing furiously.

"Say what now?" Hotshot asked again but looking my way.

"I think she wanted to make some pony's dream come true today. To have Hotshot McFlash live out his dream of beating a Flame Pony in a race. Because I believe she wanted to see that pony be truly happy. I'm sure her heart was in the right place; right with Equestria's fastest race pony." I explained.

Hotshot looked at Mayflower who continued to hide her face from him. He smiled warmly before nudging her with his nose. Mayflower looked up slowly, her face a bright red.

"Is this true, Mayflower?" Hotshot asked quietly.

Mayflower whipped her mane back, her face still red but she seemed to be trying to hide a smile.

"Maybe." Mayflower mumbled.

Hotshot planted a kiss upon Mayflower's cheek that instantly turned her redder than an apple. Every pony gasped aloud, a few cat calls from Rainbow Dash and I even found myself smiling. Mayflower quickly hid her face from every pony behind her mane, giving Hotshot a playful push.

"You're not going to believe this Ponyville! It looks like Hotshot McFlash just kissed Cindy Mayflower, his manager! Things are really heating up in this race and I'm not just talking about Flame Ponies! This has been a day full of surprises! Wouldn't you agree, Fluttershy?" Pinkie Pie asked into the microphone.

"Yes." Fluttershy replied.

We looked up to see the hot air balloon slowly sailing overhead much to Mayflower's dread of hearing Pinkie Pie's announcement as she sunk low covering her head. Every pony tried not to laugh, not wanting to embarrass Mayflower further, but we had more control then Rainbow Dash who laughed aloud. Hotshot turned to me.

"Thanks for the race partner." Hotshot said holding out his hoof to me.

I nodded, tapping his hoof with my own.
> Chapter 7: Homecoming
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our elders had spoken of the first breath of Flame Ponies. A story that explained how the Flame Ponies came to be. At the base of the mountain, before the ash, the fields used to be covered with life and color far beyond imagination. A great many ponies had gathered there to live out their lives among its beauty. What the ponies did not know was that the mountain that loomed over them was a dormant volcano biding its time.

It was said that the volcano erupted without warning, sending molten rock and ash down to the village of ponies below; encasing them in a tomb of volcanic glass. All the colors, all the life had been covered in ash and soot. There the ponies remained, faces frozen in terror, their lives forever lost to time.

As the years passed an Elder Dragon, said to be as massive as the mountains themselves, had come to the volcano to drink from its pools. The Great Dragon Char had found the ponies, victims of the volcano's wrath, and took pity on them. With magic more ancient then the stars themselves the dragon shared its fire with the ponies, granting them a flame all their own and melting the volcanic glass that had entombed them.

Unlike the dragons, the ponies could not contain the fire within themselves and thus the flames danced upon their very bodies. Thus, the first generation of Flame Ponies had come into existence. Grateful to the Great Dragon Char, the Flame Ponies honored the dragon and its kin. Building a castle in its honor, creating statues in its likeness and mining the dark mines of the mountain to bring it gold.

Legends tell that the Great Dragon Char dug deep into the volcano, to drink at the very heart of Equestria. Even since then the Flame Ponies had lived with honor and pride for many generations. Having emulated the traits of dragons, from their power, their resilience, their pride, and their lust for gold.

Although, I have never felt any of these traits. I was told that my father had named me Smolder, to burn slowly without a flame, that I was a sorry excuse for a Flame Pony. That I lacked that which shaped the very core of a Flame Pony; for when a flame is barely burning, it is only smoldering. Right now my flame was doing just that.

My first time swimming had not been an enjoyable one. Hotshot McFlash had declared our race a tie due to the unforeseen accident that occurred on the bridge. I was ready to declare Hotshot the winner for being ahead of me before the bridge had collapsed, but he wouldn't accept it. This only had every pony reporter asking if there was going to be a rematch between Hotshot McFlash and Blaze the Flame Pony. 

That was when Mayflower had declared a rematch between the two of us with much excitement from Hotshot's fans who cheered at this news. Fortunately for me, the rematch would have to wait until Hotshot McFlash had run the Crystal Circuit, the Equestria Cup, and the Cross Pony Trophy first. Eventually Mayflower was able to direct most of the questions of upcoming events to herself allowing me to slip away.

"Smolder!" Hotshot called out to me.

My muscles were screaming at me, I did my best to ignore it, putting on a smile as I turned to speak with him. There were several ponies in black suits with black sunglasses that kept the crowds of ponies from rushing towards Hotshot; I figured it was his security team. 

"You weren't trying to slip away without saying goodbye to ol' Hotshot now, were you?" Hotshot asked curiously.

"It's been a long day, I was just going to go home and rest for a bit." I answered honestly.

"I just wanted to thank you, Smolder." Hotshot said.

"Any pony would have jumped in to help, Mayflower. I just got there first." I replied.

"Well not just that. I wanted to thank you for living up to the pony I had idolized from when I was a foal. Brave, strong, and fearless. It was a dream come true to have raced with you, but it was an honor to have met you. Take care of yourself partner." Hotshot explained to me.

He held out his hoof to me. I took it, feeling my hoof ache with pain as we shook. I said my goodbyes, promising that I would give him his rematch one day before heading back to my little spot near the riverbank.

Hotshot's words echoed in my head, but words that never seemed to reach my heart. Probably because I did not feel like any of those things. Although the pain I was feeling did resonate throughout my body. Many doctor ponies at the race wanted to take a look at me, offering me advice on how to treat my pain, but I assured them I wasn't in any. It was hard to mask, forcing smiles was extremely difficult and when I finally got back to my little part of the river I had decided to take off back to the Ashen Fields.

There was old Flame Pony remedies to treat water burned ponies, remedies that were only found in the Dark Marsh Forests near the Ashen Fields and only a hoof full of ponies that knew how to make it. The pony I had in mind wasn't technically a pony.

The journey home was much harder to make in my current condition, so I opted to make my way through the old mining tunnels dug by Flame Ponies in years passed. It would be the safest route for me to take, and it would save me a great deal of time. Many, if not all, of our tunnels had been abandoned in years long passed, but there were a couple we still used to avoid spiders or owlbears. My venture through the cave was quiet, my hooves clopping against the stones under hoof echoing through the empty tunnels.

Eventually, I came out the other side, into the vacant and dismal fields I called my home. The entirety of the Ashen Fields were covered in knee deep ash, if the name did not already give it away. With every step I took ash danced up into small clouds and settled around me. In the distance I could see Castle Char, towering in disrepair and stood looming over the fields. I could see lights in the distance, other Flame Ponies that slowly walked from rock to rock hut. 

Our Flame Ponies kept to themselves in the Ashen Fields, no pony left their homes unless for food or if the Twins demanded it. The Twins of course being my older brothers, Wick and Pyre, who currently resided as rulers over the Ashen Fields in a minor capacity. Acting only as stewards, the Twins took orders from our father, the King, to carry out any official decrees. The rest of the time they forced our ponies to brave the Dark Marsh to find food for them or entertain them if they were bored. It was a miserable existence, without any sort of future to be seen for them.

"Hold." A voice said aloud.

I looked up to see a familiar face. It was General Hearth standing outside the castle's entrance with two Royal Guards at his side. He was a dark grey pony, dressed in his old armor that had not been shined in many years, and cutie mark looked of a feather on fire. He was much taller than I, much older, but still treated me with like a Prince; extending ever courtesy and respect that it would derive.

"General Hearth, sir." I said aloud.

"Smolder? Is that you?" General Hearth asked in disbelief.

The General quickly approached me. I felt his hooves touch my foreleg and I winced in pain. He quickly recognized my injuries.

"Get Wingston! Hurry!" General Hearth ordered to the Royal Guards.

General Hearth assisted me inside the castle. The large stone doors opened slowly scraping across the ash ridden ground. The entrance stretched far into the castle, many pillars lined the Main Hall before letting out into a grand staircase that led to the Throne Room and the rest of the castle. 

"What happened, Smolder?" General Hearth asked me in a whisper. 

When there was no other pony around, General Hearth would use my given name, only using my title in front of other ponies to lead by example. I preferred him using my name. 

"I went swimming." I remarked with a groan.

"What would drive you to do that?" General Hearth asked in disbelief. 

"Some pony was in trouble, I wanted to help." I confessed.

We got close to the staircase when the Twins descended the stairs before us. Both colored jet black, flames a deep red, they were almost as tall as the General and shared a cutie mark depicting their names. My brothers, who had volunteered me to go on this quest to steal the Elements of Harmony had come to welcome me home. 

"Why if it isn't little brother Smolder." Wick said tauntingly.

"I wasn't expecting you to have completed your mission so quickly." Pyre said sarcastically.

"So where are they? Where are the Elements?" Wick asked curiously.

The Twins waved the General to the side; he begrudgingly did so lowering his head. I was forced to stand under my own power, which was fading quickly. They paced around me lightly jabbing me with their hooves, testing me to see if I would react to the pain I was obviously in.

"Look brother, Smolder seems to have fallen into some water." Pyre said, clicking is tongue in disappointment.

"Better if he had been washed away then returning without the Elements of Harmony. Father will be most displeased." Wick warned.

"Where's Wingston?" I asked, wincing from another jab of theirs. 

"We're not his keepers, he could be lying dead somewhere for all we know." Wick remarked coldly.

The thudding of wood began to echo across the Main Hall of the castle. The Twins grimaced at the sound. Turning to look back at the stairs, the two Royal Guards appeared from a stone door at the side of the staircase; standing at attention. 

"I will take it from here." A raspy voice said aloud.

From the side of the staircase, that led to the dungeons beneath the castle, a small creature wrapped in many cloths of varying degrees of grey limped into view. Long strips of mismatched cloth wrapped around him, covering his entire body, except for his eyes, and his long fingers that gripped his staff. These rags were old Flame Pony clothing that was fire resistant,Zenith which allowed him contact with us. One his wings was missing the thin membrane of skin, crippling him from flying. He stood no taller than Spike, although the staff he carried was twice his height. Smolder knew him best; it was Wingston the bat.

"What do you want? Can't you see we are having words with our little brother?" Pyre sneered.

"Your words are as useless as the two of you. Inform your father that Smolder has returned before I tell him that you neglected to." Wingston replied threateningly.

The Twins shot Wingston ugly looks before ascending the staircase. He may have been considerably shorter then the Twins, but they still acknowledged Wingston's position within the Kingdom. Wingston was, technically still is, the Royal Advisor to the King of the Ashen Fields. He watched the Twins climb the staircase to the throne before turning his attention to me. Even though his eyes only showed I could always tell when he was smiling. Wingston limped over to me and embraced as best he could. I leaned forward to hug him back. 

"It is good to see you, Smolder." Wingston said happily.

"It's good to be home, Wingston." I replied.

Wingston looked at the water burns I carried. Shaking his head slightly he waved the General over.

"General, please assist the young Prince to the Infirmary." Wingston said pointing his staff up the stairs.

"Of course." General Hearth replied.

Our infirmary was several slabs of granite for Flame Ponies to rest upon; it was our form of beds. Much of the room was coated with a thick layer of ash and dust for it had not been used in quite some time. The General had stationed two Royal Guards outside the Infirmary doors, while he himself stood at the foot of my bed diligently waiting for Wingston to return. 

General Hearth and Wingston had seen the banishment of the Mad King, my father, and the aftermath that had taken place, but it did not have them drift into despair like the others. The Infirmary doors creaked open with the sound of Wingston's thudding staff echoed into the room.

"Smolder, I would very much like to know why you tried to go swimming?" Wingston asked curiously.

"A pony was in trouble, I wasn't really thinking." I admitted.

"Judging by your water burns I can safely say that you were in that water for quite some time." Wingston said limping up to my bed of granite.

General Hearth assisted Wingston to the top of the bed where I saw him holding a small bottle of green liquid in his wing. 

"Dragon root, wisp fire, and a dash of olive." Wingston said offering me the drink.

The taste was very bitter. It was miles away from being cider, but just as I had finished drinking it the water burns began to lessen. The pain was quickly draining away and my face showed my relief.

"Thank you, Wingston." I mumbled in relief.

"You'll be happy to know you hold the record for the longest Flame Pony to be submerged under water." Wingston informed me.

"Really?" I asked happily.

Wingston's staff knocked me on the head with a thud. I winced. Rubbing my head with my hoof.

"That record should not have been broken, especially not by you, Smolder." Wingston scolded.

"Sorry." I mumbled.

The Infirmary doors creaked open again, this time a Royal Guard stepped into the room.

"The King demands Prince Smolder's presence at once." The guard stated.




I climbed the stairs to the Throne Room. I had taken this climb before, the steps to my father, the steps to the King, but it never seemed to get any easier. The large stone doors opened before me, black smoke billowed out as I entered. 

The corridor that led to the throne room had once been lined with stone etchings of the Flame Pony Kings that had come before, but now rested upon the floor as dust. The corridor opened up into a circular room where the Twins waited on each side of the entrance and I stepped out into the center of the room. The widows were caked with black soot, blocking all light from coming in or out. Near the throne stood a large mirror, black iron snaking the borders, and my reflection was nowhere to be found in its glass. I stopped before the mirror, bowing my head to it, feeling my heart begin to race. 

"Smolder." My father's voice echoed through the room.

Two piercing red eyes came into view within the mirror. Fire seeping out from the edges of the glass, his burning red eyes hung in the darkness. I did not speak, I was taught to only speak when posed a question.

"Smolder, why have you come back?" My father asked.

His voice echoed in the room, magnified a hundred times, his voice deep and bitter like the emptiness within the mirror.

"I was injured." I stated quietly.

"Injured? By whom?" My father questioned.

"Not by whom, but by a river." I answered, nervously.

"A river? A river!" My father shouted. 

The soot from the ceiling trickled down, the room shook from his booming voice.

"What of the Elements? Where are they?" My father asked angrily.

"I don't have them." I replied, feeling terror grip my heart.

"Foolish, dreadful son! To be cursed with weakness in my bloodline!" My father roared in anger. "Did you even get close to Canterlot?" 

"No. I got as far as Ponyville before meeting Princess Celestia." I confessed.

"What?" The Twins asked in disbelief.

"You… met with Celestia?" My father asked, his tone changing into surprise.

"He lies father!" Pyre cried, not believing me.

"Silence!" My father shouted shaking the castle with his voice. "Leave us! I will speak to my son alone."

The Twins bowed low before making their way back down the corridor. I was left alone with my father.

"What did Celestia say to you?" My father demanded.

"She… she said that if I could prove that Flame Ponies were ready to be trusted again, that I could appear before the Summit and plead our cause." I explained to him.

"Flame Ponies do not plead!" My father cried.

I cowered beneath his booming voice, my legs trembled and I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest. 

"You haven't forgotten your mother, have you?" My father asked disappointingly.

I looked up to see a silhouette of a white pony, mane of golden fire standing in the distance.

"Mom?" I asked staring into the mirror.

"She is waiting for you, Smolder, we both are." My father said, attempting to sound sincere. "We can save her Smolder, free her from the Void, but first you must bring me the Elements of Harmony! I need it's power!"

"I know! I know!" I shouted feeling a sense of dread in my heart.

I watched the figure of my mother disappear into the darkness. I lowered my head feeling my heart throb in pain. My father remained silent as I did my best not to show him my fear.

"Perhaps we can use the Summit to our advantage." My father said slowly. "Distract them with this Summit meeting Smolder, earn their trust, find the Elements and bring them to me." My father decreed.

"Princess Celestia has given me the chance to show every pony that we can be trusted again. We can't just throw away this opportunity!" I argued.

"You dare defy my orders?" My father cried in anger.

"But Father!" I shouted.

"I am your King!" The Mad King Scorch cried shaking the castle once more.

I bowed my head low at these words, not daring to look up at the mirror.

"Go. Play their game. When the time comes we shall have what we need, and you shall have your mother and father again." His words echoed in the room before fiery eyes disappeared from the mirror.

The room was dark again. I sat staring at the ground feeling as if I had jumped into the river once more. I turned to leave, heading towards the corridor. Pyre and Wick were waiting near the end to speak with me. I swallowed hard, trying to summon up some of my courage that my father had shaken from me.

"You would be wise not to return unless you have the Elements of Harmony, little brother." Pyre warned me.

"If you fail in this task, you might as well not return at all." Wick added coldly. 

"I'll be back, I promise." I said quickly. "We'll get her back." 

My brothers didn't spare anymore words with me. They pushed opened the stone doors to allow me to leave, before slamming them shut behind me. I stared back at the doors, feeling that there was more then just stone between me and my brothers. 




"Leaving so soon?" Wingston asked curiously.

We stood just outside Castle Char. Several Flame Ponies peeked out from their rock huts to look at me before hiding once more. General Hearth had gone to patrol the borders of the Dark Marsh, Wingston was the only one left behind to see me off. Like most times in my life, Wingston was always there for me, even when I didn't know I needed him.

"The ponies in Ponyville will begin to worry if I am gone for too long." I told him.

"Oh really?" Wingston asked in surprise.

"They promised to help our Flame Ponies. They've been kind to me, Wingston, and have offered me their friendship." I explained.

"That is something worth keeping, Smolder." Wingston stated.

In the pit of my stomach I knew what my father wanted me to do. He wouldn't gamble our future on the Summit. If some pony finds out that I was really just there to steal the Elements of Harmony I would lose my mother and father forever; along with any hopes of helping my Flame Ponies.

"Goodbye, Wingston." I said with a smile.

"Until our next meeting, Smolder." Wingston said, hugging me once more.

Walking away, I headed for the long canyon that separated the Ashen Fields and Ponyville, I had not gotten far before Wingston called out to me.

"I would not recommend jumping into any more rivers!" Winston shouted.

I smiled and waved back, acknowledging that I had heard him before carrying on.

"I don't want to lose you." Wingston mumbled solemnly.




I decided to take the main road from the Ashen Fields. The canyon was prone to rock slides and ambushes by Diamond Dogs, but it had been quiet for quite some time. It was shorter than the tunnels and I was ready if I had come across any timber wolves or manner of beast. Fortunately, I didn't run into any. 

It must have been around midnight when I felt that things were starting to look up. That's when I had taken one more step before the universe saw fit to prove me wrong and dropped me into a pit. It was a very well-disguised pit, the dirt that lay atop it blended so perfectly that I pretended it wasn't my own fault of not seeing it. 

I heard scratching coming from near the top of the hole. I looked up to see four large spiders staring down at me.

"We has caught ourselves a Flame Pony!" The first spider declared.

"I told you a hole would work!" Another spider quipped.

"Well it was my idea to put it here." Said another spider.

"Well how's about we talk it over dinner?" The last spider said.

A sudden burst of fire shot up out of the pit causing the spiders to fall over backwards in surprise. I stood at the bottom looking towards the top with a rather annoyed look.

"This here Flame Pony is feisty." A spider said.

I watched as one poked its head over the pit and once more I spewed fire at it. I wasn't planning on fending off spiders until morning but I guess it was better than speaking with my father.

"What is that?" Asked a spider.

"What is what?" Asked another.

"That there, don't you sees it?" Asked the spider.

"I only has eight eyes. What is it you see?" Asked a spider.

From the bottom of the pit I could hear sudden screams of fright from the spiders, several hisses and a couple of thuds from above. I could hear a spider yell retreat and I just sat there in the pit looking pathetic.

"Are you alright?" I heard a voice ask me.

I looked up to see what appeared to me as the most beautiful pony I had ever laid eyes on. Colored in what appeared to be the night sky of blue and black, her mane was partially translucent, rippling and sparkling and her voice sounded quite elegant. Unfortunately, I merely stared at her not able to find the words to say hello.

"Perhaps the Flame Pony is injured and cannot speak?" She asked me again.

"No, I'm cool." I replied quickly.

"Cool... like the temperature?" She asked me.

"No, cool like I'm alright; just cool." I replied like the dork that I am.

"I am glad to hear that you are cool." She said with a smile.

"Thanks." I said. 

In the back of my mind I could hear myself screaming to stop talking.

"What is your name, Flame Pony?" She asked curiously.

"Smolder… of the Ashen Fields. One time owner of a pit." I introduced myself, trying to add a joke in.

"Smolder? Not the same Flame Pony who resides in Ponyville?" She asked in surprise.

"Yeah, that's me." I replied.

"My sister has told me a great deal about you." She informed me.

"Who's your sister?" I asked curiously.

"Princess Celestia." She replied.

I looked at her feeling quite confused and utterly surprised.

"I didn't know Princess Celestia had a sister." I remarked.

"And I didn't know Flame Ponies were prone to falling into pits." She replied, sounding a bit annoyed I didn't know of her.

"Well... that would make you a Princess as well, right?" I asked, trying to save myself some trouble.

"Indeed, I am Princess Luna." She answered.

I sat at the bottom of the pit, staring up at Princess Luna who casually stared back at me. I had the sneaking suspicion that I had offended her by not knowing who she was and I would have to ask to be rescued from this pit.

"So… I'm guessing that you raise the moon, since Princess Celestia raises the sun?" I guessed.

"You would be correct." Princess Luna replied.

"Any chance you could raise me out of this pit?" I asked with a smile.

"I am not sure; Celestia is usually the one to raise the heavy fireball into the sky." Princess Luna stated; obviously still peeved with me.

"Well if you can't do it, maybe you can get your sister to do it." I suggested.

"I can most certainly do it! Behold!" Princess Luna shouted, accepting my unintentional challenge.

For a moment I was sitting at the bottom of the pit, when I suddenly found myself being flung up into the air. I was several feet above the pit before crashing back down to the ground next to Princess Luna.

"Perhaps I raised the Flame Pony a bit too high." Princess Luna remarked.

I rolled over on the path, rubbing my head, and brushing dust off my face.

"You have been rescued Flame Pony." Princess Luna declared.

She was even prettier up close.

"I had it under control." I mumbled feeling childish.

"Perhaps the Flame Pony would like it better back in the pit?" Princess Luna asked curiously as her horn began to glow.

"No, no thanks." I said waving my hoof.

"You are a far cry from Ponyville, Flame Pony known as Smolder, what brings you this far out?' Princess Luna asked.

"I was just visiting my home." I said motioning back down the path.

"Perhaps you should travel with friends so that you do not find yourself stuck in any more pits and surrounded by spiders?" Princess Luna suggested.

"I was just distracted, really!" I insisted feeling like I was being teased.

"I shall see you back to Ponyville, to ensure that you do not fall down further." Princess Luna declared.

It was a sort of win-lose, I got to walk with Princess Luna for a time, but she only did so because she thought I was going to fall into another pit. She was much taller than me, taller than General Hearth, but only by a little. I tried to straighten up when she wasn't looking hoping by some miracle I'd look taller, but all it did was make me feel like a giraffe.

"My sister told me of the war your Flame Ponies waged many years ago, how the Mad King tried to cover all of Equestria in Fire." Princess Luna spoke up after a while.

"Yeah… sorry." I muttered feeling very embarrassed that this would be the topic of conversation.

"I know the feeling of being banished. The loneliness it brings. For my sister had banished me to the moon many years ago." Princess Luna said.

"The moon?" I asked disbelief.

"Yes." She replied.

"Okay." I said trying not to sound surprised.

"For you Flame Ponies to have been exiled I can understand how you must feel trying to interact with ponies again." Princess Luna said.

"Well I try not to set things on fire most of the time." I said.

"As I try not to use the Royal Canterlot Voice when addressing the ponies of Ponyville." Princess Luna replied.

"Royal Canterlot Voice?" I asked curiously.

"IT IS WHEN WE SPEAK IN A LOUD VOLUME TO ADDRESS OUR SUBJECTS!" Princess Luna's voice exploded sending me cartwheeling away.

"Sorry." Princess Luna said in a normal register while I stared at her upside down in the grass.

I realized how my father was able to magnify his voice to sound so intimidating; it was just a technique that royalty used.

"That was kind of cool." I said sounding very impressed.

"Cool, as in okay?" Princess Luna asked.

"Cool, like that was awesome." I replied.

"Well, thank you Flame Pony." Princess Luna said sounding grateful.

Our walk back to Ponyville was filled with discussion of all the things we encountered in the Dark Marsh or the Everfree Forest. Our battles with Owlbears, Timber Wolves, and Spiders. I felt comfortable speaking to Princess Luna. She seemed to act very differently than the rest of the ponies in Ponyville. She was an outsider like me, trying to fit in where and when she could. Unfortunately, our walk came to end as we reached the border of Ponyville.

"I have had fun speaking with you Flame... I mean Smolder. I find your ponies to be very interesting." Princess Luna declared.

"Perhaps if things work out at the Summit you can come patrol the Dark Marshes with us?" I offered.

"I am sure the fun would be doubled! For I have not entered the Dark Marsh in many years! Who knows what sort of beasts lie within!" Princess Luna shouted in excitement.

I smiled. A part of me did not want to see her go, but the other part of me said get out while you still have your dignity.

"Farewell Smolder, I wish you the best of the luck for when you speak at the Summit." Princess Luna said stepping forward and spreading out her wings.

"Princess Luna!" I shouted unable to catch myself.

"Yes?" Princess Luna asked turning to face me.

I could feel my heart take punch after punch, I was sure that I was shaking from my nerves.

"I just… wanted to tell you… that…" I stuttered trying to swallow my fear. "That I think you're a pretty cool Princess."

At this point it felt like some pony to a hammer to my heart and kept smashing the already smashed pieces over and over again.

"Thank you, Smolder the Flame Pony." Princess Luna said with a smile.

She soared back up into the night sky, I lost her among the stars overhead and I could feel my now mended heart doing back flips. I felt myself smile like a dork as I walked back over the bridge.
> Chapter 8: Boulder Choices
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had awoken considerably early the next morning. Once more I had taken up refuge near the river, ensuring that I would do little to no damage in or around Ponyville. I had decided that my stay near the riverbank would be more comfortable if I tried to make it more like home, and started looking for some rocks. It had taken several hours to find enough stones, of moderate size, to make half a wall to the potential hut I was going to be building.

Much like the homes in the Ashen Fields, stones were the preferable way to build a Flame Pony residence, and the gravel underfoot was a better flooring then wood. Even though many of the ponies in Ponyville had opened up their homes to me, a gesture I had thanked them over and over again, but none were proven to be fire proof. Much to their displeasure I assured them that a spot near the river would best suit me for the time being.

With an hour's worth of work, I had one wall of my makeshift home coming up to my chest. It was just wide enough not to be considered a pile of rocks to the untrained eye. Ponyville did not have much in terms of large stones or boulders and it was apparent that I would have to venture into the Everfree Forest to reach the base of the mountains to find more suitable rocks. I beamed with pride at my wall, it wasn't much but it was enough for a Flame Pony. Besides from the possibility of rain, my impromptu home was coming together nicely.

I walked out of my home, which wasn't hard, and stretched in the early morning sun. Preparing to lug rocks for the rest of the day, I set off down the river towards the Everfree Forest. Eventually, I happened across the dirt road from yesterday and made my way towards the forest. 

Reaching the edge of Ponyville, I looked into the Everfree forest realizing how menacing it seemed to be. It seemed a little out of place when compared to the bright and lush hillsides of Ponyville but it was nowhere near as disturbing as the Dark Marsh. Shrugging, I continued on into the forest with my eyes set on the mountain on the other side and looked forward to the gloom of this place. 

It was much greener then the marsh, but the quiet gloom that seemed to hang over this forest was similar to life in the Ashen Field. The path wasn't all that clear of brush. I had to dance around fallen branches and carefully trot over fallen leaves.

"Dear me, could it be? A Flame Pony in the Everfree?" A voice, speaking in rhyme, said aloud.

I looked over my shoulder to see an unfamiliar pony stepping out from the bushes. She had a saddle bag on her back, her black and white stripes resembled the two varying degrees of Flame Pony color, a cutie mark of a grey spiraling sun and she wore gold pieces of jewelry. She did not seem threatening nor did she seem threatened, she did seem quite surprised though, but it wasn't new to me.

"Hi..." I began. I turned to face her. "I'm Smolder of the Ashen Fields, you can call me Ash... or Matchstick, Blaze, Mr. Flame Pony, Sparky, Fireball or Fizzle if you like." 

I was surprised in my ability to recall all the nick names I had been given since yesterday.

"Zecora is my name, and to the nicknames I will add... Wild Flame." She replied in rhyme once more.

"Thanks, I guess." I said feeling that this nickname trend was not going to end.

"So Zecora, where will this path take me?" I asked curiously, hoping that she was familiar with the area enough to give me some directions.

"Deep into the forest does this road wind, the further you go the more spiders you will find." Zecora warned.

"Spiders, huh?" I asked not sounding at all surprised.

It wouldn't be my first time coming across spiders but it would be interesting to see how big the Everfree Forest grows them.

"What is it that the Wild Flame seeks? Perhaps I can help so you don't get lost for weeks and weeks." Zecora asked, offering her help with a smile.

"Well it's really not all that important." I said with a chuckle.

I felt kind of embarrassed to tell her I was looking for rocks, but Zecora seemed interested as she waited for me to answer.

"I'm looking for some stones I could use to help build a hut." I confessed.

"Does the Wild Fire seek stones to help him build a home?" Zecora asked.

"Well, you know the fire and all. Wood and I don't really get along." I mumbled feeling embarrassed.

"Never fear, the stones you seek are very near." Zecora said encouragingly.

"Really?" I asked feeling surprised.

"Follow me and you shall see." Zecora said walking past me.

I began to follow her, keeping a safe distance between us, but after a few feet Zecora turned to look back at me surprised by my cautious nature.

"Anxious you are, that much is clear, walking beside me will help your fear." Zecora stated.

She turned back towards me, she came right up alongside me and I immediately tried to move away. Unfortunately for me, Zecora shadowed me step for step.

"Zecora, I appreciate that you're willing to help me but I would feel a lot better if you were a safer distance away." I confessed.

"Relax and be at peace, for I can watch out for myself at least." Zecora said motioning me to move along with her.

I moved along begrudgingly. We made our way down the path, it forked a few times into much shallower trails and eventually she directed me off the main path. Zecora was still much closer then I would have liked, but she seemed to pay no mind to it. I had made it a point, perhaps even a rule, never to walk next to any non-flame pony, but it didn't seem to matter how many points I was willing to make; Zecora wasn't going to budge.

"Tell me, if you please, how a Flame Pony in Ponyville came to be?" Zecora asked curiously.

"I guess you can say I came looking for help," I began, knowing full well that my intentions were much more dishonest. "The Kingdom of Flame Ponies is struggling to get by, but because of our past transgressions no Flame Pony believed any other pony was willing to help."

"The deeds of old affect the new, now all this trouble has fallen on you." Zecora replied.

"Princess Celestia has offered me a chance to speak in front of the summit to plead my case on behalf of the Flame Ponies. It comes with a few strings attached, laced by the Princess herself, to prove to her and the other ponies that we have changed for the better." I continued.

"A pony to move a mountain on his own is sure to find it easier to move to it stone by stone." Zecora said.

For a moment I had to think, I don't believe she was trying to speak in riddles just to make it harder to understand, but rather, she was trying to make it easier for me to wrap my head around. It was true that moving a mountain is practically impossible, but moving a rock from the mountain itself is much easier to do.

As I thought on it, things started falling into place in the sense that the burden that I had placed before myself was this mountain. That I could not fix everything at once. Rather, I should take the time to tackle each problem one at a time and not try to fix everything at once.

"So you're saying that I can do more if I focus on specific problems rather than trying to fix the whole issue? Right?" I asked.

"Nail on the head is what you hit, and it does not surprise me one bit." Zecora replied.

This particular statement from Zecora was easier for me to understand.

"So if I take my time, pick my battles, I can avoid messing up all together?" I asked, thinking more about it.

"Those who play with fire are surely to be burned, but those that have will have learned." Zecora said with a smile.

She glanced at the space between us and we were nearly side by side. I had not noticed, nor did I feel panicked, but I did feel as though I had been taken in. I had played right into Zecora's hooves.

"You are more in control then you think, give it some time to let that feeling sink." Zecora said in a matter of fact tone.

As she had said, I let this feeling sink in. I did not burn her nor did I accidentally bump into her, but in fact she herself was mindful enough not to run into me. Leaving myself so much room between ponies was making the wall that already exists between Flame Ponies and the outside world much thicker than it needed to be, but thanks to Zecora I've managed to thin it a bit.

"Here is where they are, the biggest stones in Ponyville by far." Zecora said pointing her hoof towards the clearing up ahead. 

Even from here I could see very large boulders resting under moss and other foliage.

"Thank you, Zecora." I said bowing my head to her.

"Good luck to you Wild Flame, and to your Summit, I wish the same." Zecora said to me.

We parted ways, Zecora returning back down the path and I to make use of these boulders.

Cutting rocks was one of the first thing Flame Ponies had to learn. We had to build our own homes from the stones of the mountain, and carry it back ourselves. So, if at all possible, we would find the most circular boulders we could to roll them back. Fortunately for me, the Everfree Forest had them in vast quantities. I had to burn off the moss, dig for bit, kick the boulder to free it from the earth, but it was easy pickings from then on. With my boulders all picked out, I was ready to rock and roll. Smolder the dork, I thought to myself.

Rolling a boulder wasn't hard, a pony just needed to pay attention to their surroundings, and use the weight of the boulder to their advantage. As sad as it may seem, it was a game our foals and fillies played regularly. I had rolled my boulder for a time before I noticing a slight decline in the path. I decided to get in front of the boulder to ensure it wouldn't roll away on me. As I stepped around my boulder I spied some figures in the distance. I struggled to see whom it was but my heart sank when I noticed the number of legs the figures had.

"Spiders." I whispered to myself.

I crept back behind my boulder to hide my flames and peeked around the side.

"It will take time for them to figure out this here pony has gone missing, and by that time we'll have already had dinner." Said a spider.

"How much you think we're going to be able to eat with just one pony? It don't look very meaty. It's even got stripes on it, is it safe to eat?" Spoke up another spider.

I could feel my stomach drop. Did they have Zecora? They must have; she is the only pony with stripes. She must have gotten caught on her way back from showing me the boulders.

"Of course, all them ponies have a ton of colors. Just don't eat the green ones, they are organic." Said another spider.

"I wonder if there were more ponies wandering around here?" Asked another spider.

"We won't find out if you keep squawking like that! If one of them ponies hears us, it might try going for help and then we'll have some real trouble on our legs." Hissed another spider.

My mind began to race for ideas of how I could help her. Unfortunately, I was stuck between a rock and a group of spiders.

"Do you hear something?" A spider asked.

The boulder rolled down the path, the speed of the boulder was slow, but it did make the ground shake with every revolution. The spiders quickly backed away as the boulder came to a stop before them.

"What's this then?" Asked a spider.

"It's a rock you moron." Said another spider.

"It looks more like a boulder to me." Replied another spider.

"So what if it is?" Asked the spider.

"Well how did this one get here? I don't think boulders go for walks." Asked  the confused spider.

"I ain't ever seen no rock get up and move." Said a matter of fact spider.

Leaping atop the boulder I spewed fire at the closest spider. It screeched and rolled around on the floor, flames consuming it. I whipped my head around and sent flames towards the other spiders that went scrambling into the forest hissing. I had hid behind the boulder, using it to get close before preforming my sneak attack.

"Zecora!" I shouted out loud looking around.

"Wild Flame, can it be? Did you come to rescue me?" Zecora called back.

Off to the side of the path was a pit. I leaped from the boulder and ran right up to the edge. I peered over to see Zecora sitting at the bottom looking up at me.

"Are you alright?" I asked quickly.

"I'm alright, just sitting tight." Zecora replied.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay." I mumbled to myself quickly looking around.

Besides from trees, brush and leaves there was nothing to help Zecora out of the pit; at least nothing I could touch. The spiders began to reemerge from the trees, stepping carefully onto the path and clicking their fangs together. I turned to face them, flaring my mane; trying to make them back off.

"It's that Flame Pony from last night!" A spider cried.

"Well what do you know, it is!" Shouted another spider.

"Go get some help; we're going to need it!" Another spider cried.

I watched a spider skitter back into the forest while five spiders began to inch their way towards me.

"Go for help Wild Flame, these spiders are not playing games!" Zecora shouted.

"Neither am I." I said feeling the fire rage inside me.

I picked the closest spider to be my target. Flames shot from my mouth hitting the spider right in its face, watching it screech in pain. The other four spiders pounced towards me. I ducked the first one, but felt several legs strike me from the others. I was knocked to the ground, but the spiders quickly retreated screaming and cursing my fire.

"We cannot touch him! Cursed little thing! It burns to touch!" A spider cried in pain.

Ignoring my pain, I charged them. To every spider's surprise, I galloped at full speed, spitting fire from my nostrils hoping to intimidate them. I stopped short of ramming the lead spider, leaping over him with a tremendous jump and landed upon its back as it hissed in anger.

"It burns! It burns!" the spider cried twirling in circles.

Already doing half the work for me, I began to spew fire. Acting like a sprinkler, the spider spun round and round as my flames swirled with it. The others ran into each other screaming in fear as they tried to get out of the way. 

The spider I stood upon suddenly threw me from its back and I crashed down onto the ground. I rolled a few times as the spiders quickly mobilized to intercept me, but burned themselves trying to take hold of me. I flared my mane to force them back as I got to my hooves and rear kicked the closest spider to me.

My mane flared again, I drew a deep breath and spat a fireball towards the lot of them. The ball of fire hit the center of their group and plumed forcing them to separate. They seemed hesitant to approach me again, but I could see that their anger wasn't going to hold them back. A spider charged me with the others in tow. I spewed fire once more but the spider leaped up into the air; catching me by surprise. Backing up quickly, it turned out to be not enough as the spider dropped down atop me. 

The Spider lifted its body so that it wouldn't get burned as it began to spit webbing from its mouth. It was the most disgusting I had ever seen or felt. I struggled against the webbing, it was moist, sticky, and it was hard for my flames to dissolve it effectively. Only one thing came to mind.

My flames erupted, consuming me in fire and burning away the webbing. Igniting my Flash Step, my flames shot out burning the under belly of the spider towering over me. The spider screamed and flailed its legs in pain trying to put distance between us. The spider lost its balance, it slid sideways into the pit, barely catching itself as some of its legs fell in.

"Ow! It bit me! The pony bit me!" The spider cried as Zecora chomped down on its leg.

The other spiders had backed away in fear of my flames. My fire was swirling around me, empowering me for the moment. I charged them without giving them the chance to retreat. I tackled the first spider, knocking it to the ground before spewing fire upon it. Striking it with my hooves to keep it from biting me. I raced towards the next spider, my Flash Step still flaring. It could barely let out a cry before I tackled it, watching it bounce across the ground. Another spider tried to stand up against me, trying to strike, but I flared my fire burning its legs.

"Let go! Let go!" The Spider cried trying to pull its leg from the pit.

Leaping towards the spider stuck in the pit, I chomped down on its leg and began to pull; much to its displeasure. The spider tried to swipe at me with its other legs but was too busy trying to fight off both Zecora and I to decide who to hit first. The spider slid towards me while I pulled and pulled until I saw Zecora appear at the edge of the pit still clamped down on the spider's leg. With one final tug, I pulled the spider from the pit, quickly striking it in the head to knock it out; Zecora was free from the pit.

"What a nasty taste, I will surely need toothpaste." Zecora said spitting on the ground.

"Our pony is escaping! Our pony is escaping!" A spider cried.

Jumping in front of Zecora, I flared my flames once more to try and keep the spiders from advancing, hoping to buy her sometime to get away. 

"You need to run, Zecora!" I shouted over my shoulder.

"To leave a friend behind, is not how I repay in kind." Zecora said refusing to leave.

Before I could argue further, three new spiders emerged from the brush behind us. I looked around to see the burned spiders being helped away by others. From the trees more spiders lowered themselves from their webbing, and slowly surrounded us. I flared my flames a few more times trying to keep the spiders from getting any closer and it worked to some effect. Until the ground began to shake, and it began to quake over and over.

The sound of trees being uprooted violently echoed through the forest, Zecora and I stared into the forest wide eyed. Large tree trunk like legs came reaching out from the trees, pulling the trunks from their roots and moving them aside. A spider of enormous size loomed over the uprooted trees, fangs the size of wagons, and eyes so black it looked like large chunks of coal. It was the Queen of Spiders.

"You have hurt my children!" The Queen shrieked.

Strings of web flew from her mouth, whipping from her fangs with every word. Her front legs struck the ground, breaking up the earth and pulled herself closer. I showed a bit of force and spewed fire into the air before her. The Queen reeled back, pulling her front legs up to her face to defend herself.

"Accursed Flame Pony! What business do you have here in my kingdom?" The Queen demanded angrily.

"Zecora, do you have any ideas?" I whispered, ignoring the Queen.

"Answer Flame Pony! Answer!" The Queen shrieked.

"Your spiders were trying to make a meal out of my friend!" I shouted back.

"Business of ours is not of any concern to Flame Ponies, vile retched creatures you are! Burn everything! Hurt everyone!" The Queen screamed.

The other spiders anxiously paced around us as the Queen hissed with disgust.

"A bottle of dragon powder is what I carry, the end result will be quite scary." Zecora whispered back.

Wingston used to make dragon powder, it was used to make fireworks, and in large quantities it was used for blasting large amounts of rocks in the mines. Although, Wingston would only use a pinch of it to have explosive results for fireworks, but a whole bottle would probably knock these spiders all the way to the Crystal Kingdom. 

My mind raced for other ideas, seeing as Zecora would get caught in the blast I didn't think we'd be able to use it. That's when I saw my boulder from earlier. I motioned to Zecora, pointing towards the pit and nodded towards the boulder. She seemed to get the idea.

"We shall snuff out the Flame Pony and then feast on the striped one!" The Queen cried.

The spiders hissed in understanding, getting ready to charge in. The Queen raised her front legs once more, preparing to smash us into the dirt; it was now or never for us.

"Zecora! Go!" I shouted.

Zecora reached into her bag retrieving a clear bottle filled with bright orange flakes. She dropped it onto the ground before racing off towards the pit. Distracting the Queen with a display of my Flash Step. I darted around in front of her and leaped towards the boulder; just narrowly avoiding her enormous leg swiping at me. With a mighty kick I rolled the boulder forward, with Zecora sliding into the pit. 

The boulder rolled for a few revolutions before dropping into the pit and acting like a cork. Trapping Zecora inside. The spiders looked very confused at our spectacle. I smiled, knowing Zecora was safe, and that's when I felt the Queen's leg swipe me off my hooves. I had about four seconds of air time before hitting against the ground hard.

I could feel the ground shaking. Steps from the Queen approaching me. I lay in a heap on the ground unsure of what was up or down. My Flash Step had fizzled out, and I wasn't sure when I'd get feeling back in my everything. My eyes began to grow dark, the thunderous steps of the Queen echoing in my ears. The words of the Queen and the spiders were muffled to me now, and darkness slowly took me.

"Wake up Sweetheart." 

My eyes shot open. My body exploded with fire, it swelled and roared around me. I gasped aloud; my heart pounding out of my chest. I was on my hooves staring down the Queen who had recoiled from my sudden awakening. The flames raged across my body, throwing fire high into the air and turning the ground beneath me to glass. My ears straining to listen, to hear the words I had never heard before, but wanted to hear again.

"Curse the Flame Pony! Curse it!" The Queen shrieked in frustration.

I suddenly became aware of my situation. Gathering my wits, I looked for the bottle of Dragon Powder. I saw the bottle beneath the Queen. Rearing up on my hind legs I took a deep breath, I put everything I had into my blast of fire; targeting the bottle beneath the Queen. The heat from the fire reacted to the powder inside, the bottle cracked and then a flash of white light blinded me. The explosion followed right after.

I had to blink hundreds of times to get the world to come back into view. I had been thrown off my hooves again. I'm not sure how far but it wasn't as bad as the landing. I'm pretty sure a spider had broken my fall, but a tree decided it wanted to wrestle and pinned me. 

Flaring my mane I burned away part of the tree and pulled myself out from underneath it. The plan had worked. We knocked down every tree and spider for at least a hundred feet in every direction.

The boulder that had been hiding Zecora was partially intact, the top of the boulder had been broken up, but it seemed to have done its job. I started to move, but felt a sharp pain at my side. Hugging my side, I decided that Zecora wasn't going anywhere and I could take my time in reaching her. The spiders around me were either unconscious or dazed. The Queen had taken most of the blast. It must have thrown her straight up into the air. I deduced this by her not being here anymore and that she must have fallen down somewhere else.

Reaching the boulder I began to question how I would get it uncorked from the pit. To my surprise, a touch from my hoof caused the boulder to crumble and cave in. Showering Zecora with dirt and pebbles; she did not look amused.

"Sorry." I mumbled weakly.

"It is alright Wild Flame, I hope that you are the same." Zecora said with concern.

"I'm alright." I fibbed.

"I am once again stuck in a hole, perhaps I should have been a mole." Zecora joked.

"I can see if I can find another spider to drag over." I replied looking around.

There was no spider close by, but what I did see was Princess Celestia gliding down with Princess Luna by her side. Their expressions seemed to be that of shock, but I don't think they were surprised to see me. Princess Celestia looked around at the splintered trees, dazed spiders and areas of burning wood. Princess Luna moved away to begin zapping a few spiders with her horn. Princess Luna routed them away from us, watching them scurry away before surveying the rest of the area.

"Hello." I said with a weak smile

"Hello." Princess Celestia replied striding over to me.

Princess Celestia peered over the pit to see Zecora smiling back up at her. Her horn began to glow causing Zecora to float out from the pit and be placed next to me.

"Would any pony like to tell me what happened here?" Princess Celestia asked.

"The story is long from beginning to end, and it all started when I met my new friend." Zecora began.

"I'm listening." Princess Celestia stated.

I decided to let Zecora do most of the talking. I offered a 'yep' every now and again to the story. Truth be told, my head was still spinning from the kick the Queen had given me and not to mention the explosion that followed soon after. Even when Zecora spoke of our plan to defeat the Queen, I found myself watching Princess Luna chase away the remaining spiders. I felt myself smile at this sight.

"The Queen?" Princess Celestia asked in surprise.

"She was big and full of fright. She was indeed an ugly sight." Zecora said, making a face of disgust.

"So that's when Smolder ignited the dragon powder?" Princess Celestia asked guessing the next part of what happened.

"Not before getting me to the pit, did Wild Flame blow the Queen to bits." Zecora assured her.

Princess Luna strode up to Princess Celestia.

