What is Life Without Pain?

i can remember being looked after and cared for by this earth pony who lovingly raised me like her own, her name was Shimmer Pool and she was a very beautiful mare. Her coat was light grey, her mane and tail were dark blue, her eyes were the same color as lavender flowers and her cutie mark was a rose lying on top of a sword.  Shimmer Pool was on her way to explore a place called The Trembling Woods, she had been having trouble sleeping for the past week because of a dream she kept having,

“i don't care if these woods are as dangerous as ponies say, i need to explore these woods for my sake”

Shimmer Pool was being blocked by two royal guards who were given clear instructions to never allow other ponies to enter the forest, Princess Celestia must have heard about the recent disappearances because these guards weren't here a few weeks ago

“sorry but we can’t let you in, this place is off limits”

the first pony replied with a stern voice, this guard was a stallion his coat was dark orange, his mane light blue and was short, the uniform he wore was that of a newly ranked royal guard,

"you don't understand i need to get in, there's something i have to find"

Shimmer Pool retorted, there was a slight plea in her voice as she looked at the two royal guards who still wouldn't move out of her way and she was starting to get annoyed.

“Jake just let her go in, she's as good as dead anyways and we won’t have to go in looking for her”

the second pony was a mare, her coat was dark purple, her mane was orange and she wore the uniform of a rank 2 royal guard, there was also a faint scent of cider on her breath,

“but Cherry, we were given CLEAR instructions to never allow ponies to enter these woods”

Jake looked at Cherry as he replied with slight confusion in his words, Cherry gave Jake an angry look before returning to look back at Shimmer Pool

“just ignore him he’s new to this, only been at it for a few hours or so, but don't say we didn't warn you”

the two royal guards stepped aside to let her pass, but not before giving her an angry glare and shoving her which made her stagger to the side a bit.

As Shimmer Pool made her way into The Trembling Woods she had a strange feeling stirring inside her, was something watching her? no, something was calling to her,

“so this is the place I've been dreaming about for the past week, but why?”

Shimmer Pool spoke to herself as she walked through the woods, it seemed odd that a dream would call her to this place, and Shimmer Pool would have just stayed home being that these woods were a two days walk from where she lived, and from what she had told me these woods were very dangerous, they are full of weird creatures called Cockatrice, TimberWolves and Manticores and that these woods aren't for the faint of heart.  Shimmer Pool had gotten scratches and bite marks on several parts of her body from a few TimberWolf attacks while she was making her way through the woods and almost broke her leg when the ledge she was walking on had cracked beneath her sending her falling down a ravine and tumbling into a cave.  Dusting herself off after the tumble she just had Shimmer Pool began to look around the cave she was in, at first glance it didn't appear to have anything inside of it,

this seems like an odd place for a cave to be, it looks to big to even be a cave

Shimmer Pool thought to herself as she took a closer look at the cave she was in, the cave was dimly lit from the few sun beams coming from cracks in the walls higher up and was a rather large cave, there were streams of water flowing from the edges of the cave walls, as well as what looked to be like claw marks on the cave walls, there was also a faint scent of smoke and some chard rocks on the ground.   Shimmer Pool was about to leave the cave when she spotted what looked to be a big egg sitting in a rather large nest with no signs that anything had been here in a long time, the nest was made out of sticks and rocks but was lined with soft bedding made of grass and moss,

why is there a lone egg just sitting in a cave like this? it doesn't seem right to just leave it here to become a meal for these creatures, i’ll take it back with me

Shimmer Pool thought to herself as she picked up the egg noticing that it was a bit heavier than she had expected and covered the nest with dirt, she didn't want any creatures to get the scent of the egg and end up following her out of the woods.  It wasn't easy for Shimmer Pool to carry the egg through the woods, her being an earth pony and all, she almost dropped it a few times while getting her hooves stuck in some mud and had to hide once or twice from Timber Wolves but she made it out of the woods safely.

