Wings of Fireby Eternity the MerponyChaptersDeck the HallsA Day of TrainingMelt and DouseImpossible!Deck the Halls“Lunaris, could you give me a hand?” Luna asked. The mystic blue pony with a starry mane, straight wings, and simple horn was standing in the doorway, a few bags on her back. She was almost trembling from the weight, but patient enough to stand there till her niece took a few. “Certainly, Aunt Luna.” A small filly replied. She was about half the size of Luna, had a straight blue and cobalt mane, simple wings, and a cracked horn. She trotted over to Luna and picked a few bags off of her back, then followed her aunt farther into the room. "I cannot believe Christmas is almost upon us!" she chirped, putting the bags where Luna placed hers and flitting around the wide space. "I hope I can manage to steal a kiss or two from Cocoa! Or maybe even Snapshot, even though he likes Moon Drop..." She lighted down next to a young colt who was a bright pale yellow with a golden and orange mane, his wings folded neatly and his horn freshly sharpened. "What are you going to do, Solaris?" Lunaris asked, looking at her brother with bright eyes. Her question hung with a sense of expectancy, as if she wanted him to have a certain answer. “The same thing I do every Christmas, sis. Practice my aerial combat moves. Lots of them involve fire, and if I don't aim correctly, at least I'll just be melting some snow." He replied, spreading his wings and flapping them, as if to shake off water droplets. He looked a bit tired and flustered, but his attitude chased away any doubt another pony would have about his appearance. His hazel eyes did their best to take in his surroundings, but it was apparent that without energy, they would need rest. It was possible he might even collapse right in front her, but he remained standing somehow. "Well, okay I guess." Lunaris said, her voice falling to a murmur. She seemed a bit disappointed about her brother's decision, but made no voice of it. "Axis Dementio Solaris. I restrict you from doing such a thing." A stern voice called from above. Solaris seemed startled, but then annoyed as a large white Alicorn flew from a balcony in the upper part of the room. She had long hair, in pink, green, and blue. Her wings seemed almost too big for her, and her horn pointed proudly upwards. Her cutie mark, a flaring sun, seemed to shine. "But why, mother?" Solaris moaned. "You let me do it every other year..." He lowered his head, prepared for the lecture his mother, Celestia, was about to give him. She looked him over, as if finding a reason for his response. Finding none except his fatigue, she continued. "Because this year, you're actually going to spend time with your family. This will be the last we see of you before the end of Winter." At this, Solaris looked up. "What do you mean?" He asked, unnerved by this information. He didn't really want to separate from his family, especially when his sister was still going through flight school. She still needed support, Solaris thought. "You'll see soon. Until then, I don't want to see a single hoof of yours outside Canterlot." Celestia said, trying to end her words lightly. Though stern when trying to get points across, she was kind at heart and didn't feel right when a pony was upset because of her words. "Now, why don't you see if any of your friends are about. I'm sure you wouldn't want to look for them in a crowd. The Winter Eve celebration starts in an hour, so you can get them here before I open the halls to the public." With that, she turned to Luna and began to help her sort the decorations. Solaris thought for a few moments. The only friends he was sure would be in Canterlot at this time would be his half sister Tormented Spirits, who would be along with her mother Pinkie Pie. He quickly made his way to the castle entrance, not noticing a small pink cloud floating just above the door. Within a split second of stepping under it, chocolate fell down like a waterfall, making his mane and coat a swampy brown. Snorting, he looked around for a pony who could help him clean up the mess. He could tend to his coat later, he just had to make somebody else knew of the mess. He quickly spotted Feather Duster and Moth Wing. They agreed to clean the giant puddle while he handled the source, and went to work. Solaris flew up to the cloud, hearing loud giggles. As soon as he arrived at the top, his suspicions were confirmed. There on the cloud was a small tan filly with a purple bat wing, a blue Pegasus wing, a notched blue horn, and a silver mane. She had no tail, but that was more than enough evidence to confirm it was his half sister. "Spirits!" He snapped, trying to get the filly's attention. After a moment, Tormented Spirits realized he had called her and stopped. She sat up quickly, but then Solaris realized there was still a bit of room on the cloud. "No point in hiding her, I know she put you up to it." He muttered, looking straight at the empty space. Spirits whinnied an apology and her horn shone for a moment. After a good few seconds, a bubblegum pink Earth Pony mare with a bright magenta and very poofy mane appeared, imitating the glare Solaris was giving her. "Pinkie, I know you like to prank people, but in the castle?" He grunted, gliding down as the cloud lowered itself. Once it hit the floor, Pinkie stepped off, Spirits climbing up on her back. "Yeah! It's the perfect place, because nobody would expect it!" She giggled, the cloud vanishing. Solaris snorted a second time, but then changed his attitude. "Anyway, I was just about to go look for you. Celestia said I could let my friends in before she opened the halls to the public for the celebration. I'm sure Lunaris is getting some of hers as well. Mother and Luna are setting up in the main hall. You can go help them if you wish." With this offer, Pinkie Pie nodded, then bounded off to the main hall, Spirits doing her best to keep herself on. Solaris looked after them for a moment, then decided to head out and see if any of his other friends were in Canterlot. He quickly donned a small coat and scarf, then headed out. Walking down the streets of Canterlot, he saw that many of the ponies (A majority being Unicorns) were setting up their Winter Eve decorations. Some using their magic to hang the ornaments, some Pegasi putting stars on top of trees, and Earth Ponies setting presents underneath. Solaris stopped for a moment and stared, smiling at the unification of all three Pony types. It was only when two sharp voices called his name did he snap out of his trance. "Sol! Hey! It's us!" They cried. Turning, Solaris realized who was speaking to him. It was Powder Snow, an icy blue deer, and Marigold, a flame colored teen dragon. The other ponies seemed unnerved by the fact that Marigold was twice as tall as them, and continued with their decorations. The young buck and the winged lizard hurried up to their friend. "Oh! Hey guys. I was just looking for you. Mom says you're welcome to come in before the rest of the pony public is. She'd like some assistance in setting up the decorations." Solaris told them, gaining a bit of energy seeing his two best friends. The two nodded, then followed their Alicorn friend to the castle. Upon reaching the door, Solaris stopped. He looked around, a sense of caution filling him. He shone his horn, eyes closed. A second later, he told Marigold. "Don't touch the door. It's been turned to rubber." Marigold ignored this, taking the knob in her claws and giving a sharp tug. She soon found herself backing up, the knob as well as part of the door coming with her. After a second, she stopped pulling, then quickly was slammed into the doorway as the rubber snapped back into place. Solaris rolled his eyes, then cast a reversal spell on it. Marigold pulled on the doorknob cautiously, relieved it worked properly. Solaris let his friends head inside, but stopped a few hooves from the door. "That wasn't funny, you know." He scoffed to the air. Like before with his half sister, a pink cloud settled down, this time with just a single occupant. The creature was long, had the head of a pony, one notched blue horn and one deer antler, two wings, a purple bat wing and a dark blue Pegasus wing. From the legs down, its body was scaly like a bright red serpent, and its legs were regular hooves. Its right hand was a griffin talon and its left was a lion paw. "Ah, but it was to me. That's the point, son." It said, hopping down and standing next to Solaris. His yellow and red eyes wore a smile as he chuckled. "I wanted to see how you and your sister were doing. I'm sure Spirits is fine as well." Solaris nodded, turning back to the door. "You can come in if you wish, but you're expected to help with decorations, not cause chaos." He grunted. The Draconequus scoffed and gave a sly grin. "But of course. After all, it IS almost Christmas." With that, Discord strode into the hall, chest puffed up as if he was proud of something. Solaris knickered something about a stuck up Draconequus then followed him, closing the door. After walking a few steps, he realized he forgot to clean his coat. After getting a chance to dry on his mane and tail, the chocolate now made him look a sickly mustard,and there was a small crackle with each step he took. He hurried off to the wash room so he could look nice before Winter's Eve. About ten minutes later, Solaris took a step back into the hallway, his bright hue back, and his mane soggy and drooping close to his eyes. Looking around, he didn't realize a group of fillies were about to ambush him. He was instantly entangled in a giggling group, obviously some of Lunaris' friends. "Lun!" He shouted, trying to get some air into his lungs. "Get them off me!" The young ponies tugged at his mane and tail, and Solaris felt something wet being applied to his coat. After a moment his sister managed to get their attention and get them off. Looking over himself, he found they had partially painted his hair bright pink and tried to dye his mane red. Other then that, there were various bows in his tail. "Great! Now I have to wash all over again!" He screeched, ignoring the giggling of the younger ponies. Lunaris gave them all scolding looks and they quickly fell silent, walking to the main hall. Only two stayed behind, a salmon pink filly with a crimson mane, and a bright purple mare with a long brown mane, streaks of the colors of the rainbow in it. The oldest adjusted her maroon glasses, then spoke. "I apologize. Those girls don't know the proper way to behave in the castle. They think just because you're a school friend they can do whatever they want." The smaller pink one nodded. "My name's Tickle-Me-Pink. But I'm usually called Tickle. And she's Moon Drop." The filly turned her head towards the mare. Solaris nodded and muttered a thank you, then went back into the wash room. Quite soon, he was back out and fully clean. Solaris trotted into the main hall, and couldn't help gasping. Discord and Spirits were making cotton candy clouds, hanging decorations on them and using them to hold not yet placed ones. Pinkie and Luna were placing the refreshments, even though Pinkie kept snatching the candy canes. Mr. and Mrs.Cake were also there, with their two foals Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake. Pumpkin, being a nibbler, had a carrot-shaped teething toy in her mouth, while Pound was flying around, safely tethered to the wall so he couldn't get too far. Cup Cake was making sure that Pinkie didn't get anything too important from the refreshment table, and Carrot Cake was talking to the group of fillies that had ambushed Solaris earlier, telling them about basic social rules and what they were expected to do. Solaris looked around for his sister and mother, but found no sign of them. It was only a few moments before he saw why they weren't there. Almost everyone (save for the baby Cakes and a few of the fillies) suddenly stopped what they were doing and looked down the hall. Celestia and Lunaris were walking up, each in a lovely gown. Celestia's was a pale yellow with white streaks and tassels. Lunaris had a cornflower blue one with dark blue stripes. Solaris muttered to himself about forgetting about his clothes, and would go change just before the public was let in. Luna was already in her gown, a simple deep blue (almost black), with a paler fringe. A few of the fillies swooned at the sight of the dresses, while others simply stared in shock. Solaris saw one, whom he recognized as Diamond Tiara, gain a look of utter jealousy and turned away. Celestia waited until most of the murmuring had stopped, then spoke. "We shall open our doors in half an hour, everyone. I trust that we're almost ready?" She asked, looking around. There was a wave of nods, and a bit of squealing from a few of the fillies. Celestia lowered her head for a moment, then looked up again. "Good. I have a feeling this will be the best Winter Eve so far. Pinkie, you did notify your friends, correct?" To this, Pinkie seemed a bit confused, but then nodded. "They should be here any minute." She assured. As if to prove that, five mares made their way through the doors. One was a pale purple, one pure white, another orange, another a soft yellow, and the last one a sky blue. "Ah! Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash." Celestia said, stating their names in turn. "Glad you could arrive. You can help us finish up the decorations. The five nodded in unison then got to work. "Solaris." Celestia said firmly, once everyone had gotten back to work. "Why aren't you in your clothes?" She seemed annoyed, but willing to listen to an explanation. "Well-" He started, but then got cut off. "It's my fault mother. My friends tried to dye his coat right after he cleaned up, so he had to wash a second time." Lunaris looked down to the groun in guilt. Celestia took this into thought, then nodded simply. "Alright. Well, they should be up in your room. I suggest you hurry before others come." Solaris nodded, then hurried off to find a set of stairs. He quickly made his way up to his bedroom and saw the clothes his mother mentioned. It was a bright orange tuxedo with crimson trim. He carefully put it on, not wanting to rip or wrinkle it. When he was finished, he went back down and continued to help others. He saw that Pinkie and the other five had changed to their dresses. He figured they were probably going to make a few speeches, because the White Knights were also there, each dressed up as well. Solaris pondered this, wondering what could be so important that everyone dressed up. Shrugging this off, he walked up to his mother and sister, who was just about to announce the opening of the halls. "I now announce the Winter Ever celebration open!" Celestia called. Two standard knights pulled open the double doors, and a neat line of ponies walked in. Each had their mane neat and straightened, the mares wore eyeshadow, and they all greeted Celestia and Luna with utmost respect. A couple nodded to Solaris and Lunaris, who returned the gesture. After about an hour of conversation and shouts of joy from Pinkie Pie, Celestia called for silence. The whole room swiftly turned their attention to the end of the hall, where most of the royal family had gathered. "We are here to celebrate a wonderful Winter Eve. But I would like to announce something. He has been looking forward to something like this ever since I founded the White Knights, and looks up to each of them. Solaris, would you please come here?" Solaris, startled, cut off his conversation with Moon Drop. He quickly made his way to the center of the room, feeling all the ponies follow him with their gazes. Once he made his way up, he looked at his mother curiously. "Solaris. Since you are a responsible colt, I have decided to let you learn to become a knight." She said plainly, looking down at him. Solaris simply stood there, a dumbfounded look on his face. After a moment, he finally got his voice back. "Really?" Was all he could say. His mother nodded, continuing. She began to pace slightly, walking forwards and stopping. "You will go with Twilight and her friends to Ponyville and learn the basic skills. When you are done with the basics, you shall come back here. I have decided to let Lightblade assist in your training." She turned to the eight knights. Lightblade, the white Pegasus with a blue and silver mane, raised his head and nodded. "Knights. May you accept this young one as one of your own." After the eight lowered their heads and bowed, the crowd went into applause. Solaris simply stared out into the ocean of ponies, still fazed by this news. A Day of TrainingThe next day, Solaris woke up to somepony shaking him. "Wake up, dude! You don't want to miss your first day of training, do ya?" Solaris bolted up, just so the pony would stop screaming in his ear. He turned, noticing there were two ponies. One was a bright golden yellow with a curly orange mane covering her eyes. The other was bright orange with many black stripes on her coat. "Welcome to Ponyville!" The yellow one said. "I'm Dandylion. This here's my sister, Tiger Lilly. Let me be the first to say this, but as soon as you fell on the bed, you were out like a light!" Solaris took his chance to look around the room. It was wood based, had the same brown ceiling and floor. There were seven beds, each placed at different points in the room. All except his had named carved on them. From his vantage point, he could see "April Showers", "Spring Greens", and "Gumball Goof". He deduced that two of the ones he couldn't read belonged to the mares right in front of him, but wondered who had the last one. "Come on! Mom wants to show you around the town real quick before Lightblade's ready." Tiger Lilly made her way to the other side of the room, then seemed to vanish downwards behind a bed. "That there is my bed." Dandylion told Solaris as they went to follow her sister. "I fall out a few times, but thank Celestia I'm a sleepflier." Solaris reasoned that he was so shocked with his mother's allowance of him being a knight, that he didn't remember anything past that. Anyhow, he was in Ponyville, and he was going to start his training. He made his way downstairs with Dandy (As she preferred being called), and saw the other four residents of the home. Around the table were two Pegasus ponies and two Earth Ponies. The first Pegasus was sky blue with a bright pink mane, while the second one was a mint green and had a deep magenta mane. They were both mares, and were the first to notice Solaris' arrival. The other two, the Earth Ponies, were both shades of green. The oldest was a dark shade with a darker mane. He seemed to hold a bored look in his gaze. The younger one was a shocking lime, with a mane the same shade as his father, but with some brighter streaks. The second the younger one, later told to be Gumball Goof, noticed Solaris, his teeth started to chatter, as if a cold air had entered the room. "Now Gumball, don't you go on with your worrywart nonsense. He is not going to hurt us." The older one said. As if to snap sense into his son, the older stallion gave Gumball a sharp tap with his hoof. The younger one shook his head furiously and did his best to remain nonchalant. "Good morning, Axis." The sky blue pegasus greeted. "Glad to see you're awake." She made a quick whisper to him once he had taken his place at the table. "Don't make eye contact with Mayflower. She's feisty and will jump at any possible challenge." Solaris deduced that Mayflower must've been the mint one, so he did his best no to look directly at her. He didn't eat much of what he was offered. His stomach was turning from the surprise, giddiness, an anxiety of his training. Mayflower hurriedly put her plate in the sink when she was done, then blurted a few words. "The Palm Trees are getting ready for their spring announcement performance. I have to hurry or I won't get a spot in it." Her parents and sibling all said goodbye as she trotted out the door, quickly taking wing and flying off. After Solaris managed to consume a few carrots, Lilly and Dandy offered to show him around Ponyville. He nodded, placing his plate in the sink like Mayflower did, then following them out the door. He managed to utter a thank you to Spring Greens and April Showers before he left. "Well, before you see any other pony, you might as well go see Pinkie. You know where she lives, correct? Solaris took a moment to clear his head, but nodded, replying. "Sugarcube Corner, correct?" Tiger Lilly nodded back, then stopped at the familiar gingerbread-like building. Within a second of their pause to open the door, Pinkie was suddenly right in front of them, little Tormented Spirits on her back. "There you are, silly billy!" She cried, taking hold of their hooves and ushering them in. "You're just in time to play Hide-N-Seek with Pound and Pumpkin! Pound's it, so you better get hiding!" And then Pinkie took off, leaving the three others confused and startled. About a minute later, the two older Cakes stepped in, both doing their best to balance a large cake. "Careful, Carrot. Filthy Rich wants this cake at his festivities by noon!" Mrs. Cake warned. "I know, I know!" Mr. Cake replied. After a long moment of adjusting angle and position so it wouldn't fall over, they managed to place the cake on a nearby table. "Ah! Dandy, Lilly!" Cup Cake said when she noticed the two at the counter. After a moment, she peered over and saw Solaris. "And Axis, too!" She giggled. "What brings you here?" Lilly smiled, the gap between her teeth showing. "We're just showing Solaris around Ponyville." Tiger Lilly explained, frowning slightly. There were a few thumps from upstairs, a little loud to be a pony. Carrot nodded. "Well, this is Sugarcube corner. By the sound of it, Pound has found Pinkie and Spirits." As if to prove his statement, ther was a chorus of squeals and giggles. Within seconds, Spirits rolled down the stairs, laughing. She was not hurt, but her laughter made it quite difficult to breathe. Once she managed to catch her breath, her senses weren't as mixed up. "Hey bro!" She called, walking over to Solaris. "Hey. How are things with your mom?" He asked, glad to see his sister. "Just fine. Dad spent a little time playing with us in the snow last night, then he left. I hear you're going to be training with Lightblade. Is it okay if I watch?" She looked up at him with pleading eyes, hoping that he wouldn't think to ask Pinkie or Discord. After a moment, he replied solemnly. "We'll see what your mother thinks." Solaris looked at Spirits with a stern, but bright, face. Pinkie came down the steps a few minutes later, motioning for them to be quiet. "The little foals are asleep." She whispered. The older Cakes nodded, then went to the back room, while the other five exited the shop. "Ah, there you are, Solaris." Called a voice. Solaris looked up to where the sound was coming from, and his heart almost skipped a beat. A few trotlengths away was a group of eight ponies. Solaris quickly ran their names through his head in backwards order. There was Heaven Dawn, a grey alicorn with a bright red mane. There was Sonic Rush, a sky blue Pegasus with a cyan and blue mane. There was Serenity, a pale pink Unicorn with a medium purple mane. There was also Blizzard, a serious-looking white Pegasus with a light blue mane. After him came Affinity, a lavender Unicorn with a shocking magenta mane. Next was Solarflare, an orange Pegasus with a red and orange mane. After him was Thunder Shock, a pale blue Pegasus with shocking shades of blue in his mane. Finally, there was the one Solaris idoled. Lightblade, a white Pegasus with a blue and white mane. They each looked at him with a judging quiet. After a moment, Pinkie nudged him forwards. "Yes, it's Solaris, right here in the flesh, and he's ready for training!" She was prattling off about how she expected him to do, but everyone registered it as background noise. "Very well. Are you ready, as she says?" Lightblade asked. Despite the fact of seeing him almost every day, Solaris still felt like he would faint on the spot. Instead, he steeled his nerves and replied. "Yes, sir. I am indeed ready. Tiger Lilly and Dandylion were just showing me around 'till you arrived." While speaking to Lightblade, Solaris felt the gaze of Blizzard boring into him. He did his best to ignore, then saw Blizzard whisper something to Affinity out of the corner of his eye. "Alright. Let's head over to the clearing we prepared." Lightblade replied, grabbing Solaris' attention again. Solaris nodded, then asked. "Is it alright if Spirits watches?" He asked, glancing back at the foal. Lightblade pondered this over, then smiled. "Of course. But she might want to keep some distance. We're going to judge where you currently are in combat." Solarflare broke into a grin, walking up next to Lightblade. "I hear you used fire-based attacks! So do I. They don't call me 'flare' for nothing!" Solarflare neighed joyfully, then stamped his feet, causing embers to jump up. The knights behind him backed up a bit, but seemed unsurprised. Solaris gave an appreciative nod, then followed them down the road. "Alright. Here's the clearing. We'll start as soon as possible. What we're going to do is have you sparr with each of us and see how well you can adapt to each enemy. We'll stop when you either catch one of us off guard, defeat our main challenge, or you become unable to." Lightblade walked to one side of the field, then called to the other seven. "Who wishes to volunteer first?" They began to mutter amongst themselves, then Blizzard stepped forward. "I suggest we start with the coveted Fire versus Ice." He said. Solaris didn't realize it at first, but the Pegasus' voice sent a small shiver up his spine. He did his best to shake his uncomfort and nodded, signaling he was ready. "Let the first spar begin!" Lightblade cried. Spirits jumped off her position on Solaris' back, created a pink cloud, then rose up, making a sound