"I checked the surrounding area and saw the Queen making her way back to the mountain. I've also routed the remaining spiders that tried to head deeper into the forest near Ponyville." Princess Luna reported.

"Well Smolder, it seems that you have a way of attracting attention." Princess Celestia remarked, glancing over at me.

"I was just looking for some rocks." I mumbled.

"Rocks?" Princess Luna asked curiously.

"Flame Ponies make their homes from rock and stone." Princess Celestia explained to her.

My stomach turned. I felt embarrassed now. It had to be in front of Princess Luna too.

"The damage is minimal." Princess Luna said looking around the blackened area. "This area has been dense with brush and trees. The explosion was contained for the most part."

"Thanks to the Queen's big belly." I chuckled.

Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow at me and I quickly put my smile away. Although, Princess Luna smiled at the thought of it and it made my heart jump.

"When I said to prove that Flame Ponies had changed, I did not imagine you swimming through rivers or facing down spiders in attempts to save ponies." Princess Celestia said sounding a bit surprised.

"Me either." I mumbled.

"But I am very grateful that you would put yourself in harm's way for the sake of other ponies, Smolder. I would not recommend making it a habit, of course." Princess Celestia said with a smile.

"Thank you." I said feeling very grateful for her praise.

"My thanks as well, if you could not already tell." Zecora chimed in.

"Be joyful Smolder of the Ashen Fields! For you have bested the Queen of Spiders!" Princess Luna said aloud nudging my side with her hoof.

A sharp pain shot through my body and for the second time that day I blacked out.
> 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.”
> Chapter 10: Understanding Smolder
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Princess Celestia had arranged for me to remain in the Royal Castle for the next couple of days. To accommodate me properly, without burning any of the beds, I was to sleep in the Infirmary on the slab of granite. Princess Celestia escorted me to the Infirmary before informing me that Rarity would be arriving the very next morning, and that in the meantime I should let the nurse pony take a look at me. The light green nurse pony was less than thrilled to see me again.

"Here." The light green nurse pony said coldly.

She proceeded to thrust a thermometer into my mouth, before writing down on her clipboard 'flight risk'. I felt bad for running out on her, I was nervous being here, but that didn't have anything to do with her. The nagging feeling of knowing that the Elements of Harmony were in this very castle made everything so real now. I wanted to run away, get far away from the Royal Castle so I wouldn't be tempted to look for them, but I was to be a guest for the next few days.

"Alright, let's have it." The light green nurse pony said holding out her hoof for the thermometer.

I leaned over to feel it snatched from my mouth. She looked at it and recorded the abnormally high temperature down on her clipboard.

"I'm sorry." I said feeling guilty.

"You should be! I've never had a patient run out on me before!" The light green pony scolded; as I hid behind my hooves.

The light green nurse pony went back to writing things down on her clipboard; giving me the chance to lower my defense.

"Name?" The light green nurse pony demanded with a bark.

"Smolder of the Ashen Fields." I said promptly.

"I don't have enough room on my clipboard for that. I'll just put down Smolder." The light green nurse pony replied.

"What's yours?" I asked curiously.

"Please don't flirt with the nurse ponies." The light green nurse pony said flatly.

"I w-w-wasn't-" I began stammering, feeling my mane flare.

"Age, gender, location, allergies, date of birth, next of kin, and my name is Tea Herbal." The light green nurse pony stated.

I blinked a few times.

"Herbal Tea?" I asked curiously.

"No! Tea Herbal!" Tea shouted blushing slightly.

"Sorry!" I shouted back recoiling.

I found myself awkwardly sitting there wishing I had not run out on her in the first place to avoid this whole uncomfortable encounter.

"Well?" Tea snapped at me.

"I'm seventeen, a colt, I don't like water, I don't know when my birthday is, and my next of kin is Wick or Pyre." I answered quickly.

"How do you not know when your birthday is?" Tea asked rolling her eyes at me.

"No pony kept track of it." I told her.

"What about your mom, wouldn't she know?" Tea asked.

"I never met my mom." I replied.

Tea looked up from her clipboard. She seemed embarrassed about what she had said.

"Sorry, I didn't know." Tea apologized.

"Do you have a mom?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, she lives in Manehattan with my father." Tea answered quickly.

"Is she nice?" I asked.

"Very." Tea said with a smile.

"I like to think my mom is very nice." I said smiling at the thought.

"I'm sure she was- is! Is very nice!" Tea said trying to correct herself; flushing from embarrassment. 

"Thanks." I said with a smile.

"Well, if you start to feel any discomfort or if you need anything in particular just let me know." Tea said signing off on her clipboard.

"Thanks, goodnight." I replied, watching her return to the nursing station.



That very next morning I stood near the train station with an escort of two Royal Guards from Canterlot. With dozens of fancy ponies taking notice of me, asking me several complicated questions about hoof lotion I used and who was my mane stylist. I wasn't able to give them much in terms of an answer, but they seemed satisfied that I took the time to try. Eventually, the train rolled into the station and among the crowds of ponies stepping off the train was Rarity. She strode out looking magnificent as she normally did.

"Darling! I'm so glad to see you!" Rarity squealed in delight, approaching me.

"Hello Rarity." I said with a smile.

"How are you, darling? Zecora told us all about those nasty old spiders and how you handled them like a true champion." Rarity asked, sounding concerned.

"Zecora might have exaggerated the details. She was the one with the bottle of dragon powder. All I did was blow it up." I confessed, feeling like I wasn't worth this sort of praise.

"Nonsense darling, you came to Zecora's rescue just like when you came to Mayflower's. It may not seem like much to you, but it means a great deal to those you've helped." Rarity insisted.

My mane flared a bit while I tried to hide my embarrassment.

"Now in keeping with the spirit of helping other ponies I will need your vast knowledge of Flame Pony culture and traditions if I am ever to finish my line of clothing for the Next Big Thing event." Rarity said trotting off towards the Royal Castle.

I watched the two Royal Guard ponies stare, mouth a gape, at the amount of luggage Rarity had packed being wheeled out by some of the conductor ponies. For the first time, since arriving at Ponyville, I felt glad that I couldn't help with carrying that up to the Royal Castle. 

Upon reaching the castle, there were more Royal Guard ponies waiting to receive and welcome Rarity, offering to usher her to her room where she would be able to work and sleep during her stay in Canterlot. Once more I made my way carefully through the halls, walking along side the carpet.

Rarity had a large room to herself, all of her materials, designs, and patterns were already being strewn about. Rarity seemed to flourish in this sort of chaotic mess, hemming dresses, sewing stitches and chalking out dotted lines to cut on large sheets of fabric. 

The corner of the room was where I was meant to be, silently posing whenever Rarity asked it of me, but also due to the fact that every other inch of the floor had bits of cloth or reams of ribbon left about; any step would certainly lead to a fire hazard.

"Smolder, darling. What do you think of this?" Rarity asked holding up a black swatch.

"It's… nice?" I replied feeling unsure.

"And what about this?" Rarity asked again holding up what seemed to be the same swatch in her other hoof.

"The first one?" I guessed, seeing little difference.

"Quite right." Rarity said returning to her work.

Almost two hours went by without my needing to there, Rarity seemed to be lost in her own little world, but I stood diligently in the corner. Replying yes or no to simple questions Rarity posed to me every so often. Every now and again she would glance at me with eyes so piercing I felt like I was under a microscope, but she then would return to her work without skipping a beat. 

"You've been very quiet, Smolder." Rarity pointed out after a while.

"I don't want to disturb you." I replied.

"Perish the thought, darling; you've been most helpful." Rarity replied measuring out some thread.

"Really?" I asked in surprise. 

"You've stood so quietly and patiently for so long I was able work it into my designs." Rarity stated holding up a piece of parchment with several shapes and measurements drawn about it.

"You're welcome?" I said unsure of what she meant.

"Come here darling and I'll show you." Rarity said.

Her horn began to glow. The room seemed to spring to life, the clutter upon the floor flew up into the air and settled itself in neat stacks on the bed. I made my way over to Rarity who had her sewing mannequin propped up with her Flame Pony inspired pieces adorning it.

"As you can see the black you had chosen was matte, or less shiny if that helps you to understand. I've decided to go with a thick material to better capture the rough hide of a Flame Pony, no offense intended dear. I've laid in some intricate designs of gold leaf to help make the black stand out. For the hooves I've decided to go with a darker orange with highlights of red to better imitate the look of fire." Rarity explained to me.

Never before had I seen such amazing details put into something Flame Ponies found so trivial. Clothing was once a luxury for Flame Ponies, we once had material that wouldn't burn to our touch, but in these dark years we have learned to lived without it completely. I could see the allure of wearing such fashion, to present oneself as an established pony without having to utter a single word. 

"Do you not like it?" Rarity asked, sounding a bit worried.

"What? No! I think it's fantastic!" I said aloud.

"Do you really?" Rarity asked excitedly.

"How did you draw little flames with that gold stuff?" I asked curiously squinting at the design.

Rarity went on to explain her methods, describing her approach and detailing the finer points of her design. For the first time in a long time I was the one asking questions and some other pony was giving me answers. Unfortunately for me, most of what Rarity explained to me didn't make much sense, but I felt like I was learning things here and there. It was just nice to speak about something other then myself or Flame Ponies for once.

"Well then, I think I got the mock-ups done and I can move on to making the real thing." Rarity said with a triumphant sigh.

"Wait, what?" I asked feeling confused.

"Something wrong, darling?" Rarity asked curiously.

"Aren't you done?" I asked, looking towards the thing she called a mock-up.

"Sweet Celestia, no! These are just the mock-ups; the real thing will be much more spectacular. It would be horribly dreadful presenting these as the finished product." Rarity said dismissively.

"But-but-but-" I stammered quickly unable to believe that there was more to be done.

"That's all for tonight, darling, thank you for all you help. If you would be so kind to come around tomorrow to share some more input I would really appreciate it." Rarity said packing up her things.

"Sure." I said slowly, amazed at the amount of effort that went into making clothes. 

I bid Rarity a good night and made my way down the side of the hallway back towards the Infirmary; stupid rugs. Once more working with Rarity had eaten up the whole day and saw that night had already fallen. I felt myself walking slowly, peeking into doors that were left open to have a quick look around. All the while wondering if I'd just accidentally happen upon the Elements of Harmony just left out on the counter. What I found were large empty bedrooms, storage areas and what appeared to be the kitchen.

Deciding that I had searched hard enough, I left my searching for another day; if ever. To my surprise, I rounded a corner and came to a sudden dead end. I examined the wall trying to remember if I had taken a wrong turn at some junction and upon turning around I discovered that there was yet another dead end. I was boxed in.

"Ummm." I said to myself looking back and forth at the walls.

The walls began to slide towards me, realizing that I was going to turned into a Flame Pony pancake, and that's when I decided it was a good time to panic. At first I ran back and forth as if I was going to find some magical door that would lead me out, but no luck. So I decided that I might burn or blast my way through and spat fire towards the wall.

"Leaping lizards!" Discord's voice rang out from the walls. 

The wall formed a hole that allowed my flames to shoot though. Discord's head emerged from one of the walls looking none to pleased at my attempt to burn him. The rest of his body slithered through as the wall seemed to come with him forming the rest of his body.

"Well I wasn't expecting that." Discord said disappointingly.

"Discord?" I asked sounding annoyed and surprised at the same time.

"Yes, Discord. Master of almost being burned by a Flame Pony." Discord said hotly; if not hurt.

"I thought you weren't hurt by my fire?" I asked feeling confused.

"Only physically, not emotionally. To think that you would try to hurt poor old Discord." Discord said, pretending to weep openly.

Rolling my eyes I left him weeping in the hallway, heading back towards the Infirmary, and hoping that I wouldn't be caught up in another one of Discord's shenanigans.

"Now hang on a second!" Discord said picking me up by the nape of my neck.

"What?" I asked bluntly, being lifted right up to his face.

"Is that anyway to talk to a friend?" Discord asked, placing his paw over his chest.

"We're friends now?" I asked, surprised by this notion.

"Oh come now Mr. Flame Pony, I kept your secret about having such an awful father." Discord pointed out.

"How is having a mean father a secret?" I asked feeling annoyed.

"When he happens to be the Mad King Scorch." Discord said in a matter of fact tone.

If I could see myself I would have been able to see all the color draining from my face. I could feel my stomach tying up in knots and my heart trying to beat its way out of my chest. Some pony had found out my secret.

"Isn't that right, Prince Smolder?" Discord asked in a deep voice.

"Discord… I… the others… they can't…" I stammered too afraid to speak.

"I'm not sure what little game you're playing at, Flame Pony, but I can tell that you're not the one pulling the strings." Discord said dropping me.

I fell for a moment before I felt sudden stop as Discord had me dangling like a puppet from his claws.

"Poor little Flame Pony, caught between disobeying his father and letting down his new friends. Woe is he. Woe is he." Discord mocked me jerking on the strings and making me dance.

The strings snapped letting me fall to the ground but the ground never came. I kept falling, slipping into a pit of darkness and then the floor caught up to me. I felt myself slam hard against the ground. Groaning, I got to my hooves as I tried to find something to get my hoof under but the walls of this pit were slick.

"You've dug yourself in deep little Prince, desperately struggling to find a way out of this mess." Discord's voice echoed all around me. "To disobey your Father, or steal from your new found friends."

The floor beneath me crumbled away. I dragged my hooves against the wall grasping the edge of the hole before slipping through. I looked down to see an ocean of fire below me, funnels of fire snaking up into the air trying to grasp at me. From the fires below a massive flame rose up, taking the form of  a fiery stallion as large as a mountain. Eyes piercing red, its roar shook the world under me and scared me to my very core.

"You hang on to this fleeting hope that these ponies can save you." Discord's voice whispered in my ear. "That by playing the victim you will not be held responsible for your actions."

Looking up I could see Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Zecora, Hotshot, Mayflower, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna standing around the edge of the pit.

"You may not have lied to them, but you are keeping secrets from them. So many secrets." Discord's voice whispered.

"Discord..." I mumbled, feeling terror from the fiery stallion below.

"Well, I'm not going to let you put Fluttershy in any danger. Maybe Celestia or Twilight, but that's beside the point." Discord said as the ponies disappeared from sight.

The pit began to dissolve away, my grip was slipping, and I tried desperately to pull myself up. The mountainous fiery stallion roared, spewing fire in all directions.

"Before you go, I'd like to know something." Discord spoke up. "Was it worth it? Deceiving every pony? Well, I suppose it's like father like son and all that jazz; toodles!"

The pit vanished and I felt myself fall. The flames surrounded me pulling me down towards the fiery stallion. Rearing back to consume me, the fiery stallion opened its jaws. 

I'm not sure if my life flashed before my eyes, or if Discord was just playing them back for me. I saw myself trying the Flash Step for the first time, Wingston teaching me to read, General Hearth teaching me to break up stones, the Twins playing keep away with my rock. I saw my first day in Ponyville, the party they threw for me, running the big race, swimming in the water, building my wall near the river, fighting the Queen spider.

I saw the jaws of the fiery stallion close around me. I could feel my heart skip a beat when I heard those words again.

"Wake up, Sweetheart."

The mountainous fiery stallion exploded from existence. The world of fire became the hallway again, I felt myself drop the the floor, as I laid on my back against the tile. My heart was still racing, eyes wide with fear, my breaths were shallow and my body still shaking when Discord stepped into view above me.

"I never would have imagined it, but I think I understand you now, Flame Pony." Discord said picking me up by my hoof and placing me right side up.

"What I perceived to be a selfish Prince seeking power just like his father, was in fact,  just a little Flame Pony trying to save his mother." Discord said softly.

My legs shook something awful, that experience had felt so real I couldn't look up at Discord or move at all.

"Why not simply tell Princess Celestia about this? Why all the secrets?" Discord asked curiously sitting down next to me.

"He'll… hurt…" I struggled to get the words out.

I felt Discord's paw on my back, as if trying to comfort me.

"He'll hurt... my brothers." I choked out.

"You mean those twin Flame Ponies that took your rock and played keep away with it? They don't seem like very nice ponies." Discord said disapproving of them.

"They are... all I... have... left." I stammered, feeling a swell of emotions.

"But your father is trapped in the Void." Discord reassured me.

My breaths were short and shallow now, I tried to say the words that were caught in my throat but I couldn't get them out.

"Or is he?" Discord asked in no more than a whisper.

"There's a mirror... to the Void. He's feeding... off our Flame Ponies... fire. Soon he'll have... the strength to break... the barrier." I choked between breaths. 

"If your father gets free it will put all of Equestria in danger once again. We have to tell Princess Celestia." Discord insisted.

"If she finds out... she'll try to destroy the mirror... and... and ... and..." I whimpered. "I'll lose my mom... forever."

"Your mother is trapped in the Void as well?" Discord asked in surprise.

"I don't know, Wingston said... I don't… I just can't… I…" I couldn't find the words.

Flame Ponies are not able to cry. We just react the same way without the tears. That's what I ended up doing, sobbing quietly to myself. I sat in the middle of the corridor, quietly sobbing, feeling my world crash down around me. Not wanting to think of what was to come next. 

I felt Discord's paw squeeze my back, and I felt myself squeak like a rubber dog toy. I was so surprised by this I immediately stopped sobbing. He squeezed me a few more times as I squeaked out loud. I turned to look up at him to see a large grin on his face.

"We'll keep this between us, for now." Discord said zipping his mouth shut.

"But you said-" I began.

"This is one of those things that you'll have to decide for yourself little Flame Pony. To do the right thing, which ever that ends up being. I normally ignore those kinds of moments and let them just walk right on by, but I feel that Fluttershy would agree with me on this. You have to make a decision and no other pony can make it for you." Discord explained raising his claw up to make a point.

We sat in silence for a moment. Discord may have found out my secret, but for me to tell some other pony or creature about it took an enormous weight off my chest. Even if it had been Discord.

"I guess we really are friends now." I said, with a small smile.

"That remains to be seen. I'm still on the fence about us." Discord said snapping his claw for a white picket fence to spring between us.

"Although I will say that I had misjudged you Flame Pony. Therefore you win this game... for now. I look forward to seeing how you work this out." Discord said melting into the floor and disappearing.

I waited in the hallway for quite some time, thinking about the choices I had before me and how none of them seemed to work out so far. After a time I found strength in my legs again, trying to clear my throat to make sure I didn't sound hoarse, and made my way back to the Infirmary where Tea Herbal was sitting at the nursing station.

"Did you get lost?" Tea asked curiously.

"Something like that." I replied.

"Is everything okay?" Tea asked sounding worried.

"What? Yeah, why do you ask?" I asked her.

"You look like you've been crying." Tea said with concern.

"What? Me? No! No, of course not! Flame Ponies can't cry, even if we get hit by a… rock! We just shrug it off and uh… hit other stuff." I said with a hard pressed smile.

Tea stared at me. One of those stares that knew I was lying, but understood I wasn't in the mood to talk about it.

"Sometimes pain can be on the inside, most ponies can't see it unless they've been through it too." Tea explained to me.

My mane flickered.

"Does… the pain ever go away?" I asked.

"Only if you want it to." Tea replied.

"You've got work to do and it's late-" I started.

I watched Tea put down her clipboard and scoot her chair in. She leaned forward to me and smiled.

"I've got time." Tea reassured me.

Tea and I spent part of the night talking. I didn't mention anything about my father being the Mad King or the bits about the Elements of Harmony but other things that bothered me. I spoke of the mother I never knew, the older brothers that picked on me, my best friend Wingston, my loneliness growing up, how nervous I was about the Summit, and even my lack of a cutie mark.

For the most part Tea just listened, even at times where I felt like I was merely rambling she urged me to continue. When I felt that I had said all that I could she didn't offer me any advice, nor did she try and question the things that I had said. She excused herself for a moment and brought back some green tea. I was careful not to make a connection about her name and drink. I sipped it with her in silence.

"Goodnight Smolder." Tea had said finishing her drink. Sliding off her chair and making her way to the exit.

"G-Goodnight." I said feeling a bit awkward.

I went to my slab of granite and before I knew it I was fast asleep.
> Chapter 11: The Next Big Thing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I awoke the next morning to the frantic sounds of a very distressed Rarity who seemed to be arguing with Tea Herbal about the nature of her emergency. I rolled off the slab of granite, flaring my mane with a yawn before stretching; almost sure that the argument was about me.

"I know that you are very upset at the moment-" Tea began holding her hoof out in front of Rarity.

"Upset doesn't come close to what I'm feeling right now!" Rarity cried trying to get by.

"Something the matter?" I asked aloud walking up to them.

"Oh thank Celestia! Smolder, I need to speak with you right away! I'm afraid I've lost the competition before it has even started!" Rarity cried rubbing her hooves together; looking very distressed.

"Well that does sound bad." I mumbled.

"Of course it's bad! It's terrible! Horrible! Hurry! You must come with me right away!" Rarity pleaded; pacing at the door.

I looked to see Tea had already walked away once I had shown up; having returned to the nursing station to begin working again.

"Rarity, could you give me a minute? I just have to speak with Tea before I leave." I asked, looking back towards her.

"What? Tea? Well if you must but please hurry! I'll be waiting in my room!" Rarity stated nervously before bolting off down the corridor.

Making my way over to the nursing station Tea moved some papers around before looking up at me.

"Sleep well?" Tea asked with a smile.

"Yes, actually." I replied, feeling my mane flare a little.

"I'm glad to hear it." Tea said, moving the papers into folders.

"Um, Tea? About last night?" I began, my mane flaring a bit more.

"Yes?" Tea asked, her seemingly getting prettier by the second.

"Well I… um… well… uh… thank you." I said trying to say more but could only get that out.

"Don't mention it." Tea said smiling brighter.

"Cool." I said feeling my inner dork kick in.

I nodded a few times, unable to think of anything clever  to say and decided it was time to leave before I embarrassed myself further. I headed back towards the doorway, hoping to keep my calm, cool, and collected demeanor together. 

"I'm here if you ever want to talk again." Tea called after me.

"Yeah! Sure! Totally!" I shouted back while looking over my shoulder. 

I suddenly felt myself tripping over my own hooves in the process. I landed hard on my face. I could hear Tea trying to hide her giggling. Bolting back up, feeling my mane flare from embarrassment, I tried to walk out of the infirmary with whatever dignity I had left and once I was around the corner I hoof faced myself. 

"Totally? What is wrong with me?" I asked myself in a whisper.

I climbed the tower staircase, wondering what had gotten to Rarity  to make her son riled up. Nothing came to mind during my climb to Rarity's room. I eventually reached her door, knocking my hoof against the metal part of the handle.

"Rarity?" I asked aloud.

Pushing the door open I entered the room to find it very difficult to get any further than that doorway with the amount of things flying around via her magic; it was too dangerous for me to try and get by. I could see Rarity frantically running back and forth across her room doing her best to complete whatever task she had for herself as quickly as possible.

"Rarity?" I asked aloud again, trying to get her attention.

"Smolder! Thank the stars you're here! Come to the window! Quickly!" Rarity cried flinging all the things she could levitate with magic to the other side of the room.

I approached the window curiously wondering what had shaken Rarity so badly. Looking out, I saw some ponies in the courtyard below working on some sort of contraption.

"What is that?" I asked trying to figure it out.

"It's a band! A band!" Rarity cried, covering her face with her arm dramatically.

"What's a band? Is it that box?" I asked curiously, pointing my hoof at it.

"What? No darling that's a speaker, it amplifies sound so that it can be heard by every pony." Rarity clarified for me.

"Oh, that's cool." I said nodding.

"That's just it, Smolder! It's cool! Bands are the coolest thing! Fashion can be trendy, seasonal; all the rage but rarely is it ever cool! Those are fads! Fads are like catching lightning in a bottle!" Rarity cried in despair.

"Bands are the coolest?" I asked feeling confused.

"I'm slated to go on after the band down there does their performance. Every pony will be so electrified with their music that my fashion show will fall flat! I'm doomed." Rarity sobbed throwing herself onto the bed.

"Music?" I asked, never once hearing music in the Ashen Fields.

"You really don't get out much do you darling?" Rarity asked, looking rather sorry for me.

"Well then, what's the plan?" I asked, preparing to pose some more for Rarity.

"There is no plan, Smolder! I can't go up against the power of rock and roll!" Rarity cried covering her face with her hooves.

"They're going to roll rocks?" I asked, glancing back out the window.

"Okay this is becoming really sad really fast, Smolder dear. We need to get you in a sort of class or something to get caught up with everything." Rarity remarked tapping her chin with her hoof.

"But the clothes you've made are amazing." I insisted, motioning over to the wardrobe that sat on display.

"Fashion Shows are about themes, Smolder, it has some music to it but the focal point is the fashion. Ponies won't want to see clothes right after having their saddles knocked off." Rarity said weakly.

"So... the band is all about the performance and the music. While you're fashion show is about the style and the art?" I asked trying to figure it out.

"Well typically music is also art and style. They are interchangeable really, it's all about perspective and presentation." Rarity informed me.

"So we just have to present your clothes in a way that will get the crowd excited?" I asked, starting to understand.

"It's impossible dear. Fashion doesn't always connect with people the way music does." Rarity said solemnly.

"But fear does." I mumbled looking back out the window.

"What did you say, darling?" Rarity asked curiously.

"You said that fashion shows have themes?" I asked, having a thought.

"Of course." Rarity replied.

"I might just have an idea." I said with a mischievous smile.

Rarity and I spent most of the day, and that night, working on the presentation for the event tomorrow. Rarity would have to make a few adjustments to her line of clothing, but the beginning of the show would be in my hooves. For my plan to work I needed to make sure that I had taken every precaution necessary. I even went to Princess Celestia to tell her what I was planning to do, and much to my delight she agreed to it. As an added bonus, my request to Princess Luna for her help was also met with a yes.



Tomorrow had finally arrived. The Next Big Thing event was well underway, ponies from all over Equestria had come to see what it may be. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor presided over the event in the balcony facing the stage. Hundreds of ponies down below looked on as inventors showed off self-moving wagons, talking books, steam powered apple tree shakers, cupcake cannon, and much more.

It seemed to have a little bit of everything a pony could want or imagine, garnering the interest of several investor ponies. As the day wore on, the inventions became more grandiose, much more exciting, causing great crowds of ponies to gather to look at what was going on. Eventually night had fallen. The stage had been lit up, spotlights, multitudes of colors flashing all about as the band came out to rock the roll out of Canterlot; they were known as the Gee-Whiz.

Rarity was back stage desperately trying to put the finishing touches on some of her clothing that the Royal Guards were sporting. Princess Celestia had asked for any volunteers for Rarity's fashion show and many had stepped forward to help. 

"Oh my! The band is almost done playing! Everything just has to be perfect!" Rarity squealed checking over all the royal guards' outfits.

"Rarity?" Twilight's voice rang out over the music.

"What? Who? Oh, Twilight darling. I didn't see you there. What are you doing back here?" Rarity asked, turning to see her friends. 

"We all came to wish you luck." Twilight said motioning over to Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Spike behind her.

"Where's Rainbow Dash?" Rarity asked curiously. 

"Do you ponies hear this music? These ponies rock!" Rainbow Dash cried flying in from the rafters above.

"We're here to support Rarity, Rainbow Dash." Applejack said stomping her hoof down.

"I know that, it's just hard to compete with a band that had a twenty minute kazoo solo." Rainbow Dash replied.

"Where's Smolder? Isn't he here with you?" Twilight asked looking around.

"Oh he's here. He's going to be in the show." Rarity said nervously.

"Matchstick is going to be wearing a dress? On stage?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief.

"Not exactly but he will be on stage." Rarity assured them.

"This I got to see." Rainbow Dash said with a smile.

"I'm sure it will be a pretty dress." Fluttershy said encouragingly.

With the final note being plucked from the guitar the band bowed for the last time before clearing the stage. The stage hoof ponies rushed out to clear away the speakers and equipment in record time, and all the while the cheers from the crowds were still going. The stage was now clear but no pony came on. The cheering died down quickly while murmurs ran through the crowd wondering what was going on.

The lights of the stage switched off, the torches along the walls were suddenly snuffed out and the whole of Canterlot went dark. Many ponies shouted in fright while others began to question what was going on. I stood behind the curtains, feeling rather nervous now being here, but knew I had to go through with it if Rarity was going to get ponies to notice her new line of clothing. 

"There is a power inside each of us." Rarity's voice came floating from the stage. "Begging to be released."

The curtains rolled back, my flames illuminated a small part of the stage. I walked out towards the center of it. I could feel every pony's eyes fixed on me. I took a deep breath and hoped I'd be able to pull this off without burning down the stage. If there was one thing my father had taught me, it was that fear was a good motivator.

I shouted into the air. My flames exploded from my body, more powerful then I ever thought possible, swirling around me and whipping over the crowd like ribbons caught in a breeze. The ponies in the audience screamed in terror, hiding behind their hooves from the flash of my flames, but it did not burn any of them. My flames leaped into the air, dancing about, swirling towards the sky creating vast colors of blue, yellow, white, orange and red. 

My fire now roaring loudly, shaking the very stage beneath me. I could feel my limit about to be reached. I took a breath before my fire rushed back into my body, my flame once more a small flicker. Leaving the stage nearly completely dark once again. 

"Discover your inner power with a new line of year round clothing from the Rarity Collection." Rarity's voice floated in again. 

The brilliant white lights of the stage went back on blinding all the ponies in the audience.

The stage was now filled with fifteen Royal Ponies, each one wearing a unique outfit. The garments were black as coal, ocean blue, red as apples, yellow so bright it gleamed like gold and crimson as deep as cherries. Gold thread weaved to create patterns resembling dragon scales, fissures in the earth, flames, and other shapes. Each pony carried an array of accessories ranging from cloaks to hand bags, capes, saddle bags and even false mustaches.

"This new line was inspired by our very own Flame Pony, Smolder." Rarity's voice floated in again.

The Royal Guards trotted around for a minute, showing off the clothing from all angles before gathering near me. With a sudden flare of my mane, I reared back my head breathing fire high into the air, to earn a collective 'ooo' from the audience. 

"Leave a 'Smoldering' impression." Rarity's voice floated from the stage once more.

That was it. The whole presentation. Princess Luna had helped teach me to use the Royal Canterlot Voice, Princess Celestia had said it was okay to display my fire to the crowd. A couple of volunteers of the Royal Guard offered to lend a hoof to model and that was it. Rarity added the voice over bits saying the audience would need direction, but I was just hoping to scare them in hopes of having them forget about the band and focus on what we were pitching.

Rarity stepped out from behind the curtain looking nervous with a microphone in her hoof. Seconds later the crowd was in a hoof stomping uproar of cheers and applause. This boosted Rarity's confidence so high that she rushed out on stage waving at every pony. Speaking into the microphone expressing her gratitude and thanks for their applause. The Royal Guard Ponies had taken to strolling across the stage to model the clothing further, but I took it as an opportunity to exit the stage.

Leaving through the back of the stage was the best choice. Every pony was on the other side watching what was going on; allowing me to slip away without being bombarded with ponies. It made my escape a little easier, but I would have to take the long way round to get back to my nice cozy slab of granite in the Infirmary. 

It wasn't that I didn't want to be there to see the rest of Rarity's fashion show, but I had spent all night practicing to control my fire as best I could. Having slept very little, mostly due to my nerves, and Rarity's insistence of rehearsing several times before. 

Walking along the side of the corridor, taking care not to step on the fancy looking carpet that ran down the middle. Reaching the infirmary I noticed that it was empty. I could see no sick or injured ponies in bed, but I knew my slab of granite was calling my name. Closing the door behind me, I crossed the room towards the beds when I noticed movement from behind a sheet wall.

"Smolder?" Tea asked curiously stepping out from behind one of the curtain dividers.

"Oh, hello Tea." I said surprised.

"What are you doing here?" Tea asked curiously.

"Wait, what are you doing here?" I asked even more confused,

"A pony tried to launch himself out of a cannon as an alternative to taking the train to get to places. It ended up blowing up on the spot." Tea explained looking over her shoulder.

I took a gander to see a pony wrapped in several bandages, streams of smoke still coming off his mane, but he looked to be in good spirits. 

"So that's what exploded." I said thinking about the boom I had heard earlier in the day. 

"Yeah, I took him up here to get some rest. He's going to be alright." Tea said confidently, pulling the curtain divider closed to give the pony privacy.

"So I guess you missed out on Rarity's fashion show, huh?" I asked.

"Afraid so. How did it turn out?" Tea asked curiously making her way back to the nursing station.

"Well she got a pretty big applause from the audience, but I didn't stick around to see the rest of it." I said following her.

"Not one for the lime light, huh?" Tea asked sliding into her chair.

"I think I get enough attention already." I confessed.

"I suppose you're tired from working these last two days, your slab of rock thing is still here." Tea said.

I was indeed tired. Although, my heart rate had increased significantly since seeing Tea, which had me wide awake for some reason. 

"No, I'm not that tired." I said trying to sound chipper.

"Really?" Tea asked looking at me.

"Totally." I said with a smile.

I could feel that same look from the other night, where she knew I was lying but knew I didn't want to talk about it.

"Alright then." Tea said hiding a smile.

We fell quiet for a few moments, I tried not to seem pathetic by pretending there was a rock in my hoof while Tea went about her business filling out papers.

"So… it's not weird that you drink green tea?" I asked.
> Chapter 12: Tea Time
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I sat near the nursing station holding an iron kettle in my hooves. After a few minutes had gone by the kettle began to whistle loudly. Tea strode over holding a tray of cups to which I carefully filled with hot water from the kettle. I placed the kettle on the counter while Tea placed tea bags in all of the cups and brought them to the ponies in the Infirmary beds. 

The Next Big Thing was officially over, every pony was heading home which made it difficult for a Flame Pony like me to sit next to on the train. I elected to stay in Canterlot a bit longer, until the crowds had dwindled, before making my way back to Ponyville. In the meantime, I was Tea's personal assistant in the Infirmary today; taking care of all the ponies that had gotten sick during their visit. 

At one point, I was asked to hold an incense stick for one pony to help him sleep, but every time I tried to hold it, the stick flared up and turned to ash. Tea stood by watching me struggle for a bit before coming to my rescue. She took the incense stick, lit the tip of it from my mane and stuck the other end in my mouth. The sickly pony seemed content with it, enjoying the smell of the incense and the warmth of my flames. I ended up having to sit next to the pony's bedside for nearly an hour before he drifted off to sleep.

By that time it was nearly noon. Tea had brought out a large box of papers from the backroom where she kept most of the filing. She ordered me to sit next to her while she went through it. I wasn't quite sure how I was supposed to help until Tea threw a crumbled up piece of parchment at me. Bouncing off the side of my mane, the flames quickly burned it away and right then I knew what she needed me for. There was a few times where Tea would toss a crumbled up parchment into the air and watch me breathe a flame up at it. We watched as it would burn up on reentry and never reach the floor.

"So... you're going to have to go back to Ponyville tomorrow, huh?." Tea asked after a while.

"Yeah, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do when I get back." I said thinking about it. "Oh! I can finally get those boulders."

"Boulders?" Tea asked sounding confused; giving me a strange look.

"I was trying to build a stone house before I was brought here." I explained.

"With boulders?" Tea asked still not connecting the two.

"I break them up first." I mumbled starting to feel embarrassed.

"So you'll be living in Ponyville then?" Tea asked curiously.

"At least until the Summit meeting. If everything works out I'll go back to the Ashen Fields." I stated.

"So... you'll just leave your boulder house there in Ponyville?" Tea asked sounding confused.

I thought about it for a minute, I started to open my mouth but closed it quickly. She had a point.

"I guess it does seem pointless when you put it that way." I confessed.

"Does the Ashen Fields have a Mail Pony?" Tea asked fidgeting with her stapler.

"A Mail Pony? What's that?" I asked curiously.

"A pony that delivers letters to other ponies." Tea said slowly.

"Does the pony write all the letters?" I asked.

"No! The pony doesn't write all the letters!" Tea said surprised. 

"Then why does the pony have to deliver all those letters?" I asked sounding confused.

"That's a Mail Pony's job! To deliver other pony's letters!" Tea shouted in disbelief.

"Why doesn't the pony writing the letter just give it to the pony they are writing it for?" I asked bewildered.

"Because that pony might live really far away!" Tea shouted in frustration.

I thought for a moment, having realized that critical component of a Mail Pony's usefulness.

"A Mail Pony does seem like a significant pony to have." I admitted.

"So does the Ashen Fields have one?" Tea asked.

"Have what?" I asked looking at her.

"A Mail Pony!" Tea barked.

"No!" I said recoiling away from her.

"Oh, okay." Tea said looking disappointed.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I could feel Wingston's staff hitting me upside the head. I felt like I needed to say something.

"Did... you want to send a letter to the Ashen Fields?" I asked slowly.

Tea didn't reply right away, she was still occupying herself with the stapler on the table.

"Maybe." Tea said quietly.

"Well it would be pretty dangerous to get a Mail Pony into the Ashen Fields. We don't have any pony watching the borders or the roads for Timber Wolves, Owl Bears and all sorts of creatures might try and attack the Mail Pony." I said trying to think of a safe route.

"Some Mail Pony's are pegasi. They can just fly over." Tea said rolling her eyes.

"I didn't think of that! That would make it easy for them to bypass it completely. The brimstone of the volcano might throw them off their game, though." I said scratching my chin.

"Have you even gotten a letter before?" Tea asked curiously.

"Nope." I replied.

"Not even one?" Tea asked sounding rather sympathetic for me.

"Flame Ponies usually chisel things into slates and give them to the pony it is intended for. We can't hold parchment or pencils." I explained.  "Does a Mail Pony deliver rocks?" 

"I'm not sure." Tea said looking at me weird.

"Did you want to send me a letter?" I asked, feeling that all this mail talk was leading to something.

"I was thinking about it." Tea said shyly.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"What do you mean why?" Tea snapped turning slightly red.

"Why would you want to send me a letter?" I asked again.

Tea threw a hoof full of charts at me. They burst into flames on impact before scattering all over the floor leaving me to stamp them out in a panic but only causing them to burn faster. Eventually the charts burnt themselves out leaving small piles of ash scattered across the floor. Tea had retrieved a broom and pan from the back room, sweeping up the little piles before throwing the cleaning supplies back into the room before getting back to work.

"I could always just visit you here." I said, carefully approaching the nursing station.

"I won't be here for very much longer." Tea said promptly.

"Why not?" I asked in surprise.

"You're just full of questions today aren't you?" Tea asked looking flustered.

"I guess?" I replied sounding unsure.

"If you must know I'm going back to medical school to get my Medical Doctorate." Tea elaborated.

I stared at her looking very confused.

"I'm studying to be a Doctor." Tea said making it simpler for me.

"That's cool." I replied.

"Thanks." Tea said.

"You can't do that here?" I asked hopefully.

Tea shook her head no.

"I'll have to go back to Manehatten." Tea explained.

"We have only one real doctor in the Ashen Fields, and his name is Wingston. Well, sort of a doctor, he's more of a sage maybe? Maybe not so much a sage, but he doesn't like it when you call him a witch doctor; he is a bat though." I tried to explain.

"What?" Tea asked sounding confused.

"He carries a staff around. He hits me on the head with it sometimes." I said thinking back on it.

"Sounds like a very wise bat to me." Tea mumbled.

I sat down next to Tea who busied herself with actual work this time.

"How long will it take for you to become a doctor?" I asked.

"Four years." Tea said flatly.

"I bet you could do it in two." I said with a smile.

"It doesn't work like that." Tea replied.

I felt my smile drop; along with my stomach. I felt like some filly or foal just asking nonsense to an older pony.

"I appreciate that you think I could do that though." Tea mentioned with a smile.

"Well, you are the only nurse pony that works here." I pointed out, looking around the room.

"Oh yeah, I never noticed that." Tea mumbled looking up from her desk.

"I'll miss you Tea. You've been very kind to me." I said; my smile rebounding.

Tea stopped what she was doing to look over at me. She smiled wide nodding her head.

"Just don't go blowing yourself up while I'm gone, okay?" Tea asked.

"I'll try not to." I replied.

The doors to the Infirmary slid open quietly, two Royal Guards stepped through with Shining Armor following behind. I wondered if he had gotten his name because of his shining armor or if it was just a lucky coincidence. Either way he seemed to carry all manner of poise and authority with him. I found myself trying to mimic the seriousness in his face and causing one of the Royal Guard escorts to snort with laughter. Shining Armor approached the nursing station taking a quick glance at me before turning his attention fully on Tea.

"Ms. Herbal, is the Flame Pony cleared of all medical problems?" Shining Armor asked sternly.

"What?" Tea asked sounding confused.

"The uh, Flame Pony?" Shining Armor asked pointing his hoof at me.

"What about him?" Tea asked.

"Is he, like, sick or something?" Shining Armor asked curiously.

"That depends." Tea stated shuffling some papers around.

"On what?" Shining Armor asked.

"What you need him for." Tea said matter of factly.

"This is a classified matter on a need to know basis." Shining Armor said sounding stern once more.

"Let's see. Let's see. Nope sorry you can't see him, he has a case of the 'Nopes'." Tea said apologetically.

"The Nopes?" Shining Armor asked bewildered.

"That's right." Tea said writing the word nope on a piece of parchment with my name on it.

"He seems fine to me!" Shining Armor replied pointing his hoof at me accusingly.

"Nope." Tea said causally.

"Do you know who I am, Ms. Herbal?" Shining Armor asked throwing out his chest.

"Nope." Tea said again.

"I'm Prince Shining Armor, husband to Princess Cadance." Shining Armor declared stomping his hoof down.

"That's nice." Tea remarked filling out a chart.

"I command you to release this Flame Pony to me at once!" Shining Armor commanded.

"Nope." Tea said once more.

"Oh come on, please?" Shining Armor whined resting his head down on the desk.

"Nope." Tea said again.

"Well, when is he going to be cleared of the Nopes?" Shining Armor asked looking defeated.

"When I find out what you need him for." Tea explained.

"What are you his keeper?" Shining Armor asked annoyed.

"Nope." Tea replied.

"Alright! Alright! Just keep it under your saddle, okay?" Shining Armor exclaimed.

Shining Armor looked around the Infirmary to make sure no pony was trying to eavesdrop before leaning in to whisper.

"We have received word that some ponies went missing digging for gems in the mountains near the Everfree forest yesterday. We're not sure but we believe it may have been a cave in." Shining Armor whispered to Tea.

"What do you need Smolder for?" Tea asked back in a whisper.

"Smolder?" Shining Armor asked confused.

"The Flame Pony." Tea replied pointing to me.

"We need his help. The caves within the mountains are notoriously dangerous, and incredibly dark. The Flame Pony will provide us ample lighting and minimizing the risk of one of us getting lost or separated." Shining Armor explained glancing over at me.

"Nope." Tea said returning to her work.

"What?" Shining Armor retorted.

"Not going to happen." Tea replied.

"I thought you said his Nopes would go away if I told you what we needed him for?" Shining Armor asked sounding annoyed.

"Nope." Tea said.

It was clear that Shining Armor was about to have a conniption when Princess Cadance walked into the room.

"Everything alright, dear?" Princess Cadance asked curiously noticing the sour look on Shining Armor's face.

"Ms. Herbal refuses to let me see the Flame Pony." Shining Armor tattled.

Princess Cadance looked passed Tea to see me sitting by her side.

"Isn't that him right there?" Princess Cadance asked curiously.

"That's not… she wasn't… she said that… I…" Shining Armor's eye began to twitch trying to explain the odd set of circumstances that had led to this point.

"I'm only teasing, calm down dear, before you start saying gibberish." Princess Cadance said with a laugh before approaching the nursing station.

"Can we please speak with the Flame Pony?" Princess Cadance requested politely.

"Nope." Tea replied not looking up.

"Why not?" Princess Cadance asked curiously.

"Case of the Nopes." Tea answered.

At this point Shining Armor was pointing at Tea while looking at Princess Cadance as if this was the reason he was upset.

"I've never heard of Nopes before, is it serious?" Princess Cadance asked playing along.

"Nope." Tea said.

"Is he going to get better soon? We could really use his help with something important." Princess Cadance asked politely.

"Nope." Tea said again.

"Is that all you're going to say?" Princess Cadance asked suddenly sounding annoyed.

"Nope." Tea replied.

"Now listen here Ms. Herbal there is obviously no such thing as the Nopes so I demand that you release the Flame Pony from your care or I shall have to report this to Princess Celestia!" Princess Cadance demanded placing a hoof on the desk sounding extremely annoyed.

"Nope." Tea replied.

It was at this point that both Princess Cadance and Shining Armor looked like they were going to snap and it decided to intervene.

"It's cool, Tea" I said aloud.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to Smolder." Tea replied sounding worried.

She looked rather uneasy about this whole cave business but I smiled for her hoping it would put her at ease.

"I'll be okay." I said promptly.

"Thank you, Smolder." Princess Cadance said graciously.

"We have a chariot waiting to take us to the last known sighting of the missing ponies. We should leave as soon as possible." Shining Armor said to me.

"I'm ready." I said heading towards the door.

Before I left the Infirmary I looked back to give Tea a reassuring smile and a wave. Princess Cadance turned to Tea who made herself busy with paper work again.

"A case of the Nopes?" Princess Cadance asked curiously.

"One of these days Smolder is going to end up really hurt trying to appease every pony." Tea said sounding annoyed.

"Shining Armor will look after him. He never leaves a pony behind." Princess Cadance reassured her.

"He's a dork." Tea mumbled returning to work.

"He can be at times." Princess Cadance agreed.

"Wait, who are you talking about?" Tea asked curiously.

"Shining Armor. Why? Whom were you referring to?" Princess Cadance asked.

"Smolder." Tea replied.

Princess Cadance and Tea shared a laugh together.



I've never ridden on a chariot before, nor have I ever soared through the air, but I began to wish I had been born a Pegasi Pony. Shining Armor stood diligently, back straight, chest out, looking official and stern. The amount of wind passing us by licked my flames back and blasted back Shining Armor's mane.

"So you're married to Princess Cadance?" I asked feeling curious.

"Yep." Shining Armor said proudly.

"What's that like?" I asked.

"How's what like?" Shining Armor asked back.

"Being married to a pretty pony." I replied.

Shining Armor fidgeted a bit, a smile started to crawl across his face as he leaned over to me.

"It's awesome." Shining Armor whispered sounding rather excited about it.