The walk back to her village took longer than two days, she took breaks in between walking and trying to figure out what kind of egg she had found,

“the only thing that comes to my mind is that it’s a dragon egg, but dragons haven't been seen around here for over 15 years”

Shimmer Pool's mind was filled with questions, why did she have dreams about something in those woods? why was there an abandoned egg in a cave? and why did she bring this egg home with her? some of these questions she knew would not get answered.  Shimmer Pool arrived back at her village just as the sun was setting over the trees, casting long shadows in the village, the village's name was called Trots Burrow Bay, it wasn't a big village there were only a few houses in the place and ponies hardly knew about it, some of the wooden houses could use a little fixing up but they stood strong, the village wasn't that popular for tourist like it had once been a few years ago. Shimmer pool entered her house and placed the egg on a soft pillow beside her bed, she was tired and sore after her adventure she had went on and was welcoming the chance to sleep, she laid down in her bed, rested her head on her pillow and soon fell fast asleep.

Shimmer pool awoke the next morning to the sound of something cracking, turning over in her bed she saw that the egg she had brought back with her was hatching, eyes wide in amazement she threw off her blankets and jumped out of bed, this was the first time she had even seen an egg hatch and she was excited, as Shimmer Pool gazed in amazement at the sight of the egg hatching she saw a tiny hoof poke out of one of the holes in the egg,

“was that a hoof i just saw? that makes no sense ponies don't come from eggs…”

Shimmer Pool was amazed and confused as she watched the egg hatch more, after a few minutes and a few failed attempts to break out of the egg Shimmer Pool decided to help the creature out, she carefully grabbed hold of the top half of the egg with two hooves and with a gentle tug the top half of the eggshell broke off.  looking into the egg Shimmer Pool saw something she wasn't expecting to see come out of an egg at all, let alone a dragon egg, what she saw wasn't a dragon but a foal, a living breathing foal and a little colt no less, studding the foal more closely she noticed that this foal had a red coat, his mane and tail were orange, his eyes were blue but his wings weren't like normal pegasus wings, this foals wings looked exactly like dragon wings.

With her mind filled with new questions at the sight of this foal Shimmer Pool reached into the egg and gently lifted the newly hatched foal out and placed him on the ground, she gently brushed the foal's mane with her front hoof as she spoke

“hey there little one, i was not expecting to see you come out of that egg, i was expecting a dragon”

the foal looked up at her with a curious expression on his face and stared at her for several moments before letting out a cute little sneeze, Shimmer Pool let out a little giggle of laughter at the foals sneeze.

“you're quite the cute one aren't you, now what should i call you?”

but before Shimmer Pool could even come up with a name, the foal crawled over to a bookshelf that she had in the corner of her room, along the way bumping into a table and having a rose land in his mane, the book the foal picked out of the shelf was titled 'History of the Phoenix', Shimmer Pool walked over to the foal and gently picked him up and cradled him in her hooves before she spoke

“you silly foal, you have a rose stuck in your mane”

suddenly a name idea came to her, she knew the perfect name for this little foal

“i know just what to call you little one, i will call you Phoenix Rose”

the foal giggled and smiled up at her, so Shimmer Pool took that as a yes that the foal liked the name.

“Phoenix Rose, welcome to your new home in Trots Burrow Bay”

she hugged Phoenix and kissed him on his cheek, Shimmer Pool had never been a mother before, yet somehow she knew that they would get along well and live a happy life together.

A few months had passed since Phoenix Rose hatched from the egg that Shimmer Pool had found deep within the Trembling Woods, the young colt was much bigger than the other fillies and colts in the village and would often get teased and bullied by the others for being different but he ignored it for the most part, it was only when the teasing and bullying got out of hoof that Shimmer Pool needed to step in which would make Phoenix a bit agitated with her,

“mother! i can handle myself!”

Phoenix gave his mother an angry look, like he normally did when she stepped in to help him,

“my precious rose, there are some things in life that you can't handle on your own and require friends, you want to make friends don't you?”

Shimmer Pool replied in a motherly tone which seemed to calmed him down, Phoenix sighed and lowered his head

“you don't understand mother, it’s not easy for me to make friends when I'm different…”

“what about your friend Jewel? I'm sure she counts as a friend right?”

Phoenix stayed silent for a moment with a slight blush on his face and Shimmer Pool could guess that Phoenix had feelings for Jewel

“she does but that's different”

“you seem to really like Jewel, Phoenix, any reason why?”

Shimmer Pool asked curiously, Phoenix was a bit shy to respond at first, but with a deep breath he spoke

“she likes me for who i am and for what i am, she’s kind and she also cares about me, and i also care about her, just like how you care about me mother”

Jewel was the only mare in the village that Phoenix connected to, she was different than the other ponies because she accepted him for who he is.  Phoenix smiled up at his mother his cute smile always warmed her heart.

