Rise of Char

Chapters

Chapter 2: The Essentials
Chapter 3: Honored Guests
Chapter 4: Avoiding History
Chapter 5: Patch Job
Chapter 6: General Dilemmas
Chapter 7: Baking Friends
Chapter 8: Impressionable Stories
Chapter 9: Waking Smolder
Chapter 10: Forgotten History
Chapter 12: Planning Ahead
Chapter 13: Being Mineful
Chapter 14: Oblivion Pony
Chapter 15: Sapphire's Fury
Chapter 16: Into Darkness
Chapter 17: Overlapping Issues
Chapter 18: Thin Ice
Chapter 19: Weighted Feelings
Chapter 20: Hard Choices
Chapter 21: Mira's Mirror
Chapter 22: D&D (Doubts & Dragons)
Chapter 23: The Coronation (Part 1)
Chapter 24: Fleece Family
Chapter 26: Wayward Smolder
Chapter 27: The Coronation (Part 3)
Chapter 28: The Party
Chapter 29: Kingly Gifts
Chapter 30: Ice Tea
Chapter 31: Morning After
Chapter 32: Coined Memories
Chapter 33: Making Plans
Chapter 34: Hearth & Home
Chapter 35: Final Preporations
Chapter 36: Just Breathe
Chapter 37: Of Spiders & Ponies
Chapter 38: Lair of Spiders
Chapter 39: Rise of the Elder Dragon
Chapter 40: Nothing Grows When It's Dark
Chapter 41: Narrow Encounters
Chapter 42: Rising Fire
Chapter 44: The Fall of Char
Chapter 45: Something To Believe In
Chapter 1: Smoldering Point
Chapter 11: Mystery Guest
Chapter 25: The Coronation (Part 2)
Chapter 43: Gorun, The Last Orc

Chapter 2: The Essentials

Twilight Sparkle and Spike were being brought by chariot back to Ponyville from Canterlot. Private Nightshade and Private First Class Cosmic were her escorts, pulling the chariot through the air at great speed, and making excellent time. With Wingston's request for their help in the Ashen Fields, Twilight was excited to get every pony together, and tell them of this massive undertaking. Ponyville was in sight, Nightshade and Cosmic brought the chariot in for a landing, circling off to the edge of Ponyville before cutting in just outside the Golden Oakes Library to drop off Twilight and Spike. The chariot touched the ground, rumbling to a stop, before a sudden lurch forward that signaled a complete stop. Cosmic unhooked himself from the chariot reigns, walking around the side of the chariot to open the door for them.

"Thanks for the lift guys." Twilight said stepping off the chariot.

"Don't mention it, Ms. Sparkle. Anything is better than guarding an empty room all day." Cosmic replied happily.

"What about sitting through one of Shining Armor's lectures about proper armor cleaning?" Nightshade asked thinking about something else that would be equally as boring.

"Almost anything." Cosmic corrected himself.

With Twilight and Spike on solid ground. Cosmic hitched himself back to the reigns, turning the cart around before building up some speed to take off once more. Twilight and Spike waved goodbye to Nightshade and Cosmic who soared off into the sky to return to Canterlot. Opening the door to the Golden Oakes Library, Twilight walked in with Spike quickly rushing passed her to pack his things. Although, Twilight had other plans for him as her horn started to glow a bright purple, and her magic picking Spike off the ground bringing him back towards her.

"You're going to need to tell Applejack, Rainbow Dash and the others about this letter, Spike." Twilight said making the letter appear out of thin air with her magic.

"Why do I have to do it?" Spike asked taking the letter; Twilight's magic setting him down.

"Would you rather be the dragon packing everything I'm going to need for this trip?" Twilight asked curiously.

"I think I'll start over at Rarity's place first." Spike said quickly jogging off in a hurry.

Spike didn't make it far before having to stop to catch his breath. Deciding to walk with a brisk pace to Rarity's place, Spike felt his heart start to beat faster and faster as he got closer to the Carousel Boutique; Rarity's home and shoppe. Before knocking on the door, Spike licked his claws and smoothed down his scales. Clearing his throat he pushed opened the door and started in.

"Hey Rarity!" Spike said aloud waltzing in.

"Is that you, Spike?" Rarity asked without looking up from her sewing machine.

"You bet." Spike replied closing the door behind him.

The Carousel Boutique was adorned with such a vivid amount of colors, elegant tapestries, ribbons, and all sorts of fashionable things that really seemed to draw the room together. It was rather tidy for the most part, it seemed that Rarity was not having one of her sudden inspirations, but doing some rather tedious work that kept her busy nonetheless.

"Would you be a dear and hand me that spool of fabric?" Rarity requested, pointing towards a rack near Spike.

"What are you making this time, Rarity?" Spiked asked curiously lifting the spool of fabric from the stand.

"Nothing at the moment, Spike. I'm just repairing a suit for a fancy pony in Canterlot. My muse is currently upstairs just waiting for me to make it into a masterpiece." Rarity sighed longingly looking up at the ceiling above her.

"What is it" Spike asked carrying the spool of fabric to her.

"I was able to deconstruct the material Flame Ponies used to use to make their clothing out of. It's a very intricate and delicate weave of threads that takes a long while to make. It allows the fire of the Flame Ponies to safely breathe without putting it out all-together. It also absorbs the heat from their fire but remains cool to the touch for other ponies. It's simply genius when you think about it." Rarity explained taking the fabric with her magic and rolling out a long piece of cloth.

"You must be really talented to be able rediscover how to make Flame Pony clothing, Rarity." Spike said paying her a compliment.

"That's very kind of you to say Spike, but I only figured out the material and the thread count. I had to special order the cloak I sent with Princess Celestia to Smolder. I've been in touch with some fellow seamstresses of mine who were able to put it all together for me. They've just recently sent me a rather large shipment of the material to do with as I please. I'm just brimming with ideas on what I could make out of it." Rarity replied using her magic to lift a pair of scissors; cutting some of cloth.

"Well you might just be able to try out some of those ideas." Spike said holding up the letter to her.

"What's this?" Rarity asked curiously taking the letter from Spike.

"Princess Celestia got a letter from Wingston today explaining how Fireball is being overwhelmed by the needs of every Flame Pony. He's asking you and the others to come to the Ashen Fields to help with some of the work Fireball can't get to." Spike said trying to sum up the letter.

"You mean to say that I will be able to teach and supervise an entire generation of fashion to Flame Ponies?" Rarity asked with almost a squeal of delight.

"Pretty much." Spike replied with a shrug.

"Oh, Spike! This is wonderful! I must start packing immediately! There is so much to do! When do we leave?" Rarity asked tossing the fancy pony's suit to the wayside.

"Twilight said as soon as possible. So I'm guessing she means today or early tomorrow." Spike said scratching the scales on his head.

"That doesn't give me much time! Thank you, Spikey Wickey! You just made my day!" Rarity exclaimed nuzzling him on his cheek.

Spike slumped to the floor, his whole body seemed to feel like mush while Rarity pranced away to begin her preparations. Eventually, Spike was able to shake off his love sickness and decided to head to Sweet Apple Acres to find Applejack. The journey to Sweet Apple Acres wasn't a very long one, but it ended up being rather long for Spike as a few passing butterflies distracted him from time to time.

Eventually, Spike arrived at Sweet Apple Acres to overhear raised voices coming from the apple orchard. Spike followed the voices, walking down one of the many rows of apple trees that stretched across the acre, until coming across Fluttershy and Applejack staring up into a tree.

"Fluttershy, you tell these wood knockers to stop poking holes in my apple trees or we're going to have one hay of a problem." Applejack warned her.

"It's only natural for Woodpeckers to peck trees, Applejack. It would be like some pony telling you not to do any farming." Fluttershy replied softly.

"I don't go farming on other pony's lands though! These little critters are not just putting holes in my trees but there poking holes in my apples too." Applejack said pointing to a basket of ruined apples.

"I'll see what I can do." Fluttershy said softly floating up towards the Woodpeckers that sat on a nearby branch.

"What's up, Applejack?" Spike asked, approaching them.

"Hey there, Spike. Just having a disagreement about where these Woodpeckers should be sticking their little pointy beaks." Applejack remarked looking rather tempered.

"Is this a bad time? I can come back later." Spike said tapping his claws together.

"No need, Spike. Fluttershy has getting things squared away. What can I do you for?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Princess Celestia got a letter from Wingston asking you and the other ponies to come help out in the Ashen Fields." Spike reported holding the letter out to her.

"Things not going so well over there?" Applejack asked curiously taking the letter.

"Wingston says it would make things easier on Smolder if you ponies could lend a hoof with what you ponies do for a living." Spike explained to her.

"It says here Smolder hasn't been sleeping. How much does one King have to do where he can't get a bit of shut eye?" Applejack asked looking tempered again.

"That's where you come in Applejack, you can help teach Flame Ponies all about farming and give Fireball a break." Spike explained to her.

"Well, there isn't much going on around here. I'm sure Big Mac can look after things for a couple days while I'm gone." Applejack said looking around.

Fluttershy floated back down to Applejack with a smile on her face.

"The Woodpeckers have agreed to stop poking holes in your tree and apples." Fluttershy reported softly.

"Finally, some good news." Applejack said with a sigh.

"Except for this one." Fluttershy added pointing to the tree the Woodpeckers were perched on.

"Say what?" Applejack asked sounding surprised.

"The Woodpeckers won't peck any of your trees as long as they can peck on this one." Fluttershy said.

"That is down-right extortion!" Applejack declared stomping her hoof.

"It's just the one tree Applejack, the Woodpeckers promise to only use this one, and they also promise to keep grubs from getting into any of your other trees or apples." Fluttershy explained further.

"Well, if these critters are willing to keep the rest of my trees grub free… I guess they can have this one tree." Applejack said weighing her options.

The Woodpeckers pecked excitedly onto the branch in agreement while Fluttershy beamed at Applejack.

"The Woodpeckers say thank you." Fluttershy reported.

"Yeah, yeah." Applejack mumbled.

"Oh, hello Spike. What are you doing here?" Fluttershy asked curiously; noticing him.

"I'm here to tell you that Wingston needs our help and wants us to come to the Ashen Fields as soon as possible." Spike restated to her.

"My help? What could I do for a Flame Pony?" Fluttershy asked feeling nervous.

"I'm not sure but it's probably got something to do with your gentle nature and natural ability to make friends with the wild life." Spike replied scratching his chin.

"Ash has got his hooves full trying to help out every Flame Pony. Wingston is asking us to take some of the heat off of him, metaphorically of course." Applejack said handing her the letter.

"Oh my, it does seem like Smolder could use some help." Fluttershy said reading the letter to herself.

"So will you come, Fluttershy?" Spike asked.

"If I can help in any way then I want to be there to at least try." Fluttershy said lightly stomping her hoof.

"Then it's settled then, we're on board." Applejack declared.

"Great! It looks like we'll be leaving first thing in the morning, so make sure you have everything you'll need packed and ready to go." Spike said taking back the letter.

With a couple of waves of goodbye, Spike made his way back towards Ponyville to find Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Spike was beginning to wonder if finding the two of them was going to be difficult, seeing as how Rainbow Dash was normally up in the clouds and Pinkie Pie could appear just about anywhere. Lucky for him, he found them having lunch, or at least it seemed like lunch to Spike. Pinkie Pie had an enormous cake sitting in front of her with Rainbow Dash poised ready to fly up into the air. Pinkie Pie had her other hoof raised to signal Rainbow Dash.

"And… go!" Pinkie Pie cried swinging her hoof down.

Rainbow Dash exploded from the spot, flying high into the air, kicking and chopping at the clouds that hung over Ponyville. Pinkie Pie was demolishing the cake, eating so fast that the cake appeared to shrink on the spot.Spike watched in utter confusion at the spectacle, unsure of what was going on, until Rainbow Dash flew back down towards Pinkie Pie.

"Time!" Rainbow Dash shouted landing back at her starting point.

"Mmph!" Pinkie Pie replied with a mouth full of cake.

"Another tie?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief.

"What are you ponies doing?" Spiked asked looking confused.

"Hey, Spike. Pinkie Pie here said she could eat a whole cake faster than I could clear the skies of Ponyville from all its clouds." Rainbow Dash explained.

"The only problem is that we keep ending up in a tie." Pinkie Pie said swallowing the last mouth full of cake.

"You've tried this more than once?" Spike asked surprised.

"Well duh, how else are we going to find out who's faster?" Rainbow Dash scoffed.

"The hard part is baking a new cake and having Rainbow Dash put all the clouds back again." Pinkie Pie explained licking the plate clean.

"Well I need you ponies to take a break for a minute to read this." Spike said holding out the letter to them.

"What's this?" Rainbow Dash asked taking the letter.

"Is it a treasure map?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly.

"Nope, it's just a letter." Rainbow Dash said shaking it in front of her.

"Wingston sent a letter to Princess Celestia asking us to come to the Ashen Fields to help them out." Spike explained to them.

"Matchstick is in trouble?" Rainbow Dash asked urgently.

"Our Sparky?" Pinkie Pie asked pushing her head up against Rainbow Dash's to read along with her.

"Well, Wingston said he's been pretty worn out trying to help every Flame Pony. He's asking us to come to deal with some of the issues, because we're so good at what we do. " Spike continued.

"So what you're saying is that these Flame Ponies need a really great flyer to come and show them how it's done?" Rainbow Dash asked proudly.

"Pretty much." Spike replied.

"Those Flame Ponies have only been eating rocks and roots for Celestia knows how long! They're going to need some pony to teach them how to bake delicious treats!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed excitedly.

"I'm pretty sure it was just Fireball who tried to eat rocks." Spike replied thinking about it.

"So when do we get to show off- I mean help out these Flame Ponies?" Rainbow Dash asked trying to correct herself.

"We're leaving first thing in the morning." Spike said taking the letter back.

"I have to start baking tons of treats right away!" Pinkie Pie cried racing off leaving a dust cloud in her wake.

"I'll bring some of my best Wonderbolts posters to help inspire the pegasi Flame Ponies. Maybe a few of my trophies to show them that I'm not just all talk too." Rainbow Dash said to herself before exploding from the spot and soaring up into the air.

"Remember! Tomorrow morning, bright and early!" Spike shouted after them.

With every pony being informed of the request sent by Wingston, Spike retreated back to the Golden Oakes Library. Opening the door, Spike let himself in, shutting it closed behind him, he turned to find that Twilight had a large trunk open and was already overflowing it with books.

"Uh, Twilight?" Spike asked curiously looking at the stacks of books that formed around the trunk.

"Oh, Spike you're back. Were you able to find every pony?" Twilight asked peeking up from behind a mountain of books stacked in the corner.

"Just got done telling Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie about it. Every pony is able and willing to come, it seems like we'll all be ready by tomorrow morning." Spike reported.

"Great! That gives us just enough time to finish packing." Twilight said happily magically lifting several stacks of books into Spike's claws.

"Do you really need to bring all these books, Twilight?" Spike asked in surprise struggling to keep them from collapsing on him.

"Of course! Now start alphabetizing those while I go look for another trunk." Twilight said digging through the closet.

Spike dropped the stack of books onto the ground next to him and started to stack them into piles starting with A and then with B and so on. Every pony worked into the night getting ready to leave home and come to help out an old friend.

The Ashen Fields has been the only home I have ever known. I try to imagine it being colorful like Ponyville or revered like Canterlot, but my home is of ash and fire. I was born into it, welcomed by those who came before and I've been asked to look after it along with all those that reside in it. With the help of my friends we were able to defeat my father, the Mad King, sending him back into the Void, and that all happened in a single day. It made a lot Flame Ponies believe that all our other problems would be solved just as quickly, but in reality it was going to take a long, long time.

Princess Celestia had once said that I could be the voice of the Flame Ponies, and within a week of our freedom, every pony found a voice of their own, and they were all shouting for change. We started with next to nothing, perhaps even less than that, for we had to repair what little we had left. As of today, we have made great strides in rebuilding what we had lost during my father's rampage and we started to look towards our future.

What I had been looking at for most of the night and early morning was the Royal Chambers that once belonged to my mother and father but now belonged to me. It was poorly lit, due to much of the scaffolding covering the windows. The balcony was used as a base camp so that Flame Ponies would not have to climb all the way to the ground level to gather supplies. The walls and floors were vacant of any pictures or furniture, except for Wingston's sundial that he left near the window; the scaffolding made it useless due to the shadows it cast. A circular slab of black granite rested in the middle of the room, it was my new bed and I had yet to use it.

I felt exhausted. My eyes were in business for themselves, closing several times, causing my head to droop over and over again. My joints ached, my muscles seemed to be on fire, or something to that effect. The reason I refused to sleep was not a selfish or idealistic one, nor was it the fact that ponies always seemed to knock at my door whenever I just drifted off to sleep. It was the nightmares I was having. Whenever I closed my eyes, when the dreams started to fester, all I could see was my father standing before me; as if we were battling once more.

The sudden rapping of claws on my doors gave me a start.