similar to a bird call to imitate a bell. Melt and Douse"Hmph. Everyone knows Ice gets melted by Fire!" Solaris chuckled, giving a false buck to show he was ready. "True, but melted Ice is Water. Water can douse Fire." Blizzard remained in a relaxed stance, eyeing Solaris with his cold gaze. Solaris was taken aback by this statment, but it only made him more determined. After a second of waiting to see if Blizzard would make a move, Solaris charged, making a small trail of flames appear in his wake. In an instant Blizzard disappeard, then knocked Solaris to the side. He clucked his tongue a few times. "You think too much about the attack and the outcome. You never think about anything in between." Blizzard stomped his hooves, and pillars of ice appeared in the clearing. Solaris frowned, then flew up to the top of one. Blizzard was on another, the same cold gaze held in his eyes. Solaris began to concentrate his fire abilites, focusing so his mane and tail were suddenly crackling. He leapt, but then his mind went blank. He didn't know what he was going to do with his mane ablaze, and he couldn't do it in time if he remembered. Blizzard lept away effortlessley, and Solaris crashed into the pillar, reducing it to a puddle of warm water. He got up, dizzy, and turned. Blizzard had made large spheres of ice. He began to kick each to Solaris with his back hooves. Solaris curled up into a ball, and with one last effort, sent a wave of heat around him. The spheres melted on impact, and soon the area was not unlike a warm swamp. "And that's a wrap." Lightblade said. He had a look of puzzlement on his face, then turned to Solarflare. "Alright. Your turn!" Solarflare chuckled, then walked out onto the field, trading places with Blizzard. "Let's get down to business!" The Pegasus cried. He beat his wings steadily, then became faster and faster, rising like a rocket. Solaris followed, mane still smoking. As soon as he reached the same altitude as Solarflare, the older pony charged into him, sending him spinning. He caught his balance, then rose a few hundred feet. He tucked his wings, and dove. Solarflare tried to get out of the way, but he was struck, and they both hit the ground. Solaris shook the dirt off his coat and turned, realizing Solarflare had regained his senses before he did. The Pegasus was now stomping his hooves, sending up sparks. The entire field was now dried out and blazing. Solaris didn't seem surprised or worried. He was a fire user as well. He darted around the flames, making sure his tail would catch, then slapped Solarflare with it as he passed. Seeming unfazed, Solarflare gave Solaris a small push with his wings, making him tumble to the other side of the field. Spirits gave another bird-like sound, signaling the round's end. "Not bad." Solarflare said. He muttered a few more things, but turned before Solaris could hear him. And so on the battles went. Solaris challenged each of the other five knights. The closest he came to a victory was with Heaven Dawn, only because she wasn't very agile in a firey terrain. At the last minute, though, she fired a standard energy beam and knocked him head over hooves. Shaking his head to clear it, Solaris stood up, cutting off his magic and allowing the conjured flames to die. He noticed Light and a few of the others in a huddle, speaking to each other softly. Light looked back to Solaris from the huddle, and spoke one last sentence to the others, before breaking off and jumping onto the charred sparring field. He stomped one hoof onto the ground, giving off a small burst of energy. "My turn." He said. Solaris was slightly discouraged by this. He didn't know how powerful Light really was, but he was the First of the White Knights, and his mother determined him strong enough to be her royal knight at a young age. Shaking off the doubt, Solaris took his stand, ready to defend himself from any attack the older knight would launch. However, Light simply stood there. He was in a relaxed stance, and was scrutinizing Solaris carefully. Several minutes went by, and neither combatant had budged. The younger of the two started to become impatient, but he didn't want to make the first move. "Are you going to attack or what?" He called out to Light. The latter didn't say a thing, and kept his composure perfectly. That's when Solaris decided he didn't want to wait anymore. He ignited his mane and tail and dashed from side to side toward Light. He jumped upward and went for a strike. Light did something Solaris never would have expected. Instead of moving back, or to the sides, he jumped toward him in the air, quickly placing his hoof on Solaris' back, and with the younger one's own momentum, spun him around and threw him to the ground. Solaris skidded against the ground before straigtening himself out and landing back on all fours. Solaris again dashed up to Light, mane and tail ablaze, and came at him from his left. He threw a punch that was immediately swatted to the side by a simple push from Light. Solaris recieved a hard kick to the back and was sent to the groud once more. Before he could recover, Light made a punch right in his chest that sent him flying back. Solaris rested on his back against the ground, his breathing was heavy, and bead of sweat rolled down his body. He was already exhausted, and not even ten minutes had passed since his spar with Light had started. "What's the matter?" Light called to him. "I haven't even been giving it my all. Let alone I use magic, I've only been using a fraction of my physical abilities." Solarflare chimed in from the sidelines. "Come on, kid! You got more than that, right? I still want a good rematch!" Solaris weakly stood up. A lot of his body hurt, but his back the most. "Hey, you hurting, Solaris?" Light questioned. "You know, you're not going to make it far unless you can push past the pain." "It's not really that easy, you know." Solaris added. In response, Light simply shook his head. "Yeah, I do know, more than you ever will. Trust me." Solaris didn't want to keep fighting him. He was beaten up enough from the last spars as it was, and Light was definitely the toughest out of them all, by far, and if what he said was true about him using only a fraction of his actual ability, Solaris definitely didn't want to see him when he was going all out. "You done yet?" Light asked him. "We can stop at any time." Solaris didn't want to say it, but he was just about at the limit of what he could take. He pulled out whatever strength he had left, and used it to fire a large ball of fire at Light. The white pegasus stood there as the ball of flame dissapated just before it reached him. The updraft from the heat created a breeze that made his mane and tail flow with it. Solaris sat down, completely exhausted. "I think we should stop for now." Light said. "We can practice again later, right now, Serenity." The pale pink unicorn took the cue and trotted over to Solaris. She gently placed a hoof onto his side. Solaris suddenly felt warm as his strength returned to him. The pain of the previous battle faded away, and his magic felt back up to full power. "There ya go." Serenity said cheerfully. She adjusted her glasses a bit before walking back to the other knights. "You should go see the princess." Light told him. "Tell her how things went. I wont be far behind." Solaris unfurled his wings and tested them a bit, slightly stunned at how fast and how well he was healed, but afterwards, he lifted himself off the ground, and took off to the castle, excited to tell his mother of his performance. When Solaris arrived at the castle, all was quiet. The halls were deserted, and not a single maid was seen. He gained a look of anxiety, wondering what was going on. Axis Solaris slowly made his way to the throne room, holding his breath, prepared for the worst. When he flung the door open, there a collective sound of ponies shouting, all popping out at him. "Happy first day of knight training!" Pinkie Pie's voice called, barely audible. Solaris sat down, shocked by the group. All of this just for his first day? Seems a bit... Suspicious, he thought. He walked through the group, now appearing much smaller than first impression, and made way to his mother. "Ah, Solaris. Sorry to surprise you, but Pinkie Pie insisted we at least have one celebration. Besides, Zecora actually has a small quest for you. Each knight took their own version of it during their training, now it is your turn." Celestia turned to a pale grey zebra walking up. After exchanging greetings, Zecora started to explain her quest. "Don't take this lightly, little one. It is far more than just a little fun. Once you start, you cannot stop. Or else your energy will steeply drop. To start the quest, you must begin true. Find the feathers of a phoenix blue. Three colored gems from a dead dragon's lair. Just make sure you are not caught there. Finally, you must find something you lost. Or else they'll be imprisoned in the land of frost." Zecora stepped back, a serious look bored into her face. Solaris took the information into account. "When do I begin?" He asked, glancing at his mother. "Tomorrow when the sun shines bright. Now, you can sleep here tonight. You shall head back to Ponyville for some quick learning. But then, For questing you'll be yearning." Zecora replied, walking away. Solaris gave himself a quick nod, then went to find his sister. After looking through the crowd for about an hour, he noticed it was dark. "She's probably with Luna." He said. "I should find be able to find them in the observatory room." Solaris quickly made his way up a few flights of steps, noticing it was getting darker than usual. "Odd..." He muttered, walking across a hall to the next set. Once he got to the top of those, he saw the room he was looking for. He was about to head over when he heard a crash and then a scream. The sky instantly grew black, and a chill filled the air. Solaris lit his horn to light up the area, then continued, this time at a gallop. Entering the room, he ran into Luna, who seemed very flustered. She backed up when he hit her, and prepared to strike, when she saw his horn glowing. "Solaris! Thank goodness. I'm sorry, I thought you were another one of those...things." She shuddered, then continued. "They took Lunaris! She was watching me raise the moon, like I usually do, when the sky seemed darker than usual. We then noticed there were no stars. All of a sudden, a chill filled the room, and the first appeared. I can't remember what it looked like. But then there were a few more and they all took Lunaris!" Luna started sobbing, the shock from the attack and the cold making her lose control of her emotions. Solaris waited until she calmed down a bit, then spoke softly. "Go tell Celestia and then see if you can find Lightblade and the other knights. I'm going to head to Ponyville to do something inportant." Luna nodded, then darted out of the room. Solaris looked around the room for a bit, the walked to a broken window. After inspecting it, he spotted a snatch of hair. It was a pale silver-blue, and sparkled in the light. When he tried to pick it up, the sparkles faded, and a bit of water settled on his hoof. "Ice crystals..." He muttered. He turned, hearing hoofsteps. Lightblade and Solarflare had arrived, looking around the room. "Any other clues?" Light asked after Solaris explained what he had observed. Shaking his head Solaris replied. "None that I am aware of. But I need to head to Ponyville. I have a feeling the quest I was given is important." Solaris turned to the window, and then took off. Impossible!"But... That is not possible. Impossible, to be exact!" Twilight said when Solaris told her his quest. She had decided to stay home in Ponyville while the others went to celebrate Solaris' first day of knighthood. If she was needed, Celestia could send her a letter through Spike anyway. "Blue Phoenixes just don't exist!" She stomped her foot lightly, as if that would prove her point. Solaris shook his head then sent back a statment. "Not if Zecora assigned me in getting the feathers of one. There has to be at least one blue Phoenix out there." He furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment. "I have an idea. Blue fire is hotter than red fire, correct?" He turned to Twilight, who was walking past him to one of her bookshelves. "Yes.. The scale of flame heat goes red, white, and blue. Why do you ask?" She looked at Solaris, sizing him up. Even if he wants to be a knight, she thought, sometimes he is too focused on combat. It will take a bit of studying before his mind is ready. Solaris grew a small smile. "Well, I was just thinking that if a Phoenix is in a hot enough environment, its feathers will turn blue. Of course, that place may be too hot for ponies." He said, lowering his wings and head. Twilight looked at Solaris sympathetically for a moment, then seemed to snap into a realization trance. "True, but you are a fire-based pony. Maybe if I find something to strengthen