“come my rose, it’s time to head home”

“wait mother, can i say goodbye to Jewel first?”

Shimmer Pool giggled a bit

“of course my rose, but then we're going back home”

“yes yes! i understand mother thank you, Jewel!”

Phoenix called Jewels name as he walked over to her with a smile on his face, Jewel was a unicorn with a blue coat and a midnight blue mane and her eyes were a lovely shade of violet

“oh, hello Phoenix, are you heading back home now?”

“yes, it’s starting to get dark so i wanted to come say goodbye before i go”

Jewel smiled at Phoenix and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek which made his face light up red

“goodbye Phoenix, will see you tomorrow?”

“y-yes of course you will! bye Jewel!”

Phoenix dashed off ahead of his mother with a happy skip in his steps

“Phoenix! don't run off to far my rose”

when Shimmer Pool and Phoenix arrived back at their home the sun was just setting in the village, casting looming shadows in the streets of Trots Burrow Bay, Shimmer Pool was busy putting Phoenix to bed

“what did you do today my rose?”

Phoenix thought for a moment about what to say before he replied

“well, i played in our front yard for a while, then we went to visit my friend Jewel and then she kissed me on my cheek, i thought it was a pretty good day”

“sounds like you and Jewel are becoming close friends, you can visit her again tomorrow if you want my rose, sleep well Phoenix i love you”

Shimmer Pool gave Phoenix a kiss on his cheek before turning to leave his room only to be stopped by Phoenix’s words

“i love you too mom and i always will”

Phoenix replied back before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep, Shimmer Pool felt a tear slide off her cheek, Phoenix meant everything to her, and she would make sure that he lived a wonderful life.

The next day after Phoenix got back from visiting Jewel, he spent his time helping his mother around the house and had a few questions as the time passed

“mother, why am i different from the other ponies?”

Phoenix asked with curiosity, Shimmer Pool thought for a minute before walking over to Phoenix and sitting down beside him

“Phoenix Rose, it is true that you are not like the other ponies in this village, but that is because you are special”

“but mother, how am i special? my wings look nothing like the other ponies wings, my teeth are sharp and i eat meat, i don't belong here”

Phoenix lowered his head in sadness, Shimmer Pool lifted Phoenix's chin to look at her, she didn’t like seeing her rose sad

“my precious rose, you are special because you are a dragon pony, and everypony in our village trusts you and knows that you would do no wrong”

Phoenix's eyes went wide at her words, he didn't know that he was a dragon pony and Shimmer Pool could sense a bit of excitement growing in him

“I'm a dragon pony? but i can’t breathe fire mother, and I'm not sure i will be able to learn how”

“when i was younger, my father took me to our villages training grounds so that i could train, these training grounds are about a day’s walk south from our village, that's where i got my cutie-mark”

Shimmer Pool pointed with a hoof to her cutie-mark which was a rose on top of a sword

"my cutie-mark represents what i can do, I am quite skilled with a sword, now my rose you are getting older so, in a few more years i want you to learn how to breath fire"

Phoenix had a shocked look on his face, as he stared at his mother for a bit before speaking with a bit of a stutter

“b-breathe fire? but mother, I-I wouldn't even know where to start, let alone how to do it”

“don't worry Phoenix, you will do fine i know you will, because i know that you can do great things if you put your mind to it”

she gave Phoenix a hug which made him smile and for the first time give off a loving growl as he hugged back

“i love you mother, with all my heart”

Phoenix's words made Shimmer Pool cry a little, she loved her little rose with all her heart, even though Shimmer Pool had only known Phoenix for a few months, she knew that he would do anything for her, and Shimmer Pool would try her best to not let anything bad happen to him, she had given a once abandoned egg alone inside a cave life, a mother to love and friends to play with, but most of all a place to call home, Phoenix Rose was her son, and Shimmer Pool was proud to be his mother.

Phoenix Rose had been living happily with his mother for longer than a few months now, he had seen Summer, Fall and Winter and was now old enough to leave the house on his own, In the Summer Phoenix would spend his time outside enjoying the warmth and would help his mother with the garden in the backyard, he would also visit Jewel from time to time as they seemed to be getting quite close.

