Fire and Ice

Chapter 2: Weather Control

"Twi could I speak to you for a moment?" called the peach earth pony wiping her eyes as she trotted over to the unicorn and pegasus. Twilight turned and looked over her shoulder at Apple Jack without saying a word. "Fluttershy could you excuse us for a moment?" she politely asked the pale yellow pegasus who just nodded and walked away to give them some privacy. Turning around Twilight just looked at her while tilting her head slightly and waiting for her to speak.

"Twilight I have to ask..." she started to say as she placed a hoof to her face, "what in Celestia's fuck was that?" she pointed her hoof towards where Rarity was still holding the cold form of Rainbow Dash tightly to her chest the tears still flowing from her beautiful eyes. Twilight looked past Apple Jack towards where she was pointing and then back to her.

"I would have to say a lesson well learned." Twilight said nonchalantly. Apple Jack just glared at her and stomped her hoof on the ground which would have been more meaning full if it wasn't covered in snow. "What?" Twilight said as she looked at the glaring earth pony.

"You just killed one of our good friends!" AJ screamed at her stomping her hooves continuously. "That was not a lesson well learned. That was...it was..." the earth pony couldn't finish her sentence as she broke down again and fell back on her haunches.

"It was more like...torture?" Twilight finished for her. All Apple Jack could do is nod and wipe her eyes. She just didn't have the strength to argue with her anymore and got up and slowly headed back over towards the fountian where the blood soaked Rarity was still weeping. Fenix just watched looking from pony to pony before turning back to the purple unicorn who stood in front of the three cages, her back to them.

"Oh Fluttershy?" she called as the pegasus slowly made her way back over and stood next to her not even looking that those locked away. "Shall we begin?" Twilight asked her. A silent nod was all the reply she would receive. "Good. Now I need you to teach these sad excuse of a pegasi how to clear this sky."

"But Twilight I ca..." she started to say.

"Are you going back on your promise, Fluttershy?" she turned on her with a seriousness to her voice.

"N-n-no..." she shrunk back and made herself as little as possible.

"Good, I thought so. Now like I was saying," she continued before being interrupted.

"I ain't doing anything for you. Especially after the way you treat your friends!" snorted Fenix. The other two pegasi turned and looked at him before he continued. "How can you treat your friends like that? How can you be so cruel?" He was angry and upset with what he saw and how she just acted so calmly about it. Almost as if she enjoyed what she did to a fellow pegasus.

Turning around while he spoke Twilight cocked her head and laughed at him while taking a few steps towards his cage. Sunflower cowered back into her corner trying very hard not to make eye contact with the purple unicorn. Twilight just stared at him from between the bars as he finished glaring daggers at her.

"That was nothing and I was tired of the way she would always act." she sighed in boredom and waved a hoof at him. "You'll never understand. You know what I'll deal with you three later. Fluttershy!" she called as she turned and walked away with that pale yellow pegasus in tow.

"Impressive." said a deep rusty voice from his right. Fenix turned suddenly and stared at the charcoal colored pegasus for he was now standing and moved over to the side of the cage nearest Fenix's own. "I've been here for quite a while and have never seen anyone stand up to Twilight Sparkle like that before. Well maybe Rainbow Dash a few times...until today...." he said turning away trying very hard not to recall the events that happened not to long ago.

Fenix turned his eyes towards the fountain and noticed Apple Jack and Pinky Pie finally helping Rarity out as all three of them dragged the still form of Rainbow Dash out of the bloody water. He watched them slowly make their way out of view towards the East side of Ponyville. He turned his gaze back to the stallion and he noticed he didn't have a tail. It was completely gone, not even a strand of hair left on his hind quarters.

"The name's Torch." he said as he turned and showed Fenix his cutie mark. Fenix blinked a few times looking from where his cutie mark should be to his eyes and back once again. "If you're wondering why I don't have a cutie mark..." he turned and face Fenix once again, "it's because that bitch of a unicorn removed it." He spat at the ground when he said that.

"She...removed it? How?" Fenix was stunned.

"Magic of course. She has developed a real prejudice towards pegasi over the last few years. I wonder why she even tolerated those other two."

"Because of the Elements of Harmony." Sunflower said as she continued to lay there, now with her head up and looking over at the stallions.