"Special delivery for the big cheese!" A voice said from the other side of my doors.

"Big cheese?" I asked with a yawn.

The doors flew open. Discord came waltzing into the room, dressed in similar garb I had seen regular Mail Ponies wear, carrying a twisted and melted piece of metal under his paw. He entered into my room about halfway, blowing a sharp whistle at how large it was.

"Nice place you got here, I especially like the sundial that has no sun." Discord said amusingly looking around my room.

I didn't reply to him. I yawned loudly. My head felt like it weighed fifty pounds and I did my best keep my eyes from closing.

"The rumors are true. You look terrible." Discord said shielding me from his eyes with his paw in disgust.

"Can I help you… Discord?" I asked pausing to yawn once more.

"I wouldn't dream of adding to the work load you've already got, but I do have something that I thought would look great in your drab room." Discord said walking over to the left side of my room.

Discord propped the large piece of twisted and melted metal against my wall and stepped back to admire it.

"What is it?" I asked squinting at it; unsure of what it was.

"Why, it's the mirror your father was trapped in." Discord said in a matter of fact tone.

Discord jumped out of the way in surprise. I had shot a sudden burst of fire at the freakish mirror without a second thought. My eyes were wide open now, my mane flaring in anger at the sight of it.

"Get it out of here." I said firmly to him.

"Now hear me out little Flame Pony, I spent weeks searching for this thing. When that mountain blew its top, it also blew this mirror half way to Saddle Arabia." Discord explained slithering towards me and putting his paw around me.

"So?" I asked coldly.

"It may be a shattered, broken, twisted, melted, piece of garbage now, but it still is a part of Flame Pony history." Discord replied trying to advocate the importance of it.

"Throw it back into the volcano." I said disinterested.

I shrugged Discord's paw off and started heading towards my granite.

"Perhaps it can be a reminder of how shattered and twisted your family was." Discord suggested.

His words stopped me in my tracks. I wasn't tired anymore, I felt my fire festering inside me; my anger rising.

"Too soon?" Discord asked sheepishly.

"Was there anything else you needed, Discord?" I asked hotly over my shoulder; feeling too tired to even throw another breath of fire.

"No, I just came to give you back your mirror. No need to thank me." Discord replied, bowing his head towards me in an overly dramatic fashion.

"I wasn't going to." I said flatly.

"You try to do a pony a favor and this is how I'm repaid." Discord said sounding hurt; walking out of my room and slamming the doors shut with a snap of his claws.

I snorted in anger, flames shooting from my nostrils. I was riled up. I let Discord get under my hide again and now I had this stupid mirror sitting in my room. It hardly look like anything anymore, it barely kept the shape of its frame while the metal twisted like branches in and out. My mane flared just looking at it. I let my anger get the best of me and I spewed more fire at it. My throat seemed to seize up, choking on my fire, my strength gone, breathing heavy trying not to pass out.

"Stupid mirror!" I shouted unable to come up with anything else to say.

I took a few deep breaths trying to calm myself. My heart was racing and my head was pounding. I looked towards my granite then back at the door wondering what I would rather be doing.

"…you're stupid…"

My ears perked up. It was no more than a whisper. I looked around my room, but there was no pony in sight.

"Discord?" I asked aloud.

I was met with silence. I glanced over at the mirror.

"Hello?" I asked staring at it.

The mirror did not respond. In my head I wondered why it would. I slowly approached it, unsure of what I was expecting to happen, but did so anyway. I examined the mirror closely, looking over it as if expecting to find something. Another sudden rap at my door almost made me jump out of my flames.

Wingston's face appeared from the other side of the door.

"Smolder, you have guests waiting down… What are you doing?" Wingston asked, cutting himself short and eyeing my suspiciously.

"I was… I thought I…." I said unsure myself.

"Is that the Void Mirror your father was trapped in?" Wingston asked looking surprised.

"Discord brought it to me." I said looking back at it.

"Why would you want that garbage?" Wingston asked curiously.

"I didn't; he just left it here." I replied.

Wingston stepped into my room. He slowly limped his way towards me and the mirror.

"Does it still work?" Wingston asked curiously.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You seem to be staring at it an awful lot. I thought there was still a reflection." Wingston replied.

"No, I just thought I… heard something." I said slowly.

"Did you get any sleep last night?" Wingston asked quickly.

"No but-" I started but Wingston's staff knocked against my head.

I clutched my head in pain. Feeling that another blow might just knock me out for the count.

"If I need to beat you unconscious, I will most certainly do so!" Wingston threatened, while I rubbed my head.

"If you don't end up with a brain damaged King first." I snapped sounding grumpy.

"It most certainly seems that that way, seeing as how brain dead you've been these last couple of days." Wingston replied observing the mirror himself.

"Don't cut yourself, Wingston." I warned watching him touch the twisted bits of metal.

"You said you heard something?" Wingston asked curiously.

"Y-yeah. It was no more than a whisper, but I was the only pony here." I explained.

"So naturally you thought it was the mirror talking to you because the sundial and you aren't friends yet?" Wingston asked sarcastically.

"I'm serious Wingston, I really did hear something!" I protested.

Wingston raised his staff to me once more as I recoiled away.

"You haven't slept in nearly two days. You may have just been hearing things, or it could be those ponies on the scaffolding outside your window." Wingston suggested pointing to the shadows of ponies walking along the scaffolding just outside.

Wingston had a point. I did shout at the mirror and one those ponies might of thought I was talking to them. It made more sense than a twisted up piece of metal talking back to me.

"Come, Smolder. You have guests waiting for you." Wingston said ushering me towards the door.

"Guests?" I asked curiously lowering myself to carry Wingston.

"That is what ponies are called when they come into your home now, aren't they?" Wingston asked climbing a top my back.

"Well they could be intruders too." I said thinking about it.

"These were invited ponies, which makes them our invited guests." Wingston replied.

"Who invited them?" I asked feeling confused.

"I did of course." Wingston said proudly.

I carried Wingston from my Royal Chambers into the corridor that led to a staircase leading the Main Hall of Castle Char. He would not tell me whom he had invited or why but he seemed rather pleased with himself all the while. I decided that it was just easier to go and meet these guests rather than trying to drag the information out of Wingston.

We descended the stairs that branched into the main staircase that led out into the Main Hall. Several Flame Ponies were hard at work, placing mortar and stone to seal up the broken walls. To my great surprise, a surprise so welcomed that I almost leaped for joy, my eyes fell to six familiar ponies and a small dragon that stood waiting for at the landing.

"Fireball!" Spike exclaimed pointing up the stairs at me.

"Matchstick! Smolder! Ash! Sparky!" All their sudden cries were mixed together as I reached the landing with Wingston.

Spike was the only one able to run up and hug me, or at least my leg for that matter. Every other pony just offered me smiles which meant more to me then hours worth of sleep at that moment.

"When Wingston said we had guests, I would never have thought it would be you ponies." I said with a smile.

"Wingston said you needed a break from all the work you've been trying to do yourself. So he asked us to come and fill in for you while you recover." Twilight explained to me.

"Oh Wingston, you sneaky little bat you." I said slowly narrowing my eyes at him; having realized his plan.

"I have my moments." Wingston said nonchalantly.

"So where do we start?" Twilight asked.

Chapter 3: Honored Guests

Wingston always meant well. He limped to the beat of his own drum and couldn't be bothered with the rhythm of any pony else. It was rare for Wingston to ever be wrong about something, and his plans never seem to fail. For that reason, many Flame Ponies trusted him to do things he did because in the end it was for the best interest of every pony. Unfortunately for me, it always ended with Wingston getting his way.

"It is my great honor to welcome you to the Ashen Fields, ponies of Ponyville. The Kingdom of Flame Ponies is once more in your debt." Wingston declared bowing his head to Twilight and her friends.

"You invited them here to put them to work?" I asked sounding very suspicious.

"Perish the thought, my King, I merely asked for them to point our misguided Flame Ponies in the right direction. If only to give them a gentle nudge in the right direction to get them going on their own." Wingston said using his sarcastic tone with me.

"Wingston said you were having some trouble keeping up with all the requests that have been coming your way." Applejack spoke up.

"In his letter he asked us to come and share our knowledge and expertise with the Flame Ponies." Twilight explained making Wingston's letter appear out of thin air with her magic.

"Writing letters about me behind my flank, Wingston?" I asked narrowing my eyes at him.

"Don't flatter yourself, my King; it would take me more than a year, several hundred feet of parchment, to write all the things I'd have to say about you." Wingston replied with a chuckle.

"I'm sure every pony's heart is in the right place but I cannot ask any of you to do this in good conscious." I said not liking the idea of having these ponies come all the way here just to work.

"I figured you'd try to undermine my little plan, so that is why I also brought the little dragon as back up." Wingston said pointing his staff at Spike.

"Spike? Back up?" I asked looking surprised.

"Little dragon! Hold onto Smolder's leg and do not let go!" Wingston commanded, raising his staff into the air.

Spike was more than happy to comply. Leaping at my leg, Spike took hold and used his whole weight to drag me down to the stone floor. I was so tired, so weak, that I didn't have the strength to shake Spike off, let alone keep myself standing.

"Spike! Let go!" I demanded but I couldn't fight him off.

"Sorry Fireball, no can do." Spike replied gripping my leg tightly.

"Hold him there Spike, the King will be indisposed for the next few days whether he likes it or not." Wingston said while ushering the ponies back up the stairs.

"Have fun Spike." Twilight said letting Wingston climb onto her back and ascending the stairs.

"Spike!" I said fruitlessly struggling against him trying to follow the other ponies.

"Wingston said you're not feeling well and that you have to take it easy!" Spike said in defiance.

"Wingston!" I shouted after him watching all the ponies giggle at my inconvenience.

Wingston led the ponies down the corridor towards the Council Chamber. It was where there meeting was going to take place to hammer out the details of what every pony was going to be doing. The doors to the Council Chamber opened to reveal a couple of Flame Ponies already waiting inside. There was Argo Fleece, Tiff Pitchstone, Burning Sand, and Alex Papyrus; each speaking with other Flame Ponies about their own matters.

Argo Fleece, the Treasurer, was an older pony much like General Hearth. His responsibilities involved the economy, finance, and revenue of the Ashen Fields. He had currently been trying to establish local shops in the Ashen Fields to help interested ponies trade, barter, and sell to neighboring lands. His hide was colored a midnight black, his flames were a soft yellow, and his cutie mark was three gold coins. Argo was known to be short tempered but would haggle to the last bit if he could. Having been given the opportunity to restructure the finances of the Kingdom, Argo takes his job very seriously, and expects every pony to do the same. He is more than willing to speak to any pony rubbing to coins together.

Tiff Pitchstone, of Agriculture, was the youngest pony of the four. With his father having passed away years back, Tiff Pitchstone was the last of the farming Flame Ponies the Ashen Fields had. Being a dark gray and having a soft bluish tint to his flame, his cutie mark showed a single leaf tipped with a small flame. Among many Flame Ponies, Tiff had become a local hero after the crops finally died off and personally found an alternative solution of eating certain roots found in the Dark Marsh. When offered the Head position in the Agricultural department, Tiff accepted it with some reservations claiming that his knowledge of farming was entirely based of facts rather than actual experience tilling the land, but was more then willing to spearhead the movement to bring the Ashen Fields back from being grey to green.

Burning Sand, the Politician, was the eldest of the four. Being light gray, having a cherry red flame, and a cutie mark of a ballot with an X marking it. Burning Sand's biggest contribution was creating laws for the Flame Ponies to follow, and governing the lands that have been slowly being divided among certain Flame Ponies. Even though Smolder put a lot of trust into Burning Sand's ability to do things fairly, Burning Sand has sought the King's approval for every law and distribution of land that he created and gave out. Trying to set the example for the young Flame Ponies seeking similar political positions. Burning Sand has even gone as far as to negotiating terms of trade with the Crystal Kingdom on the King's behalf.

Alex Papyrus, the Historian and self-proclaimed Archeologist, was older then Tiff but younger then Argo; a colt but not yet a stallion. Colored much like a chalkboard, Alex was a dark black with a green tint. While his flame was the lightest of yellow flames any Flame Pony had seen, some ponies even consider it to be white at times. His cutie mark was that of a bone and spade. Butting heads constantly with Argo, Alex has fought to keep much of the treasures of the Kingdom untouched and preserved due to their history. From documenting to rewriting the 'book' of Flame Pony history, Alex has overseen the preservation of the many culturally significant pieces of Flame Pony history in the hopes to learn and inspire future generations.

With all the chatter filling the room, Wingston cleared his throat to grab the attention of all the Flame Ponies.

"We have business to attend to now, please come back later." Wingston announced; much to the displeasure of the other Flame Ponies.

All but the four head Flame Ponies left the room. Wingston offered Twilight and her friend's seats around the table as Argo, Burning Sand, Tiff, and Alex seated themselves. Twilight lowered Wingston into his own chair before seating herself next to him.

"Thank you all for coming, I know that this isn't easy for any Flame Pony to admit but I assure you this will be for the best of the Ashen Fields." Wingston stated starting things off.

"I am to believe that this colorful group is the help you promised us?" Argo asked with a scoff.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash shouted sounding offended.

"Argo, these ponies are here to offer us help and you demean them before pleasantries?" Burning Sand asked disappointingly.

"To what end? Are we to believe that these ponies are willing to offer their time to us without something in return?" Argo asked sounding skeptical.

Wingston slammed his staff onto the stone table, the strike was loud and abrupt, making every pony jump from it.

"You may keep your opinions to yourself, Argo. Whether you are willing to believe it or not, these ponies are willing to help us without any other motive then allowing our King some time to recover." Wingston said calmly watching Argo adjust himself in his seat.

"We would be very grateful for any help you are willing to give us." Tiff said looking very grateful.

"With that being said, introductions are in order. Wielders of the Elements of Harmony, I would like to present to you Argo Fleece our Treasurer. Tiff Pitchstone our head of Agriculture. Burning Sand our political figure head, and last but certainly not least, Alex Papyrus our Historian." Wingston introduced each Flame Pony.

"It's very nice to meet you, I'm Twilight Sparkle. I'm a student of Princess Celestia and self-appointed librarian of The Golden Oakes Library in Ponyville." Twilight said introducing herself.

"I'm Rainbow Dash." Rainbow Dash said believing her name alone was enough for an introduction.

"I'm Applejack; I own and work at Sweet Apple Acres with my family." Applejack put simply.

"My name is Pinkie Pie! I work at Sugarcube Corner and throw the best parties in all of Ponyville." Pinkie Pie said throwing confetti into the air.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Rarity and I run my own shop known as the Carousel Boutique where I work as a seamstress." Rarity said politely.

"Hi… I'm Fluttershy." Fluttershy said softly hiding her face behind her mane.

There was several replies of hello from every Flame Pony except Argo who seemed already fed up with this whole meeting.

"Mad King burn me." Argo mumbled under his breath.

"You got something to say?" Rainbow Dash asked looking annoyed.

"Wingston, you promised us ponies that could help, not set us back another ten years with know nothing ponies." Argo said bluntly.

"Argo!" Alex shouted in disapproval.

"What we have here is a bookworm, an apple farmer, a multi-colored half-wit, a clown, and a pony who does needle work. Oh! I almost forgot the whisperer." Argo rattled off.

Wingston slammed his staff against the stone table once more before Rainbow Dash had the chance to give Argo a piece of her mind.

"What is setting us back is the negativity you are displaying to our King's honored guests, Argo. Perhaps it would be best if we continued this discussion later, just the two of us." Wingston said calmly.

"Don't count on it. I have better things to do then entertain the locals." Argo said half-heartedly before sliding off his chair and leaving the Council Chamber.

Argo even slammed the door extra hard to really show how much displeasure he had in this whole idea.

"What's eating him?" Rainbow Dash asked standing up in her chair and looking towards the door.

"As it's true that the King has been overwhelmed with the stress of having to rule, there has been stress of our own that comes off differently depending on the pony." Burning Sand explained.

"It doesn't excuse Argo's behavior." Alex insisted.

"Our deepest and sincerest apologies, ponies from Ponyville, for Argo's rude behavior." Tiff said bowing his head.

"You're not responsible for whatever is eating him. I'm sure he'll come around eventually." Applejack said reassuringly.

"That's very unlikely, but that's not why we are here. I have taken the liberty of pairing up Twilight and her friends with certain Flame Ponies around the Ashen Fields where I think they will be of the most help." Wingston said laying out a piece of parchment in front of him.

"What did you have in mind, Wingston?" Burning Sand asked curiously.

"To begin things, I would ask that Twilight accompany Alex Papyrus to help him in his attempts to catalog and list the historical pieces around the castle and in the dungeons." Wingston began reading off his parchment.

"We've been down there before. I saw some old Flame Pony etchings in one of the caves." Twilight stated thinking back on it.

"You did? Where, Ms. Sparkle?" Alex asked excitedly, nearly leaping from his chair.

"All in due time, Alex. Please let me get through this." Wingston said motioning for him to remain still.