"You don't get nervous or anything when talking to her?" I asked finding it difficult to talk to Tea at times.

"What? No, no of course not. I was a very articulate pony. Never had a problem talking to pretty ponies." Shining Armor said shaking his head.

I couldn't really tell if he was saying that to me or himself.

"Yeah me neither." I replied, trying to sound cool like Shining Armor.

"Princess Cadance and I are totally cool with each other. Real cool." Shining Armor said confidently.

"Cool." I said nodding.

The chariot dived lowed through the mist of the mountain, and pulling up sharply to bring us alongside the winding road that snaked its way towards the top.

"The missing ponies were last seen on the eastern side of the mountain!" Shining Armor called out to the Royal Guard Pegasi pulling the chariot.

We circled the mountain once before landing on a narrow path outside the mouth of a large cave. Dismounting the chariot Shining Armor stood with his hooves together while the Royal Guard Pegasi lined up in front of him. I remained on the chariot watching them get into formation, but none of them seemed to move or say anything. Shining Armor looked over his shoulder at me, he coughed out loud, but I didn't budge. He coughed aloud once more, the Royal Guards leaned over to look at me as well.

"Flame Pony!" Shining Armor called to me.

"What?" I asked curiously.

"Why didn't you fall in?" Shining Armor asked sternly.

"Fall into what?" I asked.

"Formation!" Shining Armor shouted.

"What?" I asked feeling confused.

"I'm your Commanding Officer. You have to fall into formation so I can give out the orders." Shining Armor decreed.

"But I'm not a soldier pony." I stated.

The Royal Guard Pegasi looked at each other while the sudden realization dawned upon Shining Armor.

"Right! Of course! That's what I meant!" Shining Armor said aloud.

Even the Royal Guards seemed confused now.

"Smolder, please come over here." Shining Armor said pointing to the spot next to him.

I did as he asked. Shining Armor turned to me with his head held high and his chest once more thrown out.

"I am decreeing upon you the rank of Cadet. This is only temporary, but it will serve its purpose for this mission." Shining Armor declared tapping one hoof to the ground.

The Royal Guard Pegasi seemed to take this matter seriously so I tried to look like I knew what was going on.

"These ponies are now your brothers in arms. This is Private Nightshade. To his right is Private First Class Cosmic, and to his right Specialist Peanut." Shining Armor introduced the royal guards to me.

"Hi, I'm Smolder." I said with a wave.

"Alright, Cadet. Go stand with the others." Shining Armor ordered.

I lined up with Private Nightshade who kept his attention forward.

"We're here to find three ponies that have gone missing. Our information has told us that the ponies were last seen entering the cave. We are to locate them and bring them home. The Eastern Cave is treacherous. From cave-in to the ground falling out beneath your hooves an to top it off its pitch black." Shining Armor said aloud.

"Sounds fun." Private Nightshade mumbled under his breath.

"Cadet Smolder has agreed to help us in our search for these missing ponies. He'll be our main source of light while searching. Stay close to him and we'll be aces." Shining Armor instructed.

The Royal Guards clicked their hooves together with a sudden grunt to show their understanding of Shining Armor's instructions. I nodded in agreement feeling completely out of place.

"Cadet Smolder you will be leading the way. Watch where you step. We'll be right behind you." Shining Armor commanded, pointing towards the cave.

"Alright." I replied.

"Yes, sir." Shining Armor corrected me but I didn't realize it.

The whole soldier pony notion was lost on me, making me feel like I should have had General Hearth teach me some of it. As i turned on the spot and started heading towards the mouth of the cave, Shining Amor rolled his eyes and told the Royal Guards to move out realizing that I wasn't going to grasp the concept anytime soon.

I was used to exploring caves back in the Ashen Fields. In no way was I an expert of geology but I could tell when something looked like it would break beneath a hoof. The caves here had less support structures built than the ones in the Ashen Fields. We crossed many junctions that had suffered cave-in long ago. Once or twice I stopped to tell the group of holes in the ground, old wood boards laid over them and they were easy to spot but I called them out anyways.

"What's it like being on fire?" Private Nightshade asked from behind me.

"What does not being on fire feel like?" I asked him back.

"Feels nice." Private Nightshade replied.

"I guess it feels like that. Except you can't really touch anything." I explained.

"That must be difficult." Specialist Peanut remarked from the back.

"At times." I stated.

"Stay sharp ponies." Shining Armor said aloud.

"I saw what you did during The Next Big Thing. Now that was a light show." Private First Class Comic remarked.

"I thought about getting one of those Flame Pony cape things for Belle." Nightshade mentioned.

"Belle?" I asked not knowing of who he spoke of.

"Belle is Nightshade's special somepony." Cosmic informed me.

"If he gets the courage to tell her that." Peanut remarked with a laugh.

"I'll tell her! Just not right away." Nightshade barked, his face flushed.

"Sure Shades, sure." Shining Armor chuckled.

"What about you, Cosmic? Whatever happened to that one pony? Fall?" Nightshade asked.

"Summer. She and I are going out for dinner tomorrow night." Cosmic declared happily.

"You're falling behind, Nightshade." Peanut laughed again.

"Belle's going to find some other pony by the time you work up the courage to ask her out." Shining Armor teased.

"I'll ask her when I get back to the castle! You'll see!" Nightshade snapped.

"Look out for the rock." I said pointing my hoof towards an exposed rock coming up from the ground.

Every pony stopped talking for a moment to take notice of the rock. Each one carefully stepping over it before chatting again.

"I'd like to see that." Cosmic quipped.

"He'll probably just faint like last time." Shining Armor laughed.

"I didn't faint! I just tripped!" Nightshade hollered.

"Sitting down?" Peanut asked with an amused smile.

Nightshade turned red with embarrassment.

"What about you, Smolder? You got a special somepony?" Nightshade asked, hoping to deflect the attention away from him.

"Nope." I replied.

"What about Tea?" Shining Armor asked curiously.

"What about her?" I asked.

"She seemed to be very protective of you." Shining Armor replied.

"You mean Tea Herbal? Now that's a pretty pony." Peanut remarked.

"She is, isn't she?" I asked agreeing with him.

"You're not interested in being her special somepony?" Cosmic asked curiously.

"I can't. There's a hole to every pony's right." I said pointing to it.

"Why not?" Nightshade asked stepping around the hole.

"I'm a Flame Pony." I stated.

"So what? Just because you're a Flame Pony doesn't make you any less of a pony." Shining Armor said.

The other ponies agreed. Voicing their support of no pony being less of a pony just because of where they were born.

"Because of our flames a Flame Ponies can't touch normal ponies." I explained to them. "Besides, Tea is going back to Manehatten to become a doctor, I won't be able to see her again for a long time." 

Every pony had realized that I had meant the literal sense of the words Flame Pony.

"There must be some way you can turn that off?" Nightshade questioned.

"There isn't." I said in a rather sad tone.

"There's a lot more to a relationship then that, you need to be able to communicate, share common interests and a bunch of other things. Just because can't hold hooves doesn't mean you can't be Tea's special somepony." Cosmic argued.

"That wouldn't be fair to Tea." I mumbled.

"Isn't that her decision?" Shining Armor asked.

I stopped short. The other ponies slowed to a stop behind me.

"We Flame Ponies learned a long time ago that no matter how much we want to be like every other pony, we have to accept that there are some things we will never be able to do." I explained.

With a nod. Knowing this truth for as long as I could remember I started back down the tunnel once more. 

"Ms. Herbal will be just fine without me." I said decisively.

Shining Armor, Peanut, Cosmic, and Nightshade lingered for a moment. Each feeling sad for my plight, before following me once again. 

"It doesn't seem fair, does it?" Nightshade asked under his breath.

"Some ponies have a lot of chances to be happy and some don't even get the one." Peanut said walking past Nightshade.

"You better get on it, Shades." Cosmic said elbowing him on the shoulder.
> Chapter 13: Sending Messages
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had led Shining Armor and the Royal Guard ponies through the mountain tunnel, leading out into a cavern that was pitch black. The light from my flames did little to illuminate the space around us. Tilting my head up I breathed a stream of fire into the air, revealing a vast network of tunnels, path like ridges, and some old pony made stone bridges that had been in disrepair for quite sometime. 

"We must be close to the center of the mountain." Shining Armor said looking up at the blackness. "Ponies used to mine the mountain for gems and gold a long time ago."

"It must go on for miles." Cosmic whispered in amazement stepping forward to get a better look.

"Careful." I snapped knocking my hoof against his chest armor.

Cosmic looked down to see that we were standing on the ledge of a deep ravine knifing its way under the mountain. Cosmic whistled loudly as it echoed off the walls for a good minute or two.

"They could be anywhere." Peanut said looking around.

"We'll have to go back and return with a larger search party." Shining Armor said bitterly.

"Not necessarily." I stated sniffing the air.

"What do you mean?" Nightshade asked curiously.

"Our missing ponies decided to use torches to light their way." I replied.

"How do you know that?" Shining Armor asked curiously.

"There are varying degrees of smells when fire burns things, and I can detect a faint hint of oil." I explained to them.

"How did you learn to do that?" Peanut asked sounding amazed.

"Flame Ponies are just more in tune with how fire works." I replied, still sniffing the air. 

"Can you track it?" Cosmic asked curiously. 

"I can. At least up until we find the torches." I explained.

"It's a start. Lead on, Cadet." Shining Armor ordered.

We walked down the path that etched its way along the ravine. The smell of oil came and went. It led me to believe that there must have been wind blowing through the caves somewhere. I couldn't feel the breeze all that strongly, but the smell of the oil was getting stronger the further we went. Eventually we stumbled across a makeshift camp with burnt out torches piled near the tent.

"The torches aren't even warm. They've haven't been here for a while." Nightshade reported, examining them. 

"There are saddle bags filled with provisions inside the tent." Peanut reported, stepping out with a saddle bag in hoof.

"Their tools are still here too. It doesn't seem likely that they would go anywhere without them." Cosmic reported, kicking a pickax across the ground.

"Keep looking for some sort of clue that might tell us where they went." Shining Armor instructed them. 

Not wanting to burn anything, I stood over at the edge of the ravine looking out into the darkness. My eyes darting around trying to focus on a point in the blackness. Wondering if one of the ponies had fallen into the ravine and the other two went down to try to rescue their friend. 

"They took their sleeping bags with them." Peanut mentioned tossing the saddle bag back into the tent.

"That doesn't make any sense, why leave all your food here, but take your sleeping bags?" Nightshade asked scratching his head. 

My heart had skipped a beat. I suddenly realized what had happened to the ponies.

"They were taken." I mumbled to myself staring down into the ravine.

"What was that, Cadet?" Shining Armor asked looking over my way.

"The ponies were taken while they were still in their sleeping bags." I said in a hushed tone.

No pony said a word. There was complete silence for a few moments. Shining Armor looked around the cave trying to see what I already knew was there hiding in the shadows. 

"Spiders." Cosmic hissed in disgust.

"Every pony remain calm." Shining Armor whispered.

"I've put you all in danger." I said lowering my flames as much as I could.

"Don't be ridiculous, I asked you to come with us." Shining Armor hissed at me.

"They're attracted to the light. It's how they found the other ponies." I explained.

The sound of loose dirt trickled down from up above the campsite. Two spiders suddenly dropped down screeching and clicking their fangs. Nightshade barely had time to move before being pinned beneath the first spider. The second spider had missed it's target, allowing Peanut to land a hard kick on it and sent it falling into the ravine.

A blue flash of magic erupted from Shining Armor's horn; blasting the spider off of Nightshade. Cosmic followed up by kicking the spider into the open tent. The tent poles collapsed, acting like a net, trapping the spider within. 

The sudden sound of scratching reached my ears, turning back towards the edge of the ravine I breathed fire down into the darkness to see countless spiders climbing up the side towards us.

"Let's move every pony!" Shining Armor shouted helping Nightshade to his hooves.

I rushed passed Shining Armor to the burned out torches upon the floor. Breathing a blast of fire upon them, I ignited them once more and kicked one over towards Cosmic.

"Good idea!" Cosmic shouted taking up the torch.

"We have to get out of here!" Nightshade shouted, rushing over to take one as well.

The path we had come from was already being swarmed by spiders. Their skittering and hisses filled the air, their screeches were trying to strike fear in us, and by all accounts it was working. 

Quickly rushing out in front of the path I took a deep breath and spewed a torrent of fire down the path. The spiders fearing to be burned scrambled over one another trying to avoid my flames; some even leaping off the edge of the ravine.

"We'll need to find another way out! Cadet! Lead the way! We'll cover you!" Shining Armor cried taking a torch.

I had no idea where any of these tunnels led, but all I could think of was heading towards wherever the wind was coming from. Racing to the other side of the campsite, I stood still for a moment hoping to feel the wind. My flames fluttered for a moment, the wind blowing passed me, and I had an idea of where to go. Two hairy spider legs reached over the side of the ravine, slamming down close to me. I flared my mane causing the spider legs to burn from the heat and it recoiled away; retreating back over the side with a pained screech. 

"This way!" I shouted moving down the edge of the ravine.

Nightshade and Cosmic battled up front, stomping their hooves on legs that reached over and waving their torches in the face of any spider that dared to poke it's head out. Peanut was in back with Shining Armor, bringing up the rear, firing magical shots at the wave of spiders that pursued us from behind. Peanut defended Shining Armor from any spider attempting to flank him from the ravine.

The path got narrower the further we ran, eventually leading to a pony sized tunnel that sloped down into more darkness. I glanced behind me to see that turning back was not an option. I could feel the wind blowing rather strongly from it, deciding it was best to go with my gut and jump in.

"Follow me!" I shouted over my shoulder to them.

Every pony turned to watch me jump down into the tunnel; the light of my flames dimming off the tunnel walls from the steep decent.

"Is he serious?" Nightshade asked, sticking his head into the tunnel.

"You can wait here for a second opinion if you want!" Cosmic cried pushing past him and leaping in.

"Commander!" Peanut shouted to Shining Armor; having pushed Nightshade down into the tunnel.

"Go! I'm right behind you!" Shining Armor shouted back; blasting a group of spiders back with his magic.

Peanut jumped down into the tunnel as he was told. Shining Armor tossed his torch at a spider climbing up over side of the ravine, nailing it in the eyes before it lost its balance and tumbled back down. Rushing towards the tunnel, Shining Armor leaped through the opening, disappearing into the blackness while the spiders above dug their legs into the hole trying to reach them; hissing angrily over their escape.

Sliding down through the darkness of the tunnel, I could hear the others thump and bump their way after me. Before I knew it, I flew out the mouth of the tunnel, landing hard on the ground; rolling a few feet before sliding to a stop. I had landed on my back, suddenly wishing I had gone head first to land on my hooves. I could hear the others growing closer, not wanting to be on the bottom of the pile, I quickly rolled over watching Cosmic, Nightshade, Peanut and Shining Armor fly out from the tunnel and landing atop one another.

"Get your hoof out of my face!" Nightshade groaned.

"Well get your flank off of my back!" Cosmic bellowed back.

"Knock it off you two." Shining Armor barked rolling off the pile.

"Did we lose them?" Peanut asked looking back at the tunnel; trying to get to his hooves.

"For now I think." Cosmic mumbled, rubbing his back.

"Cadet, where are we?" Shining Armor asked strolling over to me.

I didn't respond to Shining Armor, I was too busy staring up at a mass that hung in the darkness. One by one the ponies saw what I was looking at. My flames had just barely illuminated her trunk like legs, her pony sized fangs clicked together echoing off the walls, her head slowly lowering down to us. I was once more face to face with the Queen of Spiders again.

"No pony move a muscle." Shining Armor whispered.

"Why have you come into my kingdom, wicked Flame Pony? Bringer of Pain, Blisters and Soars, that is what I name you!" The Queen shrieked angrily.

"You know her?" Nightshade whispered in disbelief.

"Quiet!" Cosmic whispered nudging Nightshade.

"Speak, Flame Pony! Speak! Before I have my children devour your friends!" The Queen threatened.

I could see that the Queen's belly was badly burned from our last encounter. She dangled herself on her webs to keep her belly from touching the floor; the blisters did not look good at all. There was no way to know how long it would take for the spiders to catch up to us, so I decided to make this a quick visit. Striking my hooves onto the ground I breathed fire high into the air before the Queen. With an almost ear splitting screech the Queen waved her enormous legs at me trying to keep the fire from reaching her.

"There were three ponies that went missing in these mountains yesterday! Where are they?" I demanded stepping forward.

"No ponies here!" The Queen hissed venomously.

Deciding to cut the pleasantries I shot a stream of fire towards a lower part of her webbing. The webbing snapped from the flames causing the Queen to sink towards the floor in a screech of pain. Pieces of the burning webbing fell to the floor, offering a bit of light to the area. Her screeches and hisses were bone chilling.

"Where are they?" I demanded again.

The Queen clicked her teeth together. Staring down at me with such hate. I stared right back up at her flaring my mane; warning her not to challenge me. Raising one of her legs, she reached up into the high webbing above her, one of her thick hairs of her leg lifted a small bundle of webbing and tossed it at us. 

Peanut leaped into the air, fanning out his wings,  catching the bundle of webbing before it hit the ground. Peanut fell to the ground, bundle safely in hoof, the webbing squirmed a top him as Nightshade and Cosmic moved in to help. Three earth ponies, still wrapped in their sleeping bags, appeared from underneath the webbing; looking unbelievably frightened.

"Filthy Flame Pony! You steal food from us! Burns us! A curse you are! You and all your kind! Be rid of us, Flame Pony! Trouble us no more!" The Queen shrieked kicking dirt at me with one of her legs.

The cloud of dirt washed over me. I felt my mane flare, feeling annoyed with her, but we had the three missing ponies now; it was time to go.

"We need a way out of here!" Shining Armor shouted up to the Queen; striding up alongside me.

"You have what you asked for! Now leave!" The Queen shrieked spitting pieces of web from her mouth.

"Over there." I whispered to Shining Armor pointing behind the Queen.

Shining Armor struggled to see what I was looking at but he eventually saw the shadowy outline of another tunnel at the opposite end.

"You're sure?" Shining Armor questioned with a whisper.

"The wind is coming from that tunnel. It will lead us out of the mountain." I said confidently; it has always been a way for lost Flame Ponies to find their way out of the old mining tunnels back in the Ashen Fields. 

"We'll be taking our leave then!" Shining Armor declared to the Queen.

"Thank you! Thank you!" The light brown earth pony cried hugging Peanut; traumatized by the whole ordeal.

"Get off!" Peanut mumbled pushing him down.

"Is every pony okay?" Shining Armor asked stepping towards them.

"Commander Shining Armor! You came to rescue us!" The tan pony cried bowing his head in gratitude.

"We will have time to speak later. We must make it out of these caves before more spiders arrive." Shining Armor explained to them. "Cadet, you lead the way. Nightshade you're up front. Cosmic and Peanut you bring up the sides and I'll cover the back. You ponies stay in between us; we'll get you out of here." 

I was beginning to wonder if this was the sort of thing Soldier Ponies did every day, rescuing lost ponies, fighting spiders, and wearing cool armor. I led the ponies around the side of the Queen, the wind from the tunnel fanned my flames; that was a good sign. It meant that this tunnel led straight to the outside. 

I could almost smell the fresh crisp mountain air. I could imagine returning to the Infirmary to tell Tea of my adventure here. I had taken my eyes off the Queen for only a moment; not noticing the Queen had kicked out one of her massive legs at me.

"Smolder!" Nightshade shouted.

Nightshade jumped forward pushing me out of the way while the Queen's leg struck him instead. Nightshade flew across the cave, slamming into the wall, before collapsing onto the ground. Cosmic was the first to run after him. Peanut pushed the earth ponies back from the Queen while Shining Armor stepped in front to cover him.

I could only stare at Nightshade; his motionless body lying against the cave wall. No pony had ever done something like that for me before. 

Why would some pony do that for me?

"How is he, Cosmic?" Shining Armor asked rushing over to him.

"He's unconscious. I can't tell how bad it is. He needs a doctor." Cosmic said lifting Nightshade onto his back.

"Children! It's time to feed!" The Queen shrieked into the darkness.

The sound of hissing and screeching started to echo off of the cave walls. Shining Armor looked up to see countless spiders beginning to descend from the high mountain ceiling above; cascading down from the cave walls.

"Peanut! Get these ponies to the tunnel! Cosmic, look after Nightshade I'll watch your back!" Shining Armor shouted pointing them towards the tunnel.

Peanut pushed the earth ponies towards the tunnel with Cosmic bringing up the rear. There was a sudden swell of light that originated near the Queen. 

I got to my hooves. I could feel the fire raging inside me, but I didn't hold it back. My body suddenly exploded with fire, throwing my flames in all directions, blazing like an inferno that frightened the Queen. My flames drove back the darkness that concealed the her, illuminating the world around us in a fiery red. 

"Smolder!" Shining Armor shouted to me; shielding his eyes with one arm.

I couldn't hear him. All I could hear was the roar of my flames; all I wanted to do was to hurt her.

A stream of fire erupted from my mouth, burning the underside of the Queen. With her shrieks of pain she tried to climb higher into her webbing. Whipping my head around I set the whole of her webbing ablaze, the webbing snapping like rope; the Queen tumbled down her web. Landing with a tremendous boom onto the floor the Queen screeched in pain; shrieking her curses at me. 

Her children leapt from the walls to defend their Queen, attempting to pounce upon me. Flaring my mane, my flames struck the spiders, turning them to ash before they hit the ground. Ribbons of fire leaped from my mane, striking the spiders from the walls, chasing them back into the shadows high above. 

The Queen tried to lift herself off the ground, getting her legs underneath herself. I opened my mouth, bathing the side of her face with fire, and knocking her back down again. I wasn't going to let the Queen get up again.

"Filthy, cursed, disgusting Flame Pony!" The Queen roared in anger.

I responded in kind. Spewing fire across her body, the Queen flailed in blistering pain, striking her legs down hard against the ground. Among the cries of hundreds of spiders, the screeching of the Queen, and the roar of my flames a sound did rise above it all. 

The ground beneath the Queen began to crack open. Like broken glass the cracks split across the floor. The ground gave way beneath the Queen pulling her under in a blackened abyss. Her children fearing from the cave-in scattered back up the walls into the tunnels. Pieces of rock from the high ceiling crashed down around me, many falling in after the Queen who had vanished in the blackness. 

I stared into the abyss, fixated on seeing her be buried beneath the earth, not noticing the cracks darting beneath my own hooves. The ground gave way beneath me, and I felt myself suddenly falling.

"I gotcha!" Shining Armor called out.

I felt myself levitating in the air. Glancing over, I saw that Shining Armor had caught me with his magic. Having felt myself snap back to my senses I lowered my flames back to their normal flicker; allowing Shining Armor to pull me closer to the edge. Shining Armor was struggling to keep me a float with the cave crashing down around him. I reached the ledge, lifting myself up over the lip of the abyss and taking one last look down into it.

"We have to move!" Shining Armor shouted, using his magic to push me to start moving. 

Shining Armor and I raced up passed the falling rocks, narrowly avoiding being flattened several times before reaching the tunnel. We charged through it as fast as we could. Seeing the dust billowing past just as we charged out from the mouth of the cave. Coming to a stop near the base of the mountain, the earth ponies, Peanut, Cosmic and Nightshade had all made it out.

"Is every pony alright?" Shining Armor asked looking around.

"We're fine, but Nightshade's going to need a doctor pony right away." Cosmic replied, tending to him.

"Peanut, get the chariot." Shining Armor said breathing heavy.

"Sir." Peanut responded aloud; flying off towards the eastern part of the mountain.

Shining Armor looked towards me. I was looking back at the tunnel we had just come from. Feeling a burning rage still lingering in my chest.

"What happened back there, Cadet?" Shining Armor asked coming up alongside me.

Taking a deep breath I tried to calm myself, looking over at Nightshade being carried by Cosmic made my mane flare.

"Smolder?" Shining Armor asked again.

"Why did he do it? I'm no soldier pony." I said, feeling horrible, if not guilty for what happened.

"Maybe not, but I don't think Nightshade was thinking about that when he pushed you out of the way. I think he was trying to protect a friend." Shining Armor replied.

My stomach dropped. I had been careless and some other pony paid for it.

"I watched you take on the Queen hoof to fang, Smolder. You were like an inferno. I know what happened to Nightshade must of made you angry, but you almost fell into that pit; buried underneath all that rock. You just can't let your anger blind you like that, we could have lost you." Shining Armor explained to me.

"We..." I started to speak.

I wanted to tell him that Flame Ponies are taught not to show mercy. That whatever challenges a Flame Pony, we teach it to fear our flame. It was what my father had taught me. What my father had told me. It was how my father treated me. Taking another deep breath I realized I didn't want to be like my father.

"I'm sorry... sir." I said straightening up.

Shining Armor took notice of the word sir, but more so, my apology. Lifting his head with authority again, throwing out his chest, Shining Armor smiled at me.

"On behalf of the Crystal Empire, and the Royal Guards of Canterlot I want to personally thank you for your assistance today, Smolder. We couldn't have done this without you." Shining Armor said, before leaning in close to me.  "I'm sure Nightshade will be happy to hear you dropped a mountain on the Queen for him."
> Chapter 14: Filling Voids
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sitting on the rampart of the Royal Castle I watched the sun begin to set behind the mountain tops. I watched the shadows from the mountains stretch out over the land. The shadows traced the edge of the Everfree Forest until it fanned out over the ridge towards the west. I returned my gaze to the sunset wondering if Princess Celestia had added the colors or if it was something beyond her control.

Shining Armor stood on the balcony overlooking the courtyard and the rampart I was sitting on. Princess Cadance strode up next to him; gently nudging him with her hoof to get his attention.

"How is he?" Princess Cadance asked looking out over the balcony.

"He's been up there ever since we got back." Shining Armor sighed.

"Have you tried talking to him?" Princess Cadance asked turning to him.

"I tried, but I think he wants to be left alone right now." Shining Armor replied.

"The poor thing, it wasn't his fault Private Nightshade got hurt." Princess Cadance said sympathetically.

"That is only part of it." Shining Armor mentioned.

"The Queen?" Princess Cadance guessed.

"Yeah. The Queen." Shining Armor nodded his head.

"Is he still angry with her?" Princess Cadance asked sounding worried.

"I think he's angry with himself." Shining Armor mentioned.

Princess Cadance leaned over to nestle her head against Shining Armor's. His hoof reaching over her shoulder and pulling her closer.

"How is Private Nightshade doing?" Princess Cadance asked.

"A few broken ribs, a sprained hoof and a bump on the head. He's going to be alright though." Shining Armor informed her.

"Do you think we'll ever see the Queen again?" Princess Cadance asked curiously.

"I doubt it." Shining Armor said with a smile.

The wind began to pick up a bit. Racing over the rampart to flare my mane back. I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly looking down at my hooves. 

"Mind if I join you?" A voice asked aloud.

Looking up, I saw Princess Celestia striding down the rampart towards me. I felt my mane flare nervously.

"Sure." I said quietly.

Princess Celestia strode over to me, her multicolored mane and tail dancing in the breeze. She sat down next to me. Looking out over the rampart admiring the view just as I had. We sat in silence for a few minutes, not looking at one another, and just enjoying the final moments of the sunset.

"I've received word that Private Nightshade is expected to make a full recovery." Princess Celestia said kicking things off.

"I'm… relieved." I said, feeling a weight being lifted.

"The three earth ponies you helped rescue have safely returned home. They send their thanks." Princess Celestia continued; sounding rather warm.

"Cool." I said, not knowing what else to say.

Princess Celestia looked over at me. I glanced up and saw that she was smiling at me. I didn't feel like smiling.

"Shining Armor has given his full report on what had transpired in the mountain. " Princess Celestia mentioned casually.

"I got to be a Cadet." I said quietly.

"So I've heard." Princess Celestia replied.

"But only for a little while." I added.

"Shining Armor said that you were a big help in finding the lost ponies." Princess Celestia remarked.

"As a flashlight." I mumbled sounding embarrassed.

Princess Celestia laughed quietly to herself; my mane flared from embarrassment. We sat quietly for a few more minutes, the sun having disappeared behind the mountains.

"Luna should be raising the moon any minute now." Princess Celestia mentioned looking up at the sky.

I knew Princess Celestia could sense my anxiety. She had given me that look that Tea had given me. I was beginning to feel I was an easy pony to read.

"Princess Celestia?" I began, taking a deep breath. 

"Yes?" Princess Celestia replied looking my way. 

"When.. when I fought the Queen for the first time…" I began; facing forward not wanting to look over at her; my heart pounding in my chest. "She had kicked me, like she did Nightshade, and I was sure that I wasn't getting up again."

Princess Celestia remained quiet, letting me continue uninterrupted. 

"I remember feeling numb from the pain, the spiders were closing in, and my vision going dark. But just before I slipped away… I heard a voice speak to me and I…" I felt my words catch in my throat.

I looked away trying not to let Princess Celestia see me become emotional; trying to steady my breathing.

"I could have sworn it was my mother." I said brushing my nose with my hoof.

Princess Celestia smiled at me.

"I felt a fire rage inside me, a fire that gave me so much strength that I was able to stand up and face the Queen again. There was warmth to my flames, I felt powerful, brave, and I felt that I was in control. " I explained.

I paused for a moment. Remembering the Queen, Nightshade's selflessness, and the anger I felt burning in my chest again. My mane beginning to flare from my anger.

"But this time..." I said feeling myself become angry. "This time, I didn't hear anything. Nothing but the roar of my flames and the cries of the spiders. The fire that raged inside me felt like it was burning through me, creating this empty feeling that I couldn't fill." 

My body was tensing; I could feel my flames wanting to explode once more.

"There was no warmth to my flames. No matter how much fire I released; I felt cold for the first time.The more my fire grew, the angrier I became, and the deeper the emptiness felt. Then the world seemed to break apart and it consumed her; it almost consumed me." I said staring at my hooves. I could feel myself shaking with anger.

"Hate can dig very deep into a pony, Smolder." Princess Celestia explained. "Allow it to dig deep enough, and you'll feel empty forever." 

I looked up at Princess Celestia who looked back with a smile; I could feel myself wanting to smile back. The flames on my mane returning to a flicker again. 

"Every pony feels anger sometimes, Smolder. Flame Ponies wear their emotions on their manes. We can see when you're upset, when you're hurting, when you're afraid, and you can't hide it like other ponies can. Your fire reacts to these emotions." Princess Celestia explained to me.

I looked down at the floor. I felt embarrassed and my mane flared. It only embarrassed me more.

"Remember that feeling anger is as natural as feeling happy. For a Flame Pony, you must choose which feeling you wish to feed your fire. May it be the love you felt for your mother or let it feed on the hate you felt for the Queen." Princess Celestia said watching the moon beginning to rise.

"Princess Celestia?" I mumbled hoping she wouldn't hear me.

"Yes, Smolder?" Princess Celestia asked having heard me.

"I never… met my mom. But-" I swallowed hard. "I feel like she would have been… a lot like you." 

"How so?" Princess Celestia asked with a laugh.

I kept my eyes glued to the floor. I tapped my hooves together in embarrassment.

"Kind, sympathetic, and pretty." I mumbled.

Princess Celestia laughed again covering her mouth with her hoof. I could feel my mane flare in embarrassment.

"That is very kind of you to say, Smolder." Princess Celestia replied sounding grateful.

I begged my mane to stop flaring as I felt my face flush.

"I am sorry, Smolder." Princess Celestia said suddenly.

"Sorry? For what?" I asked curiously looking up at her.

"For regarding your ponies as liars and mischief makers." Princess Celestia said to me.

I felt my heart jump. I stared up at Princess Celestia in disbelief.

"My memory of Flame Ponies were shrouded by the actions of the Mad King and his war with Equestria. In these few weeks you have reminded me of how Flame Ponies used to be." Princess Celestia said warmly.

Words were no longer coming to me. She had apologized to me; to Flame Ponies.

"You will have my support at the Summit, Smolder. I will help make your ponies smile again." Princess Celestia said giving me a warm smile.

I could feel my heart jump into my throat. I wanted to say so many things, to thank her over and over again only to remember the hardest part about being a Flame Pony: we can't show our appreciation; we must always say it. I struggled to speak, wanting nothing more then to hug her out of gratitude, but I knew I couldn't. I felt as if I was going to cry and begged myself not to. I was imagining the Flame Ponies in the Ashen Field having a life like that of Ponyville. To see my Flame Ponies smiling once more, not having to live in fear of the unknown but to have courage to face the future.

"Thank you." I whispered trying to keep it together; my voice cracking.

"Thank you, Smolder." Princess Celestia said warmly. 

Princess Celestia and I had descended the ramparts together, once we were back inside the castle she excused herself and wished me a safe trip back to Ponyville. I wished her good night before heading back to the Infirmary where the doors had been left open and a commotion was taking place inside.

"So then the Queen's leg comes swinging down, her leg is the size of a tree, and it's coming right at Smolder. Nightshade sees this and flips on the hero switch. He dives at Smolder! It was all in slow motion by the way. Pushing him out of the way at the very last second and Nightshade takes the hit! He goes flying across the room! BAM! Right against the wall, out like a light! I'm the first pony to reach him. With my medical knowledge I concluded that his brain bone was broken and needed a doctor pony right away! So I valiantly lifted Nightshade onto my back, fighting off at least twenty spiders with one hoof while carrying him to safety."Cosmic explained in a very electrified manner.

I had walked in on Cosmic retelling the events of what happened in the mountain; acting it out in front of every pony to see. Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Peanut, a bed ridden Nightshade and a light blue pony all watched and laughed.

"Twenty spiders?" Shining Armor asked sarcastically.

"It could have been thirty. I didn't have time to count them all." Cosmic said rubbing his hoof against his chest.

"Smolder?" Tea asked aloud walking out from the back room.

Tea had emerged carrying a clipboard in her arms looking rather surprised to see me. Every pony turned around to look my way, as Tea quickly rushed over to me.

"Are you alright?" Tea asked quickly looking me over: hugging her clipboard.

"Yeah I'm al-" I was cut short by Tea hitting me over the head with her clipboard.

"What is the matter with you?" Tea shouted looking for an opening to my head as I lifted my hooves to defend myself.

"Taking on the Queen of Spider's twice in one week? Almost falling into a bottomless pit?" Tea screamed towering over me as I curled up on the floor hiding my face.

"You're the biggest… biggest… dork I know!" Tea shouted stomping her hoof down and strode off towards the others.

I carefully uncovered my face trying to see if the coast was clear.

"I don't know who is more dangerous, Tea or the Queen and all her spi-" Cosmic was cut short as Tea also hit him with her clipboard.

"Tea." Peanut replied with a smile.

"How are we feeling?" Tea asked coming up alongside Nightshade's bed.

"I feel fine. Don't feel a thing." Nightshade said trying to sound tough.

The light blue pony next to him looked very concerned; Tea did not. Tea poked him on his side with her clipboard. Nightshade grinded his teeth trying not to groan in pain while the light blue pony seemed even more concerned.

"See! Just fine!" Nightshade hissed through clenched teeth with a hard fought smile.

"Colts." Tea mumbled under her breath; rolling her eyes.

"I guess all the bandages are for show then?" Shining Armor asked amusingly.

"Nightmare Night isn't for another couple of months, but you're already looking like a mummy." Peanut joked.

"Are you sure you're okay?" The light blue pony asked curiously.

Nightshade seemed to turn a bright red. He began to stammer and shake nervously.

"Nightshade is going to be just fine, Belle." Princess Cadance answered for him.

I walked over to Nightshade's bed. I cowered as Tea walked past me holding her clipboard up to take another swing, but she let me live.

"Hey Smolder." Nightshade said with a smile.

"Hi." I replied from the end of the bed.

"I heard you turned up the heat and went hoof to fang with the Queen." Nightshade said throwing a few hoofs punches.

I tried to say something, but once more I felt the words get caught in my throat.

"Everything alright, Smolder?" Nightshade asked curiously.

"Smolder has had a long day." Shining Armor said trying to help me.

"I'm sorry." I said nervously.

"Sorry?" Nightshade asked sounding confused.

"I wasn't paying attention and I… you… I didn't..." I mumbled trying to find the words.

"Hey, whoa! Hold up Smolder." Nightshade said trying to sit up.

"Hey now, take it easy." Peanut said putting a hoof on Nightshade's shoulder.

Nightshade patted Peanut's hoof with his own ensuring him he was alright.

"You didn't do anything wrong." Nightshade said waving his hoof at me.

"But I should of-" I started but Nightshade spoke up.

"But nothing. I had your back since we first entered that cave. I wasn't going to let some dumb spider take a swipe at you. I'd jump in the way again too! No pony or spider messes with my friends." Nightshade said tapping his hoof against the bed decisively.

"I think Nightshade flipped his hero switch again, he's making a speech." Cosmic whispered to Peanut who nodded in agreement.

"Thanks." I said meekly, feeling very humbled by his words.

"Don't mention it Smolder, as far as I'm concerned you're one of us now." Nightshade said laying back in his bed.

"He isn't a Soldier Pony, though. He doesn't even have wings." Peanut pointed out feeling confused.

"You know what I meant." Nightshade snapped.

Every pony laughed. I could feel my smile trying to make an appearance.

"I don't think you've been properly introduced. Smolder, this is Belle." Shining Armor said spearheading introductions. 

"You mean Nightshade's special somepony?" I asked curiously.

I'm sure if Nightshade had the strength he would have tackled me. Princess Cadance had covered her mouth with her hoof in shock while Peanut and Cosmic looked very excited at the current development. Shining Armor slapped his face with his hoof, and even Tea leaned over the nursing station to see.

"I'm your special somepony?" Belle asked curiously looking at Nightshade.

Nightshade could not sink lower into his bed; he looked mortified.

"He can't run away, do you think he'll deploy his fainting tactic or will he use gibberish to confuse her?" Cosmic whispered to Peanut.

"Definitely gibberish." Peanut whispered.

"I-I-I-I-I-I-"Nightshade stammered turning bright red.

"Good call." Cosmic whispered back.

Belle reached over to hold Nightshade's hoof. She smiled warmly at him. Nightshade smiled nervously trying to talk, but couldn't get past gibberish.

"Oh my, look at the time we really should be going!" Princess Cadance announced, wanting to give them some privacy.

Princess Candance's horn began to glow. Peanut and Cosmic were suddenly being pushed towards the door with Shining Armor following right behind them.

"Smolder, I think it's time you went to bed." Princess Cadance stated giving me a rather stern look.

"But it's only-" I started to say but a clipboard sailed through the air at me.

"Goodnight!" I said quickly running towards my slab of granite.



The next morning was filled with goodbyes. Nightshade and Belle had spent most of the night talking, long after I had fallen asleep. I congratulated him on becoming Belle's special somepony and he thanked me for spilling the beans for him. Peanut and Cosmic also came to say goodbye, telling me that if I ever need a favor that I shouldn't hesitate to ask. Then I went to say goodbye to Tea.

I approached her slowly looking for a clipboard or any other blunt instrument she may had been carrying, but she showed me her hooves were empty.

"So this is goodbye." Tea said sounding disappointed.

"I'm sorry I worried you." I replied sounding guilty.

"Good." Tea said firmly.

I smiled, but Tea found it hard to return it. She was just as sad to see me leave.

"Tea." I said stepping up to her.

"Yeah?" Tea asked.

"I have something for you." I said trying not to sound nervous.

"Really?" Tea asked sounding surprised.

"Rarity had helped me with this." I said waving to Peanut who brought it over for me.

Peanut put it down on the ground in front of Tea. It was a lantern.

"Oh… it's… pretty." Tea said looking at it confused.

Peanut opened the glass door on the lantern for me. I leaned down and breathed a small flame inside. It lit up and the flame danced about.

"Now you can take a little part of me wherever you go." I said straightening up.

Tea looked up at me.

"Just remember to fill it with oil every now and again." I said with a smile.

I had no idea giving presents to ponies would make them start to cry. Tea seemed to be tearing up and I looked for Peanut for help but he had disappeared on me.

"Thank you, Smolder." Tea said softly picking up the lantern.

Tea was smiling and almost crying at the same time so I wasn't sure whether to appear happy or concerned but I nodded all the same.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were going to do this. I don't have anything to give you." Tea said quietly, clutching her lantern.

"Can you write me a letter?" I asked hopefully.

"A letter?" Tea asked in surprise.

"It would be cool if I was the first Flame Pony to get a letter in the Ashen Fields." I said with a smile.

Tea smiled at me wiping the tears from her eyes with her hoof. She nodded in agreement.

"Goodbye Smolder." Tea said softly.

"Goodbye Tea." I said feeling my voice crack.

Tea laughed. I felt my mane flare.



The train conductor seemed to have a problem with me boarding the train like the rest of the ponies. I understood his concern, but his idea to put me into the furnace wasn't my favorite one. Luckily, he did find me a seat at the caboose, the very back of the caboose, the railing outside of the caboose and I was told to hold on unless it melted the bars.

The train lurched forward. Some ponies waved at me as we pulled away. I waved back. I watched Canterlot slowly become smaller and smaller in the distance. I was glad that Tea had liked my gift. I wish I could have given her more, just a little more, but I knew I couldn't. 

I could see the country side from back here. I could smell the wild flowers that grew in numerous colors. It was soothing to me. Aside from the train's chugging sounds and loud whistle it was a pleasant ride.

Eventually the train started to bring me closer to Ponyville, the open green fields, the birds singing in the trees, and Rainbow Dash waving at me from a cloud. The train pulled into the station, at least most of it did. I had to de-board the train at the back. I walked to the side of the train station where I head a familiar voice.

"Twilight! He's over here!" Spike shouted from the edge of the Train Station's platform.

"Hello, Spike." I said with a smile.

"Hey there Fireball, did you enjoy your time at Canterlot?" Spike asked lowering himself slowly off the platform rather than taking the stairs.

"Very much." I said watching Spike drop to the ground.

"You have to tell me all about your fight with the Queen of Spiders! And the rematch!" Spike said running up to me.

"Yeah, sure." I said with a smile.

"That will have to wait." Twilight said walking down the stairs of the platform.

"That's right!" Spike said snapping his claws.

"There is some pony here to see you, Smolder." Twilight informed me.

"Some pony?" I asked curiously.

"Well technically it isn't a pony, but he says he's a friend of yours." Spike corrected.

"He showed up early this morning looking for you." Twilight said motioning to me to follow her.

"Where is he now?" I asked curiously trying to figure out who they were talking about.

"We have him waiting at our place. We live at the Golden Oakes Library in Ponyville. He said his name was Wingston." Twilight explained.

"Wingston!" I shouted in surprise.
> Chapter 15: Raising Smolder
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

There is so much to be said about a pony that had impacted your life in such a way you can't imagine a time before. A pony that opened your mind to the possibilities of things you never thought possible. A pony capable of reaching your heart in ways you couldn't understand. A pony that you will always love and admire. A pony you feel you could never be able to repay in kind. In my case, it wasn't a pony that impacted me in such a way, rather, it just happened to be a bat with a crippled wing.

Having blurted out Wingston's name so abruptly, I cleared my throat trying to save face.

"Wingston is a very dear friend of mine." I added calmly.

"So you do know him! I knew it!" Spike said slamming is fist onto his palm.

"Well duh, he told us he was a friend of Smolder." Twilight mentioned rolling her eyes.

"Is he alright?" I asked suddenly feeling nervous.

"I think so. He didn't look like he was in trouble." Twilight replied thinking about it.

"He had a limp though, and he walked with a stick this big." Spike said holding his arms apart.

"Can you take me to him?" I asked earnestly.

"Sure, just follow us." Twilight said turning to leave.

"We wanted to bring him with us, but Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Applejack wanted to hear the end of his story." Spike explained to me.

"Story?" I asked looking down at him.

"He was telling us stories of when you were just a foal." Twilight said with a giggle.

"Is it true that your best friend was a rock named Rocky?" Spike asked sounding interested.

I mane flared from embarrassment. I was suddenly less excited to see Wingston.

Twilight and Spike escorted me from the train station into Ponyville. There were many ponies in the market today, fillies rushing to play in the meadows, vendor ponies trying to sell their merchandise, ponies having brunch just outside a cafe, and even a crowd formed to watch a group of performance ponies putting on a play in the town square. Many ponies waved to me, some welcomed me back to Ponyville as we passed by. I waved back to those ponies with a smile. I could feel that my return to Ponyville was going to spread like wildfire once more.

Spike had elected himself my personal bodyguard, keeping any pony that may have gotten a bit to close at bay. Keeping his arms spread apart telling other ponies to watch their step.

"I heard that you helped Shining Armor on a mission in the mountains near the Everfree Forest." Twilight spoke up.

"Three ponies had gone missing digging for gems." I explained.

"Having been captured by spiders, right?" Twilight asked.

"Please, don't say spiders." I said with an uncomfortable shiver.

"Well, I wanted to thank you for helping to keep my brother safe." Twilight said in gratitude.

"Your brother?" I asked in surprise.

"Shining Armor is Twilight's older brother. Hey! No pictures!" Spike shouted shooing away paparazzi ponies.

"Shining Armor is you brother?" I asked in disbelief.

"That's right." Twilight replied with a smile.

"But he's married to-" I began.

"Princess Cadance, she used to be my foal-sitter. Now she's my sister-in-law." Twilight said happily.

"Wow." I said in amazement.

"I still think of him as an older brother though, even if he is a Prince now." Twilight continued.

"It was Shining Armor that was the one who kept me safe. He stopped me from falling into a pit when the cave collapsed." I explained to her.

"The cave collapsed? Was that before or after you fought the Queen?" Spike asked excitedly running up alongside me.

"During." I answered.

"Now way! How big was the Queen? Did she try to bite you? Did she smell funny?" Spike began firing off his questions.

Before Spike had the chance to have all his questions answered Twilight picked up Spike and put him on her back.

"You can bother Smolder later, Spike." Twilight said decisively.

"But Twilight!" Spike whined.

We eventually came to a large tree that had a sign with a picture of an open book upon it. Upon further inspection I could see that it was hollowed out and had been made into a house. The Golden Oakes Library as Twilight had informed me. Unfortunately, stepping into a tree was out of the question for me.

"We'll be right back, Smolder." Twilight said reassuringly.