“I'm glad that you are spending time with your mother Phoenix, family is important so it’s best to spend time with them”

“I know but i also like to spend time with you Jewel, you are my close friend after all”

Jewel giggled at Phoenix’s words, she knew they were close but she didn’t think they were this close that Phoenix would call her his close friend, but Jewel felt something different towards Phoenix that she had never felt before and she didn’t know how to express it.

“Phoenix, there is something i’ve been wanting to tell you”

“Yes Jewel What is it?”

“I wanted to tell you that i... never mind it’s nothing”

Phoenix was a bit confused as to why Jewel changed her mind about wanting to tell him something, but he didn’t question it, instead Phoenix and Jewel went outside to play while the sun was still shining in the clear blue sky.

During the Fall when leaves covered the ground Phoenix would sometimes make a pile of leaves and jump into it sending the leaves into the air around him.  It was around this time when Shimmer Pool had gotten sick and Phoenix was caring for her, this was the first time that Phoenix had ever seen his mother get sick before and wasn’t sure what to do, but he managed to make his mother feel better.

“Thank you my rose for making me feel better”

“Your welcome mother, i didn’t like seeing you sick so i wanted to help you get better”

Shimmer Pool smiled at Phoenix, her rose could have been outside playing in the leaves, but instead he was inside helping her feel better which warmed her heart, even if Phoenix didn’t know how to make carrot soup that well it still tasted good.

“Why don’t you go and visit Jewel for a bit Phoenix? You don’t have to look after me all day”

“But i want to mother, i can visit Jewel tomorrow if i want but right now i'm taking care of you”

Phoenix never did like seeing anypony sick let alone his own mother, Shimmer Pool understood why Phoenix had this urge to help ponies in need, it was because of the stories that she had told him when Phoenix was little.

When winter came to Trots Burrow Bay everything was covered in a blanket of white snow, even the lake was covered with snow and frozen solid, during this time Phoenix had made more friends in the village and the bullying had stopped, the one pony that had bullied Phoenix when he was little was named Trenton, but for some unknown reason Trenton mysteriously vanished from their village, even Trenton’s parents had no idea as to where their son went.

Flashback

Phoenix got pushed to the ground and started to get punched by a the pony that would bully him whenever he caught Phoenix alone by himself.

“Haha! Aww are you gonna cry dragon trash? You gonna go home to your mommy?”

“Stop it Trenton! Leave me alone!”

“Ha! A pony like you is worthless! Your own mother doesn’t even like you because you're different then everypony here, why don’t you just run away and never come back”

Phoenix picked himself off the ground and ran towards the village exit in tears, he didn’t stop for anypony as he ran out of the village and into the woods, he ran deeper into the forest only to trip on a root that was sticking out of a tree and fall to the ground, he covered his face with his hooves and started to cry.

“Trenton is right.. nopony loves me, not even my mother!”

When Jewel told Phoenix’s mother that he had left the village because of what Trenton had done, Shimmer Pool quickly ran out of the village in search of her rose that was alone in the woods by himself.  By the time she had found Phoenix the sun had already set and the moon was almost high in the night sky.

“There you are my precious rose, i was so worried”

Phoenix felt his mother's hooves wrap around him as she gave him a hug, he returned her hug with his own followed by tears dripping from his face, Shimmer Pool gently picked Phoenix up as she felt his tears start to make her coat wet.

“Shhh.. it will be alright my rose, I’m here it’s alright, let’s get you home”

“Why mother, why would Trenton say those things, i thought you loved me..”

“I love you with all my heart my precious rose and you know that, Trenton is a bully and he needs to learn respect, just ignore the things he says about you alright? No matter what Phoenix i will always love you”

When Shimmer Pool brought Phoenix back home he was sound asleep in her hooves, she carried Phoenix into her room and laid him down on her bed, after the event that happened to her rose today Shimmer Pool decided to let Phoenix sleep with her one last time, tomorrow she would have a nice long chat with Trenton's parents about this.