your resistance to flame, we could work this out. But first we need to find a possible place that a blue Phoenix could live." She jumped over to a different section of books, and began to browse through them. After a moment, she pulled out one with a bright red cover, and gave a sigh of satisfaction. "Here we go. Fire-related Scorcery and Other Spicy Spells by Pyrose Flameflower. There should be a fire resistance charm in here..." She opened the book up and began to flick through it, eyes flashing over each page. Spike walked into the room, yawning. "What's going on?" He asked, rubbing his eyes. He had just got up from a short nap when he saw Twilight shuffling around one of the many spellbooks she owned. After getting no response, he turned to his right and began to walk, bumping into Solaris after a few paces. "Be careful, Spike." Solaris warned. He spread his wings slightly, a natural reaction of winged ponies, and backed up. Spike muttered something in return and left the room, the sound of a faucet and a toothbrush arriving soon after. Twilight turned, a look of triumph in her eyes. She walked over and set the book in front of Solaris where he could see it. "You study that spell while I find my maps. It's a spell that can only the caster can maintain. No other ponies can help, so be sure you get it right." She trotted off to the lower floor, hoofsteps echoing on the walls. Solaris gazed over the page, muttering the spell to himself. "Looks like it only lasts an hour." He hissed, glancing that the average time of the spell. He was about to test it when Twilight came up, a scroll of parchment in her mouth. She set it down just in front of the spellbook and spread it out, showing a map of a region unknown to Solaris. "Unfortunatley, I could only find one map that had a place hot enough for a possible blue Phoenix to live. It's the Mystery Volcano in Elemental Isle, just north of Fire Isle. There are rumors that the volcano is so hot, its flames look like water because they're so blue. There's about a mile radius of dead plants because of its heat, so there may be some Phoenixes in some surviving trees." As she was speaking, she tapped her hoof to a brown triangle with blue streaks on the map. It was far up on a bright red patch of land, which was surrounded by flecks of blue, yellow, green, white, and black. "Looks like that's where we're headed then." Solaris said contentedly. He picked up the spellbook and the map, placing them in a saddlebag Twilight was offering. After getting other supplies, the two stepped out the door. "Spike, we're headed to Elemental Isle. we may not be back for quite some time." Twilight called. After a moment of scuffling and a few bumping noises, Spike appeared at the door. "But Twilight! I've always wanted to go to a different region! Please let me go with you. I promise to behave! Besides, I hear Fire Isle has awesome lava pools!" He already had a backpack on, as if he wouldn't take no for an answer. The pleading look in his eyes made Solaris want to accept, but Twilight shook her head. "No, Spike. You don't know what kind of creatures live in Elemental Isle. Even if you could make sure you didn't get in trouble, you may not be able to handle them." Her eyes shone sharply with discipline, a slight frown on her face. "Twilight, if he wants to go, let him go." A warbling voice called from a few paces away. A white Unicorn with a curly purple mane walked up, eyes closed in a look of satisfaction. "Besides, I want to know if there are any special gems in this 'Elemental Isle'. And if anyone can find them, it's little Spikey-wikey." She ended her sentence in a coddling voice, giving Spike a smile. Spike stood frozen for a moment, patches of red rising to his cheeks. After a moment, he shook it clear and turned back to Twilight, a pleading gaze on his face. After a moment, Twilight finally gave in. "Very well. But you are to stay with us at all times." She gave him a sharp look until he nodded in agreement. Twilight made sure they had the proper supplies and then the three set off. "We're almost there! So kind of Ferry Boat to sail us over." Twilight nodded to an older grey pony with a silver beard. He nodded back and walked over to the group. "My pleasure, Twilight. I'm supposed to be meeting an old friend over in Fire Isle, anyway. If you want, they can be a guide for you." The stallion blinked slowly, glancing at Spike. The young dragon had gotten up on a box with some binoculars to see how far Elemental Isle was. "Why thank you, Ferry. We'd love for them to show us around." Solaris said as he was rifling through his saddlebag. He took out the spellbook Twilight had given him and flipped to the spell he saw earlier. "Fire resistant bubble charm." He muttered. "For those with limited magical strength, it is advised you use the one hour spell. If you are able to, you can sustain it with your magic supply, but if you feel any fatigue, it is reccomended you stop." He thought for a moment then turned to Twilight. "Which do you think I should use, Twi?" "Since you aren't very experienced with typical magic, I suggest the hour long one. If needed, I can sustain a bubble around us for a while." She peered over his shoulder and skimmed the rest of the page. "There are also a few items you can use to boost the time, but they're all back in Equestria. Oh well." "Land ho!" Spike called as they pulled into the dock. He darted down the exit ramp, waiting eagerly for Twilight and Solaris to catch up. Once everypony was on land, a bright blue pony with a paler mane walked up. His eyes were the color of live coals, and small sparks shot out of his coat every once in a while. "This is the friend I was talking about." Ferry Boat explained. "His name is Antonio Firecracker and is next in line for the Firecracker throne in Scorchland, the capital of Fire Isle." "Woah! So he's like, a prince?" Spike asked. The dragon looked around the pony's body, amazed by the flames flickering on his mane. "Well," said Antonio with a deep scottish accent. "I guess you could say that. My family isn't royalty, it's just the chosen family to represent Fire Isle in the Council of Elemental Isle." He looked at the two ponies and the baby dragon curiously, then turned, beckoning them further onto the mainland. "Careful. The ground and the air are slightly hotter than what you're used to." As soon as they stepped a few feet onto land, the three began to sweat a bit. Solaris and Spike were used to it, so they kept their pace up. Twilight, however, began to fall back. Pretty soon, she was panting. Antonio walked back to her and drew a berry from his pouch. It was pale blue with red spots, as well as small, round, spikes. He gave it to Twilight and explained. "That's a Merriweather Berry. It'll help resistance to heat, cold, etcetera. Luckily they grow anytime. I suggest the two of you have one as well. We're almost to the town, so we can get you some water there." Solaris cautiously popped the berry Antonio had handed him into his mouth. After a moment of feeling the spikes, he bit into it. The second the juice hit his tongue his face puckered up. "Bit sour, don't you think?" He looked to Twilight and Spike, who were making the same faces. Antonio chuckled and told them more about the berries. "While they grow all the time, the seasons control their flavors. Since you decided to come here in late Winter, they're sour." He urged them onward. "I can see the top of the church from here. Come on." When they arrived at Pyro City, as Antonio had called it, Ferry Boat got a call on his phone. After bouts of conversation, he turned to the group. "I have to go. There's a surplus of goods down at the harbor, so they need an extra boat to deliver it. I'll try and be back soon. Watch yourselves, now. Antonio will show you to the volcano." Antonio stopped in his tracks. "Now wait just a minute." He trotted over to Ferry, a slight scowl on his face. "Take them to the volcano? Are you stark raving mad? I'd rather die than take innocents to Mystery Volcano! Twilight started sweating the moment she set hoof on the mainland. How do you think she'll react when she gets to the mile line?" Solaris took his chance to intervene. Walking over to Antonio and Ferry Boat, he spoke clearly and simply. "We have a fire resistance spell." The two stallions exchanged glances, then fell into hushed conversation. Solaris walked back over to Twilight and Spike, giving them a reassuring glance. After several moments, Antonio walked over. "Fine. I will take you. But I recommend you use the spell when we get to the mile line. It'll become pretty intense there, and usually only Fire Isle ponies can withstand it." The four made their way down the roads of Pyro City, Antonio sometimes exchanging brief snippets of Fire Isle history. "This is where Hydroxia and Pyron dueled to claim land. Pyron won, but they decided to leave a water monument as a show of good faith. As you can see, we have an Aqua Amethyst, one of the many rare stones of the sea. Then we have an Ember Emerald. This is so far the only one known to be blue. Finally, between them, we have a nice piece of obsidian. We sometimes dig around cooled lava flows, and we've found lots of this stuff near water-soaked areas. Not sure why, but it's a good gesture of unity." Antonio tapped a smooth, black, stone on one of the three pedestals. It was carved into the shape of a raindrop, but also seemed to have tendrils of flame. Depending on the angle you viewed it from, it would look like either a spark of fire or a drop of water. "But you said earlier that the Water and Fire Isles are enemies." Twilight interjected. "If you don't like each other, why make monuments to honor each other?" She pulled Spike back a few feet, noticing he was looking at the emerald dreamily. Antonio chuckled. "It's more of a big brother, little sister relation. We fight alot, but in the end we're still friends." "Oh." Was the only thing Twilight said in reply. She looked around at the various buildings, most of them made from obsidian like the stone on the pedestal. After a few minutes, she asked another question. "Just how many isles are there?" Antonio paused for a moment, proceeding to count on his hooves. After a moment, he replied. "Well, there's Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Electricity, Dark, and Light. I believe that's seven in all. Of course, they each have their own different region, and then an area in the central isle, called Unity Isle. So if you count that, theres eight. And as you may have guessed, the waterways between the isles are big enough to have them count as islands. We're united, but seperated. Our motto is 'Diversa sed idem, separantur sed unita.' ''Different but the same, separated but united." "Seven? That means that Electricity doesn't have an opposite..." Solaris murmured. He was looking over the items in a shopkeeper's stall. There were various fruits and herbs, but a trinket caught his eye. It was a pale blue pin in the shape of a moon. A slight movement to expose some sun revealed the surface to be a reflective kind of stone. "True, but technically Electricity is a sub-region. It used to be part of Air. Electric ponies were sometimes born, and they loved to race around in the rain. Legends say thunder and lightning are Electricity ponies playing." Antonio walked over to the stall Solaris was by. "I see you've got your eye on something. That's a mane pin made from one of the region's gems. It's a common one, but very pretty." "It reminded me of my sister and aunt. They both represent the moon."Solaris explained. He paused, then sighed. He had reminded himself of his sister's predicament. The castle knights were definitely looking for her, but would it be enough? "Tell ya what." The shopkeeper said. "This is also a trading stall. Give me something I find interesting, and you can have the pin. Doesn't have to be too extravagant." Solaris looked up. If he remembered correctly, he didn't have much in his saddle bag. He could risk a peek, though. Opening it up, he pushed past the spellbook and the map. Lying on the bottom was a small shell. Pure white, with a single brown dot. Twilight must have left it in there. I should ask her. He thought. "Feel free, Solaris. It was for another pony, but she didn't want it." Her voice called. She walked over from the monuments, Spike hurrying after. "I almost forgot it was in there, anyway." "Thanks, Twi." Solaris said. He gave a smile, then offered it to the shopkeeper. "Ah. Seashells. These aren't very common here. The water around this isle is a bit too warm for aquatic life to live." She took the shell from Solaris and put it in a sack on her side. She then picked up the pin and handed it to him. "There you are, and thank you for the shell." "Thanks for the pin." Solaris gave a small nod, and put it in the saddlebag. "I think we've soent enough time sightseeing, Antonio. We need to hurry to the volcano." Twilight said. "Right..." Antonio gave a nervous chuckle. "Did I mention there are several lava pits around it?"