"That would explain it." nodded Torch. Fenix took everything as his eyes drifted around the area. Everypony had left the area as soon as Twilight was done having fun tearing apart her friend. The ground was covered with blood, the white snow dotted with speckles of red everywhere. It was a gruesome scene to take in, even her wing was still laying in the crimson soaked snow, feathers torn, softly moving in the gentle breeze that has recently showed up. Sitting down Fenix said a quiet prayer for his fellow pegasus and looked up into the darkening skies.

"She was right, ya know." Sunflower said. "There's a storm coming. A really bad one." she sighed quietly and laid her head back down. Fenix continued to watch the skies silently before standing back up and stretching out his wings. The cage was barely big enough for him to reach full wing span and he nodded to himself.

"It will be dark in a few hours. You should save your energy and get some rest." Torch said to him as he buried himself back underneath the snow. Fenix just nodded as he continued to watch the graying sky. The temperature was decreasing by the hour as he continued to sit there and watch the sky. Ponyville ponies continued on their daily activities completely ignoring the pegasi as Fenix just sat there staring upwards barely moving.

A few hours after night fall Fenix decided it was time. Getting up on all hooves he spread his wings once again and flapped them a few times. Sunflower woke up and turned her head at the sound before rubbing her eyes and asking, "What are you doing, Fenix?" She sat up and turned towards him as she watched him flap his wings slowly up and down. Torch opened his eyes and raised his head looking over at the strange pegasus.

The other pegasi continued to watch the strange orange one as he continued to flap his wings lifting himself off the ground slowly until his back reached the top of the cage. Fenix continued to flap his wings a bit harder and faster with every down push his back pressing hard against the top bars of his cage.

"Give it up buddy." Torch said as he laid his head back down. "These cages are way to heavy to try and lift by yourself or without any kind of magic..." Fenix continued to flap faster and harder with every push as he started to grunt every now and then. Sunflower continued to watch him silently wondering if he could really do it. After a few more flaps Fenix dropped to the ground bent his legs, thrust his wings down at the same time jumping strait up into the air slamming into the top bars.

Sunflower gasped and covered her mouth with her hooves as Touch's eyes snapped open and quickly looked over towards Fenix. "What the hell are you doing over there?" he said as he watched him do it a second time and then a third. "Stop it you silly pony. It's no use and you are just going to hurt yourself." Torch added. He was now sitting up watching Fenix slam into the top bars over and over again.

"Please stop." Sunflower agreed not wanting to see him hurt himself. Fenix continued to flap and jump up at the same time over and over, each hit getting harder and harder. On his next way down Sunflower could see a slight stream of blood coming from the top of his head which traveled down over his left eye. "Fenix, stop! You're bleeding." she called out to him as she paced back and forth near the side closest to him.

Jump. Ping. Jump. Ping. Jump. Ping. Fenix staggered a bit on that last landing as he started to feel a bit woozy as more blood flowed from his head and now cuts can be seen on his back dripping down onto the packed snow. Looking up at the bars he smiled to himself and wiped the blood from his eyes.

"3 more jumps..." he said to himself yet loud enough for the other two pegasi to hear him.

"Please no more!" Sunflower called once again trying to reach him.

"You're killing yourself. Stop this nonsense." Torch called from the other side. Fenix stretched his wings once more and bent his legs getting ready for another try.

Jump. Ping.

Sunflower's eyes began to water as she watched this pegasus hurt himself over and over. "Please stop...this is stupid. You're just hurting yourself and I can't take it no more...I don't want to watch another pegasus die today." she sat down and started to cry.

Jump. Ping.

Torch stood and placed his hooves on the side bars of his cage as he tried once again. "Have you gone crazy? Wasn't one death of a fellow flier enough for today? For the month? For the year???" His dark brown eyes were watery as he tried to talk some sense into Fenix.

Jump. SNAP!

Fenix flew strait up into the air before landing and collapsing near Sunflower's cage. She reach out with a hoof and placed it on his forehead wiping some of the blood away from his eyes. "I can't believe you just did that." she said softly as Fenix lay there breathing raggedly smiling up at the kind pegasus. Torch just sat back down in shock as he looked at the broken bars at the top of Fenix's cage. Getting up slowly he leaned against Sunflower's cage and winked over to Torch.

"I'll be back for you two." he said quietly to her as he steadied himself. "I promise."