End of Flashback

As Phoenix grew in the coming years he had been visiting Jewel more often now and they were the same age, Phoenix was no longer a young colt like he was years ago, he wasn't quite fully grown yet but his size could confuse a regular pony, the days he wasn't visiting Jewel he would spend his time with his mother, Phoenix had become very close with his mother and didn't like to be away from her for too long as he worried about her safety

“are you sure you want to go train Phy? i will miss you alot”

Jewel had giving Phoenix the nickname Phy because she thought it was cute, Phoenix didn't mind the nickname he actually liked it

“yes Jewel, by me going off to train i will learn how to breathe fire, once i learn that then i will be able to protect you, my mother and our village if we ever get attacked by something”

Jewel could see determination is Phoenix's eyes, she hated the thought of the pony she had feelings for have to leave but she couldn't bring herself to tell him just yet

“Phy, just promise you won’t forget about me”

Jewel rushed forward and gave Phoenix a hug, a slight tear sliding down her cheek

“i promise Jewel, i won’t ever forget about you”

Phoenix embraced Jewel back with a hug, he loved her deeply, just as much as he loved his mother

“i have to be getting back home now Jewel, mother wants to give me something before i leave”

“Phoenix wait! i can't hold it in anymore, so I'm just gonna say it, i love you Phoenix Rose with all my heart, you mean the world to me”

Phoenix looked Jewel in the eyes and smiled, he thought that he would be the first to confess his love for Jewel but she beat him to it

“i love you too Jewel with all my heart”

Phoenix gave Jewel a tender kiss, the love he had for her was stronger than the day he met her all those years ago as a young colt, he and Jewel spent a few more minutes together before saying goodbye to each other, as Phoenix left her house with a happy smile on his face.

Trots Burrow Bay, this is the place that Phoenix had grown up in, from foal to almost fully grown stallion, he was living a happy life and had found a mare who he loved,

“nothing can ruin this!”

Phoenix thought as he entered his home to see his mother holding a strange shape in her hooves

“hello my rose, welcome home”

"hello mother, sorry if i was gone for too long this time, what’s that in your hooves?"

Phoenix had a curious look on his face as he stared at the straight shape in his mother’s hooves, at first he thought it was just a stick

“this is my father’s sword that he gave me when i was your age”

Shimmer Pool unsheathed the sword revealing how sharp it is, a faint glimmer came from the sword as the sunlight hit it’s blade

“a sword? why did your father give you that?”

“when i was growing up, i took an interest in fighting, my father saw this and when i was about your age he gave me this sword and told me to go to our villages training grounds to practice using it, after i was done training you could say i was a master with this sword, i could take on Timberwolves by myself, sometimes 3 at a time”

Phoenix's eyes were wide in amazement, he couldn't believe that his mother was skilled at using something like a sword, she seemed far too nice for that

“i didn't know you could use a sword mother, that's amazing!”

Shimmer Pool smiled and sheathed the sword, feeling pride that her rose was amazed at the fact that she could use this weapon

“now my rose, it is time that you went to the training grounds to learn how to breathe fire”

“mother what if i don't learn how to breathe fire? what will happen then?”

Shimmer Pool walked over to Phoenix and placed the sword in his hooves with a smile forming on her face

“nothing bad will happen Phoenix because i know you can do it, you will have this good luck charm with you”

Shimmer Pool saw Phoenix's eyes light up with amazement

“you are giving me your sword mother”

“yes my rose, this sword has been in my family for generations, and now it is yours to keep and use, may it serve you well, you may leave for the training grounds tomorrow”

Phoenix's mind was racing with excitement, his mother gave him her sword, he had confessed his love to Jewel and he was leaving to go learn how to breathe fire, he couldn't wait for tomorrow, Phoenix gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and raced off to bed.

Shimmer Pool awoke the next morning to find Phoenix staring out the window of their home with a sad look on his face

“Phoenix, is everything alright?”

“i guess I'm just feeling a bit sad that I'll be away from our village and you for a few days”

Shimmer Pool smiled, she knew her rose cared for her and sometimes felt that Phoenix cared more for her then she did for him

“there's no need to feel sad Phoenix, i will be safe in our village and with you going off to train you will be able to help protect our village more”

Shimmer Pool gave Phoenix a motherly hug to comfort him, Phoenix returned the hug with a loving growl

“thank you for cheering me up mother, i will always love you too and i will come back after my training to show you what i can do”

Shimmer Pool walked Phoenix to the door and gave him the sword, the same sword that had been in her family for generations

“i don't think i will use this mother but I'll bring it with me for good luck, thank you”

Shimmer Pool gave Phoenix a hug

“take care my precious rose, you never know when that sword will come in good use and did you say goodbye to Jewel?”

