Prolouge

Prologue

The Fire

One hundred years before the arrival of Twilight Sparkle in Ponyville, and the discovery of the Elements of Harmony.

It was a dark day for Canterlot. Rain and sleet poured down on top of every home  in the city-

The homes  that is, that were still standing.

The fires had been savage. The Fire ponies did all they could,even losing a few of their own number before the weather team there summoned the massive storm.

The death count had already exceeded 600, and was climbing higher by the hour. The cause of the brutal fires, however, was unlike anything anypony had ever seen. It was no cooking accident, it was no stupid smoking teenager.

It was a pony. He could raze cities with a glance, decimate legions with a wave of his hoof, ignite entire continents in mere moments, and never even having to sweat to do so. He was no ordinary pony. To the  very few who met him and lived, he had no name. He had a  title.

The God of eternal Fire.

Celestia wached the rain pour down. In moments  she would see the.. monster responsible for this... yes...she thought, monster is the right word. No pony would ever do something like this, no matter how horrid they are...

"Princess." Celestia`s pondering was interrupted by her captain of the guard, Iron mane. "Celestia," he began "are you use  this is the wisest thing to do? This.. this.. thing... can-" he was  cut short by her chilling response.

" Iron Mane, what I am about to say you will repeat to nopony. Ever. Under almost NO circumstances are you to even recall this conversation we are having. Is that clear?

"Yes... of course Celestia."

"Very well... how do I begin this...

"There are ponies out in the world unlike no other. They are what we call ELE`s, or elementalists. These ponies can control the basic elements of Equestria, such as ice, stone, and... Fire. One of them is the being we are about to encounter. He is arguably the most powerful fire ELE we have ever seen. His touch can melt steel, his gaze burn through your mind, and his fire will incinerate your very soul."

Iron Mane stared slack-jawed at Celestia. He couldn't believe it, and yet, he did. "But how do we-"

"You cannot beat him captain. No ordinary pony can. I barely can stall him at most, but after mere minutes I would be a corpse on the ground, smoldering at his hooves." As would my sister, Cadence, Discord, Queen Chrysillis, and King Sombra.

Iron Mane thought on this for a little. "So how do be beat him?" He inquired "you obviously have a plan."

"We will seal him away. Forever. No loopholes, just magic, and Fire. Follow my lead"

Iron Mane tightened his jaw. He was confidant that Celestia would succeed. She  always did. "Whatever you say."

Celestia looked at him straight in the eyes. " This is my real task for you. I have to leave after this, on a very long trip that may take decades. I need you to rule the  kingdom in my absence. I will cast a spell that will prolong  your life, and temporarily promote you to royal status. Luna already knows  this. She will help you."

Iron Mane just gaped in awe at what she had just said. "Th-Thank you Celestia... I just-wow... I won't let you down!"

Celestia held up a hoof. "One last thing" she stated. "If I am gone, and this... monster breaks  free... track down the Elements of Harmony, and send them to the oasis of life, up north past the Crystal empire. Trust me on this, it is imperative that this happen  if he breaks free. Do you understand? Only then, with all the surviving Elements of Harmony, are you to state the facts about the ELE's. Am I clear?"

Iron Mane nodded. "Of course Celestia. Clearer than Crystal."

Celestia nodded. "Good. Now we can-"

Her speech was  interrupted by the entrance of a stallion. The  massive doors serving as the entrance to the throne room burst open in a fiery blitz.

Behind him Lay the burning corpses of Equestria's entire elite guard, laid waste by the  Fire that this pony commands. He had a pure whit  mane and goatee, and a dark orange coat. His cutie Mark was that of a flaming pony, but it was his eye  that unnerved Celestia the most. They flickered from orange, to yellow, the bright red before settling on a dark orange.

The eyes held no mercy, only pain, and Fire.

He was th  first to speak up. "Hello there Celestia" poison dripped  from his words, despite his rather refined accent. "Allow me to formerly introduce myself. My name is Flayre, and I believe you know what I am capable of, so just give  up, and I shall make your agony quick, and bright red."

Celestia actually smiled at his comment. " you think you got me all figured out right?" She laughed "because you really don't. I planned for this. I knew you would try to dethrone me one day. And I, am in fact ready to face you"

Flayre laughed himself. "You? You would hardly last five  minutes against me! I have the power here Celestia, not you."

He charged, surging forward on a wave of Fire burning the carpet beneath his hooves. Celestia's  eyes widened as she dove out of the way, just before the flaming pony smashed the throne to pieces with a deafening explosion. He turned his head around and swung a foreleg at Celestia,  creating a wave of Fire aimed right at the  princess. Celestia countered with magic, but the  recoil was too much, she was flung across the room, and into the wall. Celestia struggled to her feet, despite the myriad of cuts and large bruises on her body, and a particularly nasty burn across her left wing. She herself charged, using magic  to create  a massive fist, smashing into Flayre with the force of a train. He was smashed clean through the thickened marble walls, and tumbled outside  in the  rain.

Instead of dying like any pony would have done, he just looked up and smiled, his body almost untouched, except for a few  minor bruises on his body. He got up and his eyes burned with an unearthly flame, a  Fire swirled round his body, creating an avatar of Fire around his body, twenty feet high and armed with a massive sword.

He roared and, with a single swing of his  flaming blade, blew the  wall apart, stepping into the middle of the room, on to

A strange symbol which glowed cerulean before flashing  different colors as the spells Celestia had  placed on the rune burst out. Some weakening him, poisoning him, and trapping him on th  rune.

Celestia knew  that the  sealing would have  to be performed  now if she and Iron Mane, who had rushed out to see to his guard when Flayre  stepped in, survived.

Her eyes  flashed with anger as he  horn lit up like a beacon, so bright even Flayre had to cover his eyes. A raging inferno swirled around  him. They flew by faster and faster as he bellows  out in rage above the sound of the fiery tornado that is his jail.

"NO"  he screamed "I SHALL NOT BE DEFEATED BY MY OWN ELEMENT!" He stopped  abruptly as the magic was put in place, making a bright yellow diamond holding the most dangerous pony in the world.

There was a bright flash

There was a horrible scream.

And there was a soft clink as a small glowing diamond fell down on the floor, containing a slumbering God.

Celestia slumped to the ground, feeling bile rise in her throat. Nausea almost overcame her, but  her job was more important. She crawled over to the ialmond and encased it in her weakening magic, floating it beside her. Barley able to stand, she staggered out the door, with the diamond in her magical grasp, headed  for Flayre's final resting place.

Celestia cast him deep blow the earth, and guarded him by six powerful guardians, each with power over a sole element.

That night, she had one last thing to do. She went to a small, dismal chamber in the far depths of he  castle. There were six pools there. One crimson, one cyan, one brown, one purple, one yellow, and one clear. Celestia   summoned the Elements of Harmony from their resting places, and dipped  each one into one of the liquids.

As she exited the chamber  with her failsafe in place, hoping it would never have  to be used. She  then galloped outside, an  took flight into the cold, rainy sky.

And Flayre slept on.