"Of course, please continue." Alex replied looking rather embarrassed; sitting himself down.

"Pinkie Pie, there is a group of Flame Ponies in the Narrows who expressed an interest in baking." Wingston said looking up from his parchment at her.

"The Narrows?" Pinkie Pie asked looking confused.

"It's what we call the line of rock huts that stand side by side one another. The space between each home is very narrow and that's how many Flame Ponies believed it to have gotten its name." Tiff explained.

"It is also where every Flame Pony currently resides. Their moral has been at an all-time low with bleak homes, hard work hours, and the bland taste of roots for the last couple of months. I was hoping you could share some of your energy with them." Wingston said hopefully.

"Leave it to me." Pinkie Pie said saluting him.

"Thank you. Next I have Applejack assisting Tiff Pitchstone with the farmland issue." Wingston continued reading.

"What sort of issues are you having?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Some minor issues here and there but our biggest problem is the irrigation." Tiff said looking rather defeated.

"I can see how that can be a rather big issues for you with not being able to touch water and all, what have you tried so far?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Other than carrying buckets of water from the river near Ponyville? None." Tiff said shaking his head.

"We'll think of something." Applejack said encouragingly.

"Next I have Rarity in the shopping district." Wingston continued, reading down his list.

"You have a shopping district?" Rarity asked curiously.

"It's just a couple of stone vendor tables and a few shops that have survived over the years." Burning Sands spoke up.

"There are several ponies very eager to start learning how to become seamstresses, such as yourself. I promised them the best, having shown them the wonderful job you did with his cloak." Wingston said rustling his hood.

Rarity noticed the cloak that she had sent Princess Celestia to give to Smolder. It was apparent to her that Smolder had given it to Wingston, seeing as his own old rags were burned as well as just unsightly. She could not help but smile at the thought of Smolder choosing to give this one of kind gift to his friend.

"That's very kind of you to say Wingston; it does suite you rather nicely." Rarity said with a smile.

"What about me?" Rainbow Dash asked leaning over the table.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Wingston asked looking rather secretive.

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash replied leaning further over the table.

"Are you really sure you want to know?" Wingston asked again slightly tilting his head to her.

"Yes!" Rainbow Dash shouted nearly laying across the table.

"We have several pegasi ponies that had been inspired by the Wonderbolts during the return of the Mad King. I would ask that you teach them how to be the best flyers they can possibly be." Wingston told her.

"Why not ask one of the Wonderbolts to do it?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously still lying upon the table.

"I would rather have the pony, who will one day become the most famous Wonderbolt, to teach the first generation of Flame Ponies how to fly with all the skill and grace I have seen you display." Wingston replied.

"Do you mean that?" Rainbow Dash asked looking so humbled.

"No, the Wonderbolts are currently in Saddle Arabia putting on a show and can't make it." Wingston said quickly.

Every pony laughed. Rainbow Dash could see Wingston shoot her a wink, letting her know he was only joking and this made her feel loads better.

"Last but certainly not least, Ms. Fluttershy." Wingston said looking for her across the table but Fluttershy instinctively hid behind Rarity.

"Hi…" Fluttershy said softly poking her head out.

"Ms. Fluttershy there is a Flame Pony by the name of Ember Tutor who is in charge of a school for our fillies and foals. If you would be so kind to help him regain control of the school and negotiate the release of Mr. Tutor without another incident I would be forever in your debt." Wingston explained to her.

"Incident?" Fluttershy asked looking surprised.

"The foals and fillies had demanded twelve apple pies, twelve goblets of cider and a no bed time for the release of Mr. Tutor but when we refused they claimed to have thrown Mr. Tutor into the Void." Wingston explained.

"Oh my…" Fluttershy whispered shaking on the spot.

"Now that we have everything squared away, I hope we can resolve all of these issues in a quick and timely matter. If any of you ponies have any problems please see me and I'll do whatever we can for you." Wingston said wrapping up the meeting.

"Will the King be indisposed for the next few days?" Tiff asked curiously.

"Indeed he will be, if any of you ponies see him trying to escape, please inform me so that we can chain him to his bed." Wingston stated, sounding serious about it.

"Will do." Pinkie Pie replied seeming excited at the idea.

"Does any pony have any questions?" Wingston asked curiously.

Rarity hoof was raised over her head.

"Yes, Ms. Rarity?" Wingston asked looking towards her.

"If I may, where will we be staying?" Rarity asked curiously.

"I have had rooms prepared for you here in the Castle, I will have one of the guards escort you to them at your leisure." Wingston replied.

No pony else raised a hoof to ask a question, this prompted Wingston to officially end the meeting.

"We will call for another meeting to see how much progress has been made. Burning Sands, I wish you a safe travel to the Crystal Empire today. Dismissed." Wingston said aloud rapping his staff against the stone table.

There was a will and determination that drove Spike to keep clinging to my leg. I had dragged myself up several steps in full view of every Flame Pony that happened to be walking around in the Main Hall. No matter how many times I asked, Spike would not let go of my leg. By the time I reached the top of the stairs I had realized the second step in Wingston's plan, for I had completely worn myself out and could no longer put up a fight against Spike.

"Good work, little dragon." General Hearth stated; praised Spike.

"It was pretty easy." Spike said finally letting go of my leg.

General Hearth ascended the stairs from the landing. Feeling Spike let go of my leg had me wondering if I should try to make a run for it but I couldn't find reason to resist anymore. I was feeling so very tired and I could barely move.

"Come along, my King. I will escort you to your chambers." General Hearth said pulling me onto his back.

"I'm coming too, I'm the back up." Spike said with some sort of authority in his voice.

General Hearth was kind enough to lug me back to my room. The large doors to the Royal Chambers opened, General Hearth entered the room with me upon his back, and set me down on my slab of granite. Spike climbed atop the granite as well, seating himself next to me and folding his arms.

"Come along little dragon, the King needs his rest." General Hearth said motioning Spike towards the door.

"No can do, General. I'm the back-up, if Fireball tries to run I'm supposed to grab on to him and not let go." Spike explained refusing to move.

"Alright, little dragon. You can look after our King. I'll be placing guards outside the door. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask." General Hearth said with a chuckle.

"Will do." Spike replied, throwing him a quick salute.

"Thank you, General." I mumbled in a very tired voice.

"Of course, my King." General Hearth replied bowing his head and heading back towards the doors.

I yawned loudly, stretching out over the slab of granite before my eyes shut closed; I fell asleep immediately. Spike carefully reached over and pulled the obsidian crown off of my head and placed it on the other side of him. Looking around the Royal Chamber, Spike noticed the lack of almost everything that a room normally had. Aside from the sun dial, Spike's eyes fell to the twisted metal mirror that rested up against the wall on the side of the room. Sliding off the granite, Spike walked over to the mirror looking rather curious to what it was supposed to be.

"I wonder if this is some sort of Flame Pony art." Spike said to himself looking it over.

Flicking his claw against the twisted metal frame, a low ping came resonating off of it as Spike looked behind it.

"Doesn't look like anything. Perhaps it's some sort of abstract art that only Rarity can understand." Spike mumbled to himself scratching his head.

Spike's stomach suddenly rumbled. A burp followed with a message forming from the green fire escaping his mouth. Catching it out of the air, Spike opened the letter and began to read it.

"Dear Spike, Princess Luna has just informed me that Smolder has fallen asleep. Please ensure that no pony disturbs him while Luna enters his dream. I look forward to hearing from you and the others. Princess Celestia." Spike read it aloud to himself.

"Seems simple enough." Spike said looking over at the sleeping king.

Rolling back up the letter Spike noticed a glint coming from near the bottom edge of the mirror. Curiosity caused Spike to further investigate the source of this glint by getting on his knees and claws to get a better look. Squinting through the twisted and branching arcs of metal, a small shard glass could be seen still wedged into the frame.

"Huh? It's a mirror" Spike said looking at it.

"…BOO…"

"Gaaah!" Spike hollered falling back onto his tail.

The soft sound of giggle could faintly be heard by Spike as he crab walked away from the mirror in a hurry.

"H-H-H-Hello?" Spike stammered looking rather nervous.

There was no response. No whisper or giggle to follow. Spike stood still tapping his claws together, debating on whether or not to wake the sleeping King or just wait until it said something again. The door to the Royal Chamber slid open prompting Spike to jump again; Wingston entered slowly.

"Good little dragon, you did not leave the King's side." Wingston said praising him; pushing the door closed.

"Y-Yeah, no problem." Spike said sounding nervous.

"What's the matter little dragon? You look scared." Wingston asked curiously making his way towards Spike.

"I was looking at that thing over there, because there was nothing else besides that sundial to look at and I was just trying to figure out what it was. That's when I saw something shiny near the bottom of it and I saw the little piece of glass wedged in there. So I got down low to take a closer look at it when I head some pony say 'boo'." Spike explained nervously.

Wingston listened to Spike's rant, eyes growing wide in surprise and turning to look at the mirror.

"Are you sure it was the mirror?" Wingston asked curiously.

"W-W-Well, after it scared me I heard it giggling at me." Spike said embarrassed.

Wingston looked towards the windows of the Royal Chamber, noticing the scaffolding vacant of any Flame Ponies. Strumming his fingers along his staff Wingston decided to approach the mirror for himself.

"What are you going to do?" Spike asked curiously following behind Wingston.

"Well, I think I'm going to talk to it." Wingston confessed.

"Is it supposed to talk back?" Spike asked tapping his claws together.

"At one point it did, this mirror was where the Mad King resided trying to break out from the Void. I believed it all but destroyed by the volcano but Discord had found its remains; believing it best to return to us." Wingston explained standing before the mirror.

"You mean… that Mad King… is in there?" Spike asked quietly and very slowly.

"I highly doubt it. The Void is a place of darkness, the only reason he found it the first time was due to Smolder's mother entering it and leading him to it." Wingston explained further giving it the once over with his eyes.

"So… who is it then?" Spike asked quietly.

"Well, I have yet to hear any voices come from this ruined mirror so I wouldn't be able to say, but then again I do not believe any voices are coming from this mirror. The Void is not a place where ponies can simply walk around and shoot the breeze. It consumes your energy, your strength and leaves you much like Smolder is now; exhausted." Wingston replied tapping the metal with his staff.

"How come you know so much about the Void?" Spike asked looking impressed.

"The Void was used many times by the old Flame Pony Kings as a punishment. Casting a pony or creature into the Void for a time, before bringing them back after their sentence was served. It was said that even the cruelest of ponies were rehabilitated after spending only an hour in the Void." Wingston said examining the bottom part of the ruined mirror.

"It sounds like a horrible place." Spike mumbled feeling himself shiver at the thought.

"I'm wondering if there was a pony that got left in there from a time long ago." Wingston muttered curiously.

"You… you really don't think that… do you?" Spike asked looking very scared.

"No… it could just be a creature they left inside." Wingston said thinking of another reason.

Spike started to bite his claws from his anxiety watching Wingston step a few steps back from the mirror.

"If the entity within this broken mirror can hear me, then listen closely, for I will only say this once. Be gone with you! You have no place here!" Wingston shouted aloud raising his staff over his head for dramatic effect.

"Shhh!" Spike hissed patting Wingston on the shoulder and pointing towards Smolder.

"My bad." Wingston said realizing his loudness.

There was no response from the mirror, no whisper or laughter that came from it; Wingston seemed satisfied.

"There now, all better." Wingston said happily turning towards the Royal Chamber doors.

"…no…"

Wingston stopped short. The ears under his hood perked up as Spike hide behind his cloak. Turning to face the mirror once more, Wingston stared wide eyed at the mirror.

"So it is true, there is a voice that comes from this mirror or what's left of it anyway." Wingston said knocking the bottom part of the mirror with edge of his staff.

There was no reply from the mirror. Wingston wasn't going to play this game.

"Tell me what you want or I will have this mirror moved deep into the dungeon where we will find a large crevasse and throw this abomination into the deep dark bowels of the earth. Speak. I might just do it anyway depending on what you have to say." Wingston warned.

Spike shook nervously behind Wingston, clutching his cloak and glancing back and forth between Wingston and the mirror. Spike was impressed with Wingston, even though they were essentially the same size, Wingston never seemed to back down from a fight or let anything scare him.

"…Smolder…"

A silence hung about the room. Wingston eyes were wide, staring at the ruined mirror and Spike covered his mouth his claws.

"I've decided to throw you into the crevasse." Wingston said simply limping away from the mirror with Spike quickly following him.

The mirror remained silent. Wingston did not glance back at the mirror nor did he feel the need to ask it anymore questions.

"Who was that, Wingston?" Spike asked quietly.

"I am not sure. I will have words with Discord about what it might be but for now I will take matters into my own wings." Wingston replied cautiously.

"Why does it want Smolder?" Spike whispered.

"I'm not sure, but it's not getting Smolder." Wingston said in a very serious tone.

"…yes I will…"

Wingston and Spike stared back at the mirror; they could hear a soft giggling come from it.

Chapter 4: Avoiding History

Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack were escorted back to the Main Hall by Wingston, Alex Papyrus, Tiff Pitchstone, and Burning Sand. Tiff spent much of his time asking Applejack several questions concerning the irrigation of her own farm and if it would be possible to replicate it on a much larger scale. Applejack was kind enough to answer the questions she could, but couldn't promise him anything until she saw what she had to work with.

"I will take my leave here, ponies of Ponyville." Wingston said aloud sliding off Twilight's back and dropping to the floor.

"Where are you going?" Twilight asked curiously.

"There should be a King, fast asleep in his room right now and I will make sure he stays that way." Wingston explained pointing to the other corridor.

It seemed the perfect time for every pony to split up and get to work. Twilight Sparkle wished every pony luck before following Alex Papyrus down into the dungeons. Several Flame Ponies were diligently scraping the ground with flat stone shovels, attempting to remove the scorched black soot that lingered; trying their best to clean up what they could. It wasn't until Twilight grew closer did the Flame Ponies notice her; more specific her shades of purple. Twilight was met with smiles and several compliments about the color of her mane. She tried to thank every pony before quickly stepping over the scorch marks and descending the stairs into the dungeon with Alex.

"Those Flame Ponies were very complimentary." Twilight said looking over her shoulder.

"It is the first time for some seeing the color purple." Alex explained to her.

"What about you?" Twilight asked curiously.

"I've been lucky enough to see a multitude of colors down here. Granted none are so vibrant like you or your friends but it was enough for me to appreciate what so many could not." Alex explained, his fiery mane leading the way.

"Is not every Flame Pony allowed to come down here?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Well, no, any Flame Pony interested can simply ask. I suppose it's a lack of interest to what's down here." Alex said having to think about it.

"I guess you're the only Flame Pony curious about your own history, huh?" Twilight asked.

"I've tried to raise interest in what I do among other Flame Ponies, but I have had too little return on their part that I've stopped all together. I decided that my time would be better suited down here working and this is where I have been these days." Alex confessed.

The dungeon walls slowly but surely started to show wear and age the further Alex brought Twilight. From what Twilight could remember, when they were forced to make an escape through the dungeons, and had a rather difficult time trying to navigate their way towards the mines. Although, Twilight was taking some mental notes during their brief time down here and knew that the turn they took, where the etching she had discovered, was several corridors back, but Alex continued to press forward.

On more than one occasion Alex had pushed up against a stone wall and much to Twilight's surprise watched it slide open.

"Are there any ancient Flame Pony traps down here?" Twilight asked sounding slightly concerned.

"I haven't come across any yet, but keep an eye out just in case." Alex said calmly.

Eventually, Alex stopped down a corridor that had no discern-able doors or pathways. Alex stepped to the side of the dungeon to allow Twilight to pass.

"It must get lonely being down here all alone." Twilight commented standing next to the stone wall that Alex had stopped beside.

"My work keeps me busy." Alex replied looking none too worried about it.

Alex placed his hoof upon a stone brick near him and pressed against it. The stone brick gave way sliding inside the wall and causing a hidden stone door to slide open.

"Do all the doors down here do that?" Twilight asked looking amused.

"You'd be surprise." Alex replied motioning for her to follow him.

The flames from Alex's mane gave off substantial light within the dark room they entered. Alex approached small basins of oil set up around the room and dabbed his hoof in each one to ignite them; offering even more light. Several wooden boxes lined the walls, and several tarps were draped over large objects dotting the room.

"What is this place?" Twilight asked brushing dust off the box closest to her.

"Before the Madness of the King, several scholarly ponies took precautions to save as much of our history as they possibly could and stored it within rooms like these. I have located several other rooms, but this particular room holds many items I cannot lay a hoof on." Alex explained raising his flame covered hooves to her.

"So you want me to help you unpack all of these?" Twilight asked curiously looking around the room.

"I want you to help me understand the reason why these are here, Ms. Sparkle." Alex said earnestly.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked.

"I have discovered jewelry, tomes, statues, engravings and many more things that are closely related to Flame Pony history, but this room contains items better suited for regular ponies. The ponies that stored these items long ago were not Flame Ponies, but trusted us to keep whatever these items are safe." Alex said looking anxiously at the boxes.