Deck the Halls“Lunaris, could you give me a hand?” Luna asked. The mystic blue pony with a starry mane, straight wings, and simple horn was standing in the doorway, a few bags on her back. She was almost trembling from the weight, but patient enough to stand there till her niece took a few. “Certainly, Aunt Luna.” A small filly replied. She was about half the size of Luna, had a straight blue and cobalt mane, simple wings, and a cracked horn. She trotted over to Luna and picked a few bags off of her back, then followed her aunt farther into the room. "I cannot believe Christmas is almost upon us!" she chirped, putting the bags where Luna placed hers and flitting around the wide space. "I hope I can manage to steal a kiss or two from Cocoa! Or maybe even Snapshot, even though he likes Moon Drop..." She lighted down next to a young colt who was a bright pale yellow with a golden and orange mane, his wings folded neatly and his horn freshly sharpened. "What are you going to do, Solaris?" Lunaris asked, looking at her brother with bright eyes. Her question hung with a sense of expectancy, as if she wanted him to have a certain answer. “The same thing I do every Christmas, sis. Practice my aerial combat moves. Lots of them involve fire, and if I don't aim correctly, at least I'll just be melting some snow." He replied, spreading his wings and flapping them, as if to shake off water droplets. He looked a bit tired and flustered, but his attitude chased away any doubt another pony would have about his appearance. His hazel eyes did their best to take in his surroundings, but it was apparent that without energy, they would need rest. It was possible he might even collapse right in front her, but he remained standing somehow. "Well, okay I guess." Lunaris said, her voice falling to a murmur. She seemed a bit disappointed about her brother's decision, but made no voice of it. "Axis Dementio Solaris. I restrict you from doing such a thing." A stern voice called from above. Solaris seemed startled, but then annoyed as a large white Alicorn flew from a balcony in the upper part of the room. She had long hair, in pink, green, and blue. Her wings seemed almost too big for her, and her horn pointed proudly upwards. Her cutie mark, a flaring sun, seemed to shine. "But why, mother?" Solaris moaned. "You let me do it every other year..." He lowered his head, prepared for the lecture his mother, Celestia, was about to give him. She looked him over, as if finding a reason for his response. Finding none except his fatigue, she continued. "Because this year, you're actually going to spend time with your family. This will be the last we see of you before the end of Winter." At this, Solaris looked up. "What do you mean?" He asked, unnerved by this information. He didn't really want to separate from his family, especially when his sister was still going through flight school. She still needed support, Solaris thought. "You'll see soon. Until then, I don't want to see a single hoof of yours outside Canterlot." Celestia said, trying to end her words lightly. Though stern when trying to get points across, she was kind at heart and didn't feel right when a pony was upset because of her words. "Now, why don't you see if any of your friends are about. I'm sure you wouldn't want to look for them in a crowd. The Winter Eve celebration starts in an hour, so you can get them here before I open the halls to the public." With that, she turned to Luna and began to help her sort the decorations. Solaris thought for a few moments. The only friends he was sure would be in Canterlot at this time would be his half sister Tormented Spirits, who would be along with her mother Pinkie Pie. He quickly made his way to the castle entrance, not noticing a small pink cloud floating just above the door. Within a split second of stepping under it, chocolate fell down like a waterfall, making his mane and coat a swampy brown. Snorting, he looked around for a pony who could help him clean up the mess. He could tend to his coat later, he just had to make somebody else knew of the mess. He quickly spotted Feather Duster and Moth Wing. They agreed to clean the giant puddle while he handled the source, and went to work. Solaris flew up to the cloud, hearing loud giggles. As soon as he arrived at the top, his suspicions were confirmed. There on the cloud was a small tan filly with a purple bat wing, a blue Pegasus wing, a notched blue horn, and a silver mane. She had no tail, but that was more than enough evidence to confirm it was his half sister. "Spirits!" He snapped, trying to get the filly's attention. After a moment, Tormented Spirits realized he had called her and stopped. She sat up quickly, but then Solaris realized there was still a bit of room on the cloud. "No point in hiding her, I know she put you up to it." He muttered, looking straight at the empty space. Spirits whinnied an apology and her horn shone for a moment. After a good few seconds, a bubblegum pink Earth Pony mare with a bright magenta and very poofy mane appeared, imitating the glare Solaris was giving her. "Pinkie, I know you like to prank people, but in the castle?" He grunted, gliding down as the cloud lowered itself. Once it hit the floor, Pinkie stepped off, Spirits climbing up on her back. "Yeah! It's the perfect place, because nobody would expect it!" She giggled, the cloud vanishing. Solaris snorted a second time, but then changed his attitude. "Anyway, I was just about to go look for you. Celestia said I could let my friends in before she opened the halls to the public for the celebration. I'm sure Lunaris is getting some of hers as well. Mother and Luna are setting up in the main hall. You can go help them if you wish." With this offer, Pinkie Pie nodded, then bounded off to the main hall, Spirits doing her best to keep herself on. Solaris looked after them for a moment, then decided to head out and see if any of his other friends were in Canterlot. He quickly donned a small coat and scarf, then headed out. Walking down the streets of Canterlot, he saw that many of the ponies (A majority being Unicorns) were setting up their Winter Eve decorations. Some using their magic to hang the ornaments, some Pegasi putting stars on top of trees, and Earth Ponies setting presents underneath. Solaris stopped for a moment and stared, smiling at the unification of all three Pony types. It was only when two sharp voices called his name did he snap out of his trance. "Sol! Hey! It's us!" They cried. Turning, Solaris realized who was speaking to him. It was Powder Snow, an icy blue deer, and Marigold, a flame colored teen dragon. The other ponies seemed unnerved by the fact that Marigold was twice as tall as them, and continued with their decorations. The young buck and the winged lizard hurried up to their friend. "Oh! Hey guys. I was just looking for you. Mom says you're welcome to come in before the rest of the pony public is. She'd like some assistance in setting up the decorations." Solaris told them, gaining a bit of energy seeing his two best friends. The two nodded, then followed their Alicorn friend to the castle. Upon reaching the door, Solaris stopped. He looked around, a sense of caution filling him. He shone his horn, eyes closed. A second later, he told Marigold. "Don't touch the door. It's been turned to rubber." Marigold ignored this, taking the knob in her claws and giving a sharp tug. She soon found herself backing up, the knob as well as part of the door coming with her. After a second, she stopped pulling, then quickly was slammed into the doorway as the rubber snapped back into place. Solaris rolled his eyes, then cast a reversal spell on it. Marigold pulled on the doorknob cautiously, relieved it worked properly. Solaris let his friends head inside, but stopped a few hooves from the door. "That wasn't funny, you know." He scoffed to the air. Like before with his half sister, a pink cloud settled down, this time with just a single occupant. The creature was long, had the head of a pony, one notched blue horn and one deer antler, two wings, a purple bat wing and a dark blue Pegasus wing. From the legs down, its body was scaly like a bright red serpent, and its legs were regular hooves. Its right hand was a griffin talon and its left was a lion paw. "Ah, but it was to me. That's the point, son." It said, hopping down and standing next to Solaris. His yellow and red eyes wore a smile as he chuckled. "I wanted to see how you and your sister were doing. I'm sure Spirits is fine as well." Solaris nodded, turning back to the door. "You can come in if you wish, but you're expected to help with decorations, not cause chaos." He grunted. The Draconequus scoffed and gave a sly grin. "But of course. After all, it IS almost Christmas." With that, Discord strode into the hall, chest puffed up as if he was proud of something. Solaris knickered something about a stuck up Draconequus then followed him, closing the door. After walking a few steps, he realized he forgot to clean his coat. After getting a chance to dry on his mane and tail, the chocolate now made him look a sickly mustard,and there was a small crackle with each step he took. He hurried off to the wash room so he could look nice before Winter's Eve. About ten minutes later, Solaris took a step back into the hallway, his bright hue back, and his mane soggy and drooping close to his eyes. Looking around, he didn't realize a group of fillies were about to ambush him. He was instantly entangled in a giggling group, obviously some of Lunaris' friends. "Lun!" He shouted, trying to get some air into his lungs. "Get them off me!" The young ponies tugged at his mane and tail, and Solaris felt something wet being applied to his coat. After a moment his sister managed to get their attention and get them off. Looking over himself, he found they had partially painted his hair bright pink and tried to dye his mane red. Other then that, there were various bows in his tail. "Great! Now I have to wash all over again!" He screeched, ignoring the giggling of the younger ponies. Lunaris gave them all scolding looks and they quickly fell silent, walking to the main hall. Only two stayed behind, a salmon pink filly with a crimson mane, and a bright purple mare with a long brown mane, streaks of the colors of the rainbow in it. The oldest adjusted her maroon glasses, then spoke. "I apologize. Those girls don't know the proper way to behave in the castle. They think just because you're a school friend they can do whatever they want." The smaller pink one nodded. "My name's Tickle-Me-Pink. But I'm usually called Tickle. And she's Moon Drop." The filly turned her head towards the mare. Solaris nodded and muttered a thank you, then went back into the wash room. Quite soon, he was back out and fully clean. Solaris trotted into the main hall, and couldn't help gasping. Discord and Spirits were making cotton candy clouds, hanging decorations on them and using them to hold not yet placed ones. Pinkie and Luna were placing the refreshments, even though Pinkie kept snatching the candy canes. Mr. and Mrs.Cake were also there, with their two foals Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake. Pumpkin, being a nibbler, had a carrot-shaped teething toy in her mouth, while Pound was flying around, safely tethered to the wall so he couldn't get too far. Cup Cake was making sure that Pinkie didn't get anything too important from the refreshment table, and Carrot Cake was talking to the group of fillies that had ambushed Solaris earlier, telling them about basic social rules and what they were expected to do. Solaris looked around for his sister and mother, but found no sign of them. It was only a few moments before he saw why they weren't there. Almost everyone (save for the baby Cakes and a few of the fillies) suddenly stopped what they were doing and looked down the hall. Celestia and Lunaris were walking up, each in a lovely gown. Celestia's was a pale yellow with white streaks and tassels. Lunaris had a cornflower blue one with dark blue stripes. Solaris muttered to himself about forgetting about his clothes, and would go change just before the public was let in. Luna was already in her gown, a simple deep blue (almost black), with a paler fringe. A few of the fillies swooned at the sight of the dresses, while others simply stared in shock. Solaris saw one, whom he recognized as Diamond Tiara, gain a look of utter jealousy and turned away. Celestia waited until most of the murmuring had stopped, then spoke. "We shall open our doors in half an hour, everyone. I trust that we're almost ready?" She asked, looking around. There was a wave of nods, and a bit of squealing from a few of the fillies. Celestia lowered her head for a moment, then looked up again. "Good. I have a feeling this will be the best Winter Eve so far. Pinkie, you did notify your friends, correct?" To this, Pinkie seemed a bit confused, but then nodded. "They should be here any minute." She assured. As if to prove that, five mares made their way through the doors. One was a pale purple, one pure white, another orange, another a soft yellow, and the last one a sky blue. "Ah! Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash." Celestia said, stating their names in turn. "Glad you could arrive. You can help us finish up the decorations. The five nodded in unison then got to work. "Solaris." Celestia said firmly, once everyone had gotten back to work. "Why aren't you in your clothes?" She seemed annoyed, but willing to listen to an explanation. "Well-" He started, but then got cut off. "It's my fault mother. My friends tried to dye his coat right after he cleaned up, so he had to wash a second time." Lunaris looked down to the groun in guilt. Celestia took this into thought, then nodded simply. "Alright. Well, they should be up in your room. I suggest you hurry before others come." Solaris nodded, then hurried off to find a set of stairs. He quickly made his way up to his bedroom and saw the clothes his mother mentioned. It was a bright orange tuxedo with crimson trim. He carefully put it on, not wanting to rip or wrinkle it. When he was finished, he went back down and continued to help others. He saw that Pinkie and the other five had changed to their dresses. He figured they were probably going to make a few speeches, because the White Knights were also there, each dressed up as well. Solaris pondered this, wondering what could be so important that everyone dressed up. Shrugging this off, he walked up to his mother and sister, who was just about to announce the opening of the halls. "I now announce the Winter Ever celebration open!" Celestia called. Two standard knights pulled open the double doors, and a neat line of ponies walked in. Each had their mane neat and straightened, the mares wore eyeshadow, and they all greeted Celestia and Luna with utmost respect. A couple nodded to Solaris and Lunaris, who returned the gesture. After about an hour of conversation and shouts of joy from Pinkie Pie, Celestia called for silence. The whole room swiftly turned their attention to the end of the hall, where most of the royal family had gathered. "We are here to celebrate a wonderful Winter Eve. But I would like to announce something. He has been looking forward to something like this ever since I founded the White Knights, and looks up to each of them. Solaris, would you please come here?" Solaris, startled, cut off his conversation with Moon Drop. He quickly made his way to the center of the room, feeling all the ponies follow him with their gazes. Once he made his way up, he looked at his mother curiously. "Solaris. Since you are a responsible colt, I have decided to let you learn to become a knight." She said plainly, looking down at him. Solaris simply stood there, a dumbfounded look on his face. After a moment, he finally got his voice back. "Really?" Was all he could say. His mother nodded, continuing. She began to pace slightly, walking forwards and stopping. "You will go with Twilight and her friends to Ponyville and learn the basic skills. When you are done with the basics, you shall come back here. I have decided to let Lightblade assist in your training." She turned to the eight knights. Lightblade, the white Pegasus with a blue and silver mane, raised his head and nodded. "Knights. May you accept this young one as one of your own." After the eight lowered their heads and bowed, the crowd went into applause. Solaris simply stared out into the ocean of ponies, still fazed by this news.
A Day of TrainingThe next day, Solaris woke up to somepony shaking him. "Wake up, dude! You don't want to miss your first day of training, do ya?" Solaris bolted up, just so the pony would stop screaming in his ear. He turned, noticing there were two ponies. One was a bright golden yellow with a curly orange mane covering her eyes. The other was bright orange with many black stripes on her coat. "Welcome to Ponyville!" The yellow one said. "I'm Dandylion. This here's my sister, Tiger Lilly. Let me be the first to say this, but as soon as you fell on the bed, you were out like a light!" Solaris took his chance to look around the room. It was wood based, had the same brown ceiling and floor. There were seven beds, each placed at different points in the room. All except his had named carved on them. From his vantage point, he could see "April Showers", "Spring Greens", and "Gumball Goof". He deduced that two of the ones he couldn't read belonged to the mares right in front of him, but wondered who had the last one. "Come on! Mom wants to show you around the town real quick before Lightblade's ready." Tiger Lilly made her way to the other side of the room, then seemed to vanish downwards behind a bed. "That there is my bed." Dandylion told Solaris as they went to follow her sister. "I fall out a few times, but thank Celestia I'm a sleepflier." Solaris reasoned that he was so shocked with his mother's allowance of him being a knight, that he didn't remember anything past that. Anyhow, he was in Ponyville, and he was going to start his training. He made his way downstairs with Dandy (As she preferred being called), and saw the other four residents of the home. Around the table were two Pegasus ponies and two Earth Ponies. The first Pegasus was sky blue with a bright pink mane, while the second one was a mint green and had a deep magenta mane. They were both mares, and were the first to notice Solaris' arrival. The other two, the Earth Ponies, were both shades of green. The oldest was a dark shade with a darker mane. He seemed to hold a bored look in his gaze. The younger one was a shocking lime, with a mane the same shade as his father, but with some brighter streaks. The second the younger one, later told to be Gumball Goof, noticed Solaris, his teeth started to chatter, as if a cold air had entered the room. "Now Gumball, don't you go on with your worrywart nonsense. He is not going to hurt us." The older one said. As if to snap sense into his son, the older stallion gave Gumball a sharp tap with his hoof. The younger one shook his head furiously and did his best to remain nonchalant. "Good morning, Axis." The sky blue pegasus greeted. "Glad to see you're awake." She made a quick whisper to him once he had taken his place at the table. "Don't make eye contact with Mayflower. She's feisty and will jump at any possible challenge." Solaris deduced that Mayflower must've been the mint one, so he did his best no to look directly at her. He didn't eat much of what he was offered. His stomach was turning from the surprise, giddiness, an anxiety of his training. Mayflower hurriedly put her plate in the sink when she was done, then blurted a few words. "The Palm Trees are getting ready for their spring announcement performance. I have to hurry or I won't get a spot in it." Her parents and sibling all said goodbye as she trotted out the door, quickly taking wing and flying off. After Solaris managed to consume a few carrots, Lilly and Dandy offered to show him around Ponyville. He nodded, placing his plate in the sink like Mayflower did, then following them out the door. He managed to utter a thank you to Spring Greens and April Showers before he left. "Well, before you see any other pony, you might as well go see Pinkie. You know where she lives, correct? Solaris took a moment to clear his head, but nodded, replying. "Sugarcube Corner, correct?" Tiger Lilly nodded back, then stopped at the familiar gingerbread-like building. Within a second of their pause to open the door, Pinkie was suddenly right in front of them, little Tormented Spirits on her back. "There you are, silly billy!" She cried, taking hold of their hooves and ushering them in. "You're just in time to play Hide-N-Seek with Pound and Pumpkin! Pound's it, so you better get hiding!" And then Pinkie took off, leaving the three others confused and startled. About a minute later, the two older Cakes stepped in, both doing their best to balance a large cake. "Careful, Carrot. Filthy Rich wants this cake at his festivities by noon!" Mrs. Cake warned. "I know, I know!" Mr. Cake replied. After a long moment of adjusting angle and position so it wouldn't fall over, they managed to place the cake on a nearby table. "Ah! Dandy, Lilly!" Cup Cake said when she noticed the two at the counter. After a moment, she peered over and saw Solaris. "And Axis, too!" She giggled. "What brings you here?" Lilly smiled, the gap between her teeth showing. "We're just showing Solaris around Ponyville." Tiger Lilly explained, frowning slightly. There were a few thumps from upstairs, a little loud to be a pony. Carrot nodded. "Well, this is Sugarcube corner. By the sound of it, Pound has found Pinkie and Spirits." As if to prove his statement, ther was a chorus of squeals and giggles. Within seconds, Spirits rolled down the stairs, laughing. She was not hurt, but her laughter made it quite difficult to breathe. Once she managed to catch her breath, her senses weren't as mixed up. "Hey bro!" She called, walking over to Solaris. "Hey. How are things with your mom?" He asked, glad to see his sister. "Just fine. Dad spent a little time playing with us in the snow last night, then he left. I hear you're going to be training with Lightblade. Is it okay if I watch?" She looked up at him with pleading eyes, hoping that he wouldn't think to ask Pinkie or Discord. After a moment, he replied solemnly. "We'll see what your mother thinks." Solaris looked at Spirits with a stern, but bright, face. Pinkie came down the steps a few minutes later, motioning for them to be quiet. "The little foals are asleep." She whispered. The older Cakes nodded, then went to the back room, while the other five exited the shop. "Ah, there you are, Solaris." Called a voice. Solaris looked up to where the sound was coming from, and his heart almost skipped a beat. A few trotlengths away was a group of eight ponies. Solaris quickly ran their names through his head in backwards order. There was Heaven Dawn, a grey alicorn with a bright red mane. There was Sonic Rush, a sky blue Pegasus with a cyan and blue mane. There was Serenity, a pale pink Unicorn with a medium purple mane. There was also Blizzard, a serious-looking white Pegasus with a light blue mane. After him came Affinity, a lavender Unicorn with a shocking magenta mane. Next was Solarflare, an orange Pegasus with a red and orange mane. After him was Thunder Shock, a pale blue Pegasus with shocking shades of blue in his mane. Finally, there was the one Solaris idoled. Lightblade, a white Pegasus with a blue and white mane. They each looked at him with a judging quiet. After a moment, Pinkie nudged him forwards. "Yes, it's Solaris, right here in the flesh, and he's ready for training!" She was prattling off about how she expected him to do, but everyone registered it as background noise. "Very well. Are you ready, as she says?" Lightblade asked. Despite the fact of seeing him almost every day, Solaris still felt like he would faint on the spot. Instead, he steeled his nerves and replied. "Yes, sir. I am indeed ready. Tiger Lilly and Dandylion were just showing me around 'till you arrived." While speaking to Lightblade, Solaris felt the gaze of Blizzard boring into him. He did his best to ignore, then saw Blizzard whisper something to Affinity out of the corner of his eye. "Alright. Let's head over to the clearing we prepared." Lightblade replied, grabbing Solaris' attention again. Solaris nodded, then asked. "Is it alright if Spirits watches?" He asked, glancing back at the foal. Lightblade pondered this over, then smiled. "Of course. But she might want to keep some distance. We're going to judge where you currently are in combat." Solarflare broke into a grin, walking up next to Lightblade. "I hear you used fire-based attacks! So do I. They don't call me 'flare' for nothing!" Solarflare neighed joyfully, then stamped his feet, causing embers to jump up. The knights behind him backed up a bit, but seemed unsurprised. Solaris gave an appreciative nod, then followed them down the road. "Alright. Here's the clearing. We'll start as soon as possible. What we're going to do is have you sparr with each of us and see how well you can adapt to each enemy. We'll stop when you either catch one of us off guard, defeat our main challenge, or you become unable to." Lightblade walked to one side of the field, then called to the other seven. "Who wishes to volunteer first?" They began to mutter amongst themselves, then Blizzard stepped forward. "I suggest we start with the coveted Fire versus Ice." He said. Solaris didn't realize it at first, but the Pegasus' voice sent a small shiver up his spine. He did his best to shake his uncomfort and nodded, signaling he was ready. "Let the first spar begin!" Lightblade cried. Spirits jumped off her position on Solaris' back, created a pink cloud, then rose up, making a sound similar to a bird call to imitate a bell.