Twilight and Spike entered the Golden Oakes Library while I sat outside patiently. There were sounds of laughter coming from the windows. I began to wonder if it was at my expense. The sound of wood thudding against wood reached my ears; my heart jumped at the sound. Twilight opened the front door, walking around the side to hold it open. Wingston slowly limping out, favoring his staff, wearing the grey swatches and rags that covered most of his body. He was followed by Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Applejack who were still giggling.

"Wingston!" I shouted unable to contain my excitement.

"Hello, Smolder." Wingston said holding out his wings to me.

No sooner had Wingston stepped out from the Golden Oakes Library had I rushed over to him; embracing him tightly. Every pony gasped in surprise but were quickly amazed that I had not set Wingston on fire.

"It is good to see you." I said smiling wide.

"You've grown since our last meeting." Wingston replied.

Wingston and I parted. Still wrapped in many cloths varying in shades of grey, his eyes were the only things visible beneath his wraps aside from his long fingers that gripped his staff.

"Do you think so?" I asked curiously raising my hoof above my head trying to measure myself.

"But not any brighter I'm afraid." Wingston said with a sigh.

"How did you get here?" I asked still smiling.

"I walked." Wingston replied.

"All this way?" I asked in disbelief.

"No only halfway before an Owlbear threw me the rest of the way. Of course all the way!" Wingston snapped knocking his staff against my head.

"Wingston! That is quite a journey to make for some pony like you." I protested rubbing my head.

"I wanted to see my friend." Wingston replied.

"I have missed you, Wingston." I said happily.

"Ahem." Twilight said aloud.

"Oh! Wingston these are the ponies I spoke to you about. This is Twilight Spa-" I felt Wingston's staff knock against my head again.

"I know who they are. I met them this morning." Wingston explained; seeming to enjoy hitting me.

"Oh, right." I mumbled.

"I was regaling these lovely ponies with tales of your youth." Wingston said happily.

"Could you not find anything else to talk about?" I asked feeling embarrassed.

"Nothing quite as interesting." Wingston replied.

"Excuse me." Rarity spoke up waving her hoof towards us.

"Yes, purple pony?" Wingston asked curiously.

"Forgive my rudeness, I know the two of you would like some time to catch up, but did you just hug a Flame Pony?" Rarity asked curiously.

Wingston leaned over to me.

"Is hugging forbidden here in Ponyville?" Wingston asked me in a whisper.

"No, of course not." I whispered back.

"Oh, then yes I hugged a Flame Pony." Wingston answered back.

"How were you able to do that without getting burned?" Applejack asked curiously. 

"I was burned, a lot; it takes some serious will power to just not scream." Wingston replied, patting his chest.

Every pony stared at him wide eyed. I cleared my throat and nudged Wingston with my hoof.

"Tell them the truth." I  whispered.

"It's the rags, Ms. Applejack. Just bits of old Flame Pony clothing I found over the years." Wingston replied pointing to the rags he wore. 

"Real flame resistant clothing that can be worn by Flame Ponies?" Rarity asked excitedly.

"It also allows other regular ponies to have minimal contact with them as well." Wingston explained further.

"Oh! Wingston may I-" Rarity began.

"Great Grand Master Sage Wingston the IV." Wingston interjected.

"O' Great Grand Master Sage Wingston the IV, may I have a piece of that material? I feel I could replicate it or at least come up with a similar design! We could reintroduce the world of fashion to Flame Pony clothing once more!" Rarity pleaded putting her hooves together.

"The clothing of Flame Ponies is a closely guarded secret that has been handed down from generation to-" Wingston began but I picked him up by his back collar with my teeth.

"Of course, Rarity. Here you go." I said through my teeth.

"Oh thank you!" Rarity cried trotting over.

Her horn began to glow, her magic causing a small strand of Wingston's cloth to snap away. Rarity squealed with delight rushing off to begin her work.

"You've lost your sense of humor, Smolder." Wingston said disappointingly as I put him back down.

"I hope Rarity can do something with that sample, I would like to see what sort of pretty dresses she'll come up with this time." Fluttershy said softly.

"Knowing her she'll have made a dress for every season before we see her again." Applejack remarked.

Twilight and Fluttershy giggled.

"My turn to ask for something!" Pinkie Pie cried rushing over to Wingston.

Pinkie Pie bowed low.

"Oh Grape Bland Mister Page Wingston the IV, I wish for it to rain cupcakes from the sky." Pinkie Pie requested; flubbing his made up title.

"He's not a genie, Pinkie Pie, he can't grant wishes." Twilight explained to her.

"What is a cupcake?" Wingston asked curiously.

Pinkie Pie gasped in horror looking mortified. Placing her hoof over her chest and slapping her other hoof against her forehead.

"You don't know what a cupcake is?" Pinkie Pink asked in utter shock.

"Smolder, is a cupcake some sort of challenge?" Wingston whispered to me.

"No, it's food." I whispered back to him.

"Food? Yes, I could eat; I'm quite famished." Wingston said tapping his staff on the ground.

"I'm also feeling a bit hungry." Twilight confessed.

"We got ourselves a making of a picnic." Applejack said stomping her hoof.

"A picnic sounds lovely." Fluttershy said softly.

"I'll go and rustle us up some grub. We'll meet by the old tree in the meadow." Applejack said trotting off.

"I'll go get us a picnic blanket." Fluttershy said softly gently flying away.

"Spike and I will bring the plates and cups." Twilight offered. 

"I'll bring cupcakes, cakes, cookies, ice cream, chocolate fudge, caramel apples…" Pinkie Pie said hopping away before we could not hear her anymore.

Wingston and I watched every pony go their separate ways to gather the necessary components for a picnic. Wingston seemed to be favoring his staff more than usual. I was suddenly knocked against the head with Wingston's staff once more.

"It's not polite to stare." Wingston muttered to me.

"Sorry." I mumbled rubbing my head.

"By the way Smolder, did you know that Ms. Sparkle has the Elements of Harmony in there?" Wingston asked curiously.

"What?" I shouted in surprise.

"They hid it in the perfect place from you, a tree. Imagine that?" Wingston asked nudging me with his staff finding it rather humorous.

"There's no way! Why would Twilight have them?" I asked in disbelief.

"I have no idea. Let's ask Ms. Sparkle." Wingston offered.

"We can't just ask her if-" I began but was cut short by Wingston knocking me with his staff once more.

"Ms. Sparkle!" Wingston shouted.

Twilight came to the door after a few moments.

"Did you call me, Wingston?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Sorry to bother you, Ms. Sparkle, but my dear Smolder here doesn't believe you have the Elements of Harmony within your home." Wingston explained.

"No bother at all. I do have the Elements of Harmony safely packed away in here." Twilight replied with a smile.

"Really?" I asked with my mouth left a gape.

"You bet. Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and I each represent a different element of harmony. We've had to use them on a few occasions but I'm happy to report that we've gone one hundred and thirty seven days without an incident." Twilight remarked beaming with pride.

"Imagine that, Smolder, you've been speaking to the wielders of the Elements of Harmony all this time and never knew it." Wingston said nudging me with his staff.

"Was there anything else I can help you with?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Oh no, Ms. Sparkle. Sorry to take up your time." Wingston replied apologetically.

"Don't mention it." Twilight replied walking back into the Golden Oakes Library.

I glanced over at Wingston. Even thought the rags covered his face, I knew he was smiling underneath.

"How long did you spend looking for them again?" Wingston asked sarcastically.

"How was I supposed to know she had them?" I whispered in my defense.

"Did you ever think to ask?" Wingston asked.

"Just ask if they just happened to have the Elements of Harmony sitting around?" I hissed feeling annoyed.

"I just did. If your father had sent me I would have had this done by now." Wingston stated, folding his wings across his chest.

"How would you carry them back? You plan on carrying them on those two claws you call legs?" I asked sarcastically.

"I would have brought a dim witted young prince to carry it like a mule!" Wingston snapped, knocking me on the head with his staff once more.

Before I could come up with a real zinger, Twilight and Spike reemerged from the Golden Oakes Library.

"Is that everything on the list, Spike?" Twilight asked carrying a saddle bag upon her back.

"Triple checked it. We're all set!" Spike declared rolling up a long piece of parchment.

"We got all the plates and cups for the picnic." Twilight announced proudly striding over to us.

"I'll carry Wingston." I stated.

"You'll do what?" Wingston asked looking up at me.

"You're not walking all the way over there without help." I said defiantly.

"I am perfectly capable of getting around without your help." Wingston said pushing me to the side with his cane.

"Wingston you have walked a very long way to get here. I think it would be best to have a ride." Twilight said agreeing with me.

"Nope." Wingston replied in his refusal.

"I'm carrying you, and that's that." I declared lowering myself to the ground beside him.

Wingston sighed in defeat. Even though limping around was his only means of travel, he wouldn't let any pony fuss over him; no matter how difficult it was for him walk. Climbing onto my back, Wingston sat comfortably without bursting into flames.

"I wish I could ride a Flame Pony." Spike muttered sadly.

"Of course you can. You're a dragon. A Flame Pony's flames cannot hurt a dragon." Wingston said motioning him to climb on.

"Really? Wow! Can I Twilight? Can I ride the Flame Pony?" Spike asked pleadingly.

"You're supposed to help me carry all the plates and cups." Twilight stated sounding stern.

"Please Twilight! Please!" Spike begged putting his claws together.

"I guess if it's okay with Smolder." Twilight said with a sigh.

"Of course it is, down Smolder." Wingston commanded, hitting me in the side with his staff.

I lowered myself once more allowing Spike to climb aboard.

"We should stop by Rarity's to invite her to our picnic." Twilight mentioned. 

"Mush!" Spike cried kicking his heels into my sides.

I looked over my shoulder to see Wingston pointing forward. I rolled my eyes feeling that I should have let him walk, but proceeded anyways. I trotted after Twilight, jumping from side to side every now and again to entertain Spike who seemed to be having a blast. Wingston seemed to enjoy Spike's enthusiasm and insisted that I go faster for the little dragon.

We made our way to Rarity's place. Like before I had to stand outside while Twilight entered Rarity's home. Just from the outside we could see several different spools of cloth and mannequins flying past her windows. It seemed like Rarity was engrossed in her desire to recreate some flame resistant clothing just by the speed in which things were flying around inside. Eventually, Twilight reemerged with Rarity behind her; having pulled her away from her work.

"Twilight has graciously invited me to a picnic with you all. I must say I am feeling quite famished. I'll have so much work ahead of me I have to keep up my strength if I'm ever going to get it done in a timely manner." Rarity said whipping her hair back.

"You have no idea how it's made do you?" Wingston asked curiously.

"No! It is so simple in design but the layers and thread count is so incredibly high that I can't make heads or tails of what sort of materials they used!" Rarity cried holding her hoof to her face.

"You'll figure it out Rarity! You can do anything." Spike said lovingly.

"Oh thank you Spike. That's very kind of you to say." Rarity said throwing him a smile.

Spike sighed deeply; lying down on my back.

We walked for a time before crossing over to the meadows near Sweet Apple Acres where we caught up with Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Applejack who had brought two baskets full of food and sweets. Together we headed towards the old tree in the meadow they had spoken of before. Rainbow Dash poked her head out from a cloud high up above and flew down to greet us.

"Are we having a picnic?" Rainbow Dash asked excitedly.

"We're heading to the old tree in the meadow." Applejack replied.

"What's the occasion?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"Smolder has a friend visiting him from the Ashen Fields." Fluttershy said softly.

"Is it another Flame Pony?" Rainbow Dash asked excitedly looking over every pony.

Rainbow Dash's eyes landed on Wingston sitting on my back; she looked perplexed by him.

"Is that his friend?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously; slightly put off by him.

"Rainbow! Don't be rude." Twilight hissed at her.

"But what is it?" Rainbow Dash asked walking over to me.

"This is Wingston." I said introducing him.

"How are you sitting on a Flame Pony without getting burned?" Rainbow Dash asked sounding confused.

"Magic." Wingston replied waving his long fingers in front of her.

"Psh, yeah right… seriously? You're kidding me, right?" Rainbow Dash asked not sounding so sure.

"I have been known to turn ponies into frogs, cast spells that remove Pegasi wings and make ponies go bald." Wingston declared raising his staff over his head in a rather flamboyant manner.

Rainbow Dash yelped jumping backwards from Wingston in fright.

"Hey, we're cool! Any friend of Matchstick is a pal of mine. Right, Matchstick? Tell him how Applejack and I helped you on your first day in Ponyville. Tell him I helped you train for the race." Rainbow Dash insisted backing away slowly.

"Why does she call you Matchstick?" Wingston asked curiously.

"It's just a nickname." I replied.

"I suppose I can let you go with a warning, Dashing Rainbow." Wingston declared.

"It's Rainbow Dash." Rainbow Dash corrected.

"Sure, sure. Let's hurry up and get there I'm hungry." Wingston said signaling Spike to kick his heels into my side once more.

"Hey! I like this Wingston dude." Rainbow Dash said following us to the tree.

We eventually reached the old tree. It was fortunate for me that the path that led up to it and the area around the tree was slightly barren of grass. Fluttershy laid out the picnic blanket on the grass while I sat down on the dirt in the shade of the tree. Wingston climbed down and chose to sit with me. Spike on the other hoof came rushing over to the picnic blanket rubbing his stomach. Rarity help set out all the plates and cups while Applejack and Pinkie Pie prepared the food. Twilight helped organize the space on the picnic blanket while Rainbow Dash circled the picnic blanket from above rubbing her hooves together in anticipation.

"Alright every pony, come and get it!" Twilight shouted.

Fluttershy was kind enough to bring Wingston and I a plate of food. We sat eating apple pie, caramel apples, chocolate cake, cupcakes and apples. We drank cider to wash it all down and went right back to eating. 

Pinkie Pie had elected to tell the story of the race between Hotshot McFlash and I to Wingston using Rainbow Dash to act out the speed of how fast we were moving. Pinkie Pie had Fluttershy provide detailed points of the race every now and again. I was unsure how Pinkie Pie was able to imitate swimming without the water, but she was very convincing.

Spike begged me to tell of how I fought the Queen of Spiders in the forest and the rematch within the mountain. Before I could politely decline, Rainbow Dash and Applejack both seemed to be interested in it as well. Feeling that I had owed it to him, I spent some time describing things from my point of view. I spoke of how I went looking for boulders to build a house for myself, how I met Zecora in the forest, how we used Dragon Powder to blow up the Queen, how I took a nap, and how I did not faint in front of Princess Luna and Princess Celestia.

When I had finished that story, I had to recount my mission to the mountains near the Everfree Forest with Shining Armor, Nightshade, Cosmic and Peanut. Which did take more time to tell because no pony knew of what had happened in the cave, except for Twilight and Spike; Shining Armor had told them yesterday.

The hard part of telling this story was acting it out. Pinkie Pie had done such an amazing job with retelling the race that my attempts to crawl like a spider seemed sub-par at best. I was able to imitate Shining Armor's stern look quite well and the way he commanded ponies with authority. I toned down the fire breathing greatly to just wisps of flames to ensure I didn't set the only tree in the meadow on fire by mistake. Imitating the Queen falling into the pit was difficult but I think tripping over an exposed root made it look more real.

I soon came to realize that I was having fun. That it felt normal being around these ponies and it felt natural speaking to them. We all settled down to watch Rainbow Dash show off some of her newest flying moves she had come up with. Streaking across the sky trying to leave a trail of rainbows long enough to spell out her own name and she came very close.

"Hey, Fireball." Spike said walking over to me.

"Hey, Spike." I replied.

"I was wondering if you could give me some pointers on how to breathe fire?" Spike asked tapping his claws together.

"Sure he can." Wingston answered for me nudging me with his staff.

"Really?" Spike asked excited.

"I suppose we could. We'll just need somewhere further away from every pony else." I said looking around.

"I know a spot just over there! It's got a nice little patch of dirt you can stand on so you don't burn anything!" Spike said taking my hoof and pulling me.

"Alright, I'm coming. Wingston, will you be alright?" I asked looking over my shoulder.

"You're not my supervisor." Wingston replied waving his wing for me to go.

I followed Spike down the dirt road, mentioning to Twilight that I was going to give Spike a few tips on breathing fire. Twilight told Spike to be careful and to take notes on what I would be teaching him. Surprisingly Spike already had a feather and parchment ready to go.

"Come on, Fireball!" Spike said pulling on my hoof once more.

Wingston limped over to the picnic blanket. Sitting between Applejack and Twilight who offered him another cupcake; Wingston took it right away.

"So you and Smolder have known each other for a long time, I reckon?" Applejack asked.

"Since the day he was born." Wingston replied stuffing the cupcake under the cloth covering his mouth.

"That's a really long time." Fluttershy remarked quietly.

"So what was Matchstick like as a foal?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"He questioned everything. Like most small ponies do. He spent a lot of his time chasing his older brothers around; looking for attention." Wingston said grabbing another cupcake.

"I didn't know Smolder had siblings." Twilight said surprised.

"He has two twin older brothers, Wick and Pyre. Where ever they went, Smolder would follow." Wingston explained.

"I can't tell you how many times I've almost tripped over Sweetie Belle trying to follow me around. She is almost like a second shadow whenever she comes to visit." Rarity said.

"Apple Bloom is the same way, I can't go anywhere without her tagging along right behind me it seems." Applejack concurred.

"I used to be that way with Shining Armor, I still feel like I follow him around sometimes when we meet up at the Royal Castle or the Crystal Kingdom. I guess you just never grow out of wanting to hang with your older siblings." Twilight remarked.

"The Twins couldn't be bother with Smolder most days. So he would try do things to impress them. Sometimes he would hurt himself doing something complete stupid, but it always got them to take notice of him." Wingston explained.

"Sounds like you kept a pretty close eye on him." Pinkie Pie said giving him another cupcake.

"Smolder never knew his mother, or his father for that matter. All he had was his brothers. So I took it upon myself to teach him to read and write. Giving him the best education that I could with what little we had." Wingston elaborated further.

"That's hard on a foal." Applejack said sympathetically.

"Eventually Smolder's brothers became more interested in their own devices. Beginning to tease Smolder for being so gentle, that a Flame Pony was required to be unfeeling and strong." Wingston continued.

"What an awful thing to do to a foal." Fluttershy said with a soft gasp.

"I don't think it ever got to Smolder. At least, I wouldn't let him believe that being gentle was a weakness. I told him his mother was gentle, and that it made her so very special. I think it made him happy to know he shared something with her." Wingston said with a sigh.

There was a sudden bright green light that came from the hilltop; every pony could see Spike was jumping up and down with excitement.

"It looks like Spike learned something today." Twilight said with smile.

"Way to go Spike!" Rainbow Dash cheered.

On the hilltop Spike waved back.

Spike had practiced his breathing with much enthusiasm. So much so that he nearly passed out several times attempting to do it. I had to assure him that breathing fire relied more on the internalization of a pony's fire rather than the actual act; or dragon for that matter.

Spike took several notes on this, copying it down word for word.

It took several failed attempt for me to realize I was attempting to help Spike breathe fire like a Flame Pony. Spike did not stand on all four limbs, so his posture would be different. A Flame Pony rears back to breathe deep, Spike was already one step ahead. I changed to his posture to better suit a dragon standing on two legs and much to my surprise Spike got it on his first try.

"That was amazing!" Spike declared, almost shaking from the experience.

"For such a little dragon I'm impressed with the amount of fire you were able to call forth." I congratulated him.

"Do you think I can do it again?" Spike asked excitedly.

"I'm not sure little dragons have the ability to do that more than twice; at least not at that intensity." I said scratching my chin.

"Just because I'm little doesn't make me a push over." Spike said crossing his arms.

"I meant your literal size, Spike. A dragon your size can only generate so much fire before you need to rest and recover some of your strength." I explained placing my hoof on Spike's head.

"But I feel fine!" Spike remarked.

"I will share some advice Wingston gave me when I first learned how to breathe fire." I said to him.

"Really? What did he say?" Spike asked curiously.

"Your first breath should always be used to talk things over. Your second breath should be used to end things peacefully." I stated as fact.

"What about the third breath?" Spike asked curiously.

"Hopefully you won't have to take that third breath." I answered him.

"Oh. I guess you only have to take that third breath if you couldn't find a peaceful solution, huh?" Spike asked realizing the point of the first two rules.

"It's about trying to use a power more effective than fire. The power to reach a pony with words." I explained patting Spike on the back.

"Wingston told you all that?" Spike asked curiously.

"Not in so many words. I had to figure it out for myself, but I wanted to cut you some slack seeing as we're friends." I said with a smile.

"What else did Wingston teach you?" Spike asked seeming interested.

"Never eat rocks." I said simply.

"Never eat rocks?" Spike asked sounding confused.

"Just something Wingston said to me when I had an upset stomach." I said with a laugh.

"You ate rocks?" Spike asked surprised.

"Don't go telling any pony about this." I said pointing my hoof at him.

After sometime of discussing the finer points of forming a solid fireball, Spike and I returned to the picnic. Spike had spent much of his energy trying to master the fireball technique in twenty minutes and decided that we should take a break. I carried him back to Twilight, but not before he had fallen asleep.



That evening Wingston and I sat by the riverbed knocking rocks into the water. Wingston was capable of throwing the stones in a way that caused skip across the top of the water. To my dismay, I could not get any of the rocks to skip even once. I knew Wingston was smirking beneath his cloth at my feeble attempts.

"Twilight had the Elements of Harmony all this time." I mumbled; the Elements having been on my mind most of the day.

"Seems meaningless now, doesn't it?" Wingston replied.

"With the Summit approaching, it does feel that way." I agreed.

"You have met some very kind ponies here, Smolder." Wingston said skipping another rock.

"Probably the kindest ponies in all of Equestria." I said throwing a rock and watching it splash into the water.

Wingston threw two stones at the same time and I watched as they skipped across the river.

"What are you really doing here, Wingston?" I asked after a while.

"I told you I wanted to see my friend." Wingston replied.

"For what reason?" I asked again.

Wingston looked up at me. I could tell just from his eyes it was not good news.

"Your father is becoming impatient, Smolder. The amount of fire he has been leeching from our Flame Ponies has increased. Even the foals and fillies are starting to be effected by it." Wingston said in a solemn tone.

"Have you tried reasoning with him?" I asked quietly.

"Words are no longer satisfying him, my young Prince. I cannot stall him anymore with promises I cannot keep." Wingston explained.

I could feel my chest tightening. My mane flared.

"Princess Celestia has promised us support at the Summit, Wingston." I said hopefully.

"By then it will be too late. Your father will have returned with unimaginable hate. His wrath fueling his fire, seeking to cover all of Equestria in fire once more; the Summit is no longer an option to us." Wingston explained to me.

"We cannot tell Princess Celestia of this, Wingston." I said decisively.

"It is the only way this ends without ponies getting hurt, Smolder." Wingston explained. 

"What about Wick and Pyre? He will hurt them when he finds out I've betrayed him." I questioned, feeling my mane flare in frustration.

"Your brothers have allowed your father to leech their fire to strengthen him, and allowed him to do it to every Flame Pony in the Ashen Fields. They have chosen a side, Smolder. You must do the same." Wingston stated.

"Don't ask me to give up my family, Wingston." I said bitterly.

"Losing two brothers is a small price to pay if it saves hundreds of ponies from your father's wrath. Whatever your brothers have to endure it will be far less cruel then what the innocent ponies of Equestria will face." Wingston insisted.

"I can't do that, Wingston." I replied flatly.

"They are destroying the lives of every Flame Pony in the Ashen Fields! Not telling Princess Celestia will only make you accountable, Smolder. You can prevent this." Wingston said striking his staff onto the riverbank.

"They are my brothers, Wingston!" I snapped.

"Brothers that could care less about you!" Wingston hollered back.

"They're all I have left!" I shouted kicking several rocks into the river.

I got to my hooves pacing along the edge of the river. My mane flaring all the while.

"Your father was lost long ago, Smolder. The Twins have been blinded by your father's influence, there is no one left to save." Wingston said sadly.

I stopped pacing. Sighing deeply I sat near the water's edge and stared at my reflection.

"Everything that you have been trying to achieve is now in jeopardy." Wingston said getting to his claws.

My heart ached at these words. I could feel my stomach churn.

"Listen to me." Wingston said calmly limping up beside me.

"You have the chance to save our Flame Ponies from a lifetime of misery and loneliness. Do not hold on to a family you have never known, Smolder. For they were not there for when you needed them most, so do not let them influence you when you stand to gain the most." Wingston said encouragingly.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and exhaling slowly.

"No more lies, and no more secrets, my young Prince. Do not burden yourself with the sins of your father. Become your own pony. "Wingston whispered to me.

I could feel myself calming down. Wingston patted my shoulder reassuringly.

"You were mistaken about my father, Wingston." I said quietly.

"How so?" Wingston asked.

"My father taught me to never eat rocks." I said with a smile.

For the first time, in a very long time, I got to hear Wingston laugh without reservation. We stood at the river's edge staring out towards the mountains where the Ashen Fields hid behind. 

"You haven't lost your sense of humor after all." Wingston remarked.

"That wasn't a joke." I said feeling embarrassed.

"I know." Wingston said quietly.

A fish jumped out of the water attempting to splash me like it did when I first arrived here in Ponyville, but Wingston batted it away with his staff. It splashed back into the water, several feet away, looking rather disappointed that it had been foiled. 

"So what are you going to do?" Wingston asked curiously.

I thought for a moment.

"We're going to steal the Elements of Harmony." I said stomping my foot down decisively.

"Alright how do- wait what?" Wingston asked looking puzzled.
> Chapter 16: First Breath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wingston and I made our way back to Ponyville from the riverbed. We were heading towards the Golden Oakes Library where Twilight and every pony else had gone to write a letter to Princess Celestia. I wouldn't allow Wingston the choice of walking; I had him ride upon my back with minor griping on his part. His arms were crossed while his staff rested on his shoulder. I had told him of my plan at the riverbank, and it seemed to go over well with him for the most part.

"This is never going to work." Wingston mumbled sounding unconvinced.

"Of course it will." I reassured him.

I carried Wingston through Ponyville watching ponies retire to their homes. Windows began to glow from the lights within, while young foals and fillies were being tucked into bed. The only word I could find to describe the feeling of Ponyville after dark was peaceful. The Golden Oakes Library was coming into view, my heart was already starting race from anticipation. 

"So you're just going to walk right up to the door then and knock?" Wingston asked curiously.

"Of course not." I said.

Walking right up to the door of the Golden Oakes Library I could hear the laughter of many ponies on the other side.

"You're going to knock." I said turning my flank to the door.

"Oh excuse me; this plan is becoming more and more complicated by the minute." Wingston said sarcastically rapping his staff against the door.

"Coming." Twilight called from inside.

The door swung opened revealing Twilight on the other side.

"Oh, hello Smolder. Hi there, Wingston" Twilight said with a smile; a little surprised to see us again.

"Hello Twilight, sorry to bother you, I know it's late." I said apologetically with Wingston waving hello over my shoulder.

"It's no bother at all. What can I do for you?" Twilight asked politely.

"We're here to steal the Elements of Harmony." I stated smiling back.

"Why didn't you just say so? I'll just have Spike get them for-wait what?" Twilight asked sounding surprised; having to double take.

It wasn't my best plan; I've had worse. Wingston had earlier pointed out that just asking for something can save a pony a lot of trouble down the road. So I took that approach and ended up with some rather interesting results.

I was still unable to enter the Golden Oakes Library to explain myself further. Every pony had overheard what I had said and tried to fit near the door, but that wasn't going to work either. Eventually we decided to sit right outside the Golden Oakes Library with the door open to provide extra light. Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Twilight and Spike sat in circle with me waiting anxiously for me to explain. Luckily, I had Wingston with me. 

I started with the truth, and kept going from there. Having to explain that I was the youngest son of the Mad King Scorch, that my older brothers were the Wardens of the Ashen Fields, that they were twins, next in line to the throne, and that my father was planning on escaping the Void; it wasn't easy. I went on to explain that I was sent to steal the Elements of Harmony by my father with the promise that it would save my mother; who was also trapped in the Void.

Wingston stepped in to fill in much of the details for me. Describing the power of the mirror that my mother used to enter the Void and how the Mad King was planning on using it to escape the Void. Leeching the fire from every Flame Pony in the Ashen Fields, growing in strength, and would soon succeed if he was not stopped. Adding that my father had threatened me with the lives of my brothers and promising the safe return of my mother if I succeeded. The more we talked, the more I felt a weight being lifted off my chest, but the sneaking feeling of losing the friends I had made kept jabbing at my heart.

"The Mad King must be stopped before he is able to recover his full strength. By telling you this Smolder is giving up any chance of rescuing his-" Wingston began, but felt my hoof stop him short.

"What's important now is that we need help in stopping my father before it's too late. I know I've kept this a secret from every pony but the Flame Ponies of the Ashen Fields are not blame for my cowardice." I said to every pony.

Rainbow Dash raised her hoof.

"Yes?" I asked pointing to her.

"Do we have to start calling you 'your Royal Highness' now?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously. 

"Uh… no?" I said slowly.

Pinkie Pie was next to raise her hoof bouncing; up and down.

"Pinkie?" I asked pointing towards her.

"Since your brothers are older then you, wouldn't that make them the Princes and you a Duke?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"She might have something there." Wingston mumbled scratching his chin thinking about it.

"I'm not sure." I replied feeling confused.

"Which one of your brothers would become King? They both can't be King can they?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Which one was the oldest again?" Wingston asked as a follow up question; unsure himself.

"Pyre? No Wick! Wait… um…" I mumbled unable to remember.

"Have you been betrothed to a princess yet?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"What?" I asked in shock. My mane flaring from embarrassment.

"Celestia have mercy on the pony that has to marry Smolder." Wingston said solemnly shaking his head.

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

Every pony started giggling. A sudden wave of relief seemed to come over me. It felt like the picnic we had earlier.

"Spike, take a letter." Twilight spoke up.

"You got it." Spike said whipping out his quill and parchment.

"Go ahead, Smolder. You write a letter to Princess Celestia." Twilight stated; Spike strolling up to me.

"Me?" I asked nervously.

"Of course darling. You said it yourself; you need our help and who better to help with something like this than Princess Celestia?" Rarity asked in a matter of fact tone. 

"But I- we- she doesn't- I'm-" I stammered touching my hooves together.

"Dear Princess Celestia. You'll never guess who this is. I'll give you a hint: I'm the son of the Mad King Scorch." Wingston started to dictate the letter; limping towards Spike.

"Don't write that!" I shouted pulling Wingston away from Spike.

"Why not?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"How is every pony so calm about this?" I asked feeling confused.

"We deal with sort of thing all the time. It's just rare that we can get the jump on it so early." Twilight explained.

"Just tell Princess Celestia what you told us." Fluttershy said encouragingly.

I felt Spike's claws tap me on the arm trying to get my attention. 

"You can do it, Fireball. The first breath should always be to talk things over." Spike said tapping his quill to the paper.

"That's my introduction to Fire Breathing for Beginners." Wingston said in surprise.

"Fireball taught it to me earlier today." Spike replied.

"What else did he teach you?" Wingston asked curiously.

"To never eat rocks." Spike replied.

"What?" Every pony asked together.

"Okay! I'm ready to write this letter!" I shouted; covering Spike's mouth to prevent him from speaking further.

Truthfully, I would have rather gone swimming in the river again than have to write a letter to Princess Celestia detailing my secrets. Lucky for me, I had every pony offering words of advice to help write this letter. I wrote about everything from the Mad King, to me being a Prince or perhaps a Duke, the Elements of Harmony and even something about never eating rocks somehow made it into the final draft.

"And… done! All set and ready to go!" Spike said tapping his quill at the bottom of the letter.

"Go! Fly dragon! Take it to Princess Celestia and make haste!" Wingston cried raising his arms in the air.

"But I can't fly." Spike said shrugging his shoulders.

"What?Really?" Wingston asked in surprise.

Spike nodded his head yes. 

"Then how are you going to deliver the letter?" Wingston asked curiously.

"Like this." Spike replied.

Spike leaned his head back, taking a deep breath before breathing a small green flame onto the letter. As the letter burned away the green flame went soaring through the air, darting its way towards Canterlot.

"Well that's just boring now, isn't it?" Wingston asked sounding disappointed.

"How long does it take to get there?" I asked feeling my stomach start to knot up.

"She's probably reading it right now." Twilight remarked.

"Seriously?" I asked feeling suddenly horrified.

"Normally she would have written back by now." Spike said rubbing his stomach.

Wingston looked at Spike rather confused, poking him on the belly 

"What? What are you doing little dragon? What is that?" Wingston asked looking perplexed.

"When Princess Celestia writes back I magically burp it up." Spike explained.

"I thought we were the weird ones." Wingston whispered to me.

No sooner had Wingston said that, Spike burped a small green flame that formed itself back into a letter. I could feel my stomach bottoming out.

"Well that's weird." Spike said looking over the letter.

"What?" Wingston and I asked together.

"All it says is 'Hang on'." Spike explained showing us the letter.

"Perhaps you have intercepted a different letter, burp again little dragon and produce the actual letter." Wingston said poking Spike in the stomach with his staff.

"It has the royal seal on it, so it has to be from Princess Celestia." Twilight said looking over the letter.

"Maybe she's got her hooves full replying to all the letters Twilight writes her?" Rainbow Dash suggested. 

"I don't write her that much." Twilight said defensively.

"You do tend to be quite lengthy with some of your letters, Twilight." Rarity said patting her hoof.

"I'll say." Spike mumbled rolling his eyes.

"Heads up, every pony." Applejack said aloud.

Every pony looked up to witness Princess Celestia riding on the back of her chariot. It was being drawn by the Royal Pegasi guards. The chariot came in low pulling up alongside every pony. Stepping off the back of the chariot Princess Celestia fanned out her wings and approached us.

"Good evening, every pony." Princess Celestia said.

"Hello, Princess Celestia." Every pony replied.

"…hi." I said nervously.

"Princess Celestia." Wingston said bowing his head to her.

"Wingston? My, you have aged much since our last meeting." Princess Celestia said wearing a smile.

"You are still as beautiful as the day we met, my Lady." Wingston said humbly.

Princess Celestia turned my way and I felt my courage take a holiday. I couldn't help but look at the ground. My insides were squirming.

"I… got your letter." I said meekly.

"As did I." Princess Celestia replied.

I took a deep breath but I didn't know what else to say. I ended up staring at the floor again; tapping my hooves together.

"… surprise…" I mumbled feeling my mane flare; a small guilty smile appearing on my face.

"Indeed. I was wondering if you were ever going to tell me." Princess Celestia replied.

"I'm sorry that I- wait, what?" I asked looking confused.

"You knew, Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Not at first. I wasn't aware that the Mad King had fathered another son aside from his twin colts." Princess Celestia explained to every pony.

"Well how did you find out?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"His medical chart." Princess Celestia replied.

Princess Celestia's horn flashed for a moment. A piece of parchment appearing out of thin air.

Wingston reached out his wing, taking the chart, and looking it over. He then proceeded to knock his staff against my head.

"You put your brothers down as your next of kin you dork." Wingston said shaking his head in disappointment.

"I-I-I-I-I-"I stammered feeling very embarrassed.

"So you knew who Smolder was well before the Next Big Thing event in Canterlot?" Rarity asked surprised.

"At that point I knew where he had come from and what his lineage was, but I was not so sure about whom Smolder was as a pony." Princess Celestia explained.

"He's a dork, a dim witted, pint-sized dork." Wingston replied knocking his staff against my head again.

"If Smolder did have some ulterior motives, I needed a way to figure out what they could be. So I had Discord follow him around to uncover his motives and report back to me with his findings." Princess Celestia continued.

"Discord?" I asked mouth a gape.

"Surprise!" Discord shouted.

Discord slithered out from underneath Princess Celestia's mane. Standing idly by, looking quite pleased with himself, throwing out his chest and sucking in his gut; expecting applause for his involvement.

"What did Discord find?" Fluttershy asked softly.

"Everything you ponies wrote down in this letter. Discord explained how Smolder was being manipulated by his father and threatening the ponies he cared about if he did not comply. So we started keeping a closer eye on Smolder to determine if he could still be trusted." Princess Celestia went on to explain.

"B-B-B-B-B-" I stammered incoherently.

"I know I said I would keep our little chat between us, little Flame Pony, but my appendages were tied. Princess Celestia already knew who you were so all I did was confirm it. I hope you're not mad." Discord said looking sheepish.

Discord slithered his way over to me placing his paw on my head: tussling my fire mane.

"I'm just overjoyed that you decided to spill the beans before things got too out of hoof for you to handle." Discord said shaking jelly beans from his ears.

"Jelly beans!" Pinkie Pie cried diving to the floor.

"How exactly did Discord find all this out?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

Before I could open my mouth to tell every pony of the strange and mean ways he used to get his information, Discord had slapped his claws over my mouth and smiled wide.

"Details are not important, what every pony should take away from this is that I trusted this little Flame Pony to come clean on his own." Discord said with a big grin.

"From what I understand, Discord had slithered into Smolder's mind and…" Princess Celestia began to explain; turning her back to us to address every pony else.

I took that opportunity to bite Discord. Discord swallowed a scream while struggling to pull me off his paw. Wingston joined the fight by whacking his staff against Discord's goat leg.

"Back! Back Flame Pony! Back!" Discord hissed, attempting to wretch me from my bite.

We struggled against each other, fighting amongst ourselves, until Princess Celestia turned back around and we separated quickly.

"Discord may have broken his promise to you, but he had the utmost faith in you, Smolder." Princess Celestia said looking curiously between the two of us.

"Think nothing of it, little Flame Pony, consider it my token of friendship." Discord said hugging me tightly.

Discord put me down and slithered over to Fluttershy hiding behind her and sticking his snake like tongue at me.

"What about the act that Smolder put on during the Next Big Thing event?" Rarity asked curiously. "If you knew who he really was, why let him partake in it?"

"It was an opportunity to see how much control Smolder had over his fire. Discord was on sight in case things got out of hand but Smolder showed great restraint and control. It also gave Shining Armor a chance to see Smolder in action." Princess Celestia replied.

"You planned to have Shining Armor evaluate Smolder while he was at Canterlot." Twilight said beginning to put pieces together.

"That's correct. I have always found Shining Armor a very good judge of character, but Princess Cadance is also a fan of Rarity's work." Princess Celestia added.

"Really? Princess Cadance appreciates my work! I can't breathe!" Rarity cried in sheer delight as Fluttershy tried to calm her down.

"The report of the missing ponies arrived the following morning, and Shining Armor requested to handle it with Smolder's help. Stating that it would be a chance to see what sort of pony Smolder was." Princess Celestia explained.

"That's when Smolder had his rematch with the Queen of Spiders!" Rainbow Dash cried in excitement.

"Indeed. Upon their return, Shining Armor described to me the sort of pony Smolder was. I believe he used the words kind, compassionate, brave and loyal to a fault. Stating that when Private Nightshade had gotten hurt, Smolder went into frenzy and attacked the Queen. This had concerned me." Princess Celestia stated.

"For a Flame Pony cannot hide their emotions, they are forced to wear them on the manes and every pony can see that they are troubled. It is also true that these emotions can feed a Flame Pony's fire to great and terrible power. I feared that Smolder would become like his father, using his anger and hate to fuel his fire and achieve a wicked strength." Princess Celestia explained.

I kept my eyes glued to the floor. My mane seemed to be business for itself; flaring every few seconds. Wingston's wing rested upon my shoulder and I could feel my nerves settle a bit.

"I decided it was best to speak with Smolder personally, and see for myself what sort of pony he was willing to become." Princess Celestia stated, turning her attention to me. "Do you remember our talk on the rampart, Smolder?" 

I nodded yes.

"There was a sense of fear in your voice then, Smolder. You felt ashamed of what you had done. Guilty for what had happened. You questioned your own fire, your own feelings, you questioned yourself. You wanted to better yourself, not in strength, but in character. These were not the feelings of a pony who sought to harm others, and it put my concerns to rest." Princess Celestia remarked.

The weight of my anxiety lifted in that moment, I was able to raise my head to Princess Celestia and see that she was smiling at me. I could feel myself trying to say thank you but all I could do was smile back.

"So Smolder was able to prove himself to you after all!" Pinkie Pie said joyfully.

"Not entirely. It was not until this morning, after Smolder had left, did I come to realize what sort of pony Smolder really was." Princess Celestia said happily.

"What sort of pony is he?" Applejack asked.

"It's simple. He's a dork." Princess Celestia said cheerfully.

There was a sudden silence that fell over the group of ponies.

"That's what I said!" Wingston exclaimed through his hands up in the air.

"Very true, Wingston. Although, I did not learn this from you Wingston but from a friend of Smolder's." Princess Celestia explained.

"Who would tha-" I was cut short by a clipboard hitting me over the head.

"You really are the biggest dork in all of Equestria!" Tea shouted hitting me repeatedly with her clipboard.

"A fine hit, Ms. Herbal! A fine hit indeed!" Discord cheered.

"A clipboard is not nearly thick enough." Wingston said.

I scrambled to get away but Tea was right behind me. I tried to do a zigzag pattern to try and shake her but Tea was pretty fast on her hooves. Her clipboard slicing through the air at me, while she scolding me for keeping secrets.

"Ms. Tea Herbal had looked after Smolder during his stay in Canterlot. When Smolder had returned to Ponyville that morning, I had gone to the Infirmary to check on Private Nightshade's condition. That is where I found Ms. Herbal with a lit lantern on her desk." Princess Celestia explained watching Tea chase after me.

"He gave the lantern to Ms. Herbal?" Rarity asked sounding surprised.

"Ms. Herbal told me of how quickly they had become friends during his time in Canterlot. Of how Smolder opened up to her one night about his childhood, his fears and doubts. The lantern was a parting gift for Ms. Herbal. She explained that she was to return to Manehatten in the coming weeks and Smolder had lit the lantern using his own fire; so that way he could always be with her no matter where she went." Princess Celestia continued.

"That is so adorable!" Rarity shrieked.

"I didn't teach him that." Wingston said surprised.

"So Smolder's gift convinced you?" Twilight asked curiously.

"I knew about everything Smolder had done since his arrival at Ponyville. The fact that Smolder would give such a gift to a pony whom could not help him in any sort of way, whether it was to steal the Elements or assist him at the Summit, told me that Smolder really did care about Ms. Herbal. That was all the convincing I needed." Princess Celestia said warmly.

Eventually Tea's clipboard turned to ash but only because she had hit me with it so much. We were both out of breath and several yards away from the rest of the ponies.

"Were you… ever… going to … tell me?" Tea asked hotly taking a breath in between.

"About what?" I asked.

Tea made a move to hit me with her hoof while I cowered before her.

"About being a prince you dork!" Tea shouted putting her hoof down.

"Maybe? I didn't want any pony to know." I said tapping my hooves.

"You could have told me." Tea said looking annoyed.

"Would you have wanted to be friends with the son of the Mad King?" I asked curiously.

"Maybe, having friends in high places could be useful down the road." Tea said with a matter of fact tone.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled.

"You're such a dork." Tea said whipping her mane back.

Tea wasn't wearing her white nurse outfit; I guess she wasn't on her shift for the infirmary. It just made me wonder why she had the clipboard to begin with.

"Tea?" I mumbled.

"Yes?" Tea replied looking very cross with me.

"It's nice to… see you again." I said rubbing the back of my head.

I could see Tea's face soften. A smile crept across her face while she tried to hide it with her hoof.

"I saw you this morning Smolder." Tea said blushing slightly.

"I know." I said feeling my mane flare.

"Sorry to interrupt this tender and yet awkward moment but we need to discuss the prevention of the Mad King's return." Discord said suddenly lifting me off the ground by the nape of my neck.

Discord carried me back over to the other ponies with Tea following right behind us. It appeared Wingston had every pony's attention; tracing his staff in the dirt. I felt Discord drop me beside Wingston while Tea looked on over my shoulder.

"The Void Mirror is located in the Throne Room of Castle Char. It has but one way in and out through the main doors; apart from smashing in the windows." Wingston described drawing a crude diagram in the dirt.

"There are no Flame Ponies on guard anywhere near the Throne Room, only the Twins stand watch over it." Wingston explained.

"So reaching the mirror will be easy." Twilight stated encouragingly.

"So we smash the mirror and call it a day." Rainbow Dash said confidently.

"The mirror possesses great and powerful magic. It won't be as simple as merely smashing it. With Luna's help we should be able to suppress the power of the mirror long enough for you ponies to use the Elements of Harmony and seal it permanently. " Princess Celestia replied.

"That doesn't sound too hard." Pinkie Pie chimed in.

"The problem does not involve sealing the mirror, it is reaching it." Wingston replied drawing a large circle on the ground.

"The mirror, if you will, is a door that swings only one way. Capable of transporting ponies in but not out. The Mad King has been forcing this door to allow him an exit. Causing the rift between Equestria and the Void to become strained." Wingston explained further.

"I don't like the sound of any of that." Fluttershy said softly.

"The Void has been slowly leaking into the Ashen Fields, leeching strength from everything surrounding it; namely the fire of Flame Ponies. The Mad King has somehow utilized this phenomenon to recover much of his lost power. In recent days, coming anywhere near Castle Char will begin leeching a pony's strength and the closer to the mirror one gets the worse it becomes." Wingston continued.

"So if we move every Flame Pony away from the castle, the King won't be able to steal anymore power." Applejack concluded.

"I have already moved the elderly, foals, and fillies to the old mining tunnels here in the mountains; with the help of our General Hearth and the hoof full of Flame Ponies that still have strength." Wingston replied drawing a smaller circle off to the side.

"So how are supposed to get all the way to the mirror without losing all of our strength in the process?" Rarity asked sounding puzzled.

"What if we moved the mirror out of the castle?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Having the mirror outside would allow us to use the Elements of Harmony a safe distance away." Twilight stated. 

"Well that just leads us right back to square one on how are we supposed to get it outside if we can't get close to it?" Rainbow Dash retorted.

"I think I have an idea." I said scratching my chin.

"Are we going to stroll up to your father and carry the mirror outside?" Wingston asked sarcastically.

"Not quite, we're going to give him the Elements of Harmony." I said confidently.

I got a lot of puzzled looks after saying that from every pony. Wingston hit me upside the head with his staff again.
> Chapter 17: Second Breath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

For my plan to work, I needed to get the my father's mirror from the Throne Room and somehow bring it outside Castle Char. I had come up with a brilliant plan of having Discord pose as the Elements of Harmony and bring it before my father. While my father was distracted, Discord would take him by surprise and magically move the mirror outside the castle where Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Twilight and every pony, else armed with the real Elements of Harmony, would seal the mirror forever. My father would never know what hit him; all I had to do was go home.