"You seem kind of excited about all this." Twilight mentioned.

"I have spent many years down here going over my findings with Wingston, trying to map out these corridors and find similar rooms. Unfortunately, Wingston is better suited for matters of the mind rather than physical labor. I finally have this chance to see what lies within these boxes." Alex explained.

"Well why don't we start unboxing some of these?" Twilight asked cheerfully.

With her magic, Twilight was easily able to pry the lid from the box and watched the entire dust slide off to the floor with a plume. Alex raised his hoof over the box like a torch to get a better look at what was inside for Twilight and himself. Twilight looked quite surprised at the contents but Alex seemed bewildered.

"They're hats." Twilight said simply picking up a fedora.

"It's nothing but hats!" Alex said in surprise watching Twilight pull more and more out from the box.

"This one is cute." Twilight remarked withdrawing a sun hat from the box.

"Why would any pony keep hats down here?" Alex asked aloud peering into the box.

"Perhaps a pony that was using it for storage, and was planning on coming back to sell the rest of his inventory." Twilight said turning the sun hat over and under.

"Please, Ms. Sparkle, open another one and let us hope that it something less disappointing." Alex said sounding very disappointed.

Twilight placed the sun hat back into the crate and followed Alex to another wooden box. Twilight's magic once again prying the box open and the lid clattering to the floor. Much to Alex's surprise this too was filled with more hats.

"I don't understand." Alex said looking at the hats in disbelief.

"There are quite a few hats in here." Twilight said rummaging through the box.

"This is some pony's junk, a literal closet with a fancy door to simply keep a collection of hats!" Alex said aloud looking miserable.

"There are still more boxes to check." Twilight said encouragingly.

"I fear that disappointment awaits me in each and every one." Alex replied shaking his head.

Alex's fears came true when Twilight opened three more boxes all containing hats. Twilight had many ideas of what these hats could have been for but wondered what Rarity would have said seeing these. Trying on a few hats to see how they would fit, Twilight did not notice that Alex was slowly knocking his head against the stone wall until the thuds became more pronounced.

"Are you alright?" Twilight asked sounding worried.

"I would have thought that this room contained some sort of old texts or perhaps some royal jewels, but it is merely the backwash of a vendor's surplus inventory." Alex remarked hanging his head.

"What about the tarps? Maybe they have something you'll find interesting." Twilight suggested.

"Perhaps you're right, Ms. Sparkle. They could be old artwork done by prestigious Flame Ponies or something." Alex said with his spirit lifted once more.

Twilight pulled the tarp off the stack of canvases to reveal portraits, well technically caricatures, of a young Flame Pony. Some were quite funny to look at, but Twilight could see Alex was not in a laughing mood.

"This whole thing has been folly." Alex said heaving a large sigh.

"It must have belonged to the Flame Pony whose in these pictures." Twilight said looking at them one by one.

"Fantastic, we can tell him he owes back payments on his storage unit." Alex said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry that this wasn't the treasure trove you were hoping for." Twilight said sympathetically.

"It is quite alright, Ms. Sparkle. I thank you for humoring me with this little endeavor, but I must swallow my pride and carry on." Alex said taking a deep breath.

"What are you going to do with all these hats?" Twilight asked curiously picking up the sun hat once more; hoping to keep it.

"The hats have been well preserved. I could probably allow a vendor pony the chance to sell these for a couple of bits." Alex said looking them over.

"You don't think the pony in the pictures will come looking for them?" Twilight asked fiddling with the hat.

"I wouldn't think so, I'm sure the pony who left this down here is long gone by now." Alex said taking notice of Twilight's interest in the hat.

"It was such a long time ago." Twilight said slowly agreeing with him.

"Feel free to keep a hat if you like, Ms. Sparkle. I'm sure the previous owner would want these to be used as they were intended." Alex said.

"You wouldn't mind?" Twilight asked, her face brimming with excitement.

"I believe it would suit you quite well, Ms. Sparkle. Unlike this old thing." Alex insisted, picking up an older weathered cap from the box.

Much to both of their surprise, the hat did not catch fire from Alex's hoof. Alex examined it closer looking quite puzzled by it.

"These must have been made for Flame Ponies!" Twilight said leaning over into the box to get a better look at the rest of them.

"It is quite remarkable how far we've fallen, the material used in this hat seems no different then what normal ponies wear, but yet somehow it resists bursting into flames." Alex said looking it over.

"I'm sure Rarity would love to see these, as well as the other Flame Ponies who are interested in making clothes." Twilight said using her magic to place a pirate hat upon Alex's head.

"I will make note of this and inform Rarity at the next meeting. For now I will fetch some Flame Ponies to come collect the hats and bring them upstairs. Seeing as they are fire proof, there shouldn't be any trouble." Alex said looking uncomfortable wearing the hat.

Alex tossed the pirate hat back into the box before making his way towards the door.

"I will be right back, Ms. Sparkle. I would very much like to see those etchings you spoke of earlier." Alex said from the threshold of the door.

"Of course." Twilight replied watching Alex nod before stepping out into the corridor.

Twilight was still curious about the Flame Pony in the pictures, wondering if there was some way to find out who it was. The pictures depicted several different locations, one with the pony in Ponyville, while another was near a large bridge, but each picture had the same pony. It was very strange to Twilight why any pony would have more than one caricature of themselves.

The portraits were drawn by a non-Flame Pony, that much Twilight could figure out, but the pony that drew them did even leave a name. Twilight believed that the pony wasn't too famous or attached to his or her work but was at least making good money of this particular pony. The more Twilight looked over the portraits the more she felt like she overlooking something. The backgrounds themselves were drawn at random, one depicted a beach, while another was forest and so and there forth. Twilight got to the bottom of the stack and realized what she had been missing.

"How long does it take to scrape a floor?" Alex whispered to himself; his voice echoing from the corridor

Alex looked around the room wondering where Twilight had gone before noticing her near the pictures.

"Everything all right, Ms. Sparkle?" Alex asked curiously.

Twilight was leaning the portraits one by one against the wall, side by side in an order that Alex could not figure out. Having placed at least fifteen portraits, of the several that were still left, Twilight made her way back down to the first portrait.

"Ms. Sparkle?" Alex asked sounding confused by her actions.

"The Flame Pony had his picture drawn over the years." Twilight replied walking down the line of portraits.

"I don't quite follow." Alex said tilting his head looking at the portraits.

"The closer to the bottom of the stacks I got, the younger the Flame Pony seemed to get. So I lined them all up to get a better look at each one." Twilight explained placing more portraits down before hitting the corner of the room and then turning.

"I see what you mean, Ms. Sparkle, but we've already seen the presumably last portrait at the top. What difference does it make?" Alex asked curiously walking down the row of portraits.

"There are significantly more hats than portraits in here, which means that the artist who drew these was a traveling pony." Twilight remarked laying out the last few.

"I'm not following." Alex said looking rather perplexed by her logic.

"Think of it this way, when would a pony want to get a caricature?" Twilight asked putting it simply.

"I would say at some sort of festival?" Alex asked.

"We can only speculate at this point, but it would be a good bet. So this pony must have come to this same artist every year to get his picture drawn." Twilight said pointing to each portrait.

"Alright, then what?" Alex asked waiting for the next part of Twilight's explanation.

"If you had one of these done of you what would you have in the background?" Twilight asked.

"I'm not sure, I suppose it would be of the Ashen Fields or of Castle Char." Alex said scratching his head.

"That's what the first two are, Castle Char and the Ashen Fields." Twilight said pointing them out.

"Well it would seem only proper." Alex replied.

"So you are this Flame Pony, coming back for a picture every year, but you don't want the same background, what do you have him or her draw?" Twilight asked keeping her thought process moving.

Alex took a deep breath before slowly expelling the air from his cheeks thinking hard about it.

"I suppose these dungeons? I would be familiar with those." Alex said looking to Twilight.

"Right again. The next portrait is of a beach. It would be a bitter sweet thing to a Flame Pony, but it is a memory he would not want to forget." Twilight said pointing to the next one.

"That is a rather large stretch Twilight. It could very well be just the artist filling in space with whatever came to mind." Alex said looking unconvinced.

"That's what I thought too, but every single portrait has a different background. Would it not be easier to simply draw a beach over and over again? Unless the pony buying the picture specifically asked for them." Twilight said seeming to enthrall Alex with her thought process.

"So the Flame Pony chose a place that he wanted to remember from that year." Alex said starting to get on board.

"Right! So I'm guessing the forest in this picture was of the Dark Marsh." Twilight said picking up the portrait.

"It would be a wise guess, it must have been his first time in the marsh or perhaps an event that he wished to remember." Alex said looking over Twilight's shoulder.

"The Crystal Empire, Manehatten, Canterlot, and even Ponyville are in these backgrounds." Twilight said walking down the aisle of portraits once more.

"This would mean that the Flame Pony traveled quite a bit from the Ashen Fields, which could mean this Flame Pony was part of a merchant family. Which would explain all the hats, but that just leads us right back to where we started. It was just a vendor and his wares." Alex said looking quite surprised coming to the same conclusion as before.

"That's where you're wrong." Twilight said looking quite pleased with herself.

"What do you mean?" Alex asked looking curious.

"No two hats are the same. A vendor would have several of the same hats to sell. So what we have here is a collection of hats that the Flame Pony bought for himself." Twilight explained.

"So what does it all mean, Ms. Sparkle?" Alex asked glancing at the portraits and the hats.

"It means I know who the Flame Pony in the portraits is, but I just don't know why he did it." Twilight said looking a little annoyed.

"You know who this Flame Pony is? How can that be?" Alex asked in disbelief.

Using her magic, Twilight lifted a portrait to Alex pointing at the background with her hoof. Alex looked closely at it. It was several well-crafted stone buildings side by side with unintelligible signs in the back, all but one was Alex able to read.

"Hot and Smolder Choices?" Alex said aloud reading it.

"Who's the only pony we know that's named Smolder?" Twilight asked with a smile.

"Well that would be our King of course, but-" Alex stopped mid-sentence.

Alex stood frozen. His eyes in a hundred yard stare unable to comprehend what he had just realized.

"These…" Alex asked slowly pointing at the portraits along the wall.

"Mhm." Twilight replied.

"Smolder…" Alex mumbled looking at the portrait Twilight was holding.

"Yup." Twilight said.

"It is the young Prince Scorch?" Alex asked slowly with a look of pure shock.

Slapping his hoof to his head, Alex stepped back to let it sink in while Twilight put down the portrait.

"It still doesn't explain the hats." Alex said still in awe.

"I'm guessing the young prince liked hats." Twilight said shrugging.

"It's unfortunate that this will never see the light of day." Alex said with a sigh.

"Yeah, it must be-wait what?" Twilight asked, this time she was surprised.

"I'm sure Wingston could confirm this for himself, along with General Hearth, but if this is the young Prince Scorch, no Flame Pony will care to see it." Alex explained heaving a sigh.

"But… this is before he became the Mad King, wouldn't this be useful as some sort of historical reference of how even good ponies go bad?" Twilight asked watching Alex head for the door.

"The Mad King is all these Flame Ponies can remember." Alex said somberly.

Twilight, with her sun hat in hoof, stepped out of the room and watched Alex press the stone block. The stone door slid closed in front of them and Alex began to scrape his hoof across the door; making an x.

"You wanted to know more about Flame Pony history, this is the best chance you have of learning what the Mad King was like as a foal." Twilight said in protest.

"A monster is a monster no matter the size or age. It just takes time to realize that it's a monster." Alex said decisively.

Alex glanced over at Twilight who seemed rather upset with his decision while clutching the sun hat in her hooves.

"You may not like my decision Ms. Sparkle, but the Flame Ponies here would rather have the Mad King become a distant memory as quickly as possible." Alex explained.

"Are you at least going to tell Smolder?" Twilight asked pouting.

"I will inform Wingston of what the contents of the room are and have him make that decision. Now, if you would be so kind as to show me where you found those etchings I will be most appreciative." Alex said holding out his hoof for her to lead the way.

Twilight narrowed her eyes at him.

"What else are you hiding down here?" Twilight asked suspiciously.

"Sorry?" Alex replied looking a bit unsure.

"Like you said, you're the only one down here. What other things have you found that you're keeping a secret from every pony?" Twilight asked.

Alex's mane flared at these words. It was enough to let Twilight know she struck a nerve with him.

"I do what I believe is best for the Flame Ponies of the Ashen Fields, Ms. Sparkle. Some things are best left forgotten." Alex stated.

Twilight slowly put the sun hat on top of her head. Her eyes still narrowed, looking him over, as if trying to see under lying motive.

"Everything will one day come to light, Ms. Sparkle, but there is a time and place for everything." Alex continued trying to reassure her that his intentions were good.

"The etchings were back this way." Twilight said motioning back down the corridor.

The corridors seemed almost like a maze to Twilight, being led through it was simple enough but having to back track was nearly impossible for her. Luckily though, Alex decided to take point and lead Twilight far back enough to get her familiar with the surroundings once more. It turned out that it wasn't so much Twilight's memory that seemed to kick in but the smell of sulfur that lingered within one of the corridors that got Twilight's attention.

"It's down this way." Twilight said pointing down path.

"Lead on, Ms. Sparkle." Alex replied looking excited once more to see these etchings.

Twilight was leading once more. Bits of ash were kicked up by her hooves. The light from Alex's flames illuminated the scorched hoof prints the Mad King had left behind. Once or twice Twilight placed her hoof over the Mad King's to compare the size and was surprised each time how much larger it was when compared to hers. It had become a simple matter of retracing the Mad King's hoofsteps at this point. Alex would simply draw an arrow onto a wall whenever there was a turn and a second arrow to point them back to the way they came. Just to be safe.

After passing several rooms that had Alex craning his neck to take a peek in, Twilight finally rediscovered the etching she had seen when she and every pony else came down here.

"This is it!" Twilight said feeling some excitement herself.

"Real Flame Pony etchings! Remarkable!" Alex said examining the etchings very closely.

"Can you read them?" Twilight asked.

"Well, that is where things become difficult." Alex said slowly wiping away the soot from the walls.

"What do you mean?" Twilight asked looking skeptical.

"This is a very old Flame Pony etching, no letters or symbols were used at such a time. It was merely murals that were drawn to represent a specific moment in Flame Pony history." Alex explained wiping away more soot.

"So it's a drawing?" Twilight asked.

"A crude drawing, but yes, a drawing none the less." Alex replied stepping back and raising his hoof to bring more light to the etching.

The etchings had several large gashes that stemmed from a single large circle that resided within the center of the piece. Several small flames dotted around the circle and near the center while a building could be seen within the interior of the circle.

"It looks like something is coming out of that circle, maybe it's a map of some kind?" Twilight pondered aloud.

"The etching lacks any real landmark other than the castle that resides in the center." Alex pointed out.

"How do you know it's a castle?" Twilight asked.

"It would seem appropriate, considering that we are under one." Alex said with a shrug.

"So you think it's Castle Char?" Twilight asked.

"The flames that are around it do seem to suggest that idea. What I can't seem to figure out is the deep gashes that seem to be coming out of it." Alex said sounding unsure.

"Maybe they're heading towards the castle." Twilight suggested.

"Towards the castle?" Alex questioned stepping back again.

"Maybe we should look around to see if there are any more etchings nearby." Twilight said looking back down the corridor.

"Splendid idea." Alex agreed.

While Twilight and Alex left the etching in search of more clues to help enlighten them to what the etching is trying to depict, a broken mirror in the Royal Chamber was giggling quietly to itself.

Chapter 5: Patch Job

Much of the ash that had once covered the Ashen Fields had been engulfed by the Void during the Mad King's second banishment. Sine then volcano's ash cloud, that had covered the fields in shadow, was cleared in the following month with the help of the pegasi from Cloudsdale; a large majority of it being funneled back into the basin of the mountain. Although, a thin layer of ash seemed to remain just under hoof, even though it was a dramatic change from how much there was before; Rarity was not too fond of stepping in it regardless.

Rarity stood just outside the main entrance of Castle Char, having taken her leave of the others to make her way to the shopping district. Tiff Pitchstone had given Rarity directions on where to find said shopping district with minimal of effort; even though many of the stone huts looked identical to her.

"I do hope that I remember these directions correctly, I would hate to be late on my first day." Rarity said to herself thinking back to what Tiff had told her.

"Let me see here, if I'm not mistaken, Tiff said that I would need to go two roads over." Rarity said to herself looking at the ground around her.

It wasn't much of a road anymore, but the discoloration of the paths that had once been roads was enough for Rarity to set off.

"I am to take a left at the corner and count twelve stone huts before taking a right." Rarity said to herself taking the left.

Rarity was greeted by passing Flame Ponies who were making renovations to several of the stone huts down that particular road. Some even took a moment to admire the vibrant colors of Rarity's mane and the style in which she kept it. It was all very humbling to Rarity and did her best not to let the attention go to her head, but she did strike a pose a few times to receive some claps from on looking Flame Colts. Rarity eventually arrived at a point where the path became an intersection where several Flame Ponies were hauling large pieces of stone down the dirt streets while other were rebuilding older stone shops.