Melt and Douse"Hmph. Everyone knows Ice gets melted by Fire!" Solaris chuckled, giving a false buck to show he was ready. "True, but melted Ice is Water. Water can douse Fire." Blizzard remained in a relaxed stance, eyeing Solaris with his cold gaze. Solaris was taken aback by this statment, but it only made him more determined. After a second of waiting to see if Blizzard would make a move, Solaris charged, making a small trail of flames appear in his wake. In an instant Blizzard disappeard, then knocked Solaris to the side. He clucked his tongue a few times. "You think too much about the attack and the outcome. You never think about anything in between." Blizzard stomped his hooves, and pillars of ice appeared in the clearing. Solaris frowned, then flew up to the top of one. Blizzard was on another, the same cold gaze held in his eyes. Solaris began to concentrate his fire abilites, focusing so his mane and tail were suddenly crackling. He leapt, but then his mind went blank. He didn't know what he was going to do with his mane ablaze, and he couldn't do it in time if he remembered. Blizzard lept away effortlessley, and Solaris crashed into the pillar, reducing it to a puddle of warm water. He got up, dizzy, and turned. Blizzard had made large spheres of ice. He began to kick each to Solaris with his back hooves. Solaris curled up into a ball, and with one last effort, sent a wave of heat around him. The spheres melted on impact, and soon the area was not unlike a warm swamp. "And that's a wrap." Lightblade said. He had a look of puzzlement on his face, then turned to Solarflare. "Alright. Your turn!" Solarflare chuckled, then walked out onto the field, trading places with Blizzard. "Let's get down to business!" The Pegasus cried. He beat his wings steadily, then became faster and faster, rising like a rocket. Solaris followed, mane still smoking. As soon as he reached the same altitude as Solarflare, the older pony charged into him, sending him spinning. He caught his balance, then rose a few hundred feet. He tucked his wings, and dove. Solarflare tried to get out of the way, but he was struck, and they both hit the ground. Solaris shook the dirt off his coat and turned, realizing Solarflare had regained his senses before he did. The Pegasus was now stomping his hooves, sending up sparks. The entire field was now dried out and blazing. Solaris didn't seem surprised or worried. He was a fire user as well. He darted around the flames, making sure his tail would catch, then slapped Solarflare with it as he passed. Seeming unfazed, Solarflare gave Solaris a small push with his wings, making him tumble to the other side of the field. Spirits gave another bird-like sound, signaling the round's end. "Not bad." Solarflare said. He muttered a few more things, but turned before Solaris could hear him. And so on the battles went. Solaris challenged each of the other five knights. The closest he came to a victory was with Heaven Dawn, only because she wasn't very agile in a firey terrain. At the last minute, though, she fired a standard energy beam and knocked him head over hooves. Shaking his head to clear it, Solaris stood up, cutting off his magic and allowing the conjured flames to die. He noticed Light and a few of the others in a huddle, speaking to each other softly. Light looked back to Solaris from the huddle, and spoke one last sentence to the others, before breaking off and jumping onto the charred sparring field. He stomped one hoof onto the ground, giving off a small burst of energy. "My turn." He said. Solaris was slightly discouraged by this. He didn't know how powerful Light really was, but he was the First of the White Knights, and his mother determined him strong enough to be her royal knight at a young age. Shaking off the doubt, Solaris took his stand, ready to defend himself from any attack the older knight would launch. However, Light simply stood there. He was in a relaxed stance, and was scrutinizing Solaris carefully. Several minutes went by, and neither combatant had budged. The younger of the two started to become impatient, but he didn't want to make the first move. "Are you going to attack or what?" He called out to Light. The latter didn't say a thing, and kept his composure perfectly. That's when Solaris decided he didn't want to wait anymore. He ignited his mane and tail and dashed from side to side toward Light. He jumped upward and went for a strike. Light did something Solaris never would have expected. Instead of moving back, or to the sides, he jumped toward him in the air, quickly placing his hoof on Solaris' back, and with the younger one's own momentum, spun him around and threw him to the ground. Solaris skidded against the ground before straigtening himself out and landing back on all fours. Solaris again dashed up to Light, mane and tail ablaze, and came at him from his left. He threw a punch that was immediately swatted to the side by a simple push from Light. Solaris recieved a hard kick to the back and was sent to the groud once more. Before he could recover, Light made a punch right in his chest that sent him flying back. Solaris rested on his back against the ground, his breathing was heavy, and bead of sweat rolled down his body. He was already exhausted, and not even ten minutes had passed since his spar with Light had started. "What's the matter?" Light called to him. "I haven't even been giving it my all. Let alone I use magic, I've only been using a fraction of my physical abilities." Solarflare chimed in from the sidelines. "Come on, kid! You got more than that, right? I still want a good rematch!" Solaris weakly stood up. A lot of his body hurt, but his back the most. "Hey, you hurting, Solaris?" Light questioned. "You know, you're not going to make it far unless you can push past the pain." "It's not really that easy, you know." Solaris added. In response, Light simply shook his head. "Yeah, I do know, more than you ever will. Trust me." Solaris didn't want to keep fighting him. He was beaten up enough from the last spars as it was, and Light was definitely the toughest out of them all, by far, and if what he said was true about him using only a fraction of his actual ability, Solaris definitely didn't want to see him when he was going all out. "You done yet?" Light asked him. "We can stop at any time." Solaris didn't want to say it, but he was just about at the limit of what he could take. He pulled out whatever strength he had left, and used it to fire a large ball of fire at Light. The white pegasus stood there as the ball of flame dissapated just before it reached him. The updraft from the heat created a breeze that made his mane and tail flow with it. Solaris sat down, completely exhausted. "I think we should stop for now." Light said. "We can practice again later, right now, Serenity." The pale pink unicorn took the cue and trotted over to Solaris. She gently placed a hoof onto his side. Solaris suddenly felt warm as his strength returned to him. The pain of the previous battle faded away, and his magic felt back up to full power. "There ya go." Serenity said cheerfully. She adjusted her glasses a bit before walking back to the other knights. "You should go see the princess." Light told him. "Tell her how things went. I wont be far behind." Solaris unfurled his wings and tested them a bit, slightly stunned at how fast and how well he was healed, but afterwards, he lifted himself off the ground, and took off to the castle, excited to tell his mother of his performance. When Solaris arrived at the castle, all was quiet. The halls were deserted, and not a single maid was seen. He gained a look of anxiety, wondering what was going on. Axis Solaris slowly made his way to the throne room, holding his breath, prepared for the worst. When he flung the door open, there a collective sound of ponies shouting, all popping out at him. "Happy first day of knight training!" Pinkie Pie's voice called, barely audible. Solaris sat down, shocked by the group. All of this just for his first day? Seems a bit... Suspicious, he thought. He walked through the group, now appearing much smaller than first impression, and made way to his mother. "Ah, Solaris. Sorry to surprise you, but Pinkie Pie insisted we at least have one celebration. Besides, Zecora actually has a small quest for you. Each knight took their own version of it during their training, now it is your turn." Celestia turned to a pale grey zebra walking up. After exchanging greetings, Zecora started to explain her quest. "Don't take this lightly, little one. It is far more than just a little fun. Once you start, you cannot stop. Or else your energy will steeply drop. To start the quest, you must begin true. Find the feathers of a phoenix blue. Three colored gems from a dead dragon's lair. Just make sure you are not caught there. Finally, you must find something you lost. Or else they'll be imprisoned in the land of frost." Zecora stepped back, a serious look bored into her face. Solaris took the information into account. "When do I begin?" He asked, glancing at his mother. "Tomorrow when the sun shines bright. Now, you can sleep here tonight. You shall head back to Ponyville for some quick learning. But then, For questing you'll be yearning." Zecora replied, walking away. Solaris gave himself a quick nod, then went to find his sister. After looking through the crowd for about an hour, he noticed it was dark. "She's probably with Luna." He said. "I should find be able to find them in the observatory room." Solaris quickly made his way up a few flights of steps, noticing it was getting darker than usual. "Odd..." He muttered, walking across a hall to the next set. Once he got to the top of those, he saw the room he was looking for. He was about to head over when he heard a crash and then a scream. The sky instantly grew black, and a chill filled the air. Solaris lit his horn to light up the area, then continued, this time at a gallop. Entering the room, he ran into Luna, who seemed very flustered. She backed up when he hit her, and prepared to strike, when she saw his horn glowing. "Solaris! Thank goodness. I'm sorry, I thought you were another one of those...things." She shuddered, then continued. "They took Lunaris! She was watching me raise the moon, like I usually do, when the sky seemed darker than usual. We then noticed there were no stars. All of a sudden, a chill filled the room, and the first appeared. I can't remember what it looked like. But then there were a few more and they all took Lunaris!" Luna started sobbing, the shock from the attack and the cold making her lose control of her emotions. Solaris waited until she calmed down a bit, then spoke softly. "Go tell Celestia and then see if you can find Lightblade and the other knights. I'm going to head to Ponyville to do something inportant." Luna nodded, then darted out of the room. Solaris looked around the room for a bit, the walked to a broken window. After inspecting it, he spotted a snatch of hair. It was a pale silver-blue, and sparkled in the light. When he tried to pick it up, the sparkles faded, and a bit of water settled on his hoof. "Ice crystals..." He muttered. He turned, hearing hoofsteps. Lightblade and Solarflare had arrived, looking around the room. "Any other clues?" Light asked after Solaris explained what he had observed. Shaking his head Solaris replied. "None that I am aware of. But I need to head to Ponyville. I have a feeling the quest I was given is important." Solaris turned to the window, and then took off.