“yes i did, she visited earlier when you were still asleep, well I'm off now, see you in a few weeks mother”

Phoenix waved goodbye to his mother as he started heading for the village exit, as he walked out of his village he felt the comfort of his friends and loved ones behind him, Phoenix wasn't alone like he thought, for all the ponies that he loved and cared for were all in his heart, and with his village and house fading in the distance behind him, Phoenix knew that his training to breath fire wouldn't be easy, but with his mother and Jewel cheering him on from home, he felt like he could do anything.

Phoenix had been trying to breath fire for almost a month now since he left his village to come to this training ground, he was now a fully grown stallion and he was more mature now than he was a month ago, his body was more hardened than before and his teeth were sharper as well, he had recently taught himself how to fly a few weeks ago and was a rather fast flyer despite the few crashes he had in the learning process.  After many failed attempts to breathe fire he thought about giving up but remembered that he needed to learn this if he was ever going to protect the ponies he cared about the most

“I've been trying for a bucking month now, come on Phoenix, one last try you can do this, your village is counting on you”

Phoenix closed his eyes to concentrate on what he wanted, to breathe fire, he would be happy if only a little spurt of fire appeared, he opened his eyes once more to take in a breath and then breathe out, to his surprise when he breathed out this time a stream of hot fire shot out of his mouth and collided with a boulder that was in the way leaving a blackened charred stain on the boulder where his fire hit, Phoenix hopped around in joy that he finally did it after a month of training

“yes yes! yes!! i did it! i did it! i can breathe fire! Whoohoo!”

Phoenix took in another breath and breathed out more fire into the air, he was so happy that he could finally do it after so many failed attempts of just coughing up smoke

“mother is going to be so proud of me! i can’t wait to see her again, it’s been far too long”

suddenly he saw a faint glow coming from his flank, turning his head he saw that his flank was no longer bare like it once was, he had finally gotten his cutie mark

“yes yes! i got my cutie mark! mother will be even more proud!”

overjoyed Phoenix picked up the sword that his mother had given him and unsheathed it, he hadn't had a close look at the sword so he thought now would be a good time to look at it, the handle was made out of strong steel but wrapped in a type of cloth so that an earth pony or pegasi could hold it in their mouth without breaking his or her teeth.  in the middle of the handle was a blue diamond shaped gem, upon looking closer at the gem Phoenix saw words engraved inside it, ‘to my precious rose, may this sword help you in times of danger’ Phoenix smiled at the words, his mother must have engraved them in the sword the day she gave this to him.  The blade of the sword was also made out of steel and was quite sharp to the touch, it had a lavender flower with a stem going up to the tip of the sword on both sides,

mother’s eyes are the color of lavender and it’s her favorite flower too, this might be why her father carved this into the blade

Phoenix thought to himself as he started to look at the sheath that held the sword, the sheath had a vine of roses carved into it that circled the whole sheath up to where the sword would slide into, and the spot where the sword would slide into had 2 diamond shaped rubies on both sides of it

“i see now why this sword is special, it’s got some family history to it”

Phoenix said as he sheathed the sword and started his walk back home, he followed the same path he had taken on his way to the training grounds, passing by the familiar old barn that he had passed a month ago, he stopped to take a drink from a nearby pond but suddenly caught a faint scent of smoke in the air,

smells like something is burning, wonder whats going on?

Phoenix thought after he was done drinking from the pond he had stopped at, as he quickened his pace, he looked into the sky and saw it was getting dark and that it would soon rain,

“What the? Why is it getting dark in the middle of the day? That makes no sense..”

Phoenix didn't like getting wet and was confused as to why it was getting dark, after passing some more landmarks Phoenix could see what looked like a cloud of smoke over the horizon and soon he saw his village in the distance, but what he saw made him freeze in shock, something was wrong and his eyes could see it, his village was destroyed and on fire!

Phoenix couldn't believe what he was seeing, who would do this to Trots Burrow Bay, to his home, he dashed off down the path towards his village, face stricken with sheer horror at the sight that bestowed him when he entered his village, the bodies of the ponies he cared about were strewn about the street burnt,bloody and hardly recognizable, the houses that stood strong for many months and years were destroyed and burnt to the ground, the lake in the village had dead ponies floating in it, the water was no longer clean but was now a lake of blood, Phoenix ran as fast as his legs could carry him to his home hoping that nothing happened to his mother, he entered his home with slight tears in his eyes

“mother! are you here!?”