"Now it should be just three stone shops down from this corner." Rarity said to herself taking the right at the intersection.

Rarity strolled down the old stone path, it was worn and cracked from years of use, but it remained dependable to keep ponies from walking on complete dirt. There were three Flame Ponies standing outside one of the stone shops, looking rather nervous at Rarity's approach. When Rarity had reached these three Flame Ponies, none seemed brave enough to look at her.

"Is everything alright?" Rarity asked sounding concerned.

"We're… the Flame Ponies…" The smallest of the three whispered.

"I'm sorry I don't quite understand." Rarity replied apologetically.

"We're the ponies who want to… make clothes." The smallest pony said again.

"You are? Well then, it is a pleasure to meet all of you. I'm Rarity and I've been asked by Wingston to help train you all in the glorious art of fashion." Rarity said beaming with pride.

None of the Flame Ponies seemed all that excited, in fact, they seemed rather insecure just being there.

"Is it something I said?" Rarity asked curiously.

"No…" Replied a different Flame Pony.

"It seems that I have three Fluttershy's to deal with. Well… step inside this, I guess you can call this a shop, and we'll get every pony settled in." Rarity said looking at the shop's lack luster design.

The three Flame Ponies followed Rarity into the shop, it was barren for the most part but there were some stone tables that had been recently installed, along with a new counter, and shelves. As per her request, several spools of Rarity's fire proof fabric had been moved to this location to ensure that she could get her students under way as soon as possible.

"Alright, before we get started I would like to get to know each and every pony here so I can better understand your muses." Rarity said out right.

The three Flame Ponies looked at one another, almost daring each other to speak first but none stepped up to answer her. One of the Flame Ponies tried to nudge the littlest one to go first, but she retreated quickly; her mane flaring from embarrassment.

"I'm getting the feeling that none of you want to be here." Rarity said sounding disappointed.

"No!" All three Flame Ponies shouted at once in a hurry.

Unfortunately, all three Flame Ponies looked away embarrassed at their outburst and returned to being silent once more.

"I'm going to take a shot in the dark here and say that you three are embarrassed about being here, aren't you?" Rarity asked curiously trying to determine their odd behavior.

The smallest Flame Pony shook her head yes to Rarity's question.

"Why ever would you feel embarrassed about that?" Rarity asked sounding surprised.

"It makes us… look… weak." The smallest Flame Pony replied quietly.

"Using your creativity to make beautiful garments that even a Princess would want to wear is anything but weakness. Just because you're not breaking some stupid boulder with your hooves doesn't mean you're not contributing." Rarity replied hotly feeling annoyed by such backwards thinking.

None of the Flame Ponies responded, each pony seemed unconvinced by Rarity's words and this only annoyed her further.

"I will have no more of this uncomfortable silence, you will all introduce yourselves or you can find another instructor." Rarity said decisively.

The three Flame Ponies looked at one another in horror, having to swallow their pride, the Flame Ponies nodded to one another; facing the music.

"My name is Cross Stitch; I wanted to be seamstress ever since I was a filly. My mom would tell me stories of normal ponies wearing lavish garments that were so colorful that it would make a rainbow jealous. Being a Flame Pony I never thought I'd ever wear or even touch clothing that wouldn't burst into flames but when we were told that an unmatched fashion designer replicated the fire proof material we had lost so many years ago… I couldn't let this chance slip away." Stitch, the smallest of the three Flame Ponies, spoke first.

She was a soft grey, her flames a soft orange, her cutie mark bore a ripped seamed that had been repaired with stitching.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Stitch." Rarity said warmly to her.

"I-I-I-I-I'm… C-C-Crow S-S-Shay… I d-d-d-design… things…" Stammered the second Flame Pony.

Crow shook nervously, it appeared that it was taking a lot of courage for Crow to say what he did and couldn't summon the rest to go on. He was jet black, his flames were a deep red, he seemed rather fearsome, but his demeanor didn't really match up with him.

"Crow has been picked on by some of the other Fire Colts for his interest in designing clothes. It's almost required for colts to be mining gems or smashing rocks around here. He may not look it but Crow is at least brave enough to embrace something he's passionate about without falling in line like the other rock heads around here." The third Flame Pony spoke up but she didn't seem too shy to speak.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch your name." Rarity said looking to the Flame Pony that came to Crow's aid.

"I'm Skull Candy." The Flame Pony replied with toughness in her voice.

Rarity was not expecting such a peculiar name for female Flame Pony.

"Her actual name is Rose Blush." Stitch mumbled quietly.

"Stitch!" Rose barked in anger, her face turning a rosy red from her embarrassment.

"I think it's a wonderful name." Rarity said quickly trying to defuse the situation.

"It's a dumb name." Rose remarked with a huff.

"Well Ro- I mean Skull Candy, what made you want to be a seamstress?" Rarity asked correcting herself quickly noticing Rose's icy stare.

Rose was a smokey grey, her flames were the color of roses, and her cutie mark depicted a rose engulfed in flames. She seemed rather short tempered, very opinionated, but it all seemed to be a cover for a much gentler side of her she didn't like showing.

"Every Flame Pony starts to look the same around here, shades of grey and variations of fire start to blend together after a while. I want to make a statement, let Flame Ponies express themselves so they could be who they wanted to be and not just be another face in the herd." Rose remarked looking almost angry with the Flame Ponies outside.

"You seem rather… passionate about it." Rarity said looking for the right word to describe Roses' aggressive answer.

"Got that right." Rose said flaring her mane.

"It is very nice to meet all of you, Ms. Stitch, Mr. Shay, and…" Rarity trailed off unsure of what to call Rose Skull Fire Blush.

"You can call me Skully." Rose replied promptly.

"Ah, well… alright then, Skully it is." Rarity replied looking not too excited about her name.

Rarity had to be honest with herself. These three Flame Ponies were far from anything she was expecting in terms of seamstresses. Normally Rarity was approached by ponies that were rather eager to learn and even more excited to get started. This atmosphere felt completely wrong for the environment Rarity was normally used to. There was a sense of tension in the air, as if what they were doing was illegal or perhaps looked down upon here in the Ashen Fields. Rarity was hoping to change all that with a more hooves on approach.

"If all of you are ready, I'd like to get started in our first lesson." Rarity said with high spirits.

The three Flame Ponies nodded in agreement, not returning the same energy that Rarity was trying to create.

"Alright then, let's just start with the basics. Let's come up with a design and go from there." Rarity said heading over to stone chest.

Within the stone chest Rarity found several smooth tablets of rock but no writing implements. Looking around further through the chest, there was very little else to be found other than some scrap iron, metal scissors, and charcoal.

"I'm not sure if we have all the materials we need…" Rarity mumbled sounding unsure.

"Can I take a look?" Stich asked walking up along-side Rarity.

"As you can see there are only slabs of rock and a few scissors." Rarity mumbled still peering around the chest.

"Here it is." Stich said picking up the pieces of charcoal.

"Charcoal?" Rarity asked sounding surprised.

"It's what we use to draw on the rocks, at least until the charcoal burns away." Rose explained taking two from Stitch and tossing one over to Crow.

"I see." Rarity said slowly watching Stitch hand out the slabs of smoothed rock.

The three Flame Ponies went to work drawing upon their stone slates, the silence was met with the scratching and scraping of the coal but the three of them seemed to be very focused on their work. Rarity thought it best to not stifle their creativity with her looming over their shoulders.

"There is no need to rush now, take as much time as you need. I'll just make myself busy until you all are ready." Rarity said aloud watching the three Flame Ponies nod in reply.

The shop itself was rather roomy. Rarity could picture several stands and shelves having filled the room at one point in time. It was very clear that the shop was gutted of everything it had to offer and left only the walls and ceiling; only been given the essentials with its recent renovation. Rarity decided to poke around for a bit to get familiar with the shop so that she can better address the look of the store later on.

Rarity saw a door near the back of the shop and decided to take a gander for herself. The large stone door proved to be heavier then Rarity had anticipated but with all the grace and poise she could muster she opened it without much trouble.

"Why do Flame Ponies insist on making everything out of the heaviest stone imaginable?" Rarity whined pressing her whole body against the door and felt it slowly sliding open.

To Rarity's surprise it was rather well lit in the back room, several window frames void of glass offered natural lighting, but it also crossed Rarity's mind that the natural light from a Flame Pony's mane was enough. The room itself was nearly empty, save for a few stone chests that lined the back wall, but it did offer a lot of room for storage. Crossing the room Rarity opened the stone chests to see if anything was left in them, but to her dismay they were all empty. All the work she put in to opening the door, Rarity felt that the room owed her something worth-while but retreated back to front of the shop.

On her way out of the back room Rarity saw yet another stone door, cleverly placed against the side wall behind the counter. Glancing over at her seamstresses in training, Rarity could see that they were still very much engrossed in their work and felt it best to continue her exploring. Rarity struggled against the stone door, pushing with all her might as it slowly slide open. Breathing heavy Rarity quickly fixed her mane of the few strands of hair out of place and saw that the door led to a wall. On further inspection, Rarity saw that to her immediate right was a staircase leading to the second level of the building.

"Well this certainly is interesting." Rarity said to herself as she climbed that stairs.

There was a hallway at the top of the stairs, offering three more stone doors to potentially three separate rooms. Curiosity was already brimming in Rarity so she didn't waste any time in trying the first door. Fortunately, the doors on the second level were much lighter than the stone doors at the bottom. Leading Rarity to believe that the reason for certain doors being heavy while others were not was merely a primitive security system that let the weight of the stone keep intruders out.

The stone door slid open to reveal that the room had caved in on itself. Most of the large debris was being cleared by several Flame Ponies on the neighboring roof that took notice of Rarity at the door. Awkwardly the Flame Ponies waved to her as Rarity politely waved back. Rarity watched as they used metal chains and iron hooks to lift the large pieces of broken stone from the room.

"I can see that this room will be under repair for quite some time. I'll just try another door." Rarity mumbled to herself slowly closing the stone door.

The second stone door that Rarity tried happened to be the smallest of the rooms, practically a closet that was completely empty. There wasn't much room to maneuver within the closet, leading Rarity to believe it was simply a broom closet of sorts.

Upon attempting to open the third stone door Rarity was surprised to find it locked. Unsure if more strength was needed to budge the door, or if this room had collapsed in on itself as well, Rarity pressed herself up against it and pushed as hard as she could. The stone door refused to budge leaving Rarity quite annoyed. Rubbing her hoof along the sides of the door frame, trying to determine if the door had another way of being opened, Rarity was becoming more and more curious to what was in this room.

"Rarity?" Stich's voice came from the bottom of the staircase.

"Oh! Stitch, I didn't see you there. Is everything alright?" Rarity asked from the top of the stairs.

"We're finished… is everything alright with you?" Stitch replied looking at the stone door Rarity stood next to.

"For the most part, I seem to be having trouble opening this particular door." Rarity confessed brushing her mane aside.

"Is it locked?" Stitch asked curiously.

"I haven't the faintest idea, but that can be dealt with later. I would very much like to see what the three of you have come up with." Rarity said with a smile descending the stairs.

Rarity and Stitch reappeared from behind the counter where Rose and Crow were showing each other their finished designs. Stitch rushed back to her stone tablet, hugging it tightly to her chest and looking quite excited for what was to come next.

"Alright every pony, if you are ready then we will move on to the next step." Rarity said aloud making her way towards the spools of fire resistant material.

"Don't you want to see what we did?" Rose asked curiously.

"I will, after you have measured, sewn and stitched you hooves to the bone trying to make your designs a reality." Rarity said magically removing several spools from the shelves.

"Aren't you going to tell us whether they're any good or not?" Stitch asked nervously.

"That is not the point of this exercise darling, this is a chance to express yourselves the way you want to. There will be plenty of time later on where you will be critiqued harshly by other ponies for your work or having to adhere to a certain pattern asked by a high end client, but not today. Today is for the three of you to explore your strengths and weaknesses while doing something you're passionate about." Rarity explained placing several spools of different colored material before them.

"So you're just going to watch us then?" Rose asked looking confused.

"Perish the thought, uh, Rose. I will be showing you some basic techniques that all seamstresses use while showing you how measuring twice and cutting once will save you a lot of headaches down the road." Rarity stated magically levitating the scissors and more charcoal from the chest.

"Who are we going to measure?" Stitch asked curiously.

"Yours truly, of course." Rarity said with a smile.

There was a certain feeling Rarity got seeing three potential seamstresses just starting out, most of it was anxiety she felt for them but the rest of it was pride. Seeing as conventional tape measures were not going to work for the Flame Ponies, Rarity ended up cutting a long strip of fire resistant cloth and marking the inches and centimeters out herself. Crow and Rose seemed to have little to no difficulty taking Rarity's measurements, it took a little while longer seeing as they could not get too close to her but between the two of them they got near perfect matching measures. Stitch seemed to have great difficulty understanding the measuring aspect of the lesson, having taken several wrong measurements of Rarity several times before realizing that her small stature made it difficult to get accurate readings in one go.

With the measurements finished, Rarity moved them on to the next step of drawing out the patterns necessary for their designs. This time it was Rose who found difficulty in this aspect. Stitch and Crow were naturally artistic and were able to draw not only their designs with great detail but also sketched out the patterns with little difficulty. Rose on the other hoof had little to no talent in drawing, her design was crude making the patterns almost impossible to determine and brought Rose immense frustration. Rarity eventually had to step in and offer her some assistance in gauging the patterns for her design while Crow and Stitch assisted in drawing out the rest of her patterns.

Where every pony seemed to excel was the third portion of the lesson; sewing. Rarity brought three pony mannequins out for them to begin bringing their designs to life. From cutting out the patterns, to folding and sewing the pieces together, the three Flame Ponies seemed to be in business for themselves and only asked for personal input from Rarity every now and again. Rarity began to focus her attention towards Crow who seemed to have no difficulty what so ever so far in the lesson. His drawn design was almost a work of art in itself. His measurements were pin point accurate, his patterns cut to perfection and he was a natural at sewing. Rarity could not put her hoof on it but there was nervousness about Crow that bothered her.

"Crow?" Rarity said aloud from behind him.

Crow jumped out of his skin. Shaking nervously, Crow slowly turned his head over his shoulder to look at her.

"Forgive me for interrupting but I was just wondering if everything is alright, you seem very tense?" Rarity asked.

"I-I-I-I-I-I..." Crow stammered uncontrollably looking even more nervous than before.

"Rarity! I have a question!" Rose called out to her.

"Of course! Excuse me darling." Rarity said excusing herself.

"Yes, uh, Skully?" Rarity asked walking up to her mock.

"Crow can't speak to other ponies." Rose hissed under her breath to Rarity.

"What?" Rarity whispered back sounding confused.

"Crow has a bad stammer. It makes it difficult for him to talk." Stitch whispered joining their conversation.

"I had no idea." Rarity whispered sympathetically.

"It's best if you just ask him things he can nod or shake his head to." Rose mentioned quietly.

"Hasn't any pony tried to help him with his speech impediment?" Rarity asked in a whisper.

"You're kidding, right? There's no pony like that around here. He was bullied and teased relentlessly for it, on top of his liking of sewing and fashion already." Rose hissed her mane flaring just thinking about it.

"That's horrible!" Rarity whispered looking appalled.

The three of them turned to look at Crow who had his head resting upon the pony mannequin breathing deeply and still shaking.

"Crow!" Rarity said aloud only to have him jump in surprise once more.

"Rarity!" Rose hissed trying to get her to stop.

Rarity strode up behind Crow, watching him slowly begin to turn around, still shaking while his eyes were glued to the ground.

"Crow, look at me." Rarity said defiantly standing before him.

Shakily Crow raised his head to her. He looked like he was going to be sick, the color had drained away from his face and he shook something fierce. Rarity whipped a long sheet of fire resistant cloth from the table with her magic and draped it over Crow. Rose and Stitch looked on his disbelief as Rarity proceeded to hug Crow through the cloth. Rose's mane flared wildly at the sight, her face turning a bright red while Stitch slowly scooted away from her.

Rarity could feel Crow's shaking stop, all the tension seemed to leave his body and as Rarity pulled away from her hug she could see Crow staring wide eyed at her.

"I want you to know that I am proud of you Mr. Crow Shay. Through adversity and discrimination you decided to rise above it all and pursue your dream." Rarity stated patting him on the shoulder through the cloth.

"T-T-T-Thank you." Crow stammered quietly still in shock.

"In time I would very much like to introduce you to a few acquaintances of mine, who have dealt with similar issues, who revolutionized the fashion world with their ideas and designs." Rarity continued removing the fire resistant cloth from Crow with her magic.

"I-I-I-I…" Crow stammered once more unable to form the words in time.

"Not another word, Mr. Shay. You will only speak when you feel comfortable doing so, I will do my best to refrain from asking you complicated question but I hope that you will feel more comfortable here now on." Rarity stated with a smile.