It takes only an hour of travel to reach the edge of the mountains that separated the Ashen Fields from the rest of Equestria. I walked down the dirt path leading towards the canyon yet etched it's way through the mountains, letting out into the Ashen Fields. Wingston once more rode upon my back, keeping a firm grip on the chest that housed the Elements of Harmony; also known as Discord.

"I have to say, I am very skeptical of your plan, Smolder." Wingston mentioned.

"So am I." I agreed with him. 

"Well, in that case I feel loads better." Wingston mumbled, sounding annoyed.

"At least this way we're the only ponies in danger." I stated.

"I'm a bat, so I won't be in any danger by that logic." Wingston quipped.

"You know what I mean." I said shaking my head.

The lid of the chest grew a pair of eyes before it opened and closed repeatedly to speak.

"Don't forget that I'm here as well, Flame Pony, I expect to be well handled until my big moment." The chest said aloud in Discord's voice.

"Keep flapping your lid and we'll be caught before we even enter the castle." Wingston said knocking his staff against the chest.

"I majored in theater; I'll have you know. " The chest continued to slam open and close with Discord's voice.

"Then start acting before you give us away." I hissed at him.

"I know when it's time for the curtain call. Just make sure you don't flub this up, Flame Pony. I would just hate to see you be beaten by that pony wielding that clipboard again." Discord mocked.

"Who was that light green pony from last night that beat you mercilessly with that scrap of wood?" Wingston asked curiously.

"Tea?" I asked.

"Are you asking me or telling me?" Wingston retrorted.

"Telling you." I replied.

"She seems very fond of you." Wingston said nodding his head.

"Is hitting a pony over the head repeatedly considered to be a sign of affection?" The chest with Discord's voice asked curiously.

"It is when it concerns Smolder." Wingston replied trying to keep the chest closed.

"May I show some affection by hitting you over the head with a blunt instrument?" The chest chattered away with Discord's voice.

"No." I said shooting the chest an intense glare.

"You're no fun." The chest mumbled in disappointment.

Last night Tea had wished me luck in our plan to defeat the Mad King, save all the Flame Ponies, and rebuild our society from scratch. She sounded very sincere, even if it did sound rather ridiculous for a stupid Flame Pony to pull off. It was hard for me to have to say goodbye to Tea twice in one day but I would not want her anywhere near the Ashen Fields. Princess Celestia had allowed Tea use of her chariot to return to Canterlot where she would eventually journey to Manehatten. With a reassuring smile I told her everything would turn out fine and that she had nothing to worry about. For one last time Tea gave me that look, the look that saw right through me but could see I didn't want to talk about it. I was called a dork once more by Tea before she boarded the chariot and was taken back to the Royal Castle.

"She's going to become a doctor." I mentioned gathering my thoughts.

"She'll beat the sickness out of any pony the way she's going." Wingston jested.

"She'll be in Manehatten for the next couple of years to finish her schooling." I said trying not to chuckle.

"You just never seem to catch a break do you, Smolder?" Wingston asked rather sympathetically.

"What do you mean?" I asked looking over my shoulder.

"Eyes on the road." Wingston said knocking his staff against my head.

I elected to take the main road into the Ashen Fields. It was a large canyon cutting through the base of two connecting mountains. Prone to many rockslides, spider ambushes and stubbing ones hoof on an exposed boulder. Before the banishment of Flame Ponies this road was a very important trade route from East to West where gold and jewels from the mountains would flow from the Ashen Fields. It led to the very center of the Ashen Fields before snaking it way into the Dark Marsh. Flame Ponies would patrol the paths in the Dark Marsh to keep the Timber Wolves, spiders, and Owlbears at bay to allow ponies' safe travel. No pony has dared to try and use these roads since.

No sooner had we cleared the canyon did we come upon General Hearth waiting for us. This time he was not escorted by any other Royal Flame Pony Guard, but seemed relatively surprised to so me.

"Prince Smolder, I wasn't expecting your return so soon." General Hearth said rather confused.

"I wasn't going to allow Wingston to make the journey home without some assistance." I told him.

"I had offered my services to escort him personally to Ponyville but he declined." General Hearth informed me.

"Why is every pony suddenly concerning themselves with my business?" Wingston asked sounding annoyed.

"What are you doing all the way out here, General?" I asked curiously.

"Upon Wingston's return, I was going to offer him assistance back to Castle Char." General Hearth stated.

"I appreciate your concern for his well-being, General." I said appreciatively.

"I don't." Wingston commented.

"There are far too many Flame Ponies that are in need of constant looking after these days. Wingston may not be a Flame Pony, but he is one of us." General Hearth said.

General Hearth had taken notice of the chest that Wingston was holding.

"Need any assistance in carrying that, my Prince?" General Hearth asked promptly.

"No, I've got." I said confidently.

General Hearth nodded in compliance.

For as long as I could remember, General Hearth was in charge of the Ashen Fields Royal Guard and Army, or at least what was left of it. During my youth, General Hearth had carried out the orders given by the Twins, struggled to keep our Flame Ponies united, and protected them from the creatures of the Dark Marsh. Even when I was a foal, General Hearth had given me the respect worthy of a Prince; even when I should have been scolded for eating rocks. To this day I admire the strong will and determination that General Hearth puts forth in all his efforts to ease the burdens of our Flame Ponies. If not for the rule of the Twins, General Hearth would have made an excellent leader.

Together we made our way across the Ashen Fields. Almost hoof deep ash caked the ground, with every step we took the ash was tossed into the air before settling elsewhere. No matter how hard a Flame Pony tried to clear it the ash would just settle further away before the wind brought it back.

"Might I ask what you're carrying?" General Hearth asked curiously.

"The Elements of Harmony." Wingston replied casually.

"You- You've actually acquired them?" General Hearth asked in disbelief.

"General, there is something I need to tell you." I said slowing to a stop and turning to him ignoring his question.

"Of course, my Prince." General Hearth said proudly.

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, with many of our friends from Ponyville, will be coming to seal the mirror my father is trapped in. Have every Flame Pony take to the mines of the mountains and keep them there until this is over. My father is drawing power from their flames; we cannot allow him to gather any more strength." I explained.

"But… the Twins… I cannot… Let me accompany you, my Prince. I won't stand idly by allowing you to put yourself or any other pony in harm's way." General Hearth said defiantly.

"I won't let it come to that, General. Keep our ponies safe, as you have been all this time." I said heading towards Castle Char.

"Good luck, my Prince." General Hearth said tapping his hoof against his chest.

The closer we got to Castle Char the more I began to prepare myself for the leeching effects of the Void that surrounded the mirror. Reaching the castle doors, I could feel no difference in my strength nor did I feel my fire being pulled from me. I honestly didn't feel any worse for wear. The large rock doors of Castle Char slid open before us. We traveled through the Main Hall, lined with pillars obsidian pillars, towards the staircase leading up to the Throne Room. Ascending the staircase the Twins came stepping out from the throne room's doors looking quite surprised to see me.

"Why if it isn't lit-hey!" Pyre cut himself short as I pushed passed him making my way into the Throne Room; Wingston still riding on my back.

"You cannot enter unless father requests an audience with-" Wick came striding up next to me, but Wingston stopped him short with a swift knock to the head with his staff.

Walking down the corridor, I was expecting the Void to be sapping me of my strength in great quantities at this point. Strangely I did not feel any different than when I stood outside the castle. I stepped into the Throne Room feeling very brave, but the thoughts of my father caused my courage to waiver. Wick and Pyre had stopped near the corridor's entrance looking very annoyed with me. I could feel my heart sink, my mane flared, and my eyes grow wide with fear. The mirror was gone.

"Where is the mirror?" I asked sounding frightened.

"What business is it of yours to know where father is?" Wick asked with a sneer.

"Answer him!" Wingston exclaimed sliding off of my back onto the Throne Room floor.

"Silence you old fool! We will no longer have to listen to your shrieks anymore." Pyre snapped at him.

"Tell me!" I shouted turning on the spot; the chest dropped off my back slamming to the floor.

Wick and Pyre's attention turned to the chest now.

"What is in the box brother dear?" Pyre asked curiously.

"Perhaps gifts from the ponies of Ponyville?" Wick asked reaching for it.

"No business of yours!" Wingston shouted aloud striking Wick upon the head with his staff once more.

"Wretched little bat! How dare you!" Wick cried holding his head.

Wick's mouth opened to Wingston; fire stirring in his throat. Wingston raised his staff to shield himself but I got there first. I struck Wick, my brother, across the face with my hoof, forcing him to choke down his fire and stagger back. Wick looked towards me, his eyes wide with shock. I felt a hoof shove me back. I turned to see Pyre standing beside me, only to have him shove me once more.

"I think you owe your dear brother Wick an apology, Smolder." Pyre warned towering over me.

There was a fire raging inside me now, a mixture of fear and anger. We needed to find that mirror.

"Apologize to your brother Wick, little-" Pyre stopped short from me suddenly shoving him back.

The Twins both stared at me in shock. Their manes flared wildly. I could see Wingston in the corner of my eye pulling the chest off to the side.

"I think he's lost his mind, brother." Wick said standing alongside Pyre.

"I do believe you're right, brother dear." Pyre agreed glaring at me angrily.

Wick and Pyre stood side by side. The flames between them danced together, their fire merging as one.

There were times in my youth where Wingston and General Hearth could not be by my side. I had turned to my brothers for company in fear of being left alone. The Twins did not like the idea of me being a shadow to them, and teased me with mean tricks in hopes it would drive me away; unfortunately, it did not. It was not me they truly were angry with, but our mother whom they despised with such painful hate. Having left us to wander the Void in search of our father; she had abandoned us... abandoned them. The Twins never forgave her for doing so. They let their hate for her consume them, allowing our father's words to manipulate them, and turn them into an extension of their will. It was the first step in desiring power to rule as our father once had. Wingston had assured me that my brothers would lead our Flame Ponies to utter ruin but I never truly believed it. For until today, my brothers had never laid a hoof on me.

Wingston had finished dragging the chest off to the side where a pair of lips appeared on the lid.

"So what do we do now?" Discord asked his eyes appearing on the chest.

"I cannot search Castle Char in the time it would take to find it quickly. You must find the mirror, Discord." Wingston said trying to catch his breath.

"We have to warn Princess Celestia of this development." Discord informed him; the lid opening and closing.

"Do that thing with your claws and bring me to them. I will tell them myself." Wingston insisted.

"If I find the mirror I'll send it outside, have the ponies wait there until I have found it." Discord instructed him.

"Hurry, Discord." Wingston urged.

Discord's arm stretched out from the chest and snapped his claws them together; causing Wingston to disappear. The chest began to shrink, morphing into a mouse sized Discord. Stretching out his limbs, several of his joints cracking; Discord rubbed his palms together.

"Now if I was a magical mirror where would I be?" Discord asked himself scratching his chin.

Discord slithered up the wall like a small lizard, sliding in between the stones of the castle to begin his search of the mirror.

With a sudden pop, Wingston had reappeared near the edge of the Ashen Field, falling neck deep in the ash covering the ground. Digging his staff into the ash, trying to make a path for himself, Wingston hurried to free himself. No sooner had he began did he feel himself being lifted up into the air.

"Wingston?" Princess Celestia asked surprised; her horn glowing magically. 

Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Twilight, and her friends stood at the ready, the real Elements of Harmony strung about their necks; all except for Twilight's which she wore upon her head.  Every pony seemed surprised to see Wingston.

"My lady, the Twins have moved the mirror." Wingston said hastily.

"Do you know where, Wingston?" Princess Celestia asked lowering him to her side.

"I do not. Discord is currently searching the castle for it as we speak, he will move it out here if he finds it." Wingston reported.

"What about Smolder?" Spike asked curiously.

"He's dealing with his brothers." Wingston said looking back towards the castle.

"This is unexpected." Princess Luna said sounding anxious. 

"So what if we can't find the mirror? We can always come back tomorrow, right?" Spike asked nervously.

"That is not the problem, little dragon. The only reason the Twins would have moved the mirror would be if the Mad King found a new source in which to draw energy from." Wingston explained to him. 

"You said we had a whole month before the Mad King could absorb enough power to come back." Rainbow Dash replied starting to sound nervous herself.

"Stealing the fire of Flame Ponies must have been too slow." Twilight commented.

"Removing the mirror from the castle puts not only the Mad King at risk but the mirror as well. The Twins would not have moved it unless they were sure the location was well protected from any pony." Princess Celestia stated. 

"So we're looking for a place that is hard to reach, offers more power than the all the Flame Ponies and no pony can get to." Applejack said doing a mental check list of the criteria.

Every pony thought to themselves trying to figure out the location of the mirror. They didn't have long before Discord appeared before them looking rather grim.

"I've searched the castle from top to bottom and even gave the Dark Marsh a once over but that mirror is nowhere to be found." Discord reported shrugging his arms.

"How can this be? The Twins could not have taken far. It must still be here somewhere in the Ashen Fields." Wingston said sounding perplexed.

"Maybe they just threw it away." Pinkie Pie remarked.

"No, I've checked the trashcans." Discord said scratching his chin.

"Could they have taken it into one of the mines?" Fluttershy asked softly.

"There are hundreds of tunnels leading through the mountains, it could be-" Wingston stopped short.

Every pony turned to look at Wingston who had cut himself short. His eyes grew wide with fear. Hobbling forward Wingston pointed his staff north towards the largest mountain surrounding the Ashen Fields; the dormant volcano. 

"He is in the mountain…" Wingston said slowly.

"Discord! Go!" Princess Celestia shouted in haste.

Discord vanished on the spot. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna spread their wings and took flight towards the mountain.

"Let's go every pony!" Twilight yelled racing after them.

Every pony took off towards the mountain leaving Wingston alone in the fields. Shutting his eyes slowly and shaking his head he gripped his staff and prepared for the worst that was to come.

Our fire had chased the shadows from the Throne Room. Our flames burning brightly in its darkness. The three of us stood our ground, staring each other down before our game was to begin. Wick and Pyre had always tested each others strength, challenging one another to duels to see who was the better colt. They assured me it was only a game, a game that I would never win, for I would always be too far behind them. I was feeling apprehensive of challenging my brothers now, but I needed to know where they had taken father.

Together the three of us opened our mouths releasing a blaze fire at one another. The combined fire of the Twins quickly overcame mine, causing my own fire to act as a shield and providing a pocket in which their fire passed over me. I drew a breath; unable to continue my stream. The fire died away revealing Pyre and Wick racing towards me. Pyre's hoof struck me across the face allowing Wick to land a kick at my side. Staggered, Pyre reared back and drove his forelegs onto my chest knocking me to the floor while Wick spewed fire over me. In the old days, when two Flame Ponies dueled, the pony that could subdue the other with a greater amount of fire would cut off a Flame Pony's ability to allow their fire to breathe; causing them to pass out as well.

"Had enough, little brother?" Pyre taunted, while Wisp bathed me in fire.

I drew another breath. Ignoring the stinging pain of their hits, I drew in Wick's fire; allowing it to consume me. Wick and Pyre recoiled in surprise. I got to my hooves, having used the flames to jump start my Flash Step and charged them. In kind I drove my head into Pyre's chest sending him sprawling across the Throne Room. My speed making up for my lack of size. Leaping towards Wick I dug my teeth into his shoulder, hearing him shout in pain, and wrestled him to the ground. Wick swung his hooves down onto my head trying to force me to let go, I held on as he was able to get back to his hooves and tower over me. I lifted my back legs, driving them hard into Wick's stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Wick once more dropped to the floor, his mane no longer flaring, and trying to draw breath.

Pyre was back on his hooves racing towards us. I pounced towards Pyre feeling my flames propel me forward. Pyre and I connected, but he ended up tackling me to the ground anyways. Biting the back of my neck, he drew me up from the floor like a old sack and threw me across the room and into the wall. I slumped down feeling the Flash Step wisp away. Pyre did not give me time to recover, charging at me once more, driving his head into my side, and crushed me against the wall. Groaning from the pain I felt Pyre stomping his hooves against me viciously. I could feel my anger rising, my fire jumping to my throat, and I let it explode from my mouth. The force of my flames knocked Pyre clean of his hooves, throwing him into the air, before landing hard on the stone floor. Wick had caught his breath, his mane flaring wildly once more, leaping over his brother, and spewing fire my way.

I rolled to the side to avoid most of the fire, racing around the edge of the Throne Room trying to keep ahead of it. Wick was relentlessly shooting wave after wave of fire my way. Wick drew a breath, giving me the chance to turn towards him, kicking off the wall, and charging him. Wick opened his mouth once more, a torrent of fire erupting from his mouth. The fire Wick threw burned so hot it caused the stone on the floor to sear and hiss from the heat. Wick took another breath, the flames of his fire disappeared, and so had I. Wick quickly looked around for me, unsure of where I had went, but realized too late when he noticed a shadow hanging over him. Having used a short burst of my Flash Step, I jumped high into the air, the flames from my hooves giving me great lift. I fell down hard upon Wick, my full weight plowing him into the stone floor; his head striking hard against the stone floor knocking him out cold.

Taking several deep breaths. Getting to my hooves, standing over the now unconscious Wick, I looked towards Pyre who was still trying to pick himself up off the floor. Pyre seemed to be in a lot of pain. He was favoring his back, the impact from his landing must have really did a number on him; glaring at me with a scowl. I stepped over Wick, approaching Pyre slowly, who tried to summon fire to continue the fight, but the pain made him choke out a groan.

"Where… is … father?" I asked breathing hard.

Pyre did not answer me. He scowled looking away. I felt my fire jump to my throat in anger but I forced back down. I stepped closer to him, we were nearly face to face; I needed to know where they had taken him.

"Pyre, please." I pleaded with him.

"A Flame Pony does not plead." Pyre hissed in disgust.

"I don't care!" I cried flaring my mane wildly.

A sudden blaze of fire jumped from my mane; my anger boiling over at his words.Pyre was caught off guard, recoiling from my outburst. He had braced himself, covering his face with his arm expecting me to have hit him. After a few moments, Pyre realized that a blow was never struck, that I had not lashed out him, he slowly lowered his arm to look at me; confused now.

"I can stop him, Pyre." I said meekly lowering the flaring fire of my mane. "We don't have to live in fear of him anymore." 

"You don't know him like we do, Smolder." Pyre replied shaking his head miserably. "His cruelty, his anger, it is nothing like you have seen before."

"I don't know him, but I know my brothers." I replied.

"What do you mean?" Pyre asked sounding confused.

"I know you saw our father change from the Noble King that he once was, to the mad pony that he is now. You watched our mother abandon us for the Void, leaving us alone to face the unknown future of our Flame Ponies. You watched our Kingdom crumble over the years into fire and ash. Left to pick up the pieces of a Mad King, and lead a fallen empire through our darkest years under his guidance. You shielded me from his wrath all these years, protecting me from what he was doing to the two of you. You sent me away on an impossible task of stealing the Elements of Harmony, because you knew deep down I could never do it; believing that I would never come back to this place. I know that deep down, past all of your anger, all of your hate, you're still trying to protect me from him." I said resting my head against his.

"Smolder…" Pyre whispered to me. There was no malice or cruelty in his voice anymore.

"I can end this Pyre, for you, for Wick, for all our Flame Ponies." I pleaded closing my eyes. "Trust me, please."

I could feel Pyre's flame from his mane dance with mine. He could feel me trembling, not from fright, but from how emotional I had become trying to convince him of how much I cared for them and every ponies safety. 

"He… he is in the mountain. He demanded fire, more fire then we could give." Pyre whispered me.

"The volcano?" I asked, my heart dropping once more.

"It is over, Smolder." Pyre whispered sadly.

It felt like I was swimming in the river once more. My whole body ached from hearing this. Despair was creeping closer to my heart.

"The Mad King has returned." Pyre whispered.

With his words, Castle Char began to shake. The windows cracked and shattered. The Ashen Fields quaked. With a tremendous explosion the volcano roared to life spewing volcanic ash hundreds of miles into the air, blotting out the sun and shrouding the Ashen Fields in shadow. The force of the explosion collapsed part of the volcanic mountainside, sending an avalanche of rock and dirt fanning out over the eastern parts of the fields. Lava spewed up from the earth's core, beginning to fill the basin while streams of magma came pouring out from the collapsed mountainside; etching its way through rock and stone. Within the bowels of the volcano, among the torrents of fire and magma billowing at its center the mirror slowly rose to the surface. The frame of the mirror was searing a cherry red, cracks began to form across the magical glass, magma seeping through.

First a horn pierced through the mirror. The head of the Mad King slide out from the next. His hoof reached, followed by his other. Deep fissures etched across the Mad King's hide. With each breath the Mad King drew, the fissures seared a dark red, and with every exhale it faded back to black. If not for these fissures it would seem the Mad King was entirely made of fire. What remained of his hide was what outlined his body beneath the flames. Mad King Scorch took his first steps out onto the mirror's edge, stepping out onto the magma itself. The Mad King stretched out his wings, feathered by pure fire, and leaped up out from the volcano.

Landing upon its ridge with a powerful stomp, the Mad King Scorch looked out over the Ashen Fields. Taking a long deep breath of the sulfur and gases that the volcano spewed; he heaved a breath that made him smile. Looking towards the east, then towards the west. The Mad King took one flap of his wings, sending the pyroclastic clouds stretching out over the mountains towards the Crystal Empire and Ponyville. Tilting his head back the Mad King Scorch roared aloud, causing the earth to break open spewing hide melting steam and ash into the air across the fields; the volcano reacting to his power. The flames of his wings folded, the fire of his wings made it seem that he wore a cloak made entirely of fire. Even in his state of relax, his mane burned fiercely; as did his hooves, his flaming tail that snaked behind him. His eyes burned a deep red; filled with cruelty. With a single bound from the ridge of the volcano the Mad King Scorch fell at least two-thousand meters to the ground below. His hooves striking the ground with such force the earth broke beneath him, throwing up large quantities of ash into the air around him but the Mad King Scorch stood tall all the same.

The volcanic gas spewing from cavities within the mountain had forced Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to land several hundred meters away from the volcano. Through a fit of coughs from the gas Princess Celestia and Princess Luna beat their wings trying to clear the air. Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Spike had closed the distance in record time; sprinting across the Ashen Fields.

"Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!" Twilight and the other ponies cried out trying to wave the gas ridden air away with their hooves.

"Is every pony alright?" Princess Celestia asked covering her mouth with her hoof.

Every pony replied no through a fit of coughs from the volcanic gas. Princess Celestia's horn glowed brilliantly creating a magical bubble around every pony and expanded it wide to force the gas away; throwing the thick layer of ash into the creating a cloud around them. A collective deep breath was taken, while every pony took many more trying to catch their breaths. The sound of searing flames reached their ears. The forceful crunch of ash under hoof rang out around them. Two piercing red eyes burned through the clouds of ash just outside the range of Princess Celestia's bubble had dispersed. The Mad King Scorch stepped out from the ash cloud, his fire raging so violently across his body that it turned the ground he stood upon to glass beneath him.

"I've come to reclaim something of mine." The Mad King Scorch said menacingly.

With every word he spoke, flames flew from his mouth, his eyes bathing in fire, and his body burned like the surface of the sun.
> Chapter 18: Before Madness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Age of the Phoenix had come to an end when the Wise King Phoenix had given up his right to rule to his only son Prince Scorch. This marked the beginning of the Age of Light, which would be later known as the Fall of Char, where the newly crowned King Scorch would become the most feared tyrant in Flame Pony history. 

The Age of the Phoenix was met with many years of prosperity in the Ashen Fields; marking a century of peace within Flame Pony history. Not since the Dragon Rider Lord Smoke, who quelled the dragon uprising, did the Flame Ponies ever use their fire for war. Having driven the dragons from the Ashen Fields, never to oppress the lives of Flame Ponies again, Lord Smoke became the first King. With the Wise King Phoenix stepping down and the newly crowned King Scorch taking the throne it would seem that the Age of Light would have brought great insight and renaissance to the Flame Ponies. In actuality it brought the darkest chapter of Flame Pony history.

The recollection and negativity of King Scorch, by most ponies, consistently stems from the later years of his rule and deem the earlier years the residual competence of a well-structured kingdom left by the Wise King Phoenix. Rightfully so, the actions of King Scorch in later years would have lasting effects upon all Flame Ponies but his early years of ruling would paint a different picture if certain events, namely the Rise of the Orc, did not come to pass.

Prince Scorch, as a young foal, began his education under the tempering teachings of several brilliant Flame Ponies. Razgar the Thinker, Stanton the Dreamer, Elise the Speaker, and even Rascal the Believer tutored the young Prince. When the young Prince became old enough, he served under General Molten, becoming a soldier pony; as it was customary for the Royal Family to enlist within their own army. Learning battle tactics, military strategy, leadership skills, and completing the grueling Char Hoof Camp to become strong enough to fight off an Owl Bear single hoofed. Prince Scorch was naturally talented in fighting, earning the respect of his fellow comrades, and the admiration of General Molten.

To his teachers, he was considered to be a quick study, to his fellow soldier ponies he was a brave leader, and to his subjects an idol in which all Flame Ponies strove to emulate. All that was left for the young Prince to do, before inheriting the crown, was to find himself a special some pony. During the Age of the Phoenix, several Flame Pony families rose to considerable wealth and influence through trading across Equestria. The House of Hearth, the House of Coal, the House of Tinder and the most respected House of Incandescence had risen to ranks of nobility and political fame. It would be within one of these Houses that Prince Scorch was to find a special some pony to help rule the Ashen Fields, but Prince Scorch already had his heart set on a different pony.

From the entrance of Castle Char, two roads over, a left at the vendor selling caricatures, twelve homes down, a right at the intersection of the main road, and three stores passed the corner of the road preforming pony stood the 'Hot and Smolder Choices' clothing store. Prince Scorch had traveled this route many times since he was a foal, he owned several caricatures, and witnessed the play 'The Call of the Pony' preformed on the street corner at least a few dozen times. His route always ending at a family owned clothing shop, Hot and Smolder Choices, where Prince Scorch had purchased at least thirty different custom made hats to only catch a glimpse of Glow Sunbeam behind the counter.

Ever since the day the young Prince got lost on his way to the bakery, ended up having to stop for directions at a random shop, did the young Prince fall head over hooves for the pretty pony who pointed him in the right way. Glow Sunbeam was a grayish white filly Flame Pony that had fire so yellow that it almost resembled the sun. It was a big contrast to the young Prince's coal black hide and deep red flames. The young Prince would find excuses go back for many years after, each excuse becoming more and more ridiculous than the last but more and more apparent to Mr. and Mrs. Sunbeam. Until the days arrived where the Head Pony of Houses of Hearth, Coal, Tinder and Incandescence made regular visits to Castle Char in hopes of earning favor with the soon to be King. Inviting Prince Scorch over for dinner to formally meet their daughters; assuring him that he would not be disappointed.

Obligated to attend each dinner respectively, Prince Scorch met with several mares that seemed very eager to know his life story. While other mares attempted to impress him with their intelligence, preforming complicated spells or reciting old Flame Pony poetry. In no way were any of these ponies unsuitable for the Prince, each pony would have brought many assets and political power to the throne but none could seize the heart of the Prince who left it back at Hot and Smolder Choices.

With talk of Prince Scorch seeking his special some pony spreading through the Ashen Fields like wild fire, the Flame Ponies were buzzing over whom he was going to choose to be his Princess. The Prince knew whom he wanted but could not find the courage to ask. For Glow Sunbeam had shown little, to no interest, in Scorch, in fact, she almost seemed annoyed with him. What pony wouldn't after having to make thirty hats for one Flame Pony?

Eventually Prince Scorch summoned the courage to approach Glow Sunbeam to invite her and her family to dinner at Castle Char. To which Glow Sunbeam declined immediately and gave him his hat he had ordered the previous day. After this crushing blow Prince Scorch tried again and again to convince her to give him a chance but she refused him every time. Soon the time came where the Wise King Phoenix approached his son, asking if he had chosen a special some pony, to which the Prince declared that he had but his special some pony had refused him. This caused the Wise King Phoenix to laugh, explaining to him that for all his son's accomplishments he would fail to impress a pony. Pointing out to his son that even with all the power to rule over every Flame Pony, that they too do not always get what they want.

In the coming months the Wise King Phoenix had become sick; very sick. Relinquishing the thrown to his son had come earlier than the King had intended but did so without allowing the illness to make the choice for him. Prince Scorch was crowned King in the following days of His Royal Highness Phoenix abdicating his position. In the following month, His Royal Highness Phoenix, King Scorch's father, succumbed to his illness and passed quietly in the night.

Every Flame Pony came to pay their last respects to the once Wise King Phoenix, for when a Flame Pony passes their bodies turn to ash and scattered into the basin of the volcano; to forever burn with the heart of Equestria. It was tradition for the surviving members of the family, in the case the Royal bloodline, to make the journey to the volcano and scatter the ashes together. King Scorch had once made this journey years ago with his father, to say goodbye to his mother, and once more they made the journey together but Scorch would return alone. 

Every pony from far and wide expressed their condolences and sympathies to the King. The Houses of Hearth, Coal, Tinder and Incandescence offered their support in these trying times; even Princess Celestia herself came to offer her sympathy on the Wise King Phoenix's passing. Many Flame Ponies commended the strong front King Scorch displayed during the passing of his father, but in reality, Scorch had suffered greatly behind closed doors. It would be another month before the King was seen in any public capacity among his fellow Flame Ponies again.

With His Royal Highness Phoenix gone and King Scorch seated upon the throne, it was clear that the line of Kings would end with him if he did not chose a special some pony. There were attempts to have King Scorch consider going to dinner with one of the mares of the respected Houses, but being the King allowed him to decline such ideas; insisting that there were more pressing matters to be dealt with. Owlbears, Timber Wolves and Spiders were being sighted more often in the following months of King Scorch's rise to the throne. Reports from the mines, as well as the Dark Marsh, of aggressive attacks from these creatures were becoming more and more frequent. Trivial is what many of his Counselor Ponies called it. Unprecedented is what they used to describe King Scorch's lack of a special some pony; 'none' was the word King Scorch used to describe the business these ponies had with his private life.

In the second year under King Scorch's reign, an orc named Grog, from the Far East of Equestria, appeared in the Ashen Fields riding on the back of a giant Queen Spider. The orc would come to be known as the Last Orc by every Flame Pony in time. For Grog declared that dragons driven from the Ashen Fields a century ago had taken their homeland and drove them across the sea. Grog swore vengeance on Flame Ponies for placing his kind in the path of the dragons, believing that Flame Ponies and dragons were still mutual friends. Try as he might, King Scorch couldn't convince Grog of the war Flame Ponies waged against the dragons over a century ago. The Last Orc would not listen, demanding that Flame Ponies leave the Ashen Fields as retribution for his kin. With King Scorch's refusal, the Last Orc had declared war on the Flame Ponies, promising them the same misery and pain his kin had suffered from the dragons.

The influx of Spider attacks increased by almost seventy percent within that year, causing many trade routes to be cut off indefinitely. Flame Ponies and regular ponies alike were all victims of these Spider attacks throughout the year, causing great turmoil and fear in the Ashen Fields. Consulting with the Summit on the events that had been transpiring in the East, King Scorch entertained the idea of a united front against the Last Orc and his Spiders. It was a unanimous decision from all parties. By the third year of King Scorch's rule the amount of Spider attacks had significantly dropped to only twenty percent and the roads were constantly being patrolled by allied ponies. 

During the winter of that third year, the Last Orc returned to the Ashen Fields, aided by the cover of nightfall, with an army of Spiders at his back. Grog launched an attack on the Ashen Fields taking every pony by surprise. The horror that Grog brought that night is known to every Flame Pony as the Black Winter, where Flame Ponies were dragged from their homes and were taken deep into the Dark Marsh; some never to be seen again.

That following morning, King Scorch met with the Last Orc near the edge of the Dark Marsh to barter for the safe return of his Flame Ponies. The Last Orc demanded that the King beg for their safe return. The King reluctantly complied and begged for his Flame Ponies to return unharmed; kneeling to this Orc. Grog declared the King the weakest of his line, striking the King with his metal mace before refusing to release the ponies. King Scorch called for an emergency meeting of the Summit that day asking for the help in the rescue of his captured ponies. It was decided upon that Princess Celestia would lead a team of her own Royal Soldier ponies into the Dark Marsh, using the cover of nightfall themselves and rescue the captured Flame Ponies from the Last Orc. The next morning, Princess Celestia and her Royal Soldiers emerged from the Dark Marsh with nearly every Flame Pony that had been captured by the Last Orc; nearly. 

The faith the Flame Ponies had for their King wavered greatly, not only did he fail to protect them, but he had also allowed the Last Orc to make a fool of him. The Houses of Hearth, Coal, Tinder and Incandescence had withdrawn much of their support of the King, claiming that the once Prince prodigy had made for a weak King. Every Flame Pony began to doubt the validity of their King, when it seemed that the King was alone in the world, a special some pony came to Castle Char to deliver a hat the King had neglected to pick up. Glow Sunbeam's parents were part of the ponies who had been taken during Black Winter. Glow wtinessed the King beg for their safe return, along with every pony else, and watched the Last Orc's cruel response. What she had seen, was the courage to do what was best for his Flame Ponies.

The fourth year of King Scorch's reign, many Counselor Ponies had resigned their positions and even General Molten had lost faith in his King. Believing that these Flame Ponies were remnants of his father's rule, King Scorch set out to find younger Flame Ponies to fill these necessary positions. One Flame Pony in particular was the eldest son Captain Warrick, from House Hearth, whom had been recognized by many of his fellow Soldier Ponies as a hero during the Black Winter. Having found little use for the Council of Ponies, King Scorch dissolved it completely stating that the Counselors were more troubled by whom he dated then the issues at hand.

There was still much criticism over King Scorch's ability to effectively protect and rule the Ashen Fields without a Council. Yet the newly promoted General Hearth fortifying key defenses of the Ashen Fields and roads had every pony starting to feel safe again. General Hearth now spoke directly to the King, no more time wasted discussing it as a committee, and King Scorch approved much of General Hearth's plans to keep the Spiders at bay. King Scorch made decrees without the consent of any pony, declaring that no Flame Pony would leave the safety of the Ashen Fields at night. That roads would be closed before sundown to minimize the Spider attacks. Stating that every strong bodied pony should apply to become a Soldier Pony to help protect their families and friends.

With all the laws in place, the number of attacks on Flame Ponies had dropped to less than ten percent and General Hearth had driven away several large legions of Spiders preventing another Black Winter. Flame Ponies were beginning to have confidence in their King, and in time thoughts of needing a Council left every ponies mind. All except for Glow Sunbeam whom believed that there should be some pony to question the King and offer him advice when needed. Glow Sunbeam had several dinners with the King since personally delivering his hat to him. There were rumors spreading through the Ashen Fields that the mare from 'Hot and Smolder Things' was going to be the new Queen. By the end of that fourth year the Ashen Fields had gotten its Queen.

Although becoming the Queen of the Ashen Fields gave Glow Sunbeam almost equal power over the Flame Ponies, she could not see herself being her husband's adviser; at least not officially. During the spring of the fifth year of King Scorch's rule. Queen Sunbeam happened upon a crippled bat near the edge of the Dark Marsh. A victim of the cruelty of the Last Orc no doubt. Queen Sunbeam brought him back to Castle Char, nursing it back to health. By the time fall came around the bat had learned to read, write and speak the language of ponies. It had learned to walk on its claws and had studied all of Flame Pony history during its stay in Castle Char. As a gift, Queen Sunbeam presented Wingston, who was now able to speak his name, a staff she cut from a tree and carved it to help him walk. 

Wingston approached King Scorch that winter, to which he swore his loyalty to the King and Queen, to the Ashen Fields, and to all Flame Ponies that lived there. Stating that the kindness of Flame Ponies gave him a second chance to be something more than just a bat, and would be a reliable King's Adviser. King Scorch was at first apprehensive at the idea, realizing that Glow had intended for Wingston to become his Advisor all along, but the thought of a non-Flame Pony's point of view sounded useful to Scorch. That winter Wingston had become the King's Royal Adviser, while starting in on handling much of the political back lash from the dissolved Council, speaking with delegates of other nations, and playing ambassador when necessary. Wingston had become the voice, the ears, the eyes, and will of the King for any Flame Pony that came to Castle Char looking for help; he was much beloved by the Flame Ponies of the Ashen Fields.

The start of the sixth year of King Scorch's reign had marked the birth of his first children, twin colts they loving named Wick and Pyre. The news of the foals spread through the Ashen Fields like wildfire, every Flame Pony rejoiced over the news and threw a celebration on the twin's behalf that lasted two days. Ponies from all over Equestria traveled to the Ashen Fields to catch a glimpse of the twin colts, even the leaders across Equestria flocked to congratulate them; including Princess Celestia. The Flame Ponies had deemed the reign of King Scorch as the Age of Light, declaring that in their darkest hours Scorch had shown them the way. General Hearth had doubled security around the Ashen Fields after the arrival of the twins, taking every precaution for the newborn colts, for the Last Orc would have surely heard the news.

During the summer of the sixth year the Last Orc would make its final move on the Ashen Fields. Emptying the Dark Marsh and the surrounding mountains of Spiders, Grog mounted a full scale assault on the Ashen Fields declaring that this night would mark the end of Flame Ponies forever. General Hearth quickly mobilized the largest offensive Flame Pony army in over a century to defend their home once more. A messenger pony was sent out to request aid from the Crystal Empire and Canterlot of the Last Orc's march on the Ashen Fields. Night turned to day, the fire of the Flame Ponies burned fiercely to stave off the advancing Spiders. King Scorch led the charge himself with General Hearth at his side and his army at his back.

No pony would have guessed the Last Orc's plan, for Grog had used his Spiders as a diversion to sneak into Castle Char and strike at the very heart of the King. Queen Sunbeam coddled her twins in the Royal Chamber, with Wingston at her side, and several Royal Guard ponies stationed outside the door. It would not be enough to keep the Last Orc out. Having bested the guards, Grog entered the Royal Chambers declaring that his kin would be avenged that night.

The events that followed are known to few ponies. History would speak of the Spiders being driven back, that the twins and the Queen were unharmed, and that the Last Orc was never seen or heard from again. For Grog had stormed the Royal Chamber, Wingston placing himself in front of the Orc to defend the Queen was quickly struck down by the Orc with a single swing of his mace. Turning his mace towards the Queen, Grog raised it once more to Queen Sunbeam who shielded her foals. The blow never fell, the Last Orc having been knocked to the ground by the King. Grog struggled beneath the fiery hooves of King Scorch, only to feel the full wrath of his anger. The King bathed the Last Orc in fire, burning away every trace of the Orc; leaving not but the charred remains of a humanoid figure. Queen Sunbeam and Wingston were the only witnesses to the defeat of the Last Orc, and the first witnesses to Scorch becoming the Mad King.

By the winter of the sixith year of King Scorch's reign, there was a noticeable difference in the King's mood. The King had blamed himself for Grog. Believing that if he had been stronger, more decisive in his choices he could have ended the war before it began. Scorch had sent out search parties every day to sweep the mines, comb the Dark Marsh for Spiders, or any creature that would pose a threat and deal with it. Most Flame Ponies believed it was merely a show of force to ensure that no creature would think to try and harm another pony. Wingston on more than occasion tried to console the King's thoughts of on the matter, but the King declined his help. Even Queen Sunbeam had trouble reaching him at times. King Scorch secluded himself for hours at a time, alone with his thoughts and refused to speak to any pony.

By the spring of the ninth year of King Scorch's reign, many ponies wanted repeal the laws that had been set during the time of the Last Orc. Flame Ponies wanted to use the roads at night again, not every Flame Pony wanted to become a Soldier Pony, and the King refused them. Stating that Flame Ponies could not help themselves during the War against the Last Orc, Flame Ponies were made to look like fools, and that a show of strength was needed to be taken seriously again. King Scorch ordered the burning of the over half of the Dark Marsh claiming that it would expand our territory and drive out the creatures lurking there. General Hearth carried out the order, but in doing so it attracted several negative views from the Summit. Many leaders, including Princess Celestia, claimed that peaceful animals were forced from their homes due to this and that Ashen Plains did not have legitimate reason or claim over the Dark Marsh to do such a thing. This was the first time King Scorch uttered the words, "I am the King." as a response.

By the winter of the tenth year of King Scorch's reign, he had cut all ties with the allied Kingdoms. Claiming that their efforts during the war was insignificant at best and accused them of allowing Spiders to cross freely into their lands. Much to the dismay of Wingston who had attempted to salvage those ties to little effect, and even Queen Sunbeam personally apologized to each Kingdom for her husband's inexcusable behavior. The Flame Ponies of the Ashen Fields were becoming increasingly concerned on how the King was handling things, the House of Hearth, Coal, Tinder, and Incandescence started to rally against the King's decision to cut ties for such ludicrous reasons. The King responded by removing their titles, their property, and burned all their possessions to the ground for defying him. After that every pony refused to speak out against the King, once more living in fear. King Scorch decreed that the land north of the Ashen Fields were now under his rule, a part of Equestria that had remained neutral and was home to small villages of ponies. It was here that the Scorch was nearing the Mad King as history remembers him, when he ordered the removal of all non-Flame Ponies from the area.

News had reached Canterlot of King Scorch's occupation and relocation of the ponies living to the north of the Ashen Fields. Princess Celestia took it upon herself to confront King Scorch personally on this matter. It was this encounter that King Scorch would forever be lost in his own self-hatred, having allowed his anger and hate to eat away at his heart, and allowed his madness to take over. For when Princess Celestia arrived at Castle Char to confront him, King Scorch commanded for the capture of Princess Celestia for conspiring against Flame Ponies and allowing the Last Orc to breed an army of Spiders capable of collapsing his kingdom. The Solider Flame Ponies were no match for Princess Celestia's power, their fire could not subdue her, and she escaped declaring that King Scorch had gone too far and would pay for his crimes.

This began to the Summer War against the Summit and the Ashen Fields. A blockade was set up near every major road and minor road that led in and out of the Ashen Fields. Soldier Flame Ponies were forced into war once more. Those that refused were brought before the King and convinced otherwise. Land was slowly won by Flame Ponies, wild fires proved effective in forcing ponies to give up ground and the Flame Pegasi kept the air space around the Ashen Field dry so that rain would not be used against them. The Summit had nicknamed Scorch the Mad King, many ponies had their own reason of why he was called that; all were good reasons. It was at this time that Queen Sunbeam had given King Scorch another son, but he had refused to see or name him.

That Fall, the Flame Pony Soldiers were inching ever closer to the Crystal Kingdom and Ponyville. There were rumors that the Mad King had a plan to cover all of Equestria in fire; making his rule absolute. Wingston was the one who had leaked the plan, and it was Wingston that plotted to overthrow the Mad King. In fear of the Mad King succeeding with his plan, Wingston told Queen Sunbeam of the King's secret, having betrayed the confidant the King placed upon him, and urging her to seek help. Queen Sunbeam slipped away in the middle of the night, approaching Princess Celestia in Canterlot with news of the Mad King's plan. Explaining that being here put her foals in danger of her husband's wrath, trying to earn her trust that Scorch had destroyed. Princess Celestia agreed to help on the condition that Flame Ponies would end their march on Equestria, and pay for their crimes when Glow would ascend to power in place of the Mad King. Queen Sunbeam agreed.

That night would be known as the Banishment of the Mad King in Flame Pony history. For Queen Sunbeam tricked the Mad King out from the castle which allowed Princess Celestia the opportunity to use with the Elements of Harmony banishing the Mad King into the Void for all of eternity. With the Mad King gone. Princess Celestia declared the banishment of Flame Ponies; to forever remain with their Ashen Fields never to trouble any pony ever again. Queen Sunbeam, in her grief, agreed to such terms offering her deepest apologies.

The Age of Light was soon renamed the Fall of Char by Flame Ponies in the coming years. Queen Sunbeam could not resolve her grief, insisting that there was still a part of the old King Scorch somewhere within the Mad King. Wingston reluctantly decided to help her, uncovering a mirror in the dungeons deep under Castle Char that acted as a doorway to the Void. Having said goodbye to her foals, Queen Sunbeam asked Wingston to look after them; especially the little one before stepping into the Void. It was the last time any pony ever saw Queen Sunbeam. The lives of Flame Ponies had fallen far since the days of the Wise King Phoenix, wondering where things had gone so wrong, and if there was a time in which it could have been stopped. All that remained of the Age of Light were two Twin colts, Wick and Pyre that declared themselves the Wardens of Castle Char. Along with a small fire colt named Smolder, the youngest son of the Mad King, whom every Flame Pony saw try to eat rocks.
> Chapter 19: Third Breath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I thought we had a month before my father was capable of being a viable threat, believing that we had the element of surprise. No sooner had I told every pony who I really was, what my father was planning to do, did we move against him and attempt to thwart his return. In the end, I was still too late. For now, our father had returned, and my plan had failed before it had even begun. My mind raced for ideas on what to do next, but all I could think of was making sure my friends were safe. Stepping away from Pyre, I resolved myself to go through with my new plan; protect my friends.

"Pyre, stay with Wick, and find a place to hide." I said heading towards the corridor.

"Where are you going?" Pyre questioned me.

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and a lot of my friends are out there. I have to make sure they're safe." I stated; not slowing down.

"If your friends have any sense at all, they will flee before the Mad King!" Pyre called out to me.

His voice echoed through the corridor, slowing me to a stop.

"Father will uncover your scheme, Smolder. It is you who should be hiding." Pyre warned.

"During my time in Ponyville, I've learned that friends help each other. That friends do not need to be paid or convinced to help a pony in need. That is why they are here, Pyre. I will not leave them to face our troubles alone!" I called back to him.

I wasn't sure if Pyre called out to me again; I took off before another word was spoken between us. Racing down the staircase towards the exit, I did my best to steel myself for the coming confrontation with my father.



The creeping ash cloud etched its way across the sky, the volcanic gases spewing from the cracks from the volcano. The ashen cloud covered the Ashen Fields in shadow; pronouncing the Mad King's presence vividly for every pony to see by his wild flames.

"Tell me," The Mad King began pivoting his head from side to side. "Is this a good look for me?"

Princess Celestia placed herself in front of every pony, spreading out her wings to shield them. Yet, no pony replied to the Mad King's question.

"You can be honest with me, I can take it." The Mad King reassured them.

"I still see the same cruel and mad King I had banished all those years ago." Princess Celestia replied coldly.

"Well, that's disappointing." The Mad King muttered. 

The Mad King's mane flared so violently that it caused the volcano to spew lava high into the air behind him; the ground quaking underhoof. His burning red eyes stared menacingly at Princess Celestia. A smile broke across his face, it quickly vanished and returned.

"I was expecting more of a turn out. " The Mad King said snapping his head towards Princess Luna. "To be greeted by Celestia and her misguided pets is underwhelming to say the least." 

"Pets?" Rainbow Dash exclaimed in annoyance.

"Perhaps vermin is a more appropriate word to describe your ilk." The Mad King corrected himself stretching out his neck.

"Come on, Twilight! Let's blast this guy into next week!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed shaking Twilight by the shoulders.

"By all means, blast away." The Mad King replied rolling his shoulders.

The Mad King's response unnerved every pony; his lack of fear for the Elements of Harmony was clear from his horrid grin.

"What should we do, Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked quietly. "He doesn't seem worried about the Elements of Harmony."

"Something is wrong." Princess Celestia whispered to every pony.

"What do you mean, sister?" Princess Luna asked in a hushed voice.

"He's changed. He's different somehow." Princess Celestia replied looking worried.

"Is it that why he looks like the barns on fire?" Applejack asked sarcastically.

"When I sealed him away all those years ago, the Mad King still looked… normal. I'm not sure what has happened to him, but he has become less of a pony since then." Princess Celestia whispered, trying to determine the extent of Scorch's power.

"Could it have something to do with the mirror?" Princess Luna asked curiously.

"It may, but every pony be on your guard. I fear that he may be hiding something, or worse." Princess Celestia warned.

"Always scheming aren't we, Celestia? You haven't changed at all." The Mad King quipped.

"You've changed quite a bit. If I recall, it was your ideals that were out of control, not your fire." Princess Celestia replied.

"Like it? The Void offers little in terms of comfort. It takes and takes from you until there is nothing left, but an empty shell of the pony you once were." The Mad King said looking himself over.

"You've become an abomination!" Princess Luna said aloud with every pony agreeing.

"Quite." The Mad King agreed bobbing his head.

Every pony stood at the ready, the Mad King did not seem threatened at the sight of the Elements of Harmony nor the presence of Princess Celestia or Princess Luna. His smile came and went with such repetition that it almost seemed to be in business for itself.

"Let's begin." The Mad King announced.

Within an instant an explosion of light emitted for the Mad King's horn tearing up the ground around him and sending large pieces of earth into the air. The force of his magic barreled towards every pony, Princess Celestia was quick on the draw and produced a shield to protect them.

"Twilight! Have every pony retreat to the castle! I will try to weaken the Mad King to allow you a chance to use the Elements of Harmony!" Princess Celestia declared struggling to keep the large shield from wavering.

"We're not going anywhere!" Rainbow Dash declared.

"That's right! We're not going anywhere, no matter how terrifying he is." Fluttershy agreed nervously.

"Luna, get them to safety!" Princess Celestia commanded.

Without hesitation Princess Luna's horn flashed brilliantly before she and every pony disappeared from sight; leaving Princess Celestia alone to face the Mad King.

The attack of the Mad King's subsided, large bits of earth fell back to the ground around them and Princess Celestia stood tall; unfazed by his attack.

"Were there not more ponies with you a moment ago?" The Mad King asked curiously looking around her.

"This ends today." Princess Celestia declared confidently.

The crackling and roar of the volcano echoed across the Ashen Fields. The Mad King swayed on the spot, unblinking with his fixed stare on Princess Celestia and she too returned that gaze. The Mad King's mouth cracked open, the sounds of gravel grinding against rocks echoed from deep within his body. Princess Celestia's horn flashed a brilliant white light surrounding her in a bubble of magic once more. The Mad King spread out his wings, flames flaring wildly into the air.

 

Princess Luna, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Spike reappeared within Castle Char in a flash of blue light. Every pony looked around confused at their surroundings before realizing what Princess Luna had done.

"Stay within the Castle until we have need of the Elements of Harmony." Princess Luna declared to every pony.

"You can't expect us just to sit here! We want to help." Rarity said aloud in protest.

"Rarity's right, we're all in this together." Applejack insisted.

"My sister will not risk harm coming to any of you ponies, I will assist my sister in weakening the Mad King and at that time you will use the Elements of Harmony to return him to the Void." Princess Luna explained.

"Fools." A voice declared aloud from the steps leading up to the throne room.

Pyre was assisting an unsteady Wick down the steps. Wick seemed rather annoyed at the group of ponies that stood before them, while Pyre hissed at him to remain silent.

"No pony can stop the Mad King from covering all of Equestria in fire. You would be wise to run while you still have the chance." Wick spoke out once more.

"Brother dear, if you have the energy to speak then you should have the energy to carry yourself." Pyre hissed continuing to help Wick down the steps.

"Twin Flame Ponies?" Twilight asked surprised.

"They must be Smolder's older brothers!" Spike declared tapping his fist onto his palm.

"You must be the ponies Smolder spoke of." Pyre said reaching the landing of the staircase.

"So what if we are?" Rainbow Dash asked crossing her hooves.

"I was expecting an army." Pyre murmured helping Wick off the last step.

"Where is Sparky?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Who?" The Twins asked together looking confused.

"She's talking about Smolder. Your younger brother." Rarity clarified for them.

"The traitor?" Wick spat in disgust.

"He's not a traitor!" Spike exclaimed stepping forward only to have Rarity hold him back.

"Our little brother returned under the guise of wanting to help father, and then attacked us his elder ponies. He's gone against the crown as well as his own family. The runt is a traitor." Wick said angrily.

Pyre did not speak. Remaining silent while Wick and Spike argued. Princess Luna took notice of Pyre's hesitation to remark Smolder as a traitor.

"Pyre, was it?" Princess Luna asked curiously.

"Whom may I ask are you?" Pyre replied cautiously.

"I am Princess Luna, younger sister to Princess Celestia." Princess Luna answered.

"I had no idea Princess Luna had a sister." Wick mumbled to Pyre.

"Neither did I." Pyre replied.

"You do not believe Smolder is a traitor, do you?" Princess Luna asked.

"Of course he does." Wick spoke up.

Wick looked to Pyre for confirmation. Pyre did not look back; he stared at the ground not making eye contact with any pony.

"Brother?" Wick asked in surprise.

"Smolder, had the chance to harm us both further when you blacked out. He stayed his anger, a feat our father would not have attempted to reach. He may not be loyal to our father, brother dear, but he has shown loyalty to us. Going as far as to declare us the new rulers of the Ashen Fields after our father's... defeat." Pyre explained.

Wick gave a look of uncertainty to his brother. Opening his mouth to speak a few times, but not finding the words to express what he was feeling. Pyre looked up towards every pony.

"Tell Smolder, we're sorry but… we're leaving." Pyre said solemnly.

"Runaway?" Wick asked in disbelief.

"Father will not be happy that we have allowed these ponies to enter the Ashen Fields unopposed. Even more so we have been beaten in battle by Smolder himself. He will not show us mercy." Pyre explained again.

"So you're just going to run away?" Fluttershy asked in shock.

"You would be wise to do the same. Unless you wish to feel the wrath of the Mad King." Pyre warned.

"I can't believe Smolder risked everything for the two of you." Rarity said in utter disappointment.

"Risked what?" Wick asked.

"He had gained the trust of every pony here, as well as Princess Celestia, and was surely going to convince the Summit of helping these poor Flame Ponies. Keeping your secret, of helping that awful Mad King from all of us, in fear that the two of you would be harmed if he told any pony. I can't begin to understand why Smolder even concerns himself with two brutes that never show him an ounce of respect or love." Rarity scolded them.

"Yeah! Especially now when he needs you the most you just go and bail on him." Rainbow Dash piled on.

"You have no idea what we've done for that… runt." Wick said bitterly.

"Well, you have no idea what that little Flame Pony went through." Discord said popping into view in front of every pony.

"Discord!" Fluttershy exclaimed softly.

"Fluttershy! I am so glad you're not a pile of ash!" Discord said lifting her up and embracing her.

"What in Equestria is that?" Pyre asked in disgust.

"Yet another Flame Pony that doesn't know who I am." Discord said disappointingly placing Fluttershy back down.

"Discord, shouldn't you be helping Princess Celestia?" Princess Luna asked urgently.

"I fear that might be unwise, Princess Luna. I made a startling discovery when I witnessed the mirror in the volcano." Discord said looking rather serious.

"What did you see, Discord?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

"I'm not sure how he was able to do it, but the Mad King is all but impervious to my magic." Discord said bitterly snapping his claws and producing a couch to throw himself upon.

"Explain!" Princess Luna asked urgently.

"All I can gather is that while in the Void the Mad King was not only absorbing the strength of these Flame Ponies, but essence of the Void as well. He is literally consuming everything around him and using it to empower him. If I were to use my magic against him I would only make him stronger." Discord said making the couch disappear and pulling up a chalkboard with intense math equations scribbled about.

"What about the Elements of Harmony?" Applejack asked.

"By all accounts the Mad King will simply absorb the Element's power and be no worse for wear." Discord explained taking a piece of chalk and drawing crude drawing of the mane six with frowns.

"So we're powerless to stop him?" Twilight asked in disbelief.

"Not quite, I believe Princess Celestia has already realized this, but the Void's effects is only as powerful as he is. Weakening him will allow you to overpower the Mad King and have him be sucked back into the Void." Discord continued drawing a very mad looking Flame Pony.

"So we just sit here and wait?" Rainbow Dash asked displeased.

"It would be the wisest course of action for you ponies to take." Discord replied snapping his claws making the chalk board disappear.

"Then it is clear what we must do, I will go and assist my sister. Discord will remain here to protect you ponies." Princess Luna declared.

"What about the Twins?" Spike asked.

To every ponies surprise the Twins were nowhere to be seen, having slipped away during Discord's explanation.

"Those rotten cowards!" Rainbow Dash shouted zooming around the hall trying to find them.

"Let them go Rainbow Dash, it didn't seem like they were going to help us anyways." Twilight said disappointingly.

"They should be helping Smolder." Fluttershy said softly.

"But where is Sparky?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.



I had just barely exited the main doors of Castle Char before nearly plowing into Wingston head on. Tripping over my hooves trying to avoid him, Wingston merely stepped aside and watched me face plant into the dirt.

"Where are you going?" Wingston asked curiously.

"To confront my father." I said pulling my face from the dirt.

Wingston's staff knocked me on the head a few times in his disapproval.

"That is madness, Smolder! He will destroy you!" Wingston scolded me.

"I will not allow the others to face him alone." I said only to have Wingston hit me again with his staff.

"They are here for that exact reason, Smolder! You trusted them to send your father back into the Void!" Wingston shouted.

"If my father was still trapped in that mirror! The plan has changed Wingston and I will not abandon them to just run off and hide!" I snapped back.

"There are more pressing matters to attend to!" Wingston said pointing towards the mountain range to the east.

"What are you talking about?" I asked confused.

"The volcano has caused a series of quakes that shook the very foundations of the Ashen Fields. Your Flame Ponies have taken refuge in those old tunnels for safety, but I fear that it has now become a tomb for them or worse." Wingston explained.

Wingston was right, the tunnels were dangerous enough on their own, being disused for some many years. With the eruption of the volcano it would have surely caved in and trapped and injured many of our Flame Ponies. Wingston and I alone would not be able to reach them quickly. I would need help from our friends.

"Only Princess Celestia and Princess Luna can reach them in time." I stated.

"You are not going anywhere near your father, Smolder." Wingston warned pointing his staff at me.

"There is no other choice, Wingston. I may be able to stall him long enough for Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to save our Flame Ponies." I replied.

"I won't allow it." Wingston said stepping in front of me.

"Wick and Pyre are inside and could use your help." I said stepping around him.

"You're not leaving, Smolder!" Wingston shouted holding his staff up to my face.

I looked down at Wingston, for the first in my life I saw fear in his eyes. I could see the pain of my choices lingering with him.

"I'm sorry, Wingston." I said flaring my mane.

Wingston staggered back in surprise, my flames surrounded me putting me into the Flash Step. I bolted from the spot, racing around the castle towards the fields where the battle was surely taking place. Wingston stood watching the trail of fire I had left in my wake. He shook his head slowly before entering Castle Char.



Wave after wave of fire crashed down around Princess Celestia, her magic keeping the fire at bay, but the Mad King did not let up his onslaught. After a few more barrages the Mad King stayed his fire to taunt her.

"Princess Celestia!" The Mad King exclaimed. Flames spewing from his mouth as he spoke.

"Welcome to the Ashen Fields!" The Mad King cried as the flames upon his mane flared out in a roar.

A sudden blast of white light struck the Mad King, knocking him off his hooves and throwing him across the Ashen Fields. The Mad King quickly rebounded to his hooves only to have the earth shoot up out of the ground striking the Mad King in the face and sending him reeling back. Magical white chains came snaking up from the ground beneath the Mad King, wrapping around him tightly, and immobilizing him on the spot.

"You are going back into the Void, Scorch!" Princess Celestia declared.

Her horn shining brightly, more magical chains shot up from the ground and latching onto the Mad King. The magical chains attempted to pull the Mad King to his knees, the ground beneath his hooves began to break under the strain. The Mad King refusing to bend even a little to Princess Celestia.

"I am the King!" The Mad King cried.

With a roar the Mad King's fire exploded from his body, breaking Princess Celestia's magical chains, and throwing her off balance. A blast of magic erupted from the Mad King's horn, striking Princess Celestia square in the chest and knocking her to the ground. There was no hesitation from the Mad King, rearing back his head he let go a torrent of fire at Princess Celestia. The impact of the blast sent the fire fanning out over her, causing the ground to boil around her.

The Mad King looked on with a smile. It slowly started to fade with the fire that was surrounding Princess Celestia. I had stood in the path of my father's fire;breathing heavily from the force of his attack. It had taken every ounce of strength I had to match the intensity of his fire and stop it from reaching Princess Celestia. Our eyes locked for a moment; my father did not seem happy to see me.

"Smolder?" Princess Celestia asked in surprise quickly getting to her hooves.

"Princess Celestia, the volcano has caused cave-ins throughout the surrounding mining tunnels of the Ashen Fields. The Flame Ponies hiding there are sure to be trapped, if not crushed, if they are not helped immediately." I stated with shortness of breath.

"I am not leaving you, Smolder." Princess Celestia replied sternly.

"I can handle this." I said glancing over my shoulder.

Princess Celestia stared at me. The same stare Tea had given me so many times before; she knew I was lying. I could see a sudden sadness form across her face; I felt my heart ache from this. She nodded slowly to me, understanding what I was asking her to do, before leaping into the air and flying off towards the mountain range. I watched her for a moment, silently thanking her for saving the Flame Ponies from certain doom.  Looking back towards my father, I felt a rush of heat pass over me, for he now stood over me.

I felt uncomfortable from the heat of his flames. He stood motionless before me, but the grinding of gravel over rock, the roar of his fire filled the air. I dared not to break eye contact with him, fearing that he would lash out at me. I peered into those burning red eyes without blinking. I think he was disgusted by my presence by that time and struck me.

I slid across the ground a couple of feet away. The smoke and flames swirled around my father, taking his time to approach me; my heart was already racing in fear of him. I got to my hooves, quickly, but felt his wing strike me aside. I slid over the glassed dirt, the melted stones, feeling the steps of my father grow closer.

I stood up to face my father, with each hoofstep he grew closer, he did not speak a word to me, but from his mouth only fire did spew. Leaping to the side, watching the ground boil where I once stood, the flames disappeared, and the ground hissed before turned to glass. 

I retaliated. With a blast of fire, I ained for his face hoping to blind him, if not slow him down, but my father struck my attack aside with his hoof as if it were a mere leaf in the wind. Once more opening his mouth, a funnel of fire exploded my way, and I took off running. He dragged the flames after me. With one large flap of his wings he fanned the flames he spewed, creating a larger area in which to reach me. Sliding to a stop, my hooves digging into the dirt and ash, I turned to face him. 

With his fire spiraling towards me, I spewed flames of my own to counter my father's attack. His flames quickly overcame mine, forcing its way through my own fire, and striking me with such force that it threw me several yards away. The flames of my father died down, the ground around me seared with heat as I struggled to stand.

There was a sudden tremor in the earth, keeping me off balance. I turned to see that my father had leapt towards me, landing with such force he shook the earth beneath him. With his wing he took a swipe at me and effortlessly knocked me several more feet away from him. I slid to a stop. I clutched my side in pain. The ground beneath me broke open and a pillar of earth struck me into the air. Several more pillars of earth and rock sprang up from the ground, striking me continuously, until the last pillar allowed me to hit solid earth once more.

"Father, I-" I barely got the words out before my father struck his hoof to the ground; effectively silencing me.

"I don't want to hear it, Smolder. I really don't. You're just like your mother, you insist on talking and talking." The Mad King said tiresomely.

My body ached all over. The pain was nearly blinding to me.

"Please-" I whispered slowly trying to talk through my pain.

"I'm sorry I didn't quite hear that." My father said leaning over me to hear me better.

"Don't hurt them, please." I pleaded to him.

"It. Is. Tiring. It really is, Smolder. I've tried to teach what it means to be a Flame Pony but you don't seem to listen." The Mad King said shaking his head.

"Please-" I mumbled trying to lift my head.

"Flame Ponies do not plead!" My father screamed into my ear.

I lay shaking in fear of him. I could feel the immense heat of his breath over my ear.

"What is worse is that you plead for those other ponies, not even for yourself, even though you have betrayed me. You brought them here to stop me. You have gone against the crown, your kin, and the Kingdom." My father declared raising his head.

"Therefore, you are a traitor to the Kingdom of Flame Ponies, just like your mother was, and like all traitors; you must pay for your crimes." The Mad King said slowly and viciously.

My mane flared angrily for a moment. Something started to rage inside me, I found the strength to get up. Lifting myself from the ground. I staggered to my hooves and stood before my father. I stared up at him once more, my gaze unwavering; as was his.

"Burn." The Mad King whispered.

The Mad King reared back onto his hind legs. His massive wings flapped wildly, fanning his own flames, driving his front legs into the ground, breaking the earth beneath him, and spewing an immense blast of fire towards me. The very ground boiled like lava, caking me with molten dirt, before his flames engulfed me. The flames of the Mad King bathed me entirely, the side of Castle Char even taking a beating; heating the rock to a cherry red while the ground boiled from the heat.

Stepping back the Mad King looked on at the fiery inferno he unleashed. The flames danced wildly around the fields, and in the center was a rock shaped like a Flame Pony. The Mad King smiled at the sight and approached it slowly.

"Immortalized forever. A testament to those who would oppose me." The Mad King said looking down at his once son Smolder.

Turning his attention towards Castle Char, the Mad King spread out his fire soaked wings and soared into the air. The volcano roared, lava spewed up out of the crest, and the ash of the fields was kicked up by the current of air created from the Mad King's departure. The smoldering Flame Pony shaped rock stood silently in the Ashen Fields.
> Chapter 20: Under Mine
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wingston had pressed his body up against the large stone doors leading into Castle Char. The doors themselves were very heavy, yet it seemed it took every ounce of strength to budge them just enough to allow him to squeeze by. Sliding through Wingston turned to close it behind him, throwing his whole weight against it; feeling it give little by little. With an exasperated sigh, Wingston wiped his forehead, and clutched his chest trying to catch his breath. Wingston could hear mixed voices of ponies at the other end of the Main Hall. 

The thud of Wingston's staff reverberated throughout the castle. Discord, Princess Luna, Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie Rainbow Dash and Spike had all recognized the sound  and turned to see him limping towards them.

"Wingston, you’re alive!" Spike shouted, happy to see him.

"What? Of course I'm alive." Winston remarked, taking it as shot at his age rather than the threat of the Mad King's wrath.

"Have you seen Smolder?" Spike asked jogging over to him.

"He's... gone to confront his father." Wingston replied slowly.

"You're kidding, right? Smolder wouldn't try to face the Mad King all by himself, would he?" Spike asked nervously tapping his claws together.

"The Flame Ponies hiding within the mountains are in danger. The volcano has destabilized the old mining tunnels, and they will be trapped or crushed if something isn't done to help them at once." Wingston stated aloud; ignoring Spike's question.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Applejack asked looking around.

"Wait, Applejack, what if Princess Celestia is able to weaken the Mad King? We'll need to be ready to use the Elements of Harmony." Twilight said with concern.

"We can't just sit here and do nothing like we've been doing." Rainbow Dash replied sounding annoyed.

"We can't just ignore ponies that are in trouble, isn't there some way we can do both?" Fluttershy asked hopefully.

"Splitting up is the last thing we should be doing." Twilight remarked.

"Damned if we do, and damned if we don't." Applejack said shaking her head.

"This is simply becoming unbearable, surely we can just pop off for a moment to assist the Flame Ponies and be back in time to send that mean old King packing." Rarity insisted.

"I'll go." Discord said nobly placing his paw over his chest.

"You?" Princess Luna asked looking concerned.

"It will give me something to do while you ponies eagerly wait to send the Mad King back to the Void. Besides, it will be a chance to get on every Flame Ponies good side." Discord said tapping his paw and claws together.

"Be careful Discord. Those Flame Ponies will be awfully scared. Try rescuing them with a smile." Fluttershy offered.

"I'll do my best, I have to admit, and the idea of me playing the hero is quite exciting." Discord said snapping his fingers and disappearing on the spot.

"These Flame Ponies are going to need one heck of a party once this is all over." Pinkie Pie quipped.

"Indeed, they have not been able to catch the preverbal break that accompanies most unlucky ponies." Princess Luna chimed in.

"We must get you ponies to a safe place until you are needed; I would suggest the North Tower. It will provide a vantage point to oversee the battle and allow you the opportunity to jump in at a moment's notice" Wingston said limping towards the landing.

"Wingston, you never answered my question from earlier." Spike asked anxiously. "Is Smolder going to be okay?" 

This time every pony waited for a response. Wingston took a deep breath, letting it go slowly before turning to face them. No pony liked the sadness that accompanied Wingston's face.

"No. He won't be." Wingston answered sadly.

"Princess Celestia is there with him though. She'll be able to protect him, right?" Rarity asked trying to sound optimistic.

"Smolder believed you ponies were still out on the fields facing his father when he took off. I'm sure he has asked Princess Celestia to help his Flame Ponies by now." Wingston said bitterly.

"She wouldn't leave him all alone with that Mad Pony, would she?" Pinkie Pie asked nervously.

"The safety of the Flame Ponies has always been one of Smolder's biggest concerns. I'm sure he convinced her of that, and stayed behind to by her time." Wingston replied.

"I must go and help him then. He won't last a minute against the reckless hate of the Mad King." Princess Luna said a loud.

"That won't be necessary." The voice of the Mad King echoed through the hall.

Castle Char's large stone doors swug open with a blast of fire. The stone doors struck the inside walls of the castle, crumbling to pieces, shaking the entirety of the Main Hall. Clouds of dust billowed from the rubble. The Mad King whipped his wings to clear the air, his eyes trained upon them, and his fire chasing the shadows from every corner of the hall.

"I've already taken care of him." The Mad King continued; striding towards them.

"Explain yourself." Princess Luna demanded placing herself in front of every pony.

"There is a new rock statue gracing the Ashen Fields, a monument to remind every pony who would dare betray their King. Smolder was kind enough to be the mold for it." The Mad King explained flaring his mane wildly.

Every pony could feel the intensity of the heat coming from the Mad King's flames; no pony looked sure of what to do.

"Every pony," Winston began to whisper. "Make to the door at the side of the staircase, it will lead you to the dungeons below. It's expansive and leads to many old tunnels that let out into the mines. You can hopefully lose him there."

"We're not going anywhere." Princess Luna replied defiantly.

"You will need to regroup with Princess Celestia and Discord who are both heading for the mountains. Your best chance of doing that is by using the tunnels below." Wingston hissed holding his staff towards the Mad King.

"You're coming with us though, right? We can't leave you here, Wingston." Spike asked anxiously.

"I will only slow you down. I will stall him for as long as I can to give you a head start. Now go." Wingston replied motioning with his wing for them to leave.

"We're not-" Applejack began, but was cut short by Princess Luna's wing being raised.

"Let's go every pony." Princess Luna said somberly.

"We just can't leave him here." Pinkie Pie protested.

"The six of you are much too important for this plan to work; you must remain safe by any means necessary." Princess Luna stated.

Every pony looked to Wingston with worry. He continued to motion for them to leave without looking back.

"Goodbye, Wingston." Spike mumbled climbing onto Twilight's back.

"Until next time, little dragon." Wingston replied, sounding sincere.

The group of ponies made their way towards the door in haste, leaving Wingston alone at the base of the stairs to face the Mad King. There were a few last second looks at Wingston before every pony disappeared through the door and shutting it behind them. The Mad King seemed amused by their sudden game of cat and mouse.

"Am I to understand that you a part of this coupe as well, Wingston?" The Mad King asked curiously.

"You would be foolish to believe I wouldn't be." Wingston replied, his staff still raised to the Mad King.

"So the fangs come out, how amusing. I understand where your loyalties resided, Wingston. You were, of course, the Queen's pet after all. It is unfortunate, however, that you continue to aid the enemy at every turn." The Mad King stated; his red eyes dancing wildly in their sockets.

"I'm doing what is best for the crown, this Kingdom, and for it's Flame Ponies." Wingston said. "That is what I swore to you and the Queen."

The Mad King stopped in front of Wingston, his flames raging all around him, the heat wad so intense that it began to burn the wood of Winston's staff, as well as his wings, but he stood his ground.

It wouldn't have been noticeable to any pony else, there was slight change in the Mad King's face as he looked upon Winston. The madness in his eyes seemed to waver just for a moment from a thought the Mad King was having.

"You had stood your ground against the Last Orc many years ago when he entered the Royal Chambers. You were woefully out matched, but yet you protected that which I considered most precious to me." The Mad King stated staring down at him.

With a rustle of his wings, the flames of the Mad King subsided; his fire still flourishing around him, but it was considerably less than before.

"Consider us even." The Mad King remarked stepping past Wingston; without laying a hoof or flame on him.

Wingston lowered his staff, his wings mildly burned, but he was fine for the most part. He watched the Mad King stride towards the dungeon door. With a single breath of fire from his mouth, the door was blasted off its hinges. The Mad King stepped towards the dungeon entrance to follow the other ponies.

"The Last Orc won in the end." Wingston mentioned to the Mad King.

The Mad King stopped short. The flames on his mane plumed for a moment. Standing silently, staring into the blackness of the corridor leading down into the dungeons.

"Through your hate and self-loathing you allowed that Orc to break you. It set you down a path that drove every pony you ever cared for away from you. It broke the Queen's heart and the spirit of your Flame Ponies." Wingston continued; limping towards him.

The Mad King's head jerked from side to side erratically. Snorting viciously at Wingston's words, his flames leaping from his mane, and leaving burn marks on the walls around him. It was obvious that even though his madness had consumed him, the words of his trusted Advisor could still reach his blackened heart.

"You have crossed over into this madness, Scorch. You have the power to end this once and for all. Do not dwell on what was or could have been anymore and forgive yourself. Every pony, even you who has caused so much pain, deserves a second chance." Wingston insisted, still limping towards him. "I beg you, Scorch, before any pony else is hurt, let go of your hate."

The Mad King seemed to be at war with himself, his flames flaring wildly, struggling  with Wingston's words. A flare of his red eyes had his head whippingd towards Wingston. A blast of fire striking Wingston, knocking him off his claws, and sending him crashing into the wall on the other side of the Main Hall. Wingston slumped to the ground, his staff clattering to the floor, and a low hiss filling the air from the searing heat around Wingston.

"You fail to realize that there is no line to cross! Ponies are capable of anything! That I... was capable... of anything!" The Mad King cried, his own words sounding unsure of himself. 

Even in his red burning eyes, there seemed to be fear behind them. Wingston's words had disturbed the darkness the Mad King had thrown himself into, a small light of reality breaking through to him for a small moment.

"If not for the rules and laws set by the Summit, I would killed the Last Orc from the beginning!" The Mad King spat in anger. 

The flames engulfing him burned so intensely that it the fissures in his hide began to seep magma and solidified onto the stone floor. 

"I am the King! I! No one else!" The Mad King declared, thrusting his thoughts back into his madness. 

The flames of the Mad King  flourished, the unmoving Wingston did not respond,  which allowed the Mad King a moment to collect his thoughts. The Mad King was able to compose himself and took one last look towards Wingston.

"Do not worry, Wingston. Smolder and his mother are waiting for you in the next life." The Mad King said calmly before descending the stairs.



Princess Celestia soared across the Ashen Fields towards the Eastern Mountains. Disturbed dirt paths of several hundred hoof prints gave Princess Celestia a trail to follow to find the Flame Ponies. Racing through the sky, as quickly as she could, trying to make time, in the hope of returning to Smolder before it was too late.

Growing closer to the base of the mountains, Princess Celestia could already see large fissures in the earth darting out from the collapsed mouths of the cave entrances. Landing just outside the tunnel Princess Celestia raised her head, her horn beginning to emit a white light. Almost like sonar, her magic began to reverberate the infrastructure within the mountains. The collapse was severe, it spanned a great length into the cave and the structure beyond the cave-in seemed ready to fall.

"If I try to clear it all at once, it may cause the rest of the tunnel to collapse in on itself." Princess Celestia mumbled to herself.

"May I be of assistance?" Discord said aloud slithering up next to Princess Celestia.

"Discord! I'm glad you're here!" Princess Celestia quipped turning to him.

"Really?" Discord asked sounding surprised.

"The Flame Ponies are trap-" Princess Celestia began but Discord wave his paw in her face.

"The bat already informed me of the predicament." Discord said scratching his chin with his claws.

"Then you already know that there are several more tunnels within the mountain that have Flame Ponies trapped by rubble." Princess Celestia stated.

"That's a lot of Flame Ponies." Discord mumbled counting them on his paw.

"Can you get them out safely?" Princess Celestia asked urgently.

"If you can use your magic to direct me to where these Flame Ponies are, then I can be in and out in a snap." Discord said snapping his claws.

"We have to make this quick, Discord, Smolder is in trouble." Princess Celestia remarked.

"Why is he in trouble?" Discord asked curiously.

"He asked me to help the Flame Ponies while staying behind to confront his father." Princess Celestia said hastily.

"Oh dear…" Discord replied looking back towards the Ashen Field.

Princess Celestia's horn shined brilliantly once more with magic. Her spell emanated through the rocks, allowing her to see deeper into the mountain; trying to locate the Flame Ponies within.

"I've found a large group of Flame Ponies trapped in a narrow tunnel about a hundred meters in. It seems that a few unicorn ponies are emitting a shield to keep the rest of the tunnel from collapsing in on them." Princess Celestia declared.

"I'm on it." Discord said snapping his claws and disappearing on the spot.



The dungeons of Castle Char offered little light for the ponies. In just the first few corridors they had found some nearly burned out candles lighting the path, but eventually became pitch black all together. Twilight and Princess Luna led the group through the darkened corridors, their horns offering light to illuminate the path; Rarity stayed near the back with her horn glowing as well. Many other paths lined the corridor, some leading to dead ends, while others led into dirt tunnels, some looped back around to the beginning of the dungeon, and a few led deeper underground. It was clear that no pony had an idea which way to go, but they all agreed that anywhere away from the Mad King seemed like a good place to be.

"We're going to get lost down here at the rate we're going." Rainbow Dash said bitterly.

"Castle Char faces to the south, and we entered the dungeon facing to the west. We've turned left twice which means we're heading east. Wingston assured us that these tunnels would lead us to the old mines of the Flame Ponies." Twilight said trying to sound encouraging.

"Well from what Wingston told us, it seems like a lot of those old caves and tunnels are collapsing in those mines." Applejack replied unsure of the idea.

"This place is just simply dreadful, it reeks of mildew and there is mud everywhere." Rarity whined shaking the mud from her hoof.

"That's the coolest part about being in a dungeon, Rarity!" Pinkie Pie shouted sliding through the mud passed her.

"I hope Wingston is alright." Fluttershy said softly.

"I'm sure he's fine." Princess Luna said comfortingly.

"Do you think Smolder is too?" Spike asked quietly.

"Smolder faced the Queen of Spiders twice; I'm sure he was able to handle himself." Princess Luna replied with a smile.

Every pony traveled deeper into the dungeon's corridors. The further they went the colder it became, the stench of mildew filled the air and mud made it difficult not to slip. Much of Flame Pony lore was still untouched deep within these caves. Old stone chests, ceramic pottery, and even some stone carvings were seen lining the walls. Several times Twilight had stopped to see old Flame Pony etchings in the rocks, attempting to decipher them before Applejack and Rainbow Dash pulled her away.

"We must be getting close to the old mining tunnels." Princess Luna said after a while.

"What makes you say that?" Applejack asked.

Princess Luna's horn began to glow brighter revealing several gems gleaming within the rock walls. The gems sparkled like stars in the darkness. Rarity squealed in delight. It took some time, but Applejack and Rainbow Dash were able to pull Rarity away from the gleaming gems; trying her best to dislodge them.

"Do you smell that?" Spike asked suddenly sniffing the air.

"Yeah, it's called mildew, sugar cube." Applejack said with a grimace.

"No, not that. It smells like… it smells like…" Spike said slowly still having trouble depicting what the smell was.

"By all rights it's probably something gross growing mold down here. This place is just a breeding ground for such things." Rarity said carefully stepping down the tunnel.

"It kind of smells like… sulfur." Spike said snapping his claws; figuring out the smell.

"Sulfur?" Twilight asked looking confused.

"Hey! There's a light coming towards us! It might be Wingston catching up!" Pinkie Pie said happily bouncing the spot.

Every pony turned around to see a faint light at the far end of the tunnel. It slowly began to grow brighter, both in size and intensity. Echoes of roaring flames started to reverberate down the hall as every pony realized that it wasn't Wingston.

"Run!" Princess Luna shouted ushering every pony passed.

A blaze of fire barreled down the tunnel, wall to wall with flames, and slowly closing the gap between them. Twilight led the way, sprinting as fast as she could; looking for a way out. The tunnel led to a fork in the path, left or right, Twilight had seconds to choose. Twilight ducked to the left with Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie following suit. Rainbow Dash over shot the mark heading down the right tunnel before putting on the breaks to back up. Rarity and Applejack had followed Rainbow Dash down this same path before realizing their mistake.

"Keep going!" Princess Luna called out to them.

Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash started to double back when the saw Princess Luna come charging towards them; the flames growing dangerously close. As quick as they could they turned on the spot and started heading back down the right tunnel with Princess Luna in tow; the fire raging only a few feet behind her. After reaching the length of the tunnel it led out into a chasm, littered with stone walkways and old metal chains hanging from the edges of the rock face. The chasing fire flared out at the threshold of the tunnel before dissipating into the air.

"This is bad." Applejack mumbled trying to catch her breath.

"There is no time to dwell on it; we must try to regroup with the others before the Mad King finds them first." Princess Luna said quickly looking around the chasm.

"Or if he ends up finding us first." Rarity said nervously.



The Mad King walked the length of the tunnel, spots of flames still lingering on the ceiling, walls, and floor around him. Coming to the fork, the Mad King turned his head from side to side looking down both paths. Sniffing the air, the Mad King turned his head towards the left path and made his way down the tunnel.

"Dragon." The Mad King whispered to himself.



Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie came racing out from the end of the tunnel only to be met with a sudden drop off of a cliff. Twilight put on the brakes trying to keep herself from flying off the edge as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie ran into her.

"Careful!" Twilight said nervously digging her hooves into the ground trying to stop them from falling over the edge.

"Sorry Twilight." Fluttershy said softly backing up.

"Where are we?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"It seems like we're in the old Flame Pony mines. Where are the others?" Twilight asked anxiously looking back down the tunnel.

"They must have gone done the other path." Fluttershy said with a gasp.

"This is bad." Spike said nervously.

"Should we go back?" Pinkie Pie asked peering into the tunnel.

"If we head back we might end up running into the Mad King." Twilight said looking around the cliff.

"I hope the others made it out safely." Fluttershy said.

"I'm sure they're fine, Princess Luna is with them." Twilight remarked spotting a narrow path leading down the cliff face.

"I think I see a way down from here, we'll have to be careful though. It doesn't look all that safe." Twilight said pointing to the narrow path.

"Should we be going down deeper into the mines?" Fluttershy asked skeptically peering over the edge.

"This tunnel started to lead up at an incline, which is why the fire wasn't able to keep up with us. If we're lucky this path will lead us back down to the others." Twilight said heading over the edge of the cliff to start making her way down.

"But what if the other tunnel also went up?" Fluttershy asked worried.

"Come on, Fluttershy! Where's your sense of adventure?" Pinkie Pie asked pushing Fluttershy to towards the path.

Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie started to make their way down the path. The light from Twilight's horn exposed hundreds of gems still embedded in the rock face. Loose dirt and gravel made it difficult to navigate the path carefully, but Twilight was studious in brushing it off the ledge.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" The Mad King called out.

Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie looked up to see the Mad King standing at the edge of cliff face staring up into the high ceiling of the cave. The stalagmites that hung over their heads were dripping small drops of water into the black chasm below. The Mad King spread out his wings, throwing fire into the air and illuminating the thousands of gems and veins of gold that littered the walls of the chasm. Spike hugged Twilight's neck so tight in fear that she began to choke asking Spike to let go while Fluttershy cowered under her own hooves; Pinkie Pie dazzled at the twinkling lights.

"I will now add your elements to my personal collection of treasures." The Mad King said peering down at them.

"Just try and take our elements Mad Stinker!" Pinkie Pie cried giving him the raspberry.

"Pinkie!" Twilight hissed.

"Well it's true! Even Spike could smell him over that mildew." Pinkie Pie insisted.

"Mildew! That's it!" Twilight exclaimed in a sudden stroke of brilliance.

Twilight's horn began to glow brighter, closing her eyes to concentrate hard on the spell she was casting. The Mad King watched with interest, believing her to be readying an attack. He was half right.

"I got it!" Twilight exclaimed; her eyes shooting open.

"Got what?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"Just hold on!" Twilight shouted as her horn began to glow once more.

A bolt of purple magic streaked out from Twilight's horn up towards the Mad King. Although, her shot missed the Mad King's head by several feet and struck the top of the cave with a soft zap. Glancing up at the impact point the Mad King looked down unable to hold back a gloating smile.

"Pathetic!." The Mad King shouted to her.

Twilight was bracing herself against the side of the cliff; holding Spike, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie back against it as well. While the Mad King looked confused by their sudden antics a large sound of breaking earth echoed throughout the cave. Looking up once more the Mad King could see the point of impact of Twilight's shot splitting the ceiling open. The stalagmites broke off before a sudden torrent of water rushed down from the ceiling.

"That little-" The Mad King was beginning to utter but was cut short by fierce wave of water washing over him. 

The cries of the Mad King filled the chasm, the sound of hissing steam screamed form the Mad King's body while the water kept pouring down. Several stalagmites crashed down a top the cliff face, weakening the ground around the Mad King and the rock beneath his hooves gave way. The water forced him over the side; the Mad King fell past the ponies screaming in anger on his way down. A waterfall of water splashed all around them, dousing Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie along the way.

After a few minutes the water from the ceiling became no more than a trickle. Soaked from the water the ponies carefully peered over the edge and saw no sign of the Mad King below.

"Is he gone?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"I think so." Twilight said glancing around at the darkness below.

"How did you know there was water up there, Twilight?" Spike asked curiously ringing out his tail.

"Well, with all the mildew we smelled in the tunnels there just had to be a water source nearby to cause all of it. So I used my magic to try and find the source. Sure enough, there was an underground spring right above us." Twilight explained stroking her mane free of water.

"Where do think he is?" Pinkie Pie asked shaking like a dog to get rid of all the water.



Applejack and Rarity sat on a stone bridge knocking pebbles into the dark abyss. Rainbow Dash and Princess Luna soared around the chasm looking for possible exits. They eventually soared out of the air back down to Applejack and Rarity.

"Did you find anything?" Applejack asked curiously.

"I found two paths that were completely sealed off by cave-ins and one tunnel that had the words 'bad idea' written above it." Rainbow Dash reported.

"I found several tunnels of similar problems, but I was able to find one that led up rather than down." Princess Luna said pointing towards a stone bridge cutting across the chasm.

"Do you think it will lead us to the others?" Rarity asked curiously.

"I'm not sure but it is our safest bet without retreating." Princess Luna replied.

"We don't want to run into old Hot Head if we did double back." Rainbow Dash agreed.

"Then it's settled." Princess Luna declared.

Rainbow Dash picked up Applejack and Princess Luna picked up Rarity and flew them up towards the stone bridge. Setting them down gently the group made their way to through the tunnel. 

Old rock chisels and steel hammers had been left from years long passed along the tunnel, and a few old metal buckets filled with dirt and gems. Rarity did her best not to look at them, but more than once did she catch herself peering over at them.

The tunnel did lead up for a time, the incline eventually leveled out and led into yet another chasm. Although this one was much different than the other, for it was moderately flat and had a hoof deep layer of water on it. Several stalactites speared up from the ground, while several piles of rocks scattered the area. There was a thin layer of steam that hung in the air.

"What do you think this place is?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Judging by the heat of the water I would say it was an underground hot spring. What I wouldn't give to be able to soak in it after all this is over." Rarity said swooning at the idea.

"I can barely see my hoof in front of my own face." Rainbow Dash remarked holding out her hoof.

"Stay close every pony." Princess Luna said aloud.

Sharp whistles rang out through the chasm, steam violently hissing while the sound of grinding rock filled the air. Princess Luna's horn increased it's brightness, trying to find the source of the noises. Together with Rainbow Dash, Princess Luna began to fan away the steam with their wings. Having forced the steam back; focusing the light of her horn towards where ever she happened to pivot her head.

With a turn, Princess Luna flapped her wings to clear the steam some more, as a massive black cloud of smoke barreled towards her. Piercing red eyes cut through the smoke. A blackened wing slicing through the air striking Princess Luna across the face and sending her through a stalactite.

"Princess Luna!" Rarity cried in horror.

"Whoa…" Rainbow Dash whispered gazing at the Mad King.

The water had robbed him of his fire, his body now spewing black smoke in place of flames. His hide was covered with uneven patches of rock. The burning fissures that etched across his body were barely visible as the Mad King struggled to stand.

"Is that- is that the Mad King?" Applejack stammered backing away slowly.

"Burn!" The Mad King roared in pain.

His mouth broke open, but not fire came out. Only more black smoke. Coughing violently the Mad King staggered away trying to catch his breath.

"Oh yeah, tough guy! Eat this!" Rainbow Dash shouted exploding from the spot and rocketing towards the Mad King.

"Rainbow!" Applejack called out trying to get her to stop.

Rainbow Dash aimed a kick at the Mad King's face and landed it square between the eyes. The impact sent the Mad King staggering sideways and crashing onto the ground where the water hissed wildly. Rainbow Dash quickly looked at her hoof to see if it was alright and surprisingly it was.

"Rainbow Dash, are you alright?" Rarity asked urgently.

"I'm fine!" Rainbow Dash declared showing them her hoof.

"How is that even possible?" Applejack asked bewildered.

"I guess old Hot Head got cooled off by all this water and now he's just spitting smoke." Rainbow Dash said flexing her muscle.

From the smoke the Mad King leaped up knocking Rainbow Dash out of the air with his head and sending her sliding across the ground. Rainbow Dash quickly recovered, rolling onto her back to see the Mad King towering over her and trying to stomp her with his hooves. Rolling back and forth Rainbow Dash narrowly missed the rock like pistons stamping down at her. A bolt of white and blue magic exploded from the steam, striking the Mad King in his side and once more knocking him to the ground. Applejack quickly pulled Rainbow Dash away as Rarity and Princess Luna stood at the ready; their horns glowing bright.

"Princess Luna! You're alright!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed getting to her hooves.

"It will take more than a cheap shot to keep me down." Princess Luna remarked.

The Mad King got back to his hooves, slamming up against the side of the rock wall moaning in agony. Pieces of blackened rock broke off of his body as he attempted to bend his knees or extend his wings. The fissures still burned a deep red in his hide, but it was clear that the Mad King was at a disadvantage. 

Before the Mad King could catch his breath Rainbow Dash flew in, landing another kick to the side of the Mad King's face and driving him into the wall. Princess Luna's horn began to glow once more; the Mad King was slowly being levitated into the air. Princess Luna struggled to keep him aloft, but was able to toss the Mad King across the chasm and have him slam against the rock wall. Rarity began levitating rocks for Applejack to apple buck them at the Mad King; landing several painful ones into the Mad Kings side.

"We've got him cornered!" Rainbow Dash cried.

The wing of the Mad King braced itself against the wall, the other he lifted to shield himself from the pummeling of rocks. Pushing off the wall with his wing, the Mad King charged them with a painful roar. The black smoke billowed after him. The swipes of his wings made the smoke dance around him and made it difficult for every pony to see him. Leaping up and around Applejack and Rarity dived behind stalactites feeling the passing wind of the Mad King's wings sail over them.

Princess Luna charged head long at the Mad King, scoring a heavy blow to his chest and knocking him back. Rearing back to follow up her attack the Mad King's horn exploded with a blinding white light and forced Princess Luna to back off. A blast of magic from the Mad King's horn sent Princess Luna head over hooves across the chasm. Rainbow Dash had come racing out of the air to break Princess Luna's fall in the nick of time while the Mad King struggled to stay on his hooves.

"Rancid little vermin!" The Mad King roared in anger.

Slicing his wings through the air, he struck at the stalactites Rarity and Applejack hid behind. Darting out to hide behind others the Mad King followed them in a blind frenzy striking at every last one. Eventually striking a stalactite Applejack was taking cover behind and knocking her over.

"This will end it!" The Mad King cried.

Pressing his hoof down on Applejack to keep her from moving, the Mad King's horn erupted with light once more and aimed it down at Applejack.

"Not so fast!" Twilight voice echoed off the walls of the chasm.

A sudden wave of water came crashing over the Mad King, pushing him off of Applejack and sending him through several stalactites before slamming against the wall. Twilight, Spike, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie started rushing down the steep slant of rock from the other side of the chasm. Applejack got to her hooves only to be knocked down again by Pinkie Pie who embraced her tightly.