Phoenix called to her but there was no answer, he slowly walked into his mother’s room and what he saw made his heart sink. His mother was laying on the floor of her room, her body was burnt and covered in blood and scratches, he ran over too his mother, as tears began falling from his cheeks at the sight of his mother

“mother, mother please wake up! you have to wake up!”

Phoenix's heart hurt even more when she didn't reply, why would somepony do this to his home, to his friends and the ponies he loved, he hung his head in sadness

“mother, i can't live without you, please forgive me”

Unsheathing the sword that his mother had given him Phoenix held it to his heart, he couldn't go on living without his mother in his life and would have ended his life right then and there when suddenly his mother spoke

“my precious rose, you have grown so much since i last saw you”

Phoenix's eyes went wide, he couldn't believe that his mother was not dead! dropping the sword he replied

“mother! you're alive! you're gonna be alright just hang on, i’ll get help!”

Shimmer Pool was silent for a moment before she spoke again and Phoenix could tell it was hard for her to speak with the wounds she had

“my lovely rose, i know this is hard for you, but it is my time to go”

“what? no you're not going to die mother! i’ll get help... i can't let you die you're my mother!”

Phoenix choked on his words and Shimmer Pool could feel the sadness in his tone as he spoke them, she raised her hoof and placed it gently on his cheek before speaking her final words

“Phoenix Rose, you have brought me so much joy in life, from the moment you hatched, from your first smile and laugh to your first injury, i have cherished and loved every moment of it, i am proud of the stallion you have become, i will always be in your heart my rose, never forget that, i will love you no matter what, take care my rose i... love you...”

Shimmer Pools hoof slide off Phoenix's cheek and landed with a soft thud on the ground just as the clouds released there rain, Phoenix couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into tears as he hugged his mother’s lifeless body close, his cries echoing through his now destroyed village, the rain felt like daggers as it hit his coat, he couldn't fathom what had just happened to his village home, to the friends he had made, to his own mother now gone forever,

“why... my village didn't deserve this! especially not my own mother!”

Phoenix cried out as he laid his mother’s lifeless body down gently, he knew that his mother was gone but couldn't accept it, not yet, he didn't want to let his mother go to soon, he laid down beside her body and slowly cried himself to sleep.

The next day for Phoenix was just as heart breaking as yesterdays tragic event that he had witnessed, how could somepony or something do this to his beloved village and to the ponies he loved, he spent the day cleaning up his village home that was destroyed before giving his friends and mother a proper burial, he couldn't have imagined having to bury his friends let alone his own mother,

“who would do this, my village did NOT deserve this tragedy!”

Phoenix stomped the ground in anger sending a cloud of dust into the air around him, he wanted revenge for whoever or whatever did this to his village, a fiery rage begun to stir in him

“my friends, my beloved mother, i swear that i will find the pony who did this, and i will have my revenge”

Phoenix said to himself in an angry tone when suddenly a thought entered his mind, where was Jewel's body? he never found it in the village or by the lake, he hopped that she had managed to escape their home before it got destroyed.  After Phoenix had finished burying his friends and mother which he sadly didn't wish he had to do so soon, he walked over to his mother’s grave, his mother Shimmer Pool was buried in a garden of lavender flowers which were her favorite flower,

“mother, from this day forward i vow that i will never breathe fire again, i have seen what it can do and i would never want to be responsible for burning something down”

Phoenix's spoke with a soft tone in his voice, his heart still hurt from the sight of his mother’s burnt body yesterday, the thought of it made him cringe and he knew that he couldn't stay here anymore, he had to find someplace where he could live, a place where nopony would ever find him, a place where he would be alone for that is what he wanted, he walked to the exit of his village before turning to look back at his once beautiful home

“this place is a reminder to me that no matter how much happiness you have, it can be taken away from you when you least expect it”

Phoenix unfolded his wings and with a quick flap took flight, he didn't know where he was going, but with his sword by his side and the memories of his past still in his mind, he would find somewhere to call home.

Epilog

Now you know my story of how a perfect life can be taken away from anypony, my village did nothing to deserve what it got, everypony in the village was kind and caring, if it hadn't been for my mother Shimmer Pool finding my egg in that cave i wouldn't be here.  That is why i live alone in this cave deep within the Everfree Forest, and it is also why i have this sword you see here, i have been training to use this ever since that day 3 years ago and i will never breathe fire again.  I hate that i have the cutie mark of the thing that destroyed my village, what good is it anyways, now please leave my cave and don't tell anypony where i live.