Nodding hastily in agreement, Crow smiled back hoping to convey the gratitude for the kindness he was just shown. Turning to look at Stitch and Rose, Crow was almost jumped out of his skin again seeing how much Rose was fuming. Rose's mane flared wildly for a moment before settling as she occupied herself with her work once more.

"Did I do something wrong?" Rarity whispered to Stitch who had retreated a safe distance away from Rose.

"Rose secretly likes Crow." Stitch whispered back.

"No!" Rarity hissed in disbelief.

"It's true. She protects him from any pony who tries to make fun of him. She doesn't let any pony speak to him without going through her first." Stitch whispered.

"I had no idea." Rarity whispered back; tickled at the idea of their being a blooming romance in this shop.

"I'd be careful if I was you, Rose is a very jealous pony, and you just hugged her special some pony." Stitch hissed before making her way back to the pony mannequin.

Rarity looked over at Rose who seemed rather flustered, throwing several swatches onto her mock without much care before glaring back at her. Wincing from the daggers being thrown her way, Rarity thought it best to hover around Stitch for a while and avoid Crow for a while.

Princess Luna awoke with a start, she was in her Royal Chamber, having been connected to Smolder's dream, and having been severed from it by a third party. Leaping out of her bed, Luna made for the door only to have it slowly creak open with Princess Celestia's face peeking through.

"Oh! Luna, I was coming to check on you." Princess Celestia said looking surprised to see her awake.

"Smolder is in danger!" Princess Luna shouted urgently.

Within the Royal Chamber, where Smolder slept soundly, Wingston watched two Royal Flame Pony guards struggle to lift the mirror from its spot. It was amusing for Wingston and Spike to watch the two guards struggling to move the mirror at first, but it quickly became clear that they were not just out of shape.

"What's the problem?" Wingston asked aloud sounding annoyed.

"Sorry, sir, but the mirror feels as if it's bolted to the floor." The first Royal Guard replied.

"Impossible, it was brought in here just this morning." Wingston replied.

"Well sir, perhaps who ever brought it in can take it back out." The second Royal Guard replied.

Wingston narrowed his eyes at the two Royal Guard ponies, not amused with their snarky remarks causing the two Flame Ponies to rapt to attention but Wingston just sighed in defeat.

"That will be all." Wingston said waving his hand half-heartedly to them.

The two Royal Guards bowed their heads quickly to Wingston before seeing themselves out in a hurry. Wingston rubbed his temples with his long fingers, whispering to himself while Spike tapped his claws nervously.

"Any word from Princess Celestia yet?" Wingston asked turning to Spike.

"Nothing yet, but I'm sure she's speaking to Discord as we speak." Spike replied encouragingly.

"I am curious to know if Discord had planned for this to happen or if he was unaware of this development as we are." Wingston mumbled glancing at the mirror.

"How come those Flame Ponies couldn't lift it?" Spike asked curiously glancing at the mirror.

"Whatever is on the other side of that mirror has probably something to do with it, keeping it from leaving this spot." Wingston stated.

"Should we be worried that it can do something like that?" Spike asked stepping behind Wingston.

"It might be best to simply move Smolder rather than the mirror from this room." Wingston said scratching his chin.

"We're not supposed to wake him though, Princess Luna is trying to enter his dreams, remember?" Spike asked pointing towards Smolder.

"We will do our best not to wake him but I will not have the mirror and Smolder in the same room. Be a lamb and fetch those guards again." Wingston requested pointing Spike towards the door.

"A lamb?" Spike asked looking belittled.

"A powerful, muscular dragon, capable of winning over the heart of the beautiful Rarity, goes to fetch the guards?" Wingston asked again.

"Now that's more like it." Spike replied running to the door.

The Royal Guards returned, being instructed by Wingston to take extra caution in lifting the King; to move him to the bedroom down the hall without waking him. The two Royal Guards carefully lifted Smolder onto a smaller piece of granite Flame Ponies used to transport injured ponies on and between the two of them carried Smolder out of the Royal Chamber. Wingston was the last one out, turning to have one last look at the mirror; he closed the door behind him and followed the guards.

The bedroom down the hall had been Smolder's old room from when he was a foal. It was just as empty as the Royal Chamber but it was much smaller so it did not seem so. The Royal Guards carefully placed their King into his old granite slab before excusing themselves once more from the room.

"What should we do now?" Spike asked turning to Wingston who stood at the door.

"We need to find out more about that mirror, we'll have to go down into the dungeon where the mirror originally resided and see if there is anything still there that can give a clue." Wingston replied.

"Will Smolder be alright by himself?" Spike asked looking back at the sleeping Smolder.

"A lot safer away from that mirror anyways, come little dragon, I will need you by my side for when Princess Celestia responds to us." Wingston said ushering him to the door.

"You got it." Spike said.

Wingston and Spike quietly left the room closing the large stone door behind them. Smolder lay fast asleep on the granite while a sudden black flame erupted from the stone floor near the wall opposite him. The flames twisted violently, forming the shape of the broken mirror. With a sudden hiss, the fire died away revealing the twisted mirror standing idly by Smolder once more. A giggle came from the mirror.

Chapter 6: General Dilemmas

Private Nightshade had his ear trained to the Throne Room door; straining to eavesdrop on the conversation taking place inside. Private First Class Cosmic stood as the look out. Considering that the two ponies were Royal Guards, Cosmic was unsure of who he should be looking out for.

"Can you hear anything?" Cosmic whispered over his shoulder.

"I won't hear anything with your lips flapping." Nightshade hissed waving his hoof at him to keep quiet.

"Maybe we should change places." Cosmic hissed back seeming rather annoyed.

"Not a chance." Nightshade whispered covering his free ear with his hoof to ignore him.

"What are you two doing?" Specialist Peanut asked, suddenly strolling up on them.

Nightshade and Cosmic both jumped. Cosmic quickly rushed over to Peanut, covering his mouth his hoof and shushing him. Peanut looked very confused.

"Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Discord are having an emergency meeting in there." Cosmic whispered to him.

"So?" Peanut asked confused with all their sneaking and secrecy.

"Nightshade said, that Princess Celestia said, that Princess Luna said, that Smolder was in danger." Cosmic explained in a hushed voice.

"What?" Peanut asked aloud in surprise.

Peanut rushed to the Throne Room door, pressing his ear up against it, along with Nightshade straining to hear whatever was being said on the other side. Cosmic decided to abandon his post, as look out, and join them with the eavesdropping.

Within the Throne Room, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Discord stood in a small circle. The Princesses were glaring at Discord who looked very sheepishly at them.

"Would you like to explain yourself, Discord?" Princess Celestia asked sounding rather displeased.

"Am I being accused of something?" Discord asked innocently.

"I have just received a letter from Wingston detailing the remains of the broken Void Mirror in Smolder's room that you put there personally." Princess Celestia stated magically raising the letter up to him.

"Oh! Yes! That! Well you see I was just merely returning it to its rightful owner was all." Discord said crumbling up the letter and swallowing it.

"That mirror should have been kept far away from the Ashen Fields, Discord." Princess Luna scolded.

"What has your manes in a knot? All I did was give the little Flame Pony a memento of horrors being a Mad King would bring. It was just a bit of fun, I didn't know that the little King would get so bent out of shape over it." Discord said looking rather annoyed.

"The mirror is talking, Discord." Princess Celestia said stomping her hoof down.

"Really? It wasn't doing anything like that when I found it." Discord replied looking genuinely surprised.

"So you honestly have no idea what is going on with that mirror?" Princess Luna asked looking suspiciously at him.

"Well technically, no, it wasn't speaking when I found it but generally speaking, it could be something or someone from the Void that is trying to communicate with our little Flame Pony King." Discord said scratching his chin looking rather curious about this development.

"Well your fun may have put Smolder in terrible danger." Princess Celestia said.

"Danger? What are you talking about?" Discord asked looking puzzled.

"Luna will have to be the one to answer that." Princess Celestia said turning to her.

"When I had received word that Smolder had fallen asleep, I didn't delay in entering his dream. I wanted to resolve whatever issues that may have been plaguing him and giving him nightmares. Upon my arrival I witnessed the Ashen Fields, a blaze with fire, while Smolder and the Mad King did battle at the base of the volcano." Princess Luna began.

"He's having nightmares about the battle with his father?" Discord asked.

"I don't believe so, although I do believe the events that took place that day did weigh heavy on his mind, but Smolder was winning that battle. I didn't have much time to really understand where his nightmares were stemming from, but I was to guess, it would have been from the loss of his brothers. It wasn't until I decided to intervene in the fight did I realize I was not alone." Princess Luna explained further.

"What do you mean?" Princess Celestia asked sounding interested.

"I felt the presence of another entity, a being that was already present within Smolder's dream. I attempted to find the entity with my magic but I felt my powers over the dream world weakening with every passing moment. That is when I saw the darkness pour out from Castle Char, an ocean of blackness covered the fields and surrounded me in shadow. I heard the laughter of a disembodied voice before I felt my connection to Smolder forcefully severed." Princess Luna concluded her story.

"That is very interesting." Discord said looking rather excited.

"That is not the proper tone or attitude I would take towards this matter, Discord." Princess Luna snapped at him.

"An entity capable of entering the dream world and break Princess Luna's bond from the Flame Pony? How is it not interesting? Our list of Ponies capable of such amazing feats is short and the list grows ever shorter on a Ponies who are unnerved by Princess Luna's attempts to reveal them." Discord stated.

"Something is at work here and we are without even a single idea of whom or what may be behind this." Princess Celestia stated.

"That mirror should be removed from Castle Char immediately." Princess Luna replied.

"Discord, return the Ashen Fields and relieve Smolder of this unintentional burden." Princess Celestia commanded.

"At once , Celestia." Discord said bowing his head quickly and disappearing on the spot.

Princess Celestia turned to Princess Luna who still looked rather worried about the whole thing.

"I hope that your encounter with this entity did not harm you in any way, Luna." Princess Celestia said looking concerned.

"Not at all sister, and that is what troubled me the most." Princess Luna confessed.

"What do you mean?" Princess Celestia asked curiously.

"I did not sense that the entity had any malicious intentions towards Smolder. What I did sense was something very similar to what I sensed within Smolder's dream." Princess Luna replied.

"And what was that?" Princess Celestia asked curiously.

"Loneliness." Princess Luna said somberly.

Nightshade, Cosmic, and Peanut still had their ears pressed hard against the Throne Room door. Each straining to hear the mumbled voices from the other side.

"Do any of you ponies hear anything?" Cosmic asked quietly still straining to hear.

"I heard something about a 'walking steer' or something." Nightshade mumbled, not quite able to make out their words.

"I think she said 'talking near her'." Peanut offered.

"This is ridiculous; we should just open the door a crack and listen in." Cosmic said taking his ear off the door.

"We can't do that, they'll see us!" Nightshade hissed, not liking the idea.

"We're not supposed to be listening in on their conversations as it is." Peanut warned him.

"Do you ponies want to know what is going on with Smolder or not?" Cosmic asked stomping his hoof down.

Peanut and Nightshade glances at each other, they turned back to Cosmic and nodded in agreement.

"Then it's settled we-" Cosmic was cut short by the door suddenly opening and hitting him square in the nose.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stood in the doorway looking rather surprised by the three Royal Guard ponies crowding near the door. The Princesses looked to see the one pony nursing his nose while the other two ponies tried to play it off like they were just hanging around by whistling and leaning on one another.

"Are you alright?" Princess Celestia asked sympathetically.

"Ness." Cosmic replied holding his nose.

"Why did the Royal Guard pony have his face so close to the door?" Princess Luna asked him curiously.

"Nie note know what nore knocking about." Cosmic said nasally.

"Perhaps these other two ponies would like to clear things up?" Princess Celestia asked looking over at Nightshade and Peanut.

"We were just, uh… smelling the door." Nightshade said quickly.

"Smelling the door?" Princess Luna asked looking completely confused.

"We were trying to figure out what's going on with Smolder." Peanut continued.

"Now that makes more sense." Princess Celestia said.

"It doesn't concern you ponies." Princess Luna said in a matter of fact tone.

"Of course it does!" Nightshade said aloud.

Peanut clopped a hoof over Nightshade's mouth and pulled him back to hold onto him.

"What he's trying to say, Princess Luna, is that in the little time we had, we have gotten to become friends with Smolder. We weren't able to do much of anything to help him in the Ashen Fields, but we're not just going to sit back while something or some pony messes with our friend." Peanut explained with the excessive nodding from Nightshade.

"Well put, Specialist Peanut." Princess Celestia remarked with a smile.

"Thank you, Princess Celestia." Peanut replied bowing his head.

"Private First Class Cosmic." Princess Celestia said turning to him.

"Ness!" Cosmic replied still holding his nose.

"I have a very important mission for the three of you." Princess Celestia said stated.

Rainbow Dash could not contain her excitement at the idea of teaching the new generation of pegasi Flame Ponies. Images flooded into her mind of Flame Ponies, years from now, looking back on what a great job she did with the very first Squadron of pegasi ponies. The images were so vivid that Rainbow Dash felt she was looking at snapshots of the occasions. What stirred her from these daydreams was a sudden herd of Flame Ponies that stood around chatting in the middle of the road. Almost twenty Flame Ponies all just standing around, shooting the breeze with one another and blocking her way.

"Hey! What's going on here?" Rainbow Dash asked aloud.

Every Flame Pony heard her voice; they all turned to see Rainbow Dash standing in the middle of the road looking puzzled. There was a sudden lurch from every Flame Pony as they formed two rows on either side of the street and stood at attention. Rainbow Dash looked even more puzzled now.

"What is every pony doing?" Rainbow Dash asked slowly.

"Ma'am! We are the pegasi ponies looking to become part of the new Royal Air Force! Ma'am!" Shouted a Flame Pony from the side line.

"You're all here to learn how to be better flyers?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief.

"Ma'am, yes Ma'am!" Shouted almost every pony at once.

"This is going to be so cool!" Rainbow Dash squealed to herself trying to contain her excitement.

Rainbow Dash quickly composed herself before walking down the road like a general inspecting her troops.

"Alright every pony, let's get one thing straight! I'm here because a friend of mine doesn't have time to whip your sorry flanks into the best Royal Air Force the Kingdom has ever seen. I'm going to be pushing you to your limits and then some. I'm not going to be here forever to hold your hooves whenever things go south so I'm looking to for ponies who want to be a leader. Ponies who not only want to set the example but lead by it. I want the ponies who will run towards danger, ponies that respect their fellow flyers and protect those that can't." Rainbow Dash declared loudly eyeing up every pony she walked past.

"King Matchstick put his flank on the line so you ponies could have this chance, you owe it to him to put your best hoof forward and make something of yourselves. Do I make myself clear?" Rainbow Dash asked loudly turning on the spot.

"Ma'am, yes Ma'am!" The two rows of Flame Ponies shouted.

"Good. Welcome to Rainbow Week." Rainbow Dash said with a grin.

Names were going to slow Rainbow Dash down, having a grand total of eighteen volunteers, she decided to simply number them off. Stating that if they made it through Rainbow Week she would consider learning their names, but until then Rainbow Dash simply wrote a number on each of their chests with chalk.

The first task Rainbow Dash had the pegasi Flame Ponies do was wing push-ups. She started off with only a hundred and after they were done with that she had them do it a hundred more with only one wing; then she made them do it with the other wing.

"Seventeen! Front and center!" Rainbow Dash shouted aloud.

A female pony roughly the same age and size of Rainbow Dash came running over quickly to her. Her flames were a light red, almost pink, and her hide was a dark grey. Her cutie mark depicted two wings jutting out from a helmet. She had the number seventeen on written on her chest as she threw it out standing before her.

"Ma'am?" Seventeen asked expecting a question to be posed to her.

"Every pony here seems to take orders rather well. Why is that?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously but in a serious tone of voice.

"Ma'am, every pony had to be taught how to fight and protect themselves from the dangers of the Dark Marsh and Cave Spiders by General Hearth. Ma'am." Seventeen replied quickly.

"That's all I needed, fall back in line recruit." Rainbow Dash said waving her back into the line.

"Ma'am!" Seventeen said aloud before rushing back to her place.

Retrieving her whistle from under her wing, Rainbow Dash blew hard into it and watched every pony get to their hooves. Some ponies seemed to be breathing hard while others looked like they hadn't even started.

"Every pony takes five." Rainbow Dash said aloud watching every pony relax from their statue like postures.

No sooner had the Flame Ponies relax did they all snap back to attention. Rainbow Dash looked around curiously to see what the fuss was about and spotted General Hearth strolling up to them.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Rainbow Dash." General Hearth greeted her.

"What's up, General?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"I was hoping to have a word with you in private, if it isn't too much trouble." General Hearth replied.

"No problem at all, let me just give these ponies something to do in the meantime." Rainbow Dash said stepping towards the Flame Ponies.

"Alright every pony, listen up! While I'm talking to the General I want you to give me one hundred wing flaps and none of you are allowed to leave the ground." Rainbow Dash announced completely voiding their promised five minute break.