"Are you okay, Applejack?" Pinkie Pie asked looking her over.

"I'm fine Pinkie Pie. Thanks for the save, Twilight." Applejack said looking over to Twilight.

"I'm just glad every pony is safe." Twilight remarked embracing Applejack as well.

The chasm suddenly got brighter before the shadows came creeping back in, the light surged back and the shadows soon followed. Every pony looked towards the Mad King who was breathing heavily, trying to get his fire started one more. The black smoke that billowed from him looked like a storm, fire spewing out from the fissures in his body as he roared in misery trying to rekindle himself.

"This is our chance! Is every pony ready?" Twilight asked allowed.

"King Hot Head is about to get a one way ticket back to Loser Ville." Rainbow Dash said slamming her hooves together.

Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash stood side by side, the Elements reacting with one another.

"Do you hear something?" Spike asked suddenly holding his claws to his ear.

Every pony paused for a moment to listen. Pebbles and bits of dirt trickled down around them; it became more and more frequent. Suddenly a stalagmite crashed down right next to Fluttershy that made her jump into Rainbow Dash's hooves. One after another the stalagmites crashed down around them, and the ground beneath them began to give way.

"The mine is collapsing! We have to get out of here!" Princess Luna shouted shooting a beam of magic from her horn to deflect a falling rock.

"This may be our only chance to stop the Mad King!" Twilight shouted looking back towards the Mad King, but he was gone.

"No! We had him! We had him!" Twilight shouted looking around noticing a trial of black smoking leading into a tunnel.

"We must leave now, Twilight Sparkle! Before it's too late!" Princess Luna shouted pulling Twilight over with her wing and forcing her to run in the opposite direction.

Every pony made a dash towards the only available tunnel to them, sprinting down the dark corridor feeling the earth shake beneath them. The ground around them started to break open, dirt began pouring in from the ceiling. 

Applejack came to an abrupt stop as the tunnel led to a dead end. Every pony looked panicked, looking back down the path to see the tunnel collapsing towards them. Fluttershy hid her face on Rainbow Dash's shoulder, Applejack lowered her hat, Pinkie Pie was squeezing Spike for dear life, while Rarity flat out fainted, and Princess Luna put her hoof around Twilight.

"Now boarding Discord's Flight of Fantasy, every pony please remain in an upright position and keep your hooves inside at all times." Discord said aloud.

Every pony turned to see Discord standing behind them. He had a microphone in one paw and his claws ready to snap in the other. With a snap, every pony vanished on the spot as the tunnel caved in. Princess Luna, Twilight, Spike, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash reappeared at the base of the mountain where Princess Celestia stood waiting for them.

"I know you have other ways of travel, but thank you for choosing Discord's Flight of Fantasy. Bye-bye," Discord said releasing the microphone in his paw and watching it poof away.

"Discord!" Fluttershy cried in delight leaping to hug him.

"You didn't think I'd let my dear friend be crushed under all the rubble now did you?" Discord asked playfully.

"Is every pony alright?" Princess Celestia asked worried.

"Another few seconds and we would have been permanent residents." Applejack said fanning herself with her hat.

Princess Celestia hugged Princess Luna who was still trying to wipe away the dust from her mane, but returned the sentiment all the same.

"What were you ponies doing down there?" Princess Celestia asked.

"The Mad King came for us in Castle Char, Wingston told us to use the old tunnels in the dungeon to escape and meet up with you here." Twilight explained also receiving a hug from Princess Celestia.

"Where is that old bat? I hope I didn't forget him down there." Discord asked looking around.

"He stayed behind to give us time to escape back at the castle." Spike said sadly looking down at the ground.

Princess Celestia hung her head solemnly at the news. Princess Luna rested her head upon Princess Celestia's trying to comfort her.

"It seems that we have lost Smolder and Wingston to this madness." Princess Celestia said sadly.

"What did you say?" A voice asked from behind them.

Every pony turned to see an older looking Flame Pony, dressed in old metal armor standing by looking rather authoritatively. Behind him were hundreds of Flame Ponies that had been rescued from the mines, several dozen Flame Ponies rushed around the small groups they had made trying to tend to the injured and feeble.

"You said something about Prince Smolder and Wingston if I was not mistaken." General Hearth said aloud looking worried.

"General Hearth…" Princess Celestia said slowly.

"My lady." General Hearth said straightening up.

"We need to talk." Princess Celestia replied.
> Chapter 21: Finding Strength
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ever pony took a turn piecing together the bad news. It began with Princess Luna, Twilight, Spike, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy helping to recount the events that had transpired from them being in Castle Char; until now. Beginning with Wingston entering Castle Char looking for their help to assist the Flame Ponies trapped in the mining tunnels of the mountain. How Wingston stayed behind to give them time to escape into the dungeons of Castle Char. Then Princess Celestia picked up the story, continuing to describe Smolder's confrontation with the Mad King, and having insisted on the safety of the Flame Ponies before his own; how he elected to stay behind to give her time to reach them. The story eventually led up to the confrontation with the Mad King in the mines and their missed chance to use the Elements of Harmony due to the collapsing cave. General Hearth remained stoic through it all.

"Then, am I correct in saying that Prince Smolder and Wingston are no longer with us?" General Hearth asked promptly; a noticeable sadness in his tone.

No pony wanted to answer the question. Every pony looked away uncomfortable trying not to be the pony to have to confirm it.

"I'll take that as a yes." General Hearth said with a sigh.

"I am sorry for your loss, General Hearth." Princess Celestia said solemnly.

"I thank you for your condolences, my Lady. If you'll excuse me, I have to inform the other Flame Ponies of this unfortunate news." General Hearth said bowing his head before turning back to inform the other Flame Ponies.

"Unfortunate news? Aren't you even the least bit sad that they're gone?" Spike asked only to have Twilight cover his mouth and pull him back.

"Spike!" Twilight hissed at him.

"It's alright, Ms. Sparkle." General Hearth replied.

"Alright? How is losing two friends alright?" Rainbow Dash asked, seeming dumbfounded by his response.

"Because it needs to be." General Hearth answered resolutely.

"What in the hay is that supposed to mean?" Applejack asked sounding annoyed.

"I need to believe that everything is going to work out. I need these Flame Ponies to believe that there is still hope and not give up entirely without Wingston and Prince Smolder to guide us. That there is still hope for a better life, a better in future... even if it means we'll get there without them." General Hearth said his voice starting to shake.

Every pony watched General Hearth take a deep breath; trying to compose himself. It was obvious that General Hearth was grieving, but his duties and his pride refused to let him show it.

"For now, I need to be the source of their strength. I have to continue what Wingston and Prince Smolder tried to achieve. To keep our Flame Ponies from giving up entirely. That is what they would have wanted." General Hearth said authoritatively.

General Hearth seemed to be trying to convince himself of his own words; looking rather defeated. He shook his head a few times before heading back to the herd of Flame Ponies to deliver the unfortunate news to them.

"It's not fair." Princess Luna remarked.

"Life rarely is." Princess Celestia replied sadly.



Within the walls of Castle Char the Mad King pulled himself up the staircase leading from the dungeons below. Plumes of black smoke swirling in the air around him. His hooves scraping across the stone steps, trying to find traction as he dragged himself into the Main Hall of Castle Char. His breathing labored from the climb and his earlier fight with the wielders of the Elements of Harmony. The fissures on his hide pulsed from orange to red, trying to ignite once more into the inferno, but failed each time. His hide covered in black rock like legions, large deposits of stone hung from his wings and weighed him down immensely.

There was a faint sound of a horn that cut through the silence. It reached the Mad King's ears, causing him to bare his teeth in anger. It was a familiar sound to him, for it belonged to the Royal Army of the Crystal Empire. No sooner did he have to wait before hearing a second horn cut through the silence once more. This horn came from the west, informing the Mad King that Canterlot's Royal Army was approaching. Taking short breaths, the Mad King's rage began to build, looking at the harden rock that littered his body with immense hate.

"I… am… the King!" The Mad King hissed to himself.

Rearing back the Mad King slammed his hooves onto the stone floor, breaking off pieces of rock that had caked his legs. Swinging his wings into the staircase, the Mad King roared in pain as the rocks shattered pieces and exposing some fire beneath it. The Mad King's hide had retreated more, having been scraped off by the legions of stone; causing even more fire to escape from within him.

"I need more." The Mad King muttered in anguish.



The horn of the Crystal Empire echoed across the Ashen Fields followed by the horn of Canterlot. Hundreds of armored Soldier Ponies marched in unison with Princess Cadance heading the Royal Army of the Crystal Empire, while Prince Shining Armor led the Royal Army from Canterlot from the opposite end of the fields.

The Royal Army of the Crystal Empire moved into dirt roads of the Ashen Fields, passing through makeshifts homes of rock for Flame Ponies and searching the interiors. The Canterlot Royal Army took a defensive position in front of Castle Char several meters out. Several units of pegasi ponies, being led by the Wonderbolts had taken to the sky to clear away the ashen cloud of the volcano and reduce the amount of volcanic gas seeping out. 

Divisions of unicorn Soldier Ponies split up to reduce the fissures in the earth that stemmed from the volcano, and limit the flow of lava that had spilled from the collapsed side of the mountain. The remaining earth Soldier Ponies made safe the Flame Ponies near the base of the old mining mountains, setting up a perimeter around them and having doctor ponies attempt to assist the injured; carefully. Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor met up with Princess Celestia and the rest of the ponies.

"We could see and hear the eruption of the volcano all the way from the Crystal Empire." Princess Cadance said quickly embracing Princess Celestia, Princess Luna and Twilight. "We've come to help."

"The amount of ash being spewed from the volcano will endanger many neighboring settlements of ponies. We came as soon as we could, have you been able to contain it in any way?" Shining Armor followed up getting a hug from Twilight.

"The volcano is the least of our problems." Applejack spoke up.

"I don't understand." Shining Armor said looking confused.

"There is much to be said with little time to do so." Princess Celestia remarked.

Princess Celestia took the liberty, sparing every pony else, to inform Princess Cadance and Shining Armor of what had transpired here prior to and after the eruption of the volcano. She quickly went over the details leading up to discovering the Mad King's plan of returning to Equestria by use of a magical mirror. How the Mad King utilized the power of the volcano to escape the Void, and the battles that had taken place here in the efforts to weaken him. She touched on the trapped Flame Ponies in the old mining tunnels, as well as the encounter Princess Luna and the Mane Six had in the mines. It was a lot to take in.

"So where is the Mad King? Shall I send out search parties to uncover whatever rock he may be hiding under?" Shining Armor asked, feeling the desire to flatten this Mad King.

"It may be best to have the Royal Armies escort the Flame Ponies from the Ashen Fields until this is settled." Princess Luna offered; bringing attention to the fear they all seem to share over the return of the Mad King.

"I agree. These Flame Ponies have been through enough already." Princess Cadance replied.

"Inform General Hearth of the evacuation of the Flame Ponies and-" Princess Celestia had stopped short, having turned her attention towards the herds of Flame Ponies.

With every pony turning to see what she was looking at. One by one the Flame Ponies slumped over, their fire disappearing like a candle in the wind. Even General Hearth swayed on the spot for a moment, looking rather ill,  before his fire died away causing him to collapse on the ground before them.

"What is happening to them?" Fluttershy asked horrified.

"I'm not sure!" Twilight replied rushing over to General Hearth with Shining Armor and Princess Cadance right behind her,

General Hearth laid still, eyes closed and not a single flame dancing from his mane, hooves, or even his tail. Twilight was hesitant at first but quickly overcame her doubts and touched General Hearth's shoulder with her hoof.

"Twilight!" Shining Armor gasped in surprise.

"He's cold." Twilight said rolling General Hearth onto his side; having not been burned.

"Cold? How can that be?" Princess Cadance asked placing her hoof upon General Hearth's forehead.

The doctor ponies were starting to realize this fact as well, quickly turning Flame Ponies over to examine them better. A few soldiers started to create makeshift fires in attempts to provide heat to the Flame Ponies; unsure of what would be useful.

"What is going on?" Princess Luna asked aloud carefully coddling a flameless filly Flame Pony in her wing.

"It's the Mad King, he's stealing their fire." Princess Celestia said quickly trying to determine the source of where his power was emanating from.

"He's hurting them!" Rainbow Dash cried in horror.

The earth began to quake under hoof. It shook violently while the volcano roared once again spewing magma into the air. From the crest of the mountain, a thick lava flow collapsed the inner side of the mountain; creating a pyroclastic flow barreling down the front of the mountain towards Castle Char. The Wonderbolts, pegasi and unicorn Solider Ponies turned tail to run from the flow. It crashed down the mountain side, picking up speed as it went, washing over the Ashen Fields. 

The pyroclastic cloud started to funnel, the outside edges began turning inwards before focusing in a line streaking towards the castle. The flow collided with the side of Castle Char, throwing pieces of its structure to the wayside and almost like a vacuum it was pulled within its broken walls. Within minutes the pyroclastic flow had disappeared, the volcano went silent, and the shaking had stopped. The entirety of the Ashen Fields had fallen quiet. In the distance, every pony could see a single flame stepping out from Castle Char. The Mad King burning brilliantly once more.

"Is that him?" Shining Armor asked wide eyed; able to feel the heat of his flames from where he stood.

"Luna, Cadance, Shining Armor, to the front line! Twilight you and the others remain with the Flame Ponies!" Princess Celestia ordered spreading out her wings.

Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance took flight; soaring over the two Royal Armies that stood between the Mad King and the dwindling Flame Ponies. Shining Armor beat down his nerves, before charging towards the front line. 

"Every pony listen to me!" Shining Armor called out racing through the ranks of Royal Soldier ponies that stood at attention.

"You are ponies of Canterlot and the Crystal Empire. You swore an oath to uphold peace and defend your Kingdoms from outside forces. What we stand against is a heartless King that has tormented his ponies for far too long. You are not to let this Mad King take one step past you! You will not let him hurt these Flame Ponies anymore! You will show him the strength of both the Crystal Empire and Canterlot! You will show him the bonds you have forged through friendship with your kin, you will show him how unbreakable your will is, and you will show him how powerful we stand united! Stand now and fight, so that this madness may end once and for all!" Shining Armor shouted aloud to the Soldier Ponies around him.

The Royal Armies formed up into position, the sound of hundreds of ponies moving in unison, and every Soldier Pony shouting together to signify their understanding. Shining Armor reached the front line of the armies; with Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadance already waiting for him. The Mad King was barely visible in the distance, only the light of his fire made him stand out among the gray wasteland of ash. It appeared that he was strolling towards them, not even slightly concerned that he was waltzing right up to two of the most powerful armies in all of Equestria. 

Every pony remained silent, watching the Mad King come closer and closer. Peanut and Cosmic stood at the front line, just behind Shining Armor, they both swallowed hard as the tension began to mount among every pony.

"Nightshade is going to be sore that he missed this." Cosmic whispered to Peanut.

"It's okay to be nervous." Peanut replied.

"Who said I'm nervous?" Cosmic asked defensively.

"No need to be all defensive about it." Peanut whispered back.

"Defensive? I'm not being defensive. You're being defensive. I'm just trying to make small talk while we wait for this slow pony to get here." Cosmic muttered.

"You sound nervous." Peanut pointed out.

"Excuse me if I try to lighten the mood with Mr. Volcano Muncher coming our way." Cosmic hissed; his anxiety beginning to show.

"It's going to be alright, Cosmic, he's going to have to go through me before he gets to any of you ponies." Shining Armor said from over his shoulder. "You can count on that."

"How come he gets to say all the cool stuff?" Cosmic whispered to Peanut.

"Because he's not belly aching like a wee little rabbit." Peanut whispered back.

"You calling me soft?" Cosmic asked.

"Like a marshmallow." Peanut replied.

"You cut me real deep just now Peanut. Cut me real deep." Cosmic murmured.

The Mad King was now visible to every pony. Whispers washed over the ranks, for it was a rare sight indeed to see the Mad King up close. He stopped short, leaving several feet between them and the several hundred Soldier Ponies that stood before him. Every pony could clearly see several legions of hide missing from his body. These legions merely spurted large plumes of fire now, having forcibly scraped away the rock that had been fused to him earlier.

"Welcome! To the Ashen Fields!" The Mad King shouted in a booming voice. His fire surged wildly, whipping through air like ribbons caught in a breeze.

"Now, for introductions. I am not acquainted with the little pink thing or that wingless nonsense standing beside it." The Mad King continued looking at Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor.

"I am Princess Cadance, ruler of the Crystal Kingdom, and this is my husband Prince Shining Armor!" Princess Cadance said aloud with many cheers from the Royal Soldier ponies behind her.

"Silence!" The Mad King roared; effectively getting the Royal Soldier ponies instantly hush.

Turning his gaze, the Mad King's eyes met with Celestia's. There was a seething hatred that stemmed from the Mad King, which only made Princess Celestia's stomach curl. The Mad King's eyes narrowed, focusing on some pony behind Princess Celestia. Glancing over her shoulder she saw Twilight, Spike, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy stepping out from the ranks of the Royal Soldier ponies.

"I asked you ponies to stay back." Princess Celestia said to them.

The flames of the Mad King jumped at the sight of them, his anger mounting from their earlier battle. Princess Celestia stepped in front of every pony. Spreading out her wings to shield them from the Mad King. Yet, Twilight and every pony continued to stare down the Mad King with such disgust.

"How could you do it?" Twilight asked aloud.

"I'm sorry you're going to have to be more specific." The Mad King replied sounding testy; shrugging his shoulders.

"How could you steal fire from you own Flame Ponies?" Twilight asked again looking very angry with him.

"It's quite simple actually. It honestly wasn't worth my time in the end, the volcano proved to be more useful then whatever my Flame Ponies had to offer." The Mad King replied, seeming rather uninterested with the topic.

"You're a big meanie monster!" Pinkie Pie shouted, kicking dirt his way.

"Yes, we've been over this already." The Mad King said rolling his eyes.

"We're going to stop you; here and now." Applejack said decisively.

"No more ponies are going to get hurt because of you!" Fluttershy scolded him.

"That's right, Mad Stupid! You're going to pay for what you did to Wingston and Matchstick!" Rainbow Dash shouted knocking her hooves together.

"Matchstick?" The Mad King asked with a chuckle; looking rather confused.

"Smolder! You big oaf!" Rarity shouted back in a huff.

"Wait, what happened to Smolder?" Cosmic asked looking towards Shining Armor and back to the Mad King.

"Has something happened to Smolder, Princess Celestia?" Shining Armor asked quickly; looking concerned.

"I killed him." The Mad King said aloud with a smile.

Shining Armor was taken aback. Princess Cadance covered her mouth with her hoof looking towards Princess Celestia to see if it was true. To their horror, Princess Celestia nodded in agreement.

"He's… gone?" Shining Armor asked slowly.

"No, no. no that's not true. He's making that up." Cosmic said shaking his head; sounding hurt and angry at the same time.

"Not only a Mad King, but a liar to boot!" Peanut shouted.

"It makes no difference to me whether or not you believe what I'm telling you. You'll be joining him shortly." The Mad King said shrugging.

"How could you do something like that?" Cosmic asked in disbelief. 

"It wasn't easy, let me tell you, something that small is hard to hit." The Mad King joked.

"He was your own son, Scorch!" Princess Luna shouted, becoming rather angry herself.

"Just the first of many mistakes I'm having to fix today." The Mad King stated, flaring his mane wildly. 

Princess Celestia flourished her wings, her horn glowing with magic, stepping towards the Mad King to challenge him. 

"Every pony stand back. This ends today." Princess Celestia commanded.

"Are you going to try and stop me all by yourself, Celestia?" The Mad King asked curiously; if almost tauntingly.

"It will be easy." Princess Celestia replied coldly.

"You may raise the sun, Celestia, but you do not command its fire!" The Mad King cried spewing flames at her.

The Royal Soldier ponies were already on the defense, over thirty unicorn ponies jumped in, working together to create a barrier around Princess Celestia and the others. The flames impacted the barrier being forced back and outwards into the open air, leaving every pony unscathed.

"You're alone in this fight!" Princess Luna exclaimed stepping forward.

"You can't take on all of us!" Princess Cadance shouted stepping forward as well.

Every pony watched the Mad King draw a deep breath. From the legions missing in his hide, ash began to spill out like sand from him. Piles of ash were accumulating around him, his flames grew darker with every passing moment; the heat he was generating was becoming distorting every ponies view.  Every Soldier Pony stared in utter shock at this spectacle. The ash trailing from his body had stopped, the Mad King stared down the Princesses that opposed him; malice dancing in his piercing red eyes.

"I am the King." He whispered.

Leaping into the air, his wings fanning, the Mad King quickly soaring over the Princesses, the Mane Six, and Shining Armor; not to mention the battalions of Soldier Ponies that stood at their backs. The Mad King let loose his attack, reproducing the pyroclastic cloud from his mouth and showering it up the ranks of the Royal Soldier ponies. The unicorns were quick to react, producing magical shields to cover the area as the Mad King passed over. The Royal Soldier ponies retreated from the spot; scattering to either side as the searing hot flow of the cloud stated to slide off the ample shielding.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna took charge of the fight. Combing their magic, they created shock wave that pushed the pyroclastic cloud towards the emptiness of the Ashen Fields. From the ash cloud high up above, the Mad King soared down landing in the middle of the Royal Soldier ponies that had run from his attack. A single swipe of his wing sent at least a dozen ponies sprawling through the air, while turning to spew fire in the opposite direction causing many Soldier Ponies to scatter. Every Soldier Pony looked on in fear, the Mad King's horn exploding with light causing the ground to splinter around them; jutted rock pillars started to spring up all around them. Opening his wings, engulfing himself in flame, the Mad King roared causing a fiery shock wave to throw every Soldier Pony away from him violently.

Several shots of magic impacted the Mad King, knocking him to the ground. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor went on the attack. A vicious fire spewed from the Mad King mouth in their direction; rising to his hooves to meet them. Princess Cadance and Princess Luna nimbly dodged the flames; firing off a few more magical spells impacting the Mad King's chest. Having staggered the Mad King, Princess Celestia and Shining Armor focused a heavy blast of magic that sent the Mad King flying off his hooves and skidding across the field. Raising himself from the ground,  his anger mounting once more, the cry of the Mad King shook the Ashen Fields. His fire spewed from every legion and fissure of his hide before charging the ponies head on.



Wick and Pyre reached north edge of the Ashen Fields, where the mountain had collapsed creating a small rock like dam that separated the Ashen Fields from the lands to the north. Having taken the dungeon tunnels earlier, they had successfully navigated their way out of the tunnels before the series of cave-ins that had followed. Wick was already clambering up some rocks before noticing Pyre gazing back out towards Castle Char; magic and flames blinking in the distance.

"We must leave and leave quickly, brother." Wick urged him.

Pyre did not move. He continued to gaze out over the Fields, continuing to watch the spurts of fire near the east where the battle was still taking place.

"It is over Pyre, father will not forgive us for our defeat at Smolder's hooves; let alone allowing this to unfold." Wick stated leaping back down towards his brother.

"When did Smolder become stronger than us?" Pyre asked in a sort of curious tone.

"Cheap shots do not account for skill, brother." Wick said hotly; still mad about losing his bout with Smolder.

"He left us to face father on his own, knowing he would destroyed." Pyre continued glancing towards Wick.

"That is his choice, a foolish one at that." Wick replied.

"What if we had been there with him? Perhaps we could have taken him down together." Pyre said looking back out towards the battle.

"Father has absorbed the wrath of the volcano. There is no power greater than nature, brother. Father commands the very fires that dwell in the mountain now. Not even Smolder can hope to stand against father now." Wick disagreed with him.

"I ask again, brother dear, when did Smolder become stronger than us? We stand here ready to abandon everything, even him now, when he refused to abandon us." Pyre asked, seemingly at war with himself.

"Do not mistake stupidity for courage, brother. Smolder was a fool, and met a fools end." Wick replied.

"They call it a fool's gambit for a reason, Wick. The chance of winning is slim to none, but if Smolder had succeeded in defeating father, what then?" Pyre asked curiously.

"I don't deal in what-ifs, Pyre." Wick remarked flatly.

"Are we strong enough to turn back now? To help him?" Pyre asked, feeling compelled to start heading back.

"You want to go back?" Wick asked in disbelief.

"I want to know how Smolder became so strong among such weak ponies." Pyre replied with interest.

"Going back will only get us killed, brother. This is our only chance to leave with our lives." Wick warned him.

Pyre stared out over the Ashen Fields one last time, lowering his head, he nodded in agreement and turned to climb up over the rocks. Wick watched Pyre disappear over the ledge, but he felt himself looking back out over the Fields beginning to wonder the very same thing. Seeing the magic and flames flicker in the distance, beginning to wonder what-if as well.

"It was just cheap shot." Wick said conclusively.

Wick leaped up onto the rock, getting help from his brother before the Twins disappeared into the north.



Wingston had been crossing the Ashen Fields for a while now. His crippled wing did not allow him to fly anymore, subjecting him to walk on two claws, and having to use a staff to help support him; it just annoyed him. His legs were never meant to be used so frequently. Being a bat he only ever used them to hang upside down, but the world seemed so much different with things the wrong way up.

The front of his rags had been badly burned, yet the rags had provided substantial resistance to the Mad King's fire; only for that one blast. It was all but cinders now. What had really hurt him was slamming into the stone wall from the force of the blast; it had raddled the bats in his belfry. It also gave him a good knock to the head and fractured a bone is his leg; causing him to limp even more now. His legs sloshed through the ash riddled field, his staff cutting a path for him to walk through; the rock statue of a Flame Pony still several meters away.

Wingston struggled to get over parts of the terrain. Several jutted rocks caused him to climb over with great difficulty, with large fissures in the earth caused him to take the long way round, and even areas where dirt had become glass caused him to slip once or twice. Still Wingston hobbled on.

"Here we are." Wingston mumbled walking up next to the rock statue. He knocked his staff against it a few times to see if there would be any response; there was none. 

He took a few more jabs at it with his staff, but nothing came out of it.

Wingston took notice of a long trail of scorched earth that led up to the rock statue of the Flame Pony. Taking careful notice of the displaced earth the force of the attack had punched through to get to Smolder. Scooping up some dirt in his long fingers Wingston carefully examined the rock statue.

"I believed you dead, Smolder." Wingston said placing his hand upon the rock; Winston felt warmth come from it.

He touched the ground he stood upon and found it to be at much cooler temperature. Raising his staff Wingston tried chipping away at the statue to find it to be of no avail.

"We both know now that's not true." Wingston mumbled. 

With a few more whacks with his staff, circling the rock statue, wiping away the dirt that lingered upon it and inspecting it carefully, Wingston could see no means of breaking it open. Knocking upon it several times, but finding that there was no reply from the rock. Patting the rock gingerly, Wingston, used the rock pony for support, lowering himself to the ground; sitting at the base of the rock statue. Laying his staff beside him, Wingston leaned back against the rock statue with an exasperated sigh of relief as he closed his eyes.

"Molten earth." Wingston said simply.

There was a minute of silence between Wingston and the rock.

"It's only a guess really, but if I had to explain it I would say that your father, unknowingly, super heated the earth and caking you in a shell of volcanic rock. He must believe that he had robbed you of your fire." Wingston said nursing his injured leg; it pained him.

"So my question, Smolder, is what's keeping you in there?" Wingston asked curiously looking up at the rock statue.
> Chapter 22: Wingston's Lament
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Discord had been instructed to look after every Flame Pony by Twilight and her friends before she and the other ponies went to confront the Mad King. There wasn't much Discord could do for the Flame Ponies other than to literally watch over them. Using any magic on the Flame Ponies now might allow the Mad King to absorb even more power and that was something every pony could not afford. For lack of a better idea, Discord decided to at least make the Flame Ponies as comfortable as possible with slabs of granite. Discord took a special interest in making sure the foals and fillies were made extra comfortable along with the elderly ponies.

"Maybe some nice hot tea will help put that spark back into that old furnace of yours." Discord said offering General Hearth a cup.

A moan escaped the General's lips. The cup of tea disappeared from Discord's paw.

"I know it may be difficult, but if you could tell me what I can do to help you it would make things loads easier. Help me to help to you, help me to help you." Discord said leaning down to General Hearth.

"There is nothing… you can do…" General Hearth said hoarsely.

"Well there must be something? Cocoa? Warm milk? Cider? A belly rub?" Discord asked curiously.

"Don't mind me… help the others…" General Hearth muttered.

"What sort of talk is that?" Discord asked disappointingly. "Just rest little Flame Pony, you are among friends now. They won't let you down."

General Hearth closed his eyes. His breathing was becoming more labored.

"Better hurry ponies. I'm not sure these Flame Ponies are going to be around for very much longer." Discord said anxiously.

Snapping his claws Discord was adorned in a doctor's coat and split himself into fifteen different copies of himself to assist the Flame Ponies.



Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Spike had retreated a few ranks back to allow the Soldier Ponies to do their job unhindered; waiting for their moment to step in. Twilight and Rarity lent their assistance to help magically shield ponies from stray shots of fire that came their way. There wasn't much else any pony could do then to watch the Mad King attempt to take on two kingdoms, three princesses, and all their armies.

Princess Cadance had become the lynch pin in the attack on the Mad King. The more experienced Princess Celestia and Princess Luna kept the Mad King busy while Shining Armor coordinated the soldier ponies to keep him off balance. Continuously drawing attention away from Princess Cadance and allowing her to land spell after spell on the Mad King. Each magical spell was driving home a hard hit and slowly diminishing the resolve of the Mad King's wrath.

"Fourth battalion! Block the south side! Eighth battalion! The north side! Seal off his escape!" Shining Armor bellowed the orders.

Several groups of Soldier Ponies broke off from the main forces, sprinting into position and bottlenecking the Mad King against the east wall of Castle Char.

"All battalions! Fire!" Shining Armor ordered.

The Princesses retreated back behind the ranks of the Soldier ponies, while several unicorn ponies stepped forward; their horns glowing. In rapid succession the unicorn ponies fired a multitude of spells at the Mad King. Shielding himself with his fiery wings the Mad King took the full force of their barrage.

Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, And Princess Cadance pooled their magic together, creating a large orb of energy that shimmered with a spectrum of colors. The Soldier Ponies infront of them broke off their attack to make way for the Princesses combined shot. Pinned by the onslaught of magic spells pelting him, the Princesses let loose their attack. Hurtling towards the Mad King, tearing up the ground beneath the orb, it's power warping the very air around it. The orb struck the Mad King, expandinf violently, air rushing past every pony towards the orb before it shrunk to the size of a marble. The following blast was so powerful that it blew through the east wall of Castle Char and right on through to the west wall causing it to explode outward; throwing large pieces of debris across the Ashen Fields.



Wingston had witnessed this explosion, watching pieces of Castle Char soar through the air before crashing down and smashing into pieces across the ground.

"Did you see that, Smolder?" Wingston asked.

Wingston had waited a rather long time for a response from the rock statue but didn't get a peep from it. There was a minute of silence from Wingston.

"If I didn't know any better I would say that you were hiding in there." Wingston remarked settling himself down against the leg of the stone statue.

"Maybe its fear that's keeping you in there." Wingston said.

Wingston folded his arms together. With a sigh, Wingston closed his eyes to rest his weary claws. Expecting the stone statue to reply at some point but it remained silent.

"Or lack of oxygen." Wingston mumbled opening one eye.

 

From the crumbling east wall of Castle Char the Soldier Ponies stood at the ready. Murmurs ran through the ranks, believing that they had won the day, and that the battle being over from that last attack. Princess Celestia'extra eyes scanned the dust and rubble for signs of the Mad King.

"There! The North Tower!" Cosmic shouted aloud.

Every pony looked up to see the Mad King standing tall upon the edge of the North Tower staring down at the rest of them.

"When this is over I will need a new castle to rule Equestria from." The Mad King called aloud.

"Steel yourselves! Make ready!" Shining Armor commanded.

The Soldier ponies reformed the ranks, while Princess Celestia stepped forward to respond to the Mad King.

"Much like this castle, your chances of winning are crumbling around you." Princess Celestia retorted.

"I think I shall raise a new castle, built on the charred remains of every pony that stands here today. I'm sure you will make excellent mortar." The Mad King shouted threateningly.

From his perch the Mad King soared high into the air. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadance gave chase.

The Mad King flared his wings with each flap, creating large embers that fell towards the pursuing Princesses. Although easily avoided, the Mad King was already tearing through the air at them. The amount of wind passing over and around the Mad King caused his flames to increase almost ten-fold. A variation to the Flash Step, but used with the air, the Mad King's speed increased far beyond even the Wonderbolts.



The battle being fought on the east side of the Ashen Fields had taken to the skies. Missed spells casted by the Princesses struck the earth with such force that it left craters in the ground. Wingston opened his eyes to see the Mad King far overhead dipping towards the mass of Soldier Ponies. The Mad King spewed a line of fire that drew across the ground like a stick through sand and left a wall of fire in its wake. Wingston could almost feel the heat from where he sat. Gazing at the fire dancing in the distance, Wingston could see the ponies that scattered from it.

"I'm no stranger to fear." Wingston said quietly.

"When I lost my wing..." Wingston began; shifting his weight a bit.

"I was afraid. Terrified beyond all belief. The enemy of your father, at the time, an orc by the name of Grog had made sport of me and tore it from me without mercy. What was I to do? A bat with no wing, forced to walk upon the ground instead of soaring through the night sky? That was no life for a bat." Wingston stated lifting his arm and spreading his long fingers to show small shreds of webbing that lingered.

"None of my own kind would help me. There was no help to be had for a wingless bat. I was left alone in the Dark Marsh. Afraid for my life I tried to walk on legs that were never meant to do such a thing, and eventually collapsed just over there." Wingston pointed towards an area of the field.

"I had not felt such fear in my life. What was I to do?" Wingston asked rhetorically.

The rock statue didn't respond.

"That's when your mother found me." Wingston said warmly.

Wingston took up his staff, running his wing through the grooves of the wood and placed it upon his lap.

"I spoke no words for a pony to understand, nor had I the strength to stand, but your mother took pity on me." Wingston said quietly.

"That was the sort of pony your mother was Smolder. She was so kind, so loving, more than a wingless bat ever deserved." Wingston explained gripping the staff tightly.

"Your mother nursed me back to health. She taught me to read, taught me to write, she fed me, clothed me, gave me shelter and when I was finally able speak without screeching... I told her my name. Then I thanked her." Wingston said longingly.

"That is when I decided I didn't want to be a bat anymore. Figuratively, of course, but the point being was that I wanted to change. I had changed. I had witnessed the strength, the kindness, and the pride the Flame Ponyies had carried and I too wanted to be a part of that. Figuratively." Wingston said strumming his fingers on his staff.

"I eventually asked for a place in your family's kingdom, promising to help and serve the Royal Family, but also to serve every Flame Pony that lived under their rule. At that time your father was an honorable pony, he had seen the effort I had put into my studies, my determination to walk unhindered, and accepted my request." Wingston said proudly.

"I was appointed as his Royal Advisor. I looked after the castle and all those that dwelled within it. I offered advice to your father on matters of grave concern. I witnessed the birth of the Twins and the steady decline of your father's sanity. For the orc that had taken my wing, had taken your father's pride and almost his family. I watched my king end the orc with a fire that not only consumed Grog but himself as well." Wingston said quietly.

"I watched the Flame Ponies here suffer under his rule. I saw the Twins be twisted by their father's cruelty and saw your mother waver in strength over the years. I did what I could, where I could without drawing attention to myself or to the ponies I helped but it was far too little in the grand scheme of things." Wingston explained.

A stream of fire flashed across the sky that drew Wingston's attention. The Mad King had limited the amount of ponies that could help the Princesses in their fight to only a hoof full of Pegasi Soldier Ponies and the Wonderbolts. Ponies darted across the sky; different colored spells flew through the air as waves of fire fanned around them.

"I tried, really I did, to talk to your father, to talk to the King, but over time I realized that King Scorch was long since gone. If I had pushed just a little more, to have urged him more often to seek council with me... perhaps I could have changed everything." Wingston said bitterly.

"It was around the time of your birth, where I no longer knew your father. He refused to see you, his new born son, and even refused to name you. For the King no longer cared for the ponies he ruled or the family he shared." Wingston paused for a moment.

"Did I ever tell you that your mother named you Smolder? That being said, I thought it was ridiculous name for a Prince. She named you after her family's old shop, stating that it reminded of her of happier days. How's that for a story of how you got your name?" Wingston asked with a chuckle.

"I would have named you Nova Blast or perhaps Blister or Incinerate." Wingston said in a matter of fact tone.

"Although, I suppose the name Smolder suits you better than those I came up with." Wingston admitted.

Wingston took a moment to gather his thoughts, gazing out over the Ashen Fields observing the destruction that had taken place.

"When Princess Celestia banished your father into the Void, your mother's grief consumed her. I should have done more to ease the pain your mother felt, attempted to console her from the madness that took your father." Wingston said somberly.

"For all my wisdom I could not figure out how to be the friend your parents needed when they were at their lowest points. So when she asked me for one final favor I accepted it without question. She entrusted me to look after you when she was gone. I watched her say goodbye to you, but you were only a tiny little foal at the time. I allowed her to enter that mirror in her grief and the sadness that filled my heart pains me to this day." Wingston stated remorsefully.

"Would you like me to tell you what she said to you, Smolder?" Wingston asked curiously looking up at the face of the stone statue.



"Wake up, Sweetheart."

I opened my eyes to darkness.

From the blackness an outline of a pony, burning in golden flame, appeared before me. I tried to speak but no words came. I tried to move but I stood frozen. The golden flame grew brighter; it enveloped me and chased the shadows away. I knew in my heart who this was, I wanted to scream out to her but I could not. My mother's lips began to move, yet no sounds came from them.



"I wanted to say goodbye Smolder, I'm sorry I have to leave you alone when you need me the most, but there is some other pony that needs me more." Wingston began to recount the Queen's last words to him.

"You have your brothers who will take care of you, and friends that will look after you. I'm sorry I won't be able to see you grow or be there for you when you fall." Wingston continued. "Just know that I love you, Smolder, please remember that."

Wingston had finished repeating the Queen's last words to him. The stone statue remained motionless. Wingston got to his claws, favoring his leg and putting all his weight onto his staff.

"You know, Smolder, I have become part of the same fiery passion the Flame Ponies shared for the hard work, determination, fearlessness they had once shown to tackle any challenge and stand proud against any adversity. No Flame Pony has embodied this more than you. To face the challenges of a world unknown, all for the sake of your Flame Ponies that suffered here. You met every obstacle with some fear, but never lost sight of what truly mattered. And I will be damned if I lose you as well!" Wingston said aloud.

"Smolder, the young Prince that burns without flame! You fear the fire that burns within you, you fear to become like your father and lose all that you have ever held dear! It is this fear that keeps you from escaping the hold your father has on you! Your father thinks you weak for your kindness, but I believe it give you power! For all of your feelings, all of your emotions that you've kept inside, rage like a storm none of which any Flame Pony has seen before!" Winston cried raising his hand and his staff into air.

"You now have but one question to answer." Wingston said raising his staff over his head.

"How will this day end?" Wingston shouted swinging his staff down on the stone statue's head.



Echoes began to reach my ears, I could not discern them at first but I started to recognize Wingston's voice. I strained to hear him, but I was fixated on my mother who continued to mouth words I could not hear. My mother stopped speaking. I fought with all my might to move. I begged within my heart to embrace her at least once; even if this was just a dream. My mother stepped towards me, my heart racing; all the while I struggled to move. She stopped to lean down to me. I strained my ears to hear, hoping beyond hope I would hear something this time.

"I love you, Smolder."



The head of Wingston's staff broke off from the impact. There was a silence that followed, Wingston staring at the stone statue, then a crack was heard. Two burning red eyes appeared beneath the rock face of the statue so suddenly that it caused Wingston to fall back in surprise. The center stone statue began to illuminate with a red hot glow.

The rock statue started to crack, flames flaring out from the fissures. As little fire as there was, Wingston could already feel an immense heat rising from the rock. Wingston limped away, using the broken staff to aid him, unsure of what was about to take place.

The Ashen Fields once more began to quake, the tremors grew more violent with each passing second. Unable to keep his balance, Wingston fell to the ground and proceeded to drag himself behind a rock. The tremors were soon being felt by the Soldier Ponies on the east side of the Ashen Fields.

"What's happening?" Shining Armor shouted aloud looking about.

Every Solider Pony got down low to the ground bracing themselves, all eyes turned to the mountain expecting another eruption.

"Is the volcano going to blow its top again?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief.

"This is becoming quite annoying!" Rarity shouted covering head with her hooves.

"I don't think it's the volcano doing all this shaking." Applejack replied, noticing the lack of evidence from the mountain.

"Maybe it's the Mad King's magic?" Spike asked holding onto Twilight's leg.

"He's been occupied with Princess Celestia and the others! It can't be him!" Twilight shouted trying to keep her balance.

"Wee!" Pinkie Pie cried in delight allowing the ground to bounce her up and down.

"Oh please don't let it be another volcano, please don't be another volcano." Fluttershy whispered to herself hiding behind Rarity.

The earth broke open under the rock statue. Pillars of dirt lurched up from the ground all around the area. While the cracks grew in size, flames beginning to escape the crevasses; the Ashen Fields were once more split asunder.

The Mad King, the Princesses, the Pegasi Soldier Ponies, and the Wonderbolts had all taken notice of the commotion going on down below. Princess Celestia's eyes scanned the Ashen Fields to see a small bit of light originating from a small rock. Her eyes also landed on a small creature hiding several feet away behind an even smaller rock.

"Wingston!" Princess Celestia said in surprise.

"Wingston? How can that be?" Princess Luna asked looking down at the ground.

"If Wingston is there, then that must mean that the light is coming from Smolder" Princess Celestia said in amazement.

"What's going on, Princess Celestia?" Princess Cadance asked aloud.

The Mad King had overheard this. His fire flared violently seeing the small flames spewing from the rock he had left him in. Without warning the Mad King dove out of the sky towards the stone statue, his fire surging to his mouth, ready to end this once and for all; to smash the rock statue to pieces.

Wingston could hear shouting coming from above, glancing up he saw the Mad King blazing down towards the rock statue. Wingston scrambled over the rock he hid behind, unsure of what he was going to do, but knew he wouldn't let the Mad King get to Smolder without going through him first.

 

I watched as my mother slowly began to dissolve away. She draped her wings over me, pressing her head lightly against mine. I could feel the fire raging deep inside me come to the surface and breaking me free from my fear. All of my anger, my sadness, all of my feelings we're surging to the surface. The image of my mother was almost gone from my sight, I could feel myself begin to move, when I got out only a few short words.

"Goodbye, Mom."

With one final crack the rock statue split open. The force of the explosion sheered the pillars of rocks surrounding it. A shockwave of golden light washed over the Ashen Fields, originating from the explosion, passing over every pony and knocking Wingston over. A pillar of yellow fire soared up into the sky, striking the Mad King and knocking him out of the air. The Mad King crashed hard to the ground, slowly rising to his hooves, dazed by the impact, he looked over to see the pillar of fire stretching towards the heavens without any sign of stopping.



Discord watched the golden light wash over every Flame Pony under his care and one by one their flames reignited. Slowly the Flame Ponies stirred, getting to their hooves, and wondering what had happened. General Hearth's flame came roaring back, his eyes shot open and jumped to his hooves. Looking at the herd of Flame Ponies still slow to get their hooves, he quickly came to the side of a few of his loyal solder ponies before checking on the fillies and foals. Discord gazed at the pillar of fire stretching up into the sky with amusement, while every Flame Pony's eyes came to gaze upon it as well.

"Yellow fire…" These words were whispered by every Flame Pony and Discord took notice of this.

"What is the significance of yellow fire?" Discord asked curiously.

"It was the fire of our Queen. It was a symbol of warmth and hope to us many years ago before she disappeared." General Hearth explained staring up at it in awe.

"Well then you'll be surprised to hear that it isn't your Queen but your little Flame Pony prince." Discord said.

"Smolder is alive?" General Hearth asked in disbelief.

"Shall we go see for ourselves?" Discord asked.

Smolder's name quickly spread like wildfire through the herd of Flame Ponies. For the first time in many years there was excitement in their voices at the sound of his name.



Ponies from all over the Ashen Fields could hear, over the roar of the fire, a voice screaming, it was filled with pain, filled with sorrow, but it all came out at once; bathing the Kingdom in a gold light.

"By Equestria..." Wingston whispered in awe.

Raising his arm to block the sheer amount of fire and light I was producing, Wingston could see what I could not. My mother had given me a gift, or at least that is what I had told myself in the days to come. For I had wings of my own, bathed is yellow fire, just like my mother.

There were some ponies that said my voice carried for miles, that it was heard as far as the Crystal Kingdom and that the pillar of fire could be seen anywhere in Equestria that day. Ponies from all over would say that it was the sign of a new age for Flame Ponies. Others would say it was a warning for all those who dwelled in darkness. For those who saw it up close saw the young Flame Pony Prince conquer his fears. For me, I had finally accepted my mother was never coming back; so I let all of that pain go.

The pillar of fire dissipated, leaving only myself standing at its base. My mane no longer burned a fiery red but a golden yellow that resembled my mother's. I met my father's wretched stare with a cold stare of my own. Spreading out my wings I showed them off to my father who seemed to snort in anger at the sight of them. I felt a wing touch my shoulder, looking down I saw  Wingston at my side staring back up at me with a smile.

"Welcome back." Wingston said with a smile.

"I heard you." I replied with a smile of my own.

Wingston looked up at me with a look of surprise. I lowered my head to him and pressed it against his for a moment. I pulled away, stepping forward to confront my father once again.

"You miserable little waste of Flame Pony fire! If you think that changing the color of you flames will-" The Mad King was interrupted by my sudden outburst.

"You are no longer worthy to hold the title of King, father! This madness has to end and I will personally see to it that you pay for your crimes against the ponies of Equestria!" I declared.

"Who do you think you are speaking to me like that?" Scorch cried in anger.