Impossible!"But... That is not possible. Impossible, to be exact!" Twilight said when Solaris told her his quest. She had decided to stay home in Ponyville while the others went to celebrate Solaris' first day of knighthood. If she was needed, Celestia could send her a letter through Spike anyway. "Blue Phoenixes just don't exist!" She stomped her foot lightly, as if that would prove her point. Solaris shook his head then sent back a statment. "Not if Zecora assigned me in getting the feathers of one. There has to be at least one blue Phoenix out there." He furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment. "I have an idea. Blue fire is hotter than red fire, correct?" He turned to Twilight, who was walking past him to one of her bookshelves. "Yes.. The scale of flame heat goes red, white, and blue. Why do you ask?" She looked at Solaris, sizing him up. Even if he wants to be a knight, she thought, sometimes he is too focused on combat. It will take a bit of studying before his mind is ready. Solaris grew a small smile. "Well, I was just thinking that if a Phoenix is in a hot enough environment, its feathers will turn blue. Of course, that place may be too hot for ponies." He said, lowering his wings and head. Twilight looked at Solaris sympathetically for a moment, then seemed to snap into a realization trance. "True, but you are a fire-based pony. Maybe if I find something to strengthen your resistance to flame, we could work this out. But first we need to find a possible place that a blue Phoenix could live." She jumped over to a different section of books, and began to browse through them. After a moment, she pulled out one with a bright red cover, and gave a sigh of satisfaction. "Here we go. Fire-related Scorcery and Other Spicy Spells by Pyrose Flameflower. There should be a fire resistance charm in here..." She opened the book up and began to flick through it, eyes flashing over each page. Spike walked into the room, yawning. "What's going on?" He asked, rubbing his eyes. He had just got up from a short nap when he saw Twilight shuffling around one of the many spellbooks she owned. After getting no response, he turned to his right and began to walk, bumping into Solaris after a few paces. "Be careful, Spike." Solaris warned. He spread his wings slightly, a natural reaction of winged ponies, and backed up. Spike muttered something in return and left the room, the sound of a faucet and a toothbrush arriving soon after. Twilight turned, a look of triumph in her eyes. She walked over and set the book in front of Solaris where he could see it. "You study that spell while I find my maps. It's a spell that can only the caster can maintain. No other ponies can help, so be sure you get it right." She trotted off to the lower floor, hoofsteps echoing on the walls. Solaris gazed over the page, muttering the spell to himself. "Looks like it only lasts an hour." He hissed, glancing that the average time of the spell. He was about to test it when Twilight came up, a scroll of parchment in her mouth. She set it down just in front of the spellbook and spread it out, showing a map of a region unknown to Solaris. "Unfortunatley, I could only find one map that had a place hot enough for a possible blue Phoenix to live. It's the Mystery Volcano in Elemental Isle, just north of Fire Isle. There are rumors that the volcano is so hot, its flames look like water because they're so blue. There's about a mile radius of dead plants because of its heat, so there may be some Phoenixes in some surviving trees." As she was speaking, she tapped her hoof to a brown triangle with blue streaks on the map. It was far up on a bright red patch of land, which was surrounded by flecks of blue, yellow, green, white, and black. "Looks like that's where we're headed then." Solaris said contentedly. He picked up the spellbook and the map, placing them in a saddlebag Twilight was offering. After getting other supplies, the two stepped out the door. "Spike, we're headed to Elemental Isle. we may not be back for quite some time." Twilight called. After a moment of scuffling and a few bumping noises, Spike appeared at the door. "But Twilight! I've always wanted to go to a different region! Please let me go with you. I promise to behave! Besides, I hear Fire Isle has awesome lava pools!" He already had a backpack on, as if he wouldn't take no for an answer. The pleading look in his eyes made Solaris want to accept, but Twilight shook her head. "No, Spike. You don't know what kind of creatures live in Elemental Isle. Even if you could make sure you didn't get in trouble, you may not be able to handle them." Her eyes shone sharply with discipline, a slight frown on her face. "Twilight, if he wants to go, let him go." A warbling voice called from a few paces away. A white Unicorn with a curly purple mane walked up, eyes closed in a look of satisfaction. "Besides, I want to know if there are any special gems in this 'Elemental Isle'. And if anyone can find them, it's little Spikey-wikey." She ended her sentence in a coddling voice, giving Spike a smile. Spike stood frozen for a moment, patches of red rising to his cheeks. After a moment, he shook it clear and turned back to Twilight, a pleading gaze on his face. After a moment, Twilight finally gave in. "Very well. But you are to stay with us at all times." She gave him a sharp look until he nodded in agreement. Twilight made sure they had the proper supplies and then the three set off. "We're almost there! So kind of Ferry Boat to sail us over." Twilight nodded to an older grey pony with a silver beard. He nodded back and walked over to the group. "My pleasure, Twilight. I'm supposed to be meeting an old friend over in Fire Isle, anyway. If you want, they can be a guide for you." The stallion blinked slowly, glancing at Spike. The young dragon had gotten up on a box with some binoculars to see how far Elemental Isle was. "Why thank you, Ferry. We'd love for them to show us around." Solaris said as he was rifling through his saddlebag. He took out the spellbook Twilight had given him and flipped to the spell he saw earlier. "Fire resistant bubble charm." He muttered. "For those with limited magical strength, it is advised you use the one hour spell. If you are able to, you can sustain it with your magic supply, but if you feel any fatigue, it is reccomended you stop." He thought for a moment then turned to Twilight. "Which do you think I should use, Twi?" "Since you aren't very experienced with typical magic, I suggest the hour long one. If needed, I can sustain a bubble around us for a while." She peered over his shoulder and skimmed the rest of the page. "There are also a few items you can use to boost the time, but they're all back in Equestria. Oh well." "Land ho!" Spike called as they pulled into the dock. He darted down the exit ramp, waiting eagerly for Twilight and Solaris to catch up. Once everypony was on land, a bright blue pony with a paler mane walked up. His eyes were the color of live coals, and small sparks shot out of his coat every once in a while. "This is the friend I was talking about." Ferry Boat explained. "His name is Antonio Firecracker and is next in line for the Firecracker throne in Scorchland, the capital of Fire Isle." "Woah! So he's like, a prince?" Spike asked. The dragon looked around the pony's body, amazed by the flames flickering on his mane. "Well," said Antonio with a deep scottish accent. "I guess you could say that. My family isn't royalty, it's just the chosen family to represent Fire Isle in the Council of Elemental Isle." He looked at the two ponies and the baby dragon curiously, then turned, beckoning them further onto the mainland. "Careful. The ground and the air are slightly hotter than what you're used to." As soon as they stepped a few feet onto land, the three began to sweat a bit. Solaris and Spike were used to it, so they kept their pace up. Twilight, however, began to fall back. Pretty soon, she was panting. Antonio walked back to her and drew a berry from his pouch. It was pale blue with red spots, as well as small, round, spikes. He gave it to Twilight and explained. "That's a Merriweather Berry. It'll help resistance to heat, cold, etcetera. Luckily they grow anytime. I suggest the two of you have one as well. We're almost to the town, so we can get you some water there." Solaris cautiously popped the berry Antonio had handed him into his mouth. After a moment of feeling the spikes, he bit into it. The second the juice hit his tongue his face puckered up. "Bit sour, don't you think?" He looked to Twilight and Spike, who were making the same faces. Antonio chuckled and told them more about the berries. "While they grow all the time, the seasons control their flavors. Since you decided to come here in late Winter, they're sour." He urged them onward. "I can see the top of the church from here. Come on." When they arrived at Pyro City, as Antonio had called it, Ferry Boat got a call on his phone. After bouts of conversation, he turned to the group. "I have to go. There's a surplus of goods down at the harbor, so they need an extra boat to deliver it. I'll try and be back soon. Watch yourselves, now. Antonio will show you to the volcano." Antonio stopped in his tracks. "Now wait just a minute." He trotted over to Ferry, a slight scowl on his face. "Take them to the volcano? Are you stark raving mad? I'd rather die than take innocents to Mystery Volcano! Twilight started sweating the moment she set hoof on the mainland. How do you think she'll react when she gets to the mile line?" Solaris took his chance to intervene. Walking over to Antonio and Ferry Boat, he spoke clearly and simply. "We have a fire resistance spell." The two stallions exchanged glances, then fell into hushed conversation. Solaris walked back over to Twilight and Spike, giving them a reassuring glance. After several moments, Antonio walked over. "Fine. I will take you. But I recommend you use the spell when we get to the mile line. It'll become pretty intense there, and usually only Fire Isle ponies can withstand it." The four made their way down the roads of Pyro City, Antonio sometimes exchanging brief snippets of Fire Isle history. "This is where Hydroxia and Pyron dueled to claim land. Pyron won, but they decided to leave a water monument as a show of good faith. As you can see, we have an Aqua Amethyst, one of the many rare stones of the sea. Then we have an Ember Emerald. This is so far the only one known to be blue. Finally, between them, we have a nice piece of obsidian. We sometimes dig around cooled lava flows, and we've found lots of this stuff near water-soaked areas. Not sure why, but it's a good gesture of unity." Antonio tapped a smooth, black, stone on one of the three pedestals. It was carved into the shape of a raindrop, but also seemed to have tendrils of flame. Depending on the angle you viewed it from, it would look like either a spark of fire or a drop of water. "But you said earlier that the Water and Fire Isles are enemies." Twilight interjected. "If you don't like each other, why make monuments to honor each other?" She pulled Spike back a few feet, noticing he was looking at the emerald dreamily. Antonio chuckled. "It's more of a big brother, little sister relation. We fight alot, but in the end we're still friends." "Oh." Was the only thing Twilight said in reply. She looked around at the various buildings, most of them made from obsidian like the stone on the pedestal. After a few minutes, she asked another question. "Just how many isles are there?" Antonio paused for a moment, proceeding to count on his hooves. After a moment, he replied. "Well, there's Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Electricity, Dark, and Light. I believe that's seven in all. Of course, they each have their own different region, and then an area in the central isle, called Unity Isle. So if you count that, theres eight. And as you may have guessed, the waterways between the isles are big enough to have them count as islands. We're united, but seperated. Our motto is 'Diversa sed idem, separantur sed unita.' ''Different but the same, separated but united." "Seven? That means that Electricity doesn't have an opposite..." Solaris murmured. He was looking over the items in a shopkeeper's stall. There were various fruits and herbs, but a trinket caught his eye. It was a pale blue pin in the shape of a moon. A slight movement to expose some sun revealed the surface to be a reflective kind of stone. "True, but technically Electricity is a sub-region. It used to be part of Air. Electric ponies were sometimes born, and they loved to race around in the rain. Legends say thunder and lightning are Electricity ponies playing." Antonio walked over to the stall Solaris was by. "I see you've got your eye on something. That's a mane pin made from one of the region's gems. It's a common one, but very pretty." "It reminded me of my sister and aunt. They both represent the moon."Solaris explained. He paused, then sighed. He had reminded himself of his sister's predicament. The castle knights were definitely looking for her, but would it be enough? "Tell ya what." The shopkeeper said. "This is also a trading stall. Give me something I find interesting, and you can have the pin. Doesn't have to be too extravagant." Solaris looked up. If he remembered correctly, he didn't have much in his saddle bag. He could risk a peek, though. Opening it up, he pushed past the spellbook and the map. Lying on the bottom was a small shell. Pure white, with a single brown dot. Twilight must have left it in there. I should ask her. He thought. "Feel free, Solaris. It was for another pony, but she didn't want it." Her voice called. She walked over from the monuments, Spike hurrying after. "I almost forgot it was in there, anyway." "Thanks, Twi." Solaris said. He gave a smile, then offered it to the shopkeeper. "Ah. Seashells. These aren't very common here. The water around this isle is a bit too warm for aquatic life to live." She took the shell from Solaris and put it in a sack on her side. She then picked up the pin and handed it to him. "There you are, and thank you for the shell." "Thanks for the pin." Solaris gave a small nod, and put it in the saddlebag. "I think we've soent enough time sightseeing, Antonio. We need to hurry to the volcano." Twilight said. "Right..." Antonio gave a nervous chuckle. "Did I mention there are several lava pits around it?"