The Flame Ponies began to flap their wings up and down; a steady pace was seen throughout them for flapping too fast would elevate them off the ground. Rainbow Dash let her whistle drop around her neck before walking a ways away with General Hearth.

"What can I do you for, General?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"First I want to apologize for being absent from the meeting this morning and that I did not get the chance to speak with you sooner." General Hearth started off apologetically.

"Hey, no worries General. Things are pretty busy around here." Rainbow Dash said reassuringly.

"I wanted to share with you my own personal recommendations for the leader of the Academy. If you were at all interested." General Hearth continued.

"Recommend away, General." Rainbow Dash replied looking excited.

"There are four Flame Ponies that show great promise, determination, and strong values. First of them being Solar Wind." General Hearth said pointing to the group of Flame Ponies.

"Which one is he?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously squinting at them.

"I believe he is the pony with the number three on his chest." General Hearth replied, also squinting to see.

"Number three, got it." Rainbow Dash said nodding.

"Solar Wind is our best long distance flyer, his stamina is unrivaled and the effort he puts into his training is unmatched. He is well respected by the other ponies but is hesitant to take command at times." General Hearth explained.

"Sounds like he's got some things to work out." Rainbow Dash said.

"The second is Flare Fizzle. She is the pony with the number twelve drawn on. She is the slowest of the four but only in flying. Flare excels in her mental abilities to assess situations in a matter of moments and take charge of the group without hesitation. Her flaw is her lack interest in becoming a stronger flyer." General Hearth continued.

"Sounds like we got ourselves a lazy pony." Rainbow Dash said narrowing her eyes.

"The third pony is Wisp Seeker, number nine. Our combat specialist, quick to the punch and light on his hooves. Capable of knocking a dragon on its tail and can knock an Owl Bear out with one hoof tied behind his back. Although he is brash, quick to temper and isn't much of a team player." General Hearth pointed out.

"A tough colt, eh?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"Last but certainly least, number seventeen, the wild card, Ray Horizon." General Hearth said with a loud sigh.

"Wild card?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I am only including her because she is the fastest flyer of all Flame Pony Pegasi in the Ashen Fields. She is much younger than the other three, eager to please and has energy to burn." General Hearth explained further.

"So what's your hang up about her?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"She is my granddaughter." General Hearth said with a sigh.

"No way!" Rainbow Dash shouted in amazement.

"I am not including her as a recommendation solely on the fact that we are related." General Hearth said quickly trying to dismiss any thoughts of him playing favorites.

"Mhm, I gotcha." Rainbow Dash said sarcastically.

"Ray desperately wants to be the leader of the academy, but she has a problem with authority figures. She argues, talks back, throws a tantrum when she doesn't get her way and only thinks of herself." General Hearth said with an exasperated sigh.

"Sounds like she's going to be a piece of work." Rainbow Dash said surprised at how cooperative she was earlier.

"I love my granddaughter, nothing will ever change that. Her rebellious nature has caused a great deal of conflict between us and her parents. I'm hoping that you can set her straight and make her realize what it means to be a true leader." General Hearth said sounding hopeful.

"Leave everything to me, General." Rainbow Dash said confidently.

"I appreciate you and your friends taking time to help our Flame Ponies, Ms. Rainbow Dash." General Hearth said graciously bowing her head to her.

"Don't mention it; it's kind of our thing. Thanks for your input, General, you've made my job a whole lot easier and made their training all that much tougher." Rainbow Dash replied.

"I will take my leave then, if you ever need anything feel free to come to me at any time. I look forward to seeing who you recommend to be our new Academy leader." General Hearth said.

"So am I." Rainbow Dash replied.

General Hearth accompanied Rainbow Dash back to the group of Flame Ponies who immediately stood at attention once more. Throwing Rainbow Dash a wave from his hoof, General Hearth excused himself from the company and retreated back towards the castle.

"Alright, listen up every pony!" Rainbow Dash shouted blowing hard into her whistle.

"General Hearth wants my recommendation on a Flame Pony who embodies the necessary skills and mindset of being a leader. With that being said I know what it takes to be the best, I know what I'm looking for and that is not something you should worried about. You should be concerning yourself on how you can be the best Royal Air Force Pony you can be, and how serving in this squadron can help protect your fellow Flame Ponies. This is not a contest, this is not a game, if I see any of you putting yourself or any of your fellow flyers in harm's way you're out of this academy. Do you understand me?" Rainbow Dash asked aloud.

"Yes, Ma'am!" The Flame Ponies shouted together.

"Alright then, let's get back to it." Rainbow Dash said blowing hard on her whistle.

The Royal Chambers were now vacant of both Smolder and the mirror. It did not stop Discord from appearing out of thin air, in a large spectacle of fireworks and trumpets, only to realize there was no pony to show off to.

"Strange, I could have sworn that I left both the Flame Pony and the mirror here." Discord said to himself scratching his chin.

With a snap of his claws the trumpets and fireworks disappeared from sight. Discord casually walked over to the door and squished himself through the cracks rather than opening the door. Popping out the other side into the hallway, Discord ran into Wingston and Spike who had just come from the corridor.

"Discord! See, Wingston! I told you Princess Celestia would get him here on the double!" Spike said excitedly pulling on his cloak.

"Wingston! How nice it is to see you again!" Discord said cheerfully patting him on the head.

Wingston swung his staff into Discord's goat leg and watched him hop around on one dragon leg mumbling under his breath.

"Is that anyway to say hello to an old friend?" Discord asked sounding hurt.

Wingston tried to hit Discord again with his staff but Spike intervened by holding Wingston at bay.

"We still need him to get rid of that mirror!" Spike said trying to hold back Wingston.

"Yes, yes, I'm here to take that nasty old mirror back to Canterlot with me. A thousand pardons for causing you such a headache." Discord said sarcastically bowing low to them.

"Just take the mirror and go. You have caused us enough grief for one day, Discord." Wingston said flatly pointing to the Royal Bed Chamber's doors.

"You mean in here?" Discord asked curiously pointing to the doors he just slid between.

"Yes… why?" Wingston asked slowly.

"I was just in this room and the mirror was absent from it." Discord said shrugging his shoulder.

Wingston quickly limped to the Royal Chamber's doors, pressing hard against it with Spike jumping in to help open it. The stone door slid open; Wingston's eyes darted towards where the mirror was last seen and saw that Discord was right.

"I told you, no mirror." Discord said peeking his head around the door.

With some unforeseen strength, Wingston slammed the stone door shut with Discord's head still inside and quickly hobbled back down the hallway with Spike jogging after him. Discord flailed for a minute trying to pull his head out of the door, with a loud pop, Discord's head came out flatter than a piece of parchment.

"The nerve of some ponies." Discord said placing his lion thumb in his mouth and blowing his head back to normal size.

Wingston hobbled down the hallway getting the attention of the two Royal Guard Flame Ponies who stood watch at the doors to Smolder's old room.

"Open… the doors!" Wingston commanded trying to catch his breath while limping as fast as he could.

The Royal Guards jumped in surprise at the command, quickly turning towards the doors and throwing them open. Wingston came staggering into the room with Spike right behind him, every pony, bat and dragon stared at the twisted mirror resting against the wall opposite of Smolder. A few moments of silence passed with Discord strolling up behind them and looking into the room.

"So that's where it is!" Discord said stepping over Wingston and Spike into the room.

"Shh!" Spike hissed pressing his claw to his mouth.

"Oh, right! The sleeping flame pony. How could I forget?" Discord asked sheepishly zipping his lips shut and tip toeing to the mirror.

"Careful Discord, there is something on the other side of that mirror!" Spike hissed at him.

Discord slithered up to the mirror, flicking one of the metal barbs jutting out from it before scratching his chin. Snapping his claws the mirror remained where it was, snapping it a second time the mirror vanished on the spot.

"Alright!" Spike shouted but suddenly slapped his claws over his mouth and glancing at the still sleeping Smolder.

Discord waited for a minute or two, staring at where the mirror had been. Spike looked at Wingston who also seemed to be waiting for something. A few moments later a black flame sprouted out from the floor and the mirror reemerged before them. Discord was now tapping his claws against his noggin, apparently in deep thought.

"Do you know what is on the other side of that mirror, Discord?" Wingston asked after a few minutes of silence from Discord.

"Not even the slightest idea, the mirror is limited to what the user is capable of. The Mad King could not move the mirror himself, thus making it stationary. Whatever is on the other side of this is trained in some black magic." Discord replied looking rather fascinated by it.

"Black magic?" Spike asked sounding worried.

"It is also known as Shadow magic or Dark magic. It is a very old and very dangerous." Wingston quickly explained approaching the mirror.

"You can tell by the black fire, it's a dead giveaway." Discord pointed out.

"Although you do not know who or what is in there." Wingston stated.

"I'm only making observations at this point, it apparently has made some sort of connection with Smolder thus allowing it to follow and find him wherever it goes. It can manipulate the mirror but nothing around it which means that its threat is limited." Discord explained.

"So getting rid of it is impossible?" Spike asked sounding very worried.

"Perhaps we can just give it what it wants and have it go about its merry way?" Discord offered an idea.

"It wants Smolder!" Spike shouted, once more slapping his claws over his mouth.

"Well that simply won't do. For now it appears that the mirror will have to stay here until I can find a way to severe the bound it has with Smolder. Much like it did to Princess Luna." Discord said threateningly, leaning over the mirror.

"Princess Luna?" Wingston asked sounding surprised.

"Princess Luna was forced out of Smolder's dreams by an unknown entity she believes it has come from the mirror. It is most likely a psychic connection on its part but it has only been able to enter his dreams so far. The Flame Pony doesn't look any worse for wear so I am inclined to believe that whatever it is, it doesn't want to hurt Smolder. At least not yet." Discord said pulling a magnifying glass out of thin air and examining the mirror.

"We were going to go down into the dungeons to look for any information that might have been left behind concerning the mirror. You help will be greatly appreciated Discord, since you've failed to help any up here." Wingston said turning to leave the room.

"Hardy har har." Discord said proceeding to follow Wingston.

"Are we just going to leave the mirror here with Smolder?" Spike asked nervously.

"We have too little dragon, there is nothing we can do until we know more about this mirror." Wingston explained patting him on the head as he limped by.

"Why don't you stay here and watch over the sleeping Flame Pony while the bat and I prowl the dungeons for more clues." Discord said eyeing Spike with his magnifying glass.

"O-O-O-Okay." Spike said shaking on the spot.

Wingston stopped for a moment, turning around and limping over to Spike. Placing his wing on Spike's shoulder, Spike could see Wingston trying to smile at him from beneath his cloak.

"I would not leave you here with Smolder if I did not believe you could protect him, Spike." Wingston said encouragingly.

"Really?" Spike asked feeling a little more brave.

"Protect my friend, Spike. I'm counting you." Wingston said withdrawing his wing and limping back towards the hallway.

The doors to the bedroom closed shut with the Royal Guards standing just outside. Spike tapped his claws nervously together glancing back at the mirror. Slowly sliding his way towards the sleeping Smolder, Spike kept his eyes fixed on the mirror hoping it wouldn't do anything scary.

"… BOO…"

"Gah!" Spike screamed leaping atop the granite and hiding behind Smolder.

A giggle was heard coming from the mirror, while Smolder chuckled in his sleep.

Chapter 7: Baking Friends

The Narrows. Lovingly named, by every Flame Pony in the Ashen Fields, after the strip of residential stone huts built so close together that ponies must get up on their hind legs to squeeze through. The construction of these residential huts were made in great haste by Flame Ponies under the Mad King's rule, and not much care or thought was put into its overall design.

Many Flame Ponies were forced to walk the length of the Narrows every day to get to wherever they're going; only trying to squeeze between the huts if they are in a hurry. Living in such close proximity of one another, it created a very tense and aggressive atmosphere among many Flame Ponies. From noisy neighbors to encroachment of space, the Flame Ponies are about to turn on one another if the bitter taste of the Dark Marsh's roots don't drive them mad first. Pinkie Pie stood in the middle of the road leading into the Narrows, her eyes fixed with a steel gaze and her inner thoughts narrating like a plot to a movie.

"Ponyville has made me soft. The colors. The sweets. The friendship. A paradise compared to this place. Bland stone walls, grey ash coating everything in sight, the only thing that stands out is the tension that hangs in the air. A breeding ground for frowns and-"

"One side, coming through!" A Flame Pony bellowed pushing a stone car full of rocks towards her.

"Oops! Sorry Mr. Flame Pony!" Pinkie Pie shouted jumping to the side.

"Crazy ponies standing in the middle of the street, I tell ya." The Flame Pony muttered pushing his cart past her heading into the Narrows.

"Where was I?" Pinkie Pie asked herself.

"A breeding ground for frowns and mean words uttered by even meaner ponies. I alone have been asked to save this street, I alone will have to bring the laughs and the cheers, and I alone will show them the joy of eating sweets." Pinkie Pie thought to herself.

A lone Flame Pony sat at the edge of the street holding a small stone tablet that had the words 'Pink Pie' written on it. Ruby Simmer anxiously waited for the pony named 'Pink Pie' to show up, looking back and forth down the Narrows hoping to catch any sign of her. Ruby had a light black color to her hide, a very brilliant shade of red to her mane, and her cutie mark was that of a ruby bathed in fire.

Pinkie Pie bounced down the street. Ruby scrambled to get to her hooves holding up the sign to her. Pinkie Pie came to a sudden halt to read the sign.

"Are you Pink Pie?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Sorry, I'm Pinkie Pie." Pinkie Pie replied shaking her head and started bouncing away.

"Wait!" Ruby shouted scribbling on the sign.

Coming to a halt once more, Pinkie Pie turned back towards Ruby who held up the sign again. This time it had the letters 'ie' added the word pink.

"Hey! That's me!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed rushing over to her.

Pinkie Pie circled Ruby a few times, looking her over closely while Ruby stood frozen unsure of what she was doing.

"Where are you hiding the rest of the ponies?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"I'm not hiding anything." Ruby replied.

"Wingston said there was a couple of Flame Ponies that wanted to learn how to bake waiting for me." Pinkie Pie explained lifting up the smallest of pebbles to see if any pony was hiding under it.

"All the other ponies… left." Ruby said sadly.

"Left?" Pinkie Pie asked sounding shocked.

"They said… they had better things to do…" Ruby mumbled feeling very anxious.

"Do you want to learn how to bake?" Pinkie Pie asked leaning in close to her.

"Yes! Yes I do!" Ruby replied quickly leaning away from her.

"Great! This is going to be so awesome! Just the two of us! I'm going to have so much more time to teach you some many more things because now I don't have to watch a bunch of Flame Ponies baking the same thing over and over again. It's just going to be you making the most delicious and sweetest treats the Ashen Fields have ever tasted!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed excitedly bouncing around circles.

"You're not upset?" Ruby asked sounding concerned.

"About what?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"The other ponies leaving?" Ruby asked.

"I'm just happy that you decided to stay!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed with big smile.

Ruby felt herself smile back. It wasn't every day that a pony was happy to see her, especially in the Narrows where every pony seemed to be annoyed by every little thing.

"So where's your bakery?" Pinkie Pie asked raising her hood to her brow and scanning the buildings for a shop.

"We don't have a bakery." Ruby replied.

"What? No bakery!" Pinkie Pie gasped.

"We've been eating roots from the Dark Marsh for years, so they tore it down to make room for other buildings." Ruby explained feeling bad for delivering this news.

"How are we supposed to bake delicious treats without a bakery?" Pinkie Pie screamed into the air.

"Hey! Shut up out there!" A Flame Pony shouted from the second story window across the street.

"No!" Pinkie Pie shouted back.

"What'd you say?" The Flame Pony asked leaning out his window.

"I said, NO!" Pinkie Pie shouted even louder.

"Pinkie! Don't make him mad." Ruby hissed nervously.

"Don't you move… whatever your name is!" The Flame Pony shouted leaving his window.

"It's Pinkie!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

"Don't you move, Pinkie!" The Flame Pony came back to the window to shout.

Pinkie Pie didn't follow the Flame Pony's instructions and crossed the street to meet him; Ruby chasing after her. Coming up to the stone door where the Flame Pony was surely coming to be emerging from, Pinkie Pie waited patiently as Ruby begged her to run.

"Pinkie! We should go! He's really mad now!" Ruby pleaded, unable to touch Pinkie Pie in fear of burning her.

The hoof steps from the other side of the stone door grew louder as Ruby ducked behind Pinkie Pie. The stone door swung open revealing the Flame Pony from the window.

"Alright then, Pinkie-" The Flame Pony was cut short as a custard cream pie hit him right in the face.

Ruby watched in horror at what had just happened, witnessing Pinkie Pie burst into a fit of laughs, rolling around on the floor uncontrollably. The Flame Pony, now covered in custard, stood frozen on the spot with the pie pan still stuck to his face. Slowly the pie pan slide off, clanking to the floor and the wide eyed Flame Pony stood looking surprised. Tearing up from laughing so hard, Pinkie Pie took several deep breaths while Ruby looked paler then a ghost.