"I am the King!" I shouted.
> Chapter 23: Family Matters
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Even with everything that had been going on up until this point; I had to admit to myself that having wings was pretty cool. It felt natural, it was almost as if I would think it my wings would respond; I could feel certain muscles stretching and flexing when I flapped them. Much like my father's were, mine were bathed in fire, although my flames were smooth and less violent then his. I was rather surprised by their color, my flames being yellow rather than red, but the warmth that radiated from it felt comforting. 

In fact, it was so comforting that I had unknowingly ignored my father's rage induced rant about my inadequacies of ever becoming a king; mentioning something about being the king of failures. Upon further inspection of myself, to my great surprise, I had finally gotten my cutie mark. It was a smoldering pile of embers that seemed to glow with every breath I took. I felt content with it.

"Smolder?" Princess Celestia asked aloud.

I turned to see Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, several pegasi Soldier Ponies, and some goggling wearing, blue suited pegasi ponies, I would later come to know as the Wonderbolts, touch down near me.

"Hi." I replied; feeling my wing giving them a wave.

"We were told that you had been destroyed." Princess Luna mentioned looking quite relieved at my not being so.

"Well, Wingston wouldn't let me get out of my responsibilities; even if I did get destroyed." I said jokingly.

I expected to be hit with Wingston's staff, but the absence of a sharp knock to the head had me turning to him. Wingston was favoring his leg more than usual, I noticed his broken staff and saw how exhausted he looked. His grey rags having been burned quite badly, his eyes more sullen, and his breathing seemed labored.

"Wingston, are you alright?" I asked with concern.

"Don't make a fuss, I'm fine." Wingston said waving his wing to shoo me away.

"The wretched bat should be good friends with the reaper of ponies by now. He's brushed past it enough to be on first names basis." Scorch shouted tauntingly.

It didn't take me more than in a second to figure out who was responsible for Wingston's rugged and battered look. I felt my flames flare with my anger over my father's taunts, having attacked the one pony, the one bat that had always been there for me. 

"Princess Cadance, may I ask a favor of you?" I asked turning to her.

"Sure, Smolder." Princess Cadance replied.

"Would you look after Wingston for me, and see that he is brought to a doctor pony as soon as possible?" I asked looking back at him.

"I don't need any pony looking after me." Wingston said poking me with what was left of his broken staff.

"Of course." Princess Cadance said with a smile.

I turned to face the rest of the ponies. They looked tired, covered with soot, singed by fire, and I knew then that I had been out of the fight for far too long. We had come with just Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Twilight, and her friends. Now their were countless ponies here, standing against my father, defending our kingdom; our home. 

"There is no way I could ever thank you for what you have done here today, for what you've done for my Flame Ponies, but I will promise you that I will end this once and for all." I said to aloud to them.

I looked towards my father who stood eagerly waiting for me to challenge him. Flaring my mane I stepped forward ready to have another go at him. I only took a few steps before Princess Celestia strode up next to me, fanning out her wing in front of me, and refusing to let me pass.

"I'm not leaving you to face him alone again, Smolder." Princess Celestia stated decisively. 

"Neither are we." Princess Luna said with the pegasi Soldier Ponies and Wonderbolts voicing their support.

"I won't be facing him alone; not anymore." I said quietly. 

Princess Celestia looked at me rather confused.

"My mother is always going to be with me now." I said feeling my wings slowly wrap around me. 

Princess Celestia smiled down at me. I'm sure if she could I would have gotten a hug, but I could feel the sentiment all the same. I watched as Princess Celestia stepped aside allowing me to approach my father once again.

"We'll be here, ready to step in at any time." Princess Celestia said to me.

Scorch snorted angrily, flames flaring from his nostrils, stamping the ground with his foreleg. His wild flaring mane whipped through the air trying to intimidate me but all it did was make me smile. This made him even angrier.

"Do you think those puny little wings of yours are going to be enough to stop me?" Scorch asked spitting fire as he spoke.

I chose to ignore his question, striding towards to him, letting my fire burn as hot as it liked. My yellow flames engulfed my body, putting me into my Flash Step, and my wings spread out wide to flare my fire for Scorch to see. For a Flame Pony to flare their mane with such intensity was the sign of challenging another to a fight. Never before had a Flame Pony flared it's fire towards the Mad King; until today. 

"Any last words, son?" Scorch asked poisonously; flaring his fire as well.

"Yeah, mom says hi." I replied coldly. 

The fire raging inside me jumped to my throat. Opening my jaw I let it explode with all its fury. My flames struck my father squarely in his chest. The blast brought so much force with it that it knocked him off his hooves, throwing him across the Ashen Fields like a ball bouncing down a street. This power I felt surging through me gave so much confidence, my flames wrapped around me like shield and I felt excited.

Charging forward, exploding from the spot, I raced towards my father. My Flash Step had doubled, no, tripled my speed with this new fire. I closed the gap between us before my father had come to his senses and I tackled him head long into the side of the mountain where bits of rock broke off from the impact.



Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, and Wingston watched in amazement at the power I had achieved, in such a short time. The pegasi Soldier Ponies and the Wonderbolts cheered at the sight of the Mad King being trounced, suggesting certain moves to pull and knocking a hoof against his head for a few them on their behalf.

Princess Cadance approached Wingston to aid him to a doctor pony, even with all of his protests from before; he accepted her help without fuss. Wingston would never let Smolder see him tired or weak, but more importantly never let him see him in pain.

"I'm going to regroup with Shining Amor and the other ponies to let them know what has happened. I'll find Wingston some help there." Princess Cadance stated assisting Wingston onto her back.

"Have Twilight and the other ponies relocate here. The reign of the Mad King is coming to an end soon." Princess Celestia replied.

An explosion of fire erupted from the side of the mountain. A wave of heat rushed over them, the mixture of red and yellow fire plumed from the base of the mountain arching up towards the crest. The fight between the Mad King and Smolder was just starting, and it could be felt by every pony within the Ashen Fields. Princess Cadance took flight towards the eastern side of Castle Char, while Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and the rest of ponies watched the battle with great anticipation to how it was going to end.



My father's fire no longer overpowered mine. In fact, my fire seemed to rival his and, at times, over power his. The heat of his fire could not reach me, nor was his presence threatening to me, and he knew I was no longer afraid of him. Scorch bounded up the side of the mountain, using his own Flash Step to put distance between us. His horn exploded with light, thin spikes of rock jutted out from beneath my hooves attempting to skewer me where I stood. With a few quick steps to avoid the first few spikes, I racing up the mountain side in a full sprint, the spikes quickly gaining on me. Ducking, diving and dodging my way through the forest of razor sharp spikes that sprouted up from the ground, I realized that I had other options.

Leaping into the air I felt my wings open up, giving me lift as I soared up and over the spikes. Flapping my wings to keep myself airborne seemed almost like second nature, although the real test was if I could learn how to fly without crashing into things. My father stood at the lip of the volcano, fanning out his wings and making the mountain shake beneath him. I could see the magma within the basin begin to thrash about; I guessed that he was planning to use the volcano against me. I decided that we'd let the volcano choose who it answered to.

I dived towards my father, picking up incredible speed, watching him rear back to accept my challenge. A torrent of fire surged from his mouth, spiraling out towards me, with a lift of my wing I felt myself roll beneath it. The dip brought me dangerously close to the ground and I got my hooves under me and charged up the hill from there. Galloping towards my farther, my Flash Step propelling me forward, I tackled my father once more, knocking the two of us into the basin of the volcano.



The Soldier Ponies of the Crystal Empire and Canterlot watched the fire in the distance making its way up the side of the mountain. Murmuring among themselves on what it could be, wondering where the Princesses were. Shining Armor was already preparing to move them out.

"Soldiers! Form ranks! We march on the mountain!" Shining Armor bellowed watching several hundred ponies quickly get into formation.

"Where do you need us?" Twilight asked allowed.

Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Spike stood at the ready, waiting for orders.

"You seven can stay near the back. I don't need any of you ponies getting hurt if the Mad King tries to shower us with fire again." Shining Armor said pointing them towards the back.

"We're not going to sit in the back and act like a fifth wheel on a wagon!" Applejack said in protest.

"I want to see some action!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"You ponies are not Soldier Ponies! You need to let us do our job so you can do yours!" Shining Armor snapped back but the mane six didn't seem to be having any of it.

Their arguing went on for a few minutes on where they should be, when the Soldier Ponies began to chatter among themselves pointing towards the rear of the battalion. Shining Armor looked up to see a large break in the ranks forming towards him allowing a rather large mass of fire approach him with Discord leading the way. The last few lines of Soldier Ponies separated allowing Discord, General Hearth and the largest herd of Flame Ponies he had ever seen come through.

"May I reintroduce the residents of the Ashen Fields, the Flame Ponies and their pony in charge General Hearth." Discord said magically creating some fanfare for the occasion.

"Who's the pony in charge?" General Hearth asked aloud.

"That would be me, General." Shining Armor said throwing out his chest.

General Hearth's eyes grew wide with surprise.

"They're getting younger and younger aren't they?" General Hearth asked himself.

"Sir?" Shining Armor asked not quite catching his remark.

"Never mind, where is Prince Smolder?" General Hearth asked quickly.

"Smolder?" Shining Armor asked surprised.

The look of dread washed over Shining Armor's face realizing that General Hearth may not know what had happened to Smolder.

"General Hearth, sir, we told you what happened to Smolder already." Fluttershy said softly.

"Indeed, but Smolder has returned to us." General Hearth replied, unable to hide a smile.

"Say what?" Twilight asked in surprise.

"It's true Twilight Sparkle. I saw it with my own two eyes." Discord said popping them out of his head and showing them to her.

"Matchstick's okay?" Rainbow Dash asked excitedly.

"From the look of things I say he's the one causing all the ruckus over at the volcano." Discord said raising his eyes up over his head with his paws to get a better look.

"Peanut! Did you hear that? Smolder's alive!" Cosmic said bouncing up and down.

"That's a relief. I didn't want to be the pony to tell Tea that Smolder had been snuffed out." Peanut said wiping his head with his hoof.

"How is that possible? The Mad King said he had destroyed him?" Shining Armor asked feeling confused.

"I have someone who can help fill in some of the blanks." Princess Cadance said aloud.

Coming to a gentle landing, Princess Cadance strode up to Shining Armor who quickly embraced her murmuring his thanks for her not being harmed.

"Hey! It's Wingston!" Spike cried pointing his claw at him.

"Where?" Wingston asked looking around.

"We thought you were dead!" Pinkie Pie said hopping over to him.

"I thought so too." Wingston replied in all honesty.

"Wingston is hurt; he needs a doctor pony right away." Princess Cadance explained lowering herself to the ground so Wingston could slide off.

"Are you in any pain?" Rarity asked sounding concerned.

"I'll be fine. The fuss ponies make over the smallest of scratches is beyond me." Wingston said putting weight on his claw and falling over immediately.

General Hearth was the first to reach Wingston, helping him to sit down as several Flame Ponies surround him. The Flame Ponies wished him well, thanking Celestia that he was still alive and asking if Prince Smolder had truly returned. It was obvious to every pony that Wingston was well loved among the Flame Ponies, that it was not only Smolder who seemed to appreciate the effort Wingston put into his duties.

"Smolder is back." Wingston said confirmed to them.

"Thank Celestia." General Hearth muttered.

"He has elected to face his father alone." Wingston continued watching the Flame Ponies stand aside for a doctor pony to reach him.

"Alone? I thought he would want the help of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?" Twilight asked looking confused.

"This fight has become more personal to Smolder. The Twins have run off making Smolder the next in line to rule. "Wingston explained watching the doctor pony fuss over his leg.

"So Smolder's fighting for his right to rule over the Ashen Fields?" Shining Armor asked, sounding concerned. 

"The battle for the crown has begun." Wingston replied. 

"Princess Celestia has requested that the six of you join her. She believes that Smolder will win this fight and give you the chance to seal the Mad King back into the Void." Princess Cadance explained to them.

"We're on our way!" Rainbow Dash declared throwing a salute.

"I'll stay here with Wingston." Spike said putting his claws on Wingston's shoulder. 

"I've always wanted a dragon as a body guard." Wingston said wincing at the doctor pony's bandage wrapping.

"Be careful Twilight, we'll be right behind you." Shining Armor said embracing her.

"Just make sure you're there to see us put away this monster once and for all." Twilight said motioning for the other to follow her.



Spurts of lava shot up from the pool of liquid hot magma. My father sloshed about in the inferno trying to find traction beneath his hooves, flailing about and roaring in anger. I stood upon a large piece of rock that had collapsed into the volcano during one of the explosions from earlier. My father sunk beneath the surface of the magma disappearing from my sight. My eyes began to trace over the pool trying to determine where he was.

Large spurts of lava jumped from the magma pool. My eyes darting to each one, believing that one would be my father making his move against me. To my surprise my father slowly rose out of the lava, magma sliding off of his hide leaving only small legions of his hide left; seeming to be more fire then pony now. His horn glowing brilliantly, magically lifting himself from the magma, and setting himself down on an outcropping of rock.

"Are you not the least bit curious to how your mother died?" Scorch shouted over the roar of the volcano.

His words only caused my mane and wings to flare violently.

"No?" Scorch asked tilting his head.

I lowered my head, flaring my wings towards him; ready to attack.

"So be it." Scorch said raising his own wings to me.

I felt the rock beneath me begin to shake. The magma pool boiled around me, throwing waves of lava over my head and shooting towers over lava into the air. Deciding not to stick around, I leaped into the air doing a sort of aerial dance to avoid the columns of lava. I spent too much time focusing on the lava around me that my father got to my blind side and hit me with a torrent of fire sending me slamming in the side of the rock basin. Fortunately, my wing softened the impact but only just. Scorch leaped through the air, hooves poised to crush me into the rock. Kicking off the wall, I  launched myself to the side to avoid being crushed under hoof by my father, but I was pelted by the impact of broken rock and soot that flew from his impact with the wall. My father's wing sliced through the cloud of soot, his strike went wide, his second swipe caught me sending me skipping over the pool of magma and being engulfed in a sudden wall of lava that crashed over me. Drifting through the air onto the outcropping of rock, the Mad King surveyed the magma, watching the lava bubble with heat. 

"Some king!" Scorch shouted aloud; mockingly. 

A large bubble swelled from the surface of the magma, my wings opened wide throwing lava into my father's eyes. My father cursed in agony, I collided with him, slamming my father against the rock wall. A thick layer of lava hung off my wings. I took a swing at my father connecting with his head, sending him reeling, while the second swipe of my wing I took out his forelegs, knocking them out from under him; dropping him hard to his knees. He lifted his head, ours eyes met for a moment; having realized that I had made him kneel before me.

"Some king." I stated standing before him.

In an instant we both let loose a blast of fire at one another, filling the chamber of the volcano with red and yellow fire.



Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Applejack were racing across the Ashen Fields. In the distance they spotted Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, several pegasi Solider Ponies and the Wonderbolts all looking towards the mountain.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight shouted slowing to a stop.

"Twilight, you and your friends are going to need to be ready to use the Elements of Harmony at a moment's notice." Princess Celestia stated urgently striding up to them.

"We're ready! Just point us at that mean old hot head!" Rainbow Dash said looking around.

"How is Wingston?" Princess Luna asked stepping towards them.

"He's got a doctor pony taking care of him right now." Applejack replied.

"Shining Armor and Princess Cadance are bringing the rest of the Soldier Ponies as we speak." Twilight informed them.

"Excellent." Princess Celestia said returning her gaze to the mountain.

"Is that where the Mad King is?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"Indeed." Princess Luna replied.

"Is it true that Smolder is taking him on all by himself?" Rarity asked sounding concerned.

"It's true." Princess Celestia said.

"If you don't mind me asking Princess Celestia, but why would you let him fight the Mad King on his own? With you, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, the Wonderbolts and all these Solider ponies, you could have easily taken him." Twilight asked sounding a bit confused.

"You're right, Twilight. We could have overpowered the Mad King if we all attacked him at once but Smolder has asked to do this on his own." Princess Celestia replied.

"Because he needs to overthrow his father so he can take the throne?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"That is what will happen, yes, but I believe Smolder wants to prove to himself that he has the strength to protect those he cares for. If we aid him now, he will always wonder if he had the power and the resolve to stand up to those that would do him harm. To Smolder, this isn't a fight to to become the next King, it is to see if he challenge his father's ideals on what it means to be a Flame Pony." Princess Celestia explained.

"Aren't you worried that he might get hurt?" Fluttershy asked.

"Of course, but that's why we're here. Just in case he does need our help, he has friends who will be there to lend him a hoof." Princess Celestia said.



Scorch took several swipes with his wings at me, mixing in a few kicks with his forelegs trying to take me down. My smaller size made it easier for me to maneuver, and harder for him to hit. It also helped that my Flash Step had gotten so powerful. I ducked under my father's wing that sailed clear over my head, I spewed a fire under his chest, hitting him the stomach and forcing him back. Using his wings to shield himself I went on the attack, striking my hooves against his wings trying to force him back and breathing fire relentlessly at him.

My smaller stature may have given me speed but it lacked the raw power necessary to physically compete with my father. Deciding to use this opportunity, I backed off from my father and took to the skies. Flying out from the volcano, I decided that the skies might be my best chance of overpowering my father. My father soared after me, spewing trails of fire in my direction, I weaved around them and took off higher into the sky. Pillars of fire shot past me, my father was getting closer and my plan only consisted of avoiding him.

My mind raced for ideas, at least when I wasn't focusing on dodging the fire my father spewed at me. An idea did come to mind; it was a horrible idea, stupid idea but an idea none the less. While it was true that I could not overpower my father with raw strength, I figured speed was just as dangerous if it came to a sudden stop. Tucking in my wings I sailed up a few more feet into the air before falling backwards and nose diving back down towards my father. Rearing back his head, my father filled the sky with a flash of fire, and I sailed right through it. His fire slowed me some but gravity was on my side and it helped me push through. I came out the other side colliding my father right in the chest, and in that moment of impact I took hold of him; biting down hard into his shoulder.

We tumbled through the air, my wings striking his keeping him from being able to slow our decent. His hooves struck me repeatedly, feeling his fire wash over me trying to force me to let go but it only made me cling to him tighter. The amount of wind passing by forced my father and I into our Flash Step. Together we created a large ball of fire that dropped out of the sky like a rock. The ground was quickly approaching, I could hear my father roaring in anger but just as the ground was inches away I realized that this was the first time I ever held my father.

Our impact broke open the ground, leaving a good sized crater beneath us. My father had graciously absorbed most of the impact on his back. While I took only a few scrapes and bruises from it, but I had been thrown a few yards away colliding with ground rather harshly. I slowly got to my hooves, dazed from the impact. Through my distorted vision I could see my father lying on the ground, unmoving and his flames seemed to be flickering.

A sudden pain shot through my body. I glanced over to see my right wing bent in an odd direction. Pulling it close to my body I knew that I was grounded from here on out. Scorch groaned loudly, rolling over onto his side, his breathing labored and his face screwed up in pain.

"You... filthy little…" Scorch began to mutter trying to get his hooves under him.

A blast of fire impacted Scorch, sending him sliding across the ground tearing up the uneven earth beneath him and coming to a slow stop a few yards away. Scorch raised his head to see me charging him, I drove my hooves into his side, feeling a bone give way under my hoof while my father roared in pain and rolled over a few times. Clutching his side my father tried to stand but failed. He struggled to get up but it was clear that one his back legs had broken from the impact and his back was doing him no favors.

"So… this is it…" Scorch muttered wheezing through his words.

I stood silent, watching him struggle to breathe and prop himself up. Even with my broken wing, I still felt ready to fight. 

"If only your mother was here to see this." Scorch said with a grin.

My father felt my hooves slam against his chest, knocking him to the ground. Driving my hooves down onto his face repeatedly, feeling my legs tremble from each strike but that grin never left his face. He laughed through my hits, knowing where my anger stemmed from, where my pain was centered around. I stomped my hoof down onto his neck to keep him from rising, taking a deep breath, released all the fire I felt burning up inside me, bathing him in the yellow fire; watching his face disappear within my fire.

Breathing hard, I stepped back, my heart raced in anger, I felt my body shaking begging him to smile again so I could try to wipe it away once more. His wing suddenly shot out striking me across the face. I went sprawling sideways, almost losing my footing. I looked back to see my father lunging at me.

Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, General Hearth, Discord, Wingston, Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy , Spike, Peanut, Cosmic, the Wonderbolts, and all the Soldiers ponies from the Crystal Empire and Canterlot watched from a far as we hit one another. 

It had been a Mad King and a young Prince fighting for the future of the Ashen Fields. Now, at the end, every pony could see what was  really taking place. It was a father and son viciously beating one another. The Mad King and Smolder traded blows, one hoof strike after the other. A strike to the head, a blow to chest, a whip of the wing and neither gave an inch of ground. It wasn't a battle anymore, it was hardly a fight, it was just two feelings of anger and heartbreak colliding  with one another. The whole of the Ashen Fields had fallen silent, so all but the grunts and anguish of a father and son could be heard echoing across the land.

My father roared throwing his whole weight behind a strike of his hoof. I dipped low to avoid it, using all of my strength I leaped up at him, striking him in the face with my forehead; sending him toppling backwards. I staggered back falling to the ground, almost knocking myself out from that blow and seeing hundreds of spots in front of my eyes. My father was slowly getting back on his hooves, and I felt myself doing the same.

"Smolder…" Scorch whispered through a gasp.

I didn't reply. I got to my hooves, flaring my mane, ready to throw another series of blows with him. Scorch suddenly took a knee, coughing hoarsely, unable to catch his breath. I watched him struggle to breath, unable to bring myself to attack him in this state.

"I was… wrong about… you…" Scorch said weakly.

I stood wearing a black eye, a cut lip, and a torn ear. Bruises lined my body, my wing broken and my hide full of scratches and cuts. Although my fire stayed burning strong while my father's began to waver with each breath he took.

My heart was still racing, I had the advantage, I could end here and now; no pony else would ever have to fear my father again. I felt myself take a step forward.

"Smolder?" Princess Celestia's voice called out to me.

I stopped. I looked over to see Princess Celestia standing beside Princess Cadance, Princess Luna and Shining Armor.

Twilight, Spike, Wingston and every pony else was there too. I could see the armies of Soldier Ponies several yards away, the whole herd of Flame Ponies standing among them.

"Hi…" I said weakly.

"Hi, Smolder." Every pony said together.

"I think it's over, Smolder. Don't you?" Princess Celestia asked looking over at the defeated Mad King.

My father's eyes met mine, there was still so much hate and anger behind them that I almost felt sorry for him. I felt my anger starting to subside, taking a step back, I decided that it had been enough.

"Yeah… it's over." I said slowly nodding my head.

Princess Celestia looked back towards Twilight and the other ponies who nodded in agreement. Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy stepped forward. Twilight headed the group. A brilliant flash of light came off of every pony, their elements emanating from their trinkets and slowly being lifted into the air. A string of rainbows began to connect each of them together, all of them coming to Twilight's tiara as the focal point. A single rainbow came arcing out from the center of them, heading straight for my father who did not take his eyes off of me. The rainbow struck my father, the power the rainbow carried with it bathed him in a white light and his roar was heard echoing across the Ashen Fields.

The Elements of Harmony formed a portal to the Void behind my father; a sudden vacuum began to suck in the air around us. The Void began pulling in loose dirt, ash, and rock that littered the Ashen Fields. It pulled at my flames, and the hair of others. 

My father was slowly being dragged towards the portal, a sneer across his face. He dug his hooves deep into the ground trying to brace himself. 

A sudden smile cut across my father's face that made my heart skip a beat. A sudden flash of light from his horn caused the Void to tear behind him, causing the rainbow to waver. The vacuum of the Void increased its pull. It started to drag every pony to it, including my father.

"What's happening?" Princess Cadance shouted.

"The portal! It's becoming unstable!" Twilight shouted as the mane six tried to contain it.

"I will draw all of Equestria into the Void with me!" Scorch cried, his horn glowing more intensely and increasing the tear.

"We have to stop him from tearing it or we're going to lose control!" Twilight shouted struggling to maintain their hold on the portal.

Princess Celestia fired a spell from her horn towards Scorch, but the Void quickly absorbed the shot; pulling it into the blackness. Pieces of Castle Char were breaking off, crashing to the ground and sliding towards the Void. Soldier ponies were clinging to one another trying to prevent themselves from sliding. Discord turned himself into a large brick wall to prevent the Solider Ponies from sliding any further. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna created a shield to help prevent Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Wingston and Spike from being pulled in. 

My eyes fell to Wingston who stared back at me. I looked towards my father, then back to Wingston, he shook his head no knowing what I was planning on doing, but I nodded yes back to him.

I turned, charging my father, planning to knock him into the Void, knowing that I would be pulled in myself. I slammed into my father, feeling him slide backwards towards the portal and feeling his arms wrap around me tightly.

"We shall go together." My father hissed to me.

"Smolder!" Princess Celestia cried in fright.

I dug my hooves deep into the dirt, forcing my father back a few more inches, but he refused to give up so easily. The Void was already robbing me of my strength. I could feel myself growing weaker by the moment and my hooves starting to give out on me.

I took another step forward, seeing the edge of the portal just behind my father. I only had to summon up a little more strength and it would all be over. Every pony would be safe.

I suddenly felt myself being pulled back from my father, being thrown to the wayside and sliding to a stop at some pony's hooves.

"Traitors!" The Mad King cried in anger.

I looked up to see Pyre standing over me. Wick having taken my place wrestling with my father, trying to force him into the Void. I felt my heart drop at the sight of this.

"Wick! Get away from there!" I shouted in horror.

"Not a chance!" Wick grunted forcing our father back a few paces more.

"You can't do this!" I shouted in horror.

I tried to get to my hooves but I felt a blow to the back of my head knocking me down flat. The world spun around me, I could see Pyre stepping over me.

"You've done enough, Smolder. It's time that we do something right by you for a change." Pyre said, smiling down at me.

"What do you say, brother? Care to give dear old dad a little pay back?" Wick asked struggling against his father.

"I'd be delighted." Pyre replied.

"You can't!" I shouted trying to take hold of Pyre's hoof, but Pyre kicked me back down.

I clutched my side from the sharp pain I felt, looking back up at Pyre who stood beaming at me.

"You will make a great King one day, Smolder." Pyre said proudly.

"A better King then either of us would have been." Wick said looking towards me with a smile.

"Good bye, Smolder." Pyre said definitively. 

Pyre went barreling towards our father, I got to my hooves as quickly as I could to give chase. My Flash Step would not spark, Pyre was pulling away, and I could not catch him.

"Twilight! Please stop this! Close the portal!" I shouted in fear.

"We can't! We're doing everything we can just to keep it contained!" Twilight shouted, her voice taxed from the effort of keeping the portal sustained.

"They're all I have left!" I cried, feeling my heart ache seeing Pyre pull away from me.

Pyre collided with our father, knocking him backwards into the portal. Wick and Pyre tumbled in after him, slowly disappearing into the blackness. The Mad King's roar echoed through the Void, the tear had stopped and I raced towards the portal preparing to jump in after them.

"Seal it, Twilight!" Princess Celestia shouted, ducking under a large rock that soared over her head.

"No! Twilight, please don't!" I begged being only a few feet away from the portal.

The sudden flash of light came from the mane six, tracing its way over the rainbow and slamming down onto the portal. The Void slammed shut creating a shockwave throwing me back and sending the debris it pulled flying off in all directions. Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy slowly descended from the air and coming to a rest on the ground.

The Soldier Ponies slowly got to their hooves looking around to see if it was over. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor held onto one another checking to see if each other were alright. Wingston and Spike had held onto one another as well looking relieved. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna pressed their heads together letting each other know they were alright.

I slowly got to my hooves, shaking something awful staring at where the portal once stood. I staggered forward, unable to comprehend what I had just lost. I felt my chest tighten, I felt my heart breaking, and I felt myself whimper. All of my pain, my anguish, my sorrow came rushing to my  throat. I screamed, almost roaring from the pain I felt, hoping that my voice would reach them some how in the Void, and they would know how much I already missed them. I hung my head low, whimpering quietly to myself, wishing I could cry. I was alone again.
> Chapter 24: King Smolder
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well, this is your big moment." Wingston said looking me over.

Wingston and I stood outside the large marble doors that led inside to the Summit Chamber where every head pony, yak, donkey, and zebra from their respective kingdoms would convene to address the issues of Equestria. In light of the recent events that had transpired in the Ashen Fields, many of the members called for an emergency meeting of the Summit, and had the date moved up significantly. In fact, it had only been two days since I had went hoof to hoof with my father that this meeting was taking place. Needless to say, I felt very nervous entering the chamber looking the way I did.

Having a stitched ear, a black eye, cut lip, a broken wing, several cuts and bruises, and no formal clothes to wear; I wasn't too excited to stand in front of any pony. Wingston did his best to make me look presentable and his only contribution to my ensemble was wiping away flecks of ash that stuck to my legs.

"You've worked very hard to get here, Smolder. Just take it slow and try not to be nervous." Wingston said encouragingly.

I smiled down at him, trying to feign confidence but my flaring mane gave me away.

"How are you feeling?" Wingston asked curiously.

"Good." I replied nodding my head.

"Good?" Wingston asked.

"Yeah, good." I said still nodding.

Wingston stared up at me, unconvinced that I was anything but good.

"You know, I have been wrong very few times in my life, Smolder." Wingston said lifting up his new staff.

The two broken halves of his staff had be rejoined, being held in place by branching strips of metal I had fused together to hold it in place. Unknowingly giving Wingston essentially a wooden, metal coated club to hit me with, but he showed great restraint from doing so.

"I can attest to that." I replied.

"Well, I was wrong about your brothers. I didn't believe they ever cared for you, but I was proven wrong. Their sacrifice was made out of love for their little brother, and I am grateful to them for keeping you safe." Wingston admitted.

"It should have been me." I said trying to choke back my quivering voice.

"Saying that will only belittle their sacrifice. For all their flaws they recognized the good in you, the strength to defend this Kingdom, and the ability to lead our Flame Ponies in the coming years to rebuild what we have lost. You were far too valuable to be lost in the Void and far too important to your brothers to see you suffer the same fate that befell your mother." Wingston said endearingly.

"I couldn't save my family, Wingston." I choked out feeling myself whimper.

"No, you were not able to save your family. Nor were you able to convince your father to change his ways. Unable to save your brother's from being sucked into the Void." Wingston agreed with me.

I hung my head in grief. Wingston knocked his staff against my head; the extra weight behind it really shook me up.

"Every pony is responsible for the choices they make. Your father made his, so did your mother and your brothers. You can't force a pony to be something they're not. Your brothers believed themselves to be cruel, powerful like your father, but through your actions they realized what sort of ponies they were." Wingston explained admiring his new and improved staff.

"What sort of ponies were they?" I asked trying to compose myself.

"I consider them to be heroes for what they did. It is how I will remember them." Wingston replied.

Wingston's words resonated with me. I too felt that their sacrifice was brave and noble; even if I wished that they had not done so.

"How will you choose to remember them, Smolder?" Wingston asked.

"They were my brothers, my protectors… my family." I said trying to sound proud.

"Your family has grown quite considerably since a few days ago. You're responsible for every Flame Pony in the Ashen Fields now." Wingston reminded me.

"I won't let them down." I said finding my confidence.

"I know you won't, my King." Wingston said with a smile.

The sound of a latch clicked from the other side of the marble doors, swinging outward revealing a large circular room lined with white marble pillars and large round oak table that stood in the center of the chamber. Personal Royal Guard ponies stood behind each respective leader, the leaders sat on matching wooden chair that circled the table; except for one. 

A stone chair waited for me resting between Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance. Princess Celestia had Peanut and Cosmic as her royal guards standing behind her, the two of them tried to sneak a wave at me without any pony noticing. While Shining Armor and Nightshade stood behind Princess Cadance who also tried to wave at me without being caught.

"Now presenting the soon to be crowned King of the Ashen Fields, his Royal Highness, Prince Smolder and his personal advisor Wingston." An appointed pony bellowed aloud; ushering us in.

I seated myself while lifting Wingston up onto the arm of the chair so that he would be level with the rest of the leaders seated here. I had no escort, like the other leaders here. Even with the insistence of General Hearth I felt it necessary for him to remain in the Ashen Fields and to come here unguarded.

The appointed pony left the room closing the marble doors behind him officially bringing the Summit to a start.

"I would like to thank every pony for being able to make it today under such short notice." Princess Celestia began.

"What smell like burnt wood?" The Yak known as Prince Rutherford asked aloud sniffing the air.

"… me?" I replied slowly.

"Fire Pony smells good!" Prince Rutherford declared stomping his hooves; his guards joined in.

"Thanks?" I said looking confused.

"Smell remind Yaks of winter nights, warm and cozy in homes with family." Prince Rutherford said with a smile.

"Well, we should address our newest guest here today, Prince Smolder, son of King Scorch, is here with us." Princess Celestia announced trying to segway the meeting right along.

"Greetings!" Prince Rutherford bellowed stomping his hooves; his guards joined in again.

"Hi." I said raising my hoof slightly.

"So this is the Flame Pony we heard so much about? Much smaller then I imagined him to be no doubt." The Zebra named Princess Sheva remarked.

"You mean to tell me that little pony took out the Mad King Scorch?" The donkey named Duke Wellington asked unconvinced.

"He had help." Wingston spoke up.

Wingston glanced over at me for a moment, sizing me up before turning back to the other leaders.

"Lots of help." Wingston said nodding his head.

"Fire Pony looks like kitchen table after Yak Feast! Broken and splintered!" Prince Rutherford declared.

"Thanks?" I said again still unsure if the Yak was complimenting me.

"We're all here due to the recent events that took place in the Ashen Fields." Princess Celestia continued.

"I've read the report. Are you sure the Mad King is gone for good this time?" Duke Wellington asked curiously.

"Unless there is another magical mirror lying around, we can safely say that the Mad King will remain in the Void for all time." Princess Cadance replied.

"Then Equestria can be at rest, his banishment is for the best." Princess Sheva said.

"We're here to discuss lifting the banishment of the Flame Ponies." Princess Celestia announced.

"Yaks vote for more Fire Ponies! Great for parties!" Prince Rutherford shouted stomping his hooves; his guards joined in.

"I'm not against giving the Flame Ponies some room to stretch their legs, but I'm not convinced that this here little pony has got what it takes to run a kingdom." Duke Wellington said.

"With this I will agree, a lot of responsibility for such a little pony." Princess Sheva said.

"You make a valid concern, Duke. It did cross my mind that Prince Smolder is a bit too young to take the mantle of King." Princess Cadance said.

"Fire Pony shows up beat up. Yaks see this as strength needed to lead." Prince Rutherford remarked.

"There is more to being a King then just having strength." Duke Wellington retorted.

"Wisdom and grace is what is needed to take the old King's place." Princess Sheva stated.

"I think it might be a nice change of pace if we let Prince Smolder have a chance to speak." Princess Celestia interjected.

"Speak, Fire Pony!" Prince Rutherford demanded.

"Hi, I'm Smolder." I said starting off strong.

"Hello Smolder!" Prince Rutherford shouted.

I had never felt so out of place in my life. Two days ago I was a stone statue and now I'm sitting with the most powerful and influential ponies in all of Equestria. Wingston looked over at me; urging me with his eyes to say something. I decided that being just Smolder would be easier than trying to be Prince Smolder.

"When I was a foal, I tried to eat rocks." I said awkwardly.

The whole chamber was quiet.

"Do rocks make for a good meal?" Prince Rutherford asked aloud.

"No, not really." I replied.

"Duly noted!" Prince Rutherford exclaimed over the giggles of Princess Cadance.

"I don't think that is something a Prince would do, but it was something a small foal unsupervised would have tried. Only a few ponies ever called me a Prince, it was out of respect, but never out of necessity. I didn't get any special training, special tutoring or even a crash course in table manners, but I did learn to read and to write thanks to a good friend of mine." I continued.

"Literacy is an important foundation for small foals and fillies!" Prince Rutherford declared.

"The Flame Ponies have always looked towards the King to guide them and protect them. Even if I don't wear the crown the Flame Ponies will still regard me as such, but I want to prove that I am worthy to hold that title. So I can still come to these cool, super-secret meetings and get some advice about being a good leader from every pony here." I explained.

"Fire Pony thinks Yaks are cool?" Prince Rutherford asked.

"Yes?" I said.

"Fire Pony has paid compliment to Yaks, a wise leader indeed!" Prince Rutherford declared stopping his hooves; his guards joined in.

"Humble and sweet are the Flame Ponies words, my feelings on this matter have been stirred." Princess Sheva remarked.

"Well he isn't arrogant, I'll give him that. He doesn't look like he's too excited about the job, but seeing as he's willing to be open to advice about how to be a good King I can get behind this." Duke Wellington stated.

"Then we are in agreement to allow the Flame Ponies to return to Equestria and give Smolder our blessings for his coronation?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Yaks have no beef with this." Prince Rutherford stated.

"I too am fine with this; the Flame Ponies have been sorely missed." Princess Sheva replied.

"I haven't got any gripes with it." Duke Wellington declared.

"The Crystal Empire is in full support of seeing the Flame Ponies return." Princess Cadance agreed.

"With every pony in agreement the Flame Ponies are free to leave the Ashen Fields, to come and go as they please." Princess Celestia announced.

Just like that, our Flame Ponies could step beyond our borders again. All of my nervousness seemed to melt away. I no longer felt anxiety about being here and my heart was suddenly filled with excitement to tell our Flame Ponies that they were free.

"When will the coronation of the Flame Pony begin? I would like to sit in." Princess Sheva asked curiously.

"I want to sit too!" Prince Rutherford declared.

"We could do it now." Wingston said reaching under his wraps and retrieving a rather odd looking crown.

It seemed to be painted with the midnight sky, but reflected like the surface of water. Several jagged edges formed around the top of the crown, but it was, to say the least, not all that impressive to look at.

"What about the ceremony?" Princess Cadance asked sounding surprised.

"I hereby dub thee King Smolder." Wingston said with a flare in his voice placing the crown on my head.

"Short and to the point, I'm starting to like the way these Flame Ponies do things." Duke Wellington said with a smile.

"It is made from obsidian. It has been worn by the Great Dragon Rider, Lord Smoke and every King since then. Try not to break it." Wingston explained.

"That's it? This is simply undeserving of such a great honor! Surely we could do some sort of ceremony for him?" Princess Cadance objected.

"It's cool." I said; amazed that the crown fit.

"Then let us be the first to welcome you back to Equestria, King Smolder." Princess Celestia said with a smile.

"The Fire Pony has been crowned! Celebrations are in order!" Prince Rutherford declared stomping his hooves; his guards joined in.

Unfortunately for Prince Rutherford, there wasn't going to be a party. The Ashen Fields were in shambles, Castle Char in ruin, the mountain decimated, but our Flame Ponies spirits had been rejuvenated. A day for partying would come much later rather than sooner for us. I was welcomed to stay for the rest of the meeting, the issues spoken of were beyond me and I did not partake in them, but listened all the same. Wingston was eager to offer ideas and suggest things, I could see that he missed being able to attend such events.

The emergency meeting of the Summit came to a close. The larger more diverse Summit meeting would take place its regular scheduled time where I could meet further leaders of different kingdoms and lands. I said goodbye to Princess Sheva, Duke Wellington and shouted farewell to Prince Rutherford.

"You look about as bad as I feel, Smolder." Nightshade said strolling up to me and give me a once over.

"I'm glad to see you're up and about again." I replied.

"That's only because Belle kept trying to serve him meals in bed; I've never seen a pony shake so much." Cosmic interjected walking alongside Nightshade.

"I was cold!" Nightshade insisted.

"Nightshade was so nervous that he passed out in his porridge a few times." Peanut commented walking up on Nightshade's other side.

"I was tired!" Nightshade shouted.

"Belle has an unbelievable amount of patience for the shenanigans Nightshade pulls." Shining Armor said walking over with Princess Cadance.

"I am a perfect gentlepony!" Nightshade said in his defense.

"Gentleponies don't stammer for an hour straight when talking to pretty ponies." Princess Cadance retorted.

Nightshade had lost the battle of his dignity, fuming in embarrassment he tried to steer the conversation away from him.

"So, from Cadet to a King in under a week, that's pretty impressive." Nightshade commented.

"It doesn't feel any different." I replied.

"Do we have to start calling you your royal highness now?" Cosmic asked.

"I would rather you not." I replied.

I could feel every pony looking me over. I knew I looked like the dragon's dinner but I felt fine.

"Your dad really did a number on you, huh?" Nightshade asked sadly.

"I'll be fine." I said reassuringly.

"Are you sure?" Peanut asked.

"Wingston has already said that I'll be at a hundred percent in a couple of days." I reassured them.

"What do you plan to do now? Seeing as you're free to go where ever you please?" Cosmic asked curiously.

"Home." I replied.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Shining Armor offered.

"Thank you, but no. For right now we need to start rebuilding on our own, relying on each other and finding our strength to get things started. After that, we'll host a party in Canterlot's and the Crystal Kingdom's honor for your help in saving our kingdom." I explained.

"That sounds lovely." Princess Celestia said striding up to us.

"Are you sure, Smolder?" Princess Cadance asked sounding concerned.

"If we need anything, you'll be the first pony I ask." I said trying to reassure her.

"May I have a word with Smolder alone, please?" Princess Celestia asked strolling up to every pony.

"Yes, my Lady." Peanut said taking hold of Cosmic and Nightshade; pulling them away.

"Bye, Smolder!" Cosmic and Nightshade said together struggling against Peanut's iron grip.

"Take care, Smolder." Princess Cadance said.

"Don't hesitate to ask for help." Shining Armor said walking off with Princess Cadance and the others.

Shining Armor and Princess Cadance disappeared around the marble doors leaving Princess Celestia and I alone in the chamber.

"You look terrible." Princess Celestia remarked looking at my ear.

"I'm fine, really. I'm not in any pain." I said wiggling on the spot trying to prove that I was telling the truth.

Princess Celestia giggled at my foolish wiggling. I felt my heart jump and a laugh slipped from my mouth. She quickly composed herself. I could see her wanting to talk about something serious so I stopped my dumb wiggling.

"How are you feeling?" Princess Celestia asked.

"I'm… getting by." I said in all honesty.

"Smolder, if there was any way to have saved them-"

"I know that there was nothing you could do. You stopped me from jumping in after them and being lost to the Void as well." I interrupted her.

Princess Celestia fell quiet as I tried to find the resolve to continue to speak without whimpering.

"I didn't know what I was thinking. I was just acting foolish. My brothers decided to protect me, the Ashen Fields and all the ponies in it from my father; believing that I could give our Flame Ponies a better life then they could." I said proudly.

Princess Celestia let me talk it out.

"I won't pretend like I don't miss them. All I wanted was to protect them and I couldn't even get that right. Everything I tried to do didn't work out. I couldn't even get some dumb boulders without fighting a bunch of stupid spiders. In the end my father still took everything from me. How am I supposed to be the King of the Flame Ponies? It should have been either Pyre or Wick and I hate myself because I can't even remember which one is older! I'm just now realizing that I'll never be able to see them again…" I trailed off; breaking down in front of Princess Celestia and started to sob.

"Smolder…" Princess Celestia said softly to me.

"I just can't stand to be alone." I said quietly.

"You're never going to be alone again, Smolder. You have Wingston, General Hearth, Spike, Twilight, Princess Luna, Shining Armor, Nightshade and many more ponies that care a great deal about you. We're your family now, and we're here to help you." Princess Celestia said comfortingly.

"I didn't even get to say goodbye." I whimpered covering my face with my hooves.

I felt something drape over me, followed by a sudden pull as I came sliding up against Princess Celestia's leg; she was hugging me. I was so startled by this that I stopped sobbing to look up to see how badly I had burned her, but to my surprise she was unharmed.

"How…" I began to ask looking up at her.

"Rarity asked me to give this to you." Princess Celestia replied raising her wing to reveal a long black sheet of fabric draped over my back.

"It's a cloak Rarity made from a material similar to the ones Wingston wears." Princess Celestia said warmly.

It even had a hood that could cover my mane. I marveled at it while Princess Celestia watched me gush over it.

"I've never been… hugged before." I said in disbelief.

"I'm glad I could share that with you." Princess Celestia said with a smile

The sound of wood prodding the marble floor echoed into the chamber as Wingston appeared from around the corner.

"There you are, Smolder. Oh, Princess Celestia. I did not mean to interrupt." Wingston said lowering his head to her.

"No trouble at all, Wingston." Princess Celestia replied.

Wingston was still limping more than usual, his leg still recovering from the blow he took from my father. The burned rags he had were beginning to fall apart, and I knew he needed this more. I quickly crossed the room to meet Wingston, ensuring that he would not try to walk all the way over to me like the stubborn bat that he was.

"Rarity made you a cloak, Wingston." I said draping it over his head.

"For me?" Wingston asked curiously, fighting his way from underneath it.

"She said something to the effect that your drab clothing was simply unbearable to look at anymore." I said watching him reappear from beneath it.

"It's rather long." Wingston said looking suspiciously at me.

"You'll grow into it." I assured him.

Wingston looked at me, trying to see if I was hiding something, but eventually slung it over his head. The hood covered is large bat like ears, and the extra fabric bunched up under his eyes allowing him to look much like he did before. I lowered myself down to him, motioning for him to climb aboard.

"Thank you for everything, Princess Celestia." I said straightening up.

"Until our next meeting, my Lady." Wingston said bowing his head to her.

Princess Celestia watched Wingston and I leave the room.

"He's such a dork." Princess Celestia said to herself.

As I carried Wingston down the corridor my mind came back to the riverbank where I first took my leap of faith. Unsure of what was going to happen, not knowing if I was going to succeed or fail. I looked over my shoulder to see Wingston admiring his new cloak, pulling on the tassels to tighten the hood and rubbing the fabric between his long fingers. I was going to focus on what I had left, on the things I could still control and hope that these things, these ponies I had come to care for would last. That I would be able to live up to the sort of King my brother's believed me to be, what my Flame Ponies needed me to be, what my friends thought I could be, and the King I wanted to be.

"I am the King." I chuckled to myself.

"Did you say something?" Wingston asked.

"Nothing." I said quickly feeling myself smirk.

I am Smolder of the Ashen Fields, son to the Mad King Scorch and Queen Sunbeam, younger brother to the Twins Wick and Pyre. I am the last of my house. I was tasked to steal the Elements of Harmony, and save our Kingdom. I ended up doing all that, and becoming King in the process. Not bad for a pony that ate rocks as a foal.


The End