"This... this is really good." The Flame Pony muttered; licking his own face.

"It's a... custard... cream... pie." Pinkie Pie wheezed out.

"This is really really good!" The Flame Pony said rather excitedly.

The Flame Pony's tongue struggled to reach the far sides of his face, while he scooped globs of custard with his hooves into his mouth. Ruby watched in complete disbelief at the scary and mean Flame Pony's sudden transformation.

"Where did you get this?" The Flame Pony asked curiously.

"I made it." Pinkie Pie said proudly.

"Hey! Yo! Maxine! Get out here!" The Flame Pony shouted into the stone hut.

Seconds later a female Flame Pony appeared at the door looking very annoyed.

"What is it, Francis?" Maxine asked with a sigh.

"Do the thing." Francis the Flame Pony said looking at Pinkie Pie and pointing to Maxine.

Without hesitation, Pinkie Pie pulled out another pie from seemingly nowhere and threw it directly into Maxine's face. The color drained from Ruby's face, surely expecting a windfall of profanity and female Flame Pony wrath to befall them. Yet, another miracle had befallen the Narrows as Maxine's pie tin came sliding off her face and her tongue making quick work of the cream.

"This is really good!" Maxine said in amazement.

"What I tell ya, did I say it was good?" Francis asked nudging Maxine with his elbow.

"Where did you get this?" Maxine asked scraping custard off her face and eating off her hoof.

"This here Pinkie pony made it. She is some sort of cook or something." Francis said pointing to Pinkie Pie.

"You're really good at cooking these things." Maxine said still licking her hoof.

"Thank you! That's really nice of you to say!" Pinkie Pie replied.

"You got any more of those there pies?" Francis asked curiously looking her over.

"I could make more, but there isn't a shop for us to make them in." Pinkie Pie replied sadly hanging her head.

"You needs a shop or something? I work in construction, me and my guys just built this new place over in the shopping district. It's got a lot of space and it's looking for an owner." Francis said pointing towards the other end of the Narrows.

"Can we have it?" Pinkie Pie asked excitedly.

"I don't knows. You'll have to take it up with old Mr. Fleece. You talk about your cranky ponies, that pony has got a stick so far up his-" Francis was cut short by Maxine elbowing him in the side.

"What my husband is trying to say so delicately is that Mr. Fleece is going to need some serious convincing if you plan to ask him for that new shop." Maxine explained.

"I'll go talk with him right now! Thank you so much for all your help!" Pinkie Pie said.

Pinkie Pie started to bounce down the street leaving Ruby looking flabbergasted.

"Do you have any of those pies?" Francis asked her.

"No! Sorry!" Ruby said quickly before bolting off after Pinkie Pie.

"You scared her, Francis." Maxine said shaking her head and retreating inside.

"If only I could scare your mother like that whenever she came to visit." Francis said sadly closing the stone door.

Ruby eventually caught up to Pinkie Pie who was still just cheerfully bouncing down the street.

"How did you do that?" Ruby asked keeping pace with her.

"Do what?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"Stop that pony from knocking your block off." Ruby said.

"Oh!" Pinkie Pie said suddenly stopping mid bounce and landing gently on the ground proceeding to walk alongside with Ruby.

"I was planning on making the pony laugh when I hit him with the pie, but I guess he was just more interested in the taste rather than the joke." Pinkie Pie explained.

"A joke? You risked your life for a joke?" Ruby asked sounding shocked.

"I wouldn't say I was risking my life, but I met his anger with a joke and everything turned out fine." Pinkie Pie said.

"I don't get it." Ruby mumbled looking very confused.

"The best way to break up any fight is with laughter. It's hard to stay mad when you're trying not to smile." Pinkie Pie explained.

Ruby's mind wrapped around that idea and it made a lot of sense to her. It was almost unbelievable to see a pony as happy and as energetic as Pinkie Pie was.

"Do you think you can teach me how to be… funny?" Ruby asked nervously.

"I thought you wanted to bake?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I do! I… just want to be funny too." Ruby said slowly.

"A baker and a practical joker? You're going to be one busy pony, that's for sure!" Pinkie Pie said blowing a sharp whistle.

"Will you help me?" Ruby asked pleadingly.

"Of course I will! On one condition." Pinkie Pie said coming to a stop.

"Anything!" Ruby said quickly stepping in front of her.

"I want to know why." Pinkie Pie said simply.

"Why what?" Ruby asked feeling lost.

"Why do you want to be a baker and why you want to learn how to be funny? You're cutie mark doesn't match your interests." Pinkie Pie said nodding towards her flank.

"Well you see… I… uh…" Ruby stammered looking flustered. Turning a bright red, Ruby played with her hooves trying not to look at Pinkie Pie.

"Yes?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I… want to make… friends." Ruby said feeling very embarrassed.

"You want to make friends?" Pinkie Pie asked looking surprised.

"I used to dig for gems with my parents. It was a lot of hard work and you don't really meet a lot of foals or fillies in the caves. My parents really didn't want me to live my life underground so they told me to find something that I wanted to do. I didn't really know any pony so when I saw that ponies wanted to learn how to bake I thought I could get to know a pony or two during your lessons. They all ended up leaving and I felt really bad if you showed up with no pony waiting for you." Ruby explained looking ashamed.

"Congratulations!" Pinkie Pie shouted throwing confetti into the air and blowing a party horn.

"What?" Ruby asked taken aback.

"You wanted to make a friend and you did!" Pinkie Pie cheered.

"I did?" Ruby asked looking surprised.

"Me silly!" Pinkie Pie shouted bouncing up and down.

"Oh no! You can't… I mean… you don't have to… I couldn't…" Ruby stammered looking embarrassed.

"I don't have to do anything, I want to be your friend Ruby and I am. So maybe your passion ends up being something else, but that shouldn't stop you from trying different things. I'm actually Ponyville's best part planner; I have my own party cannon and everything." Pinkie Pie explained.

"So you're not just a baker?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"Nope! Baking is just one of my many different things I like to do." Pinkie Pie replied.

"So I can still learn how to bake, tell jokers, and dig for gems?" Ruby asked.

"Of course!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

For the first time in a long time Ruby smiled a heart-felt smile. This is what it must be like to have a friend that believes in you and encourages you and Ruby could not believe it was happening to her.

Argo Fleece sat within his chamber inside Castle Char. It was a one of many rooms within the Castle allocated to Flame Pony officials as offices so that their work would not be impeded by the renovations going on within the Ashen Fields. Argo sat in a stone chair, working atop stone table with several stacks of gold coins and gems piled around. Endlessly writing upon stone tablets with bits of charcoal, Argo was engrossed in his work when there was a knock at his door.

"What?" Argo snapped not looking up from his desk.

"Sir, there are ponies here to speak with you." A voice came from the other side of the door.

"I'm busy." Argo said flatly continuing to focus on his work.

"Should I tell them to come back later?" The voice asked through the stone door.

"Don't bother, I will not being seeing any pony any time soon." Argo replied.

Argo dragged his hoof across the table, pushing a pile of gold coins and gems into a stone box. Getting up from his chair he walked over to a large wall filled with square shaped holes to slide these stone boxes into. Sliding the box in and etching a number onto the front of it, Argo returned to his desk and continued about his work.

"I'm sorry but Mr. Fleece isn't accepting any visitors today." The secretary said apologetically to Pinkie Pie and Ruby.

"Is it alright if we wait for him anyways?" Pinkie Pie asked looking at the door behind her.

"But… Mr. Fleece will be in there for several hours. It will be dark before he decides to go home for the night." The secretary said looking worried.

"No problem, I can wait." Pinkie Pie said cheerfully.

"Very well, then. I have no problems with it." The secretary said looking rather surprised by Pinkie Pie's attitude.

Pinkie Pie and Ruby sat in the hallway outside of Argo's stone door. It would be several hours before General Hearth came strolling down the hallway and noticing the two ponies sitting patiently.

"Can I help you two with anything?" General Hearth asked curiously stopping in front of them.

"We're just waiting until Mr. Fleece isn't so busy, sir." Ruby replied meekly.

"That is certainly going to be a long wait indeed." General Hearth said looking at the stone door.

"We want to ask him about the new building the Flame Ponies built in the shopping district; we want to turn it into a bakery." Pinkie Pie said cheerfully.

"That sounds like a great idea, let me see if I can't get you two an audience with the old pony." General Hearth said walking over to the stone door and knocking.

"Yes?" Argo's voice came from the other side.

"Fleece? It's Hearth, there is something we need to discuss." General Hearth replied.

"Come in." Argo's voice said.

General Hearth motioned for Ruby and Pinkie Pie to follow him as he opened the stone door. Argo looked up from his work to see General Hearth, but as well as two other ponies he was expecting.

"I thought you said you needed to speak with me?" Argo asked sounding annoyed.

"I did say we, and by we, I meant us." General Hearth said pointing to Ruby and Pinkie Pie.

"Just get on with it." Argo said continuing his work.

"These two ponies would like to turn that new building in the shopping district into a bakery." General Hearth explained.

"A bakery? I can think of ten better things to do with that building, and having it torn down before seeing it turn into a bakery is number one on my list." Argo said coldly.

"Come now Fleece, there are new buildings being finished with every passing day. One of those buildings will eventually become a bakery, so why not just get it out of the way?" General Hearth asked walking around the side of his table and speaking with him more directly.

"Requests come in everyday for things, Hearth. I cannot meet the demands of every pony just because it 'gets it out of the way'." Argo replied seemingly disinterested in continuing the conversation.

"Mr. Fleece?" Ruby spoke up.

General Hearth and Argo looked up over the table at her. Ruby immediately felt like taking it back but with a smile from Pinkie Pie she decided to at least try.

"The ponies in the Narrows are becoming very displeased with eating roots day after day. If we could have this building, we could serve something other than roots and really help boost their moral." Ruby said nervously.

"Happy ponies make for happy workers. Moral has been rather poor these last couple of weeks and production has slowed considerably." General Hearth added as Argo massaged his temple.

"How much?" Argo asked with a sigh.

"How much what?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"How much coin do you need to build this bakery of yours?" Argo asked retrieving a new stone tablet.

"I… uh… um…" Ruby stammered.

"No coins!" Pinkie Pie declared much to the surprise of every pony.

"None? At all?" General Hearth asked.

"The ponies of Ponyville will be happy to donate the necessary things to get this bakery started." Pinkie Pie stated.

"They will, will they?" Argo said raising a brow to her.

"Really?" Ruby asked looking surprised.

"Then it's settled then, the building is yours. The Kingdom will take four percent of your annual profits and in the case of damage or accident that may befall your establishment that is directly related to the affairs of the Kingdom we will assist in its repairs. Sign here." Argo said pulling out another stone slab that had the contract already written out.

"Go ahead, Ruby." Pinkie Pie said.

"Me?" Ruby asked.

"Well I can't sign for it; I'm just here to teach you how to bake." Pinkie Pie said.

Ruby felt her stomach tighten into knots; she went from sitting on the street waiting to learn how to bake a pie to opening her own bakery. If not for Pinkie Pie's reassuring smile and support, Ruby would have refused to sign but she found herself signing her name on the tablet.

"This will be your deed to the property, sign here and we can be done this." Argo stated holding out another stone tablet to her.

"Busy day, Fleece?" General Hearth asked curiously.

"I've been receiving notice after notice from the Yaks about the party the King had promised them." Argo said pointing to a stack of unopened letters in the corner of the room.

"The King promised a party?" General Hearth asked.

"Originally it was a party to thank the Crystal Empire and Canterlot for their aide in the battle against the Mad King, but it has evolved into the coronation of our King and the party that would come afterwards where all of Equestria is to be invited." Argo said pointing to another stack of parchments in the opposite corner.

"Sounds like it's going to be one hay of a party." Genera Hearth remarked.

"With all of our renovations, rebuilding, and restructuring I cannot find the time to create a budget for this party." Argo said sounding very annoyed by the whole idea.

"I can do it!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed rushing to the table.

"What?" Argo asked looking dumbfounded.

"I Ponyville's best party planner! I can throw you Flame Ponies the best party you've ever seen!" Pinkie Pie explained excitedly.

"I will have to pass on that. This is not some birthday party, this is the coronation of our King and the every dignitary from all over Equestria will be here to attend this momentous occasion and expecting everything to be elegant and proper." Argo said shooing her away.

"I can also come in under the budget." Pinkie Pie said very smoothly narrowing her eyes.

General Hearth smiled in amusement as Argo's ears perked up.

"I'm listening." Argo said slowly.

"You just got yourself a new bakery, capable of catering this event if you give her a tax break for the rest of the year." Pinkie Pie stated.

"Go on." Argo said.

"Flame Pony culture is all but mystery to almost every pony in Equestria. Which means that however we present the coronation will be inferred as tradition rather than budget restrictions; saving us coin and time." Pinkie Pie continued.

"I'm starting to like this pony." Argo mumbled to General Hearth.

"The party itself will be catered to the guests, which means most of our budget will be put into the entertainment. The music can be outsourced to a band willing to play for a moderate price while getting Equestria wide exposure. Decorations will be a big factor; it will be the biggest portion of our budget. Then when the party is at its climax we set off the largest display of fireworks the Ashen Fields has ever seen, making said fireworks here rather than buying them." Pinkie Pie finished explaining.

"I've misjudged you pink pony. You're rather clever and shrewd." Argo said with a small grin forming at the corners of his lips.

"Do I get the job or not?" Pinkie Pie asked leaning over the table

"Just one question, what's in it for you? How much are you going to charge me for hiring you?" Argo asked suspiciously.

"I'll do it for free." Pinkie Pie said.

Argo laughed aloud.

"I'm serious." Pinkie Pie said sternly.

"Why?" Argo asked.

"Because Sparky's my friend and he deserves to have this party to show how much his friends and all of Equestria believes in him being King." Pinkie Pie said.

General Hearth seemed very impressed by Pinkie Pie, glancing at Argo he could see that he was struggling to disagree with her but kept silent.

"Alright pink pony, come up with an estimate on what you'll need for the party by tomorrow and I'll see that you get it. Welcome aboard." Argo said.

Pinkie Pie hoof pumped the air with a big smile before turning to Ruby who seemed equally as excited and yet nervous for her.

"Now if there isn't anything else to discuss I would like to get back to work." Argo said already getting back to work.

"No, thank you for your time Fleece." General Hearth said appreciatively escorting Pinkie Pie and Ruby out of the room.

"I can't believe it, we have our own bakery." Ruby said clutching the deed in her arm.

"I get to throw the Ashen Field's first party!" Pinkie Pie squealed in delight.

"I hope you ponies know what you're doing, Argo Fleece is not a pony you want to get on your bad side." General Hearth warned them.

"Bad side? He was mean to us when we first met him this morning." Pinkie Pie replied.

"Yeah, well, he's always like that." General Hearth said looking back at the stone doors.

"Why?" Ruby asked curiously.

General Hearth did not reply right away, he looked at each of them as if gauging them on whether or not he should respond.

"Every pony lost something during the reign of the Mad King, some of us lost little more than others." General Hearth said dancing around it.

Stepping to the side, General Hearth excused himself and started to walk away but Ruby stopped him short.

"What did he lose?" Ruby asked curiously.

General Hearth sighed. Looking up at the ceiling and back down at the ground.

"His family." General Hearth replied without turning around.

Discord walked while Wingston limped down the steps of the Main Hall and rounded the landing towards the dungeons where they walked down even more steps. It was dark in the dungeons and Discord snapped his claws creating a hovering flashlight for them.

"You could have just brought us here with a snap of your claws, you know." Wingston mumbled.

"You could use the exercise." Discord replied.

Wingston led Discord deeper into the dungeons; the walls were still made of rock and mortar and were much less dirty then the rest of the corridors. Eventually Wingston came to a stone door, pressing hard against it slowly began to move. Discord watch, amused at the strength that the little bat had. Soon enough the stone door was opened enough for them to get through.

"This is where I found the mirror." Wingston said trying to catch his breath.

"Interesting, it doesn't seem to be guarded at all." Discord said looking rather intrigued.

"Why would it be?" Wingston asked.

"I didn't mean now, I meant back then. Why have mirror that leads to the void in such an accessible room? Why not put it somewhere hard to get? Why not put up some traps to prevent ponies from getting to it? Why leave it out?" Discord asked flashing his flashlight across the room.

"I never I'd have to think about these sorts of questions until you brought it back here." Wingston replied.

"Alright, let's have it out. You don't like me do you?" Discord asked flashing the light on Wingston.

"Not particularly, no." Wingston said holding up his wing to block the light.

"Is it because of the mirror? Is it because I squeezed Smolder for information back in Canterlot? Is it my handsome features?" Discord asked curiously.

"It's your powers." Wingston said limping towards a stone box in the room.

"My powers? Are you jealous of them?" Discord asked slithering over to him.

"Yes." Wingston said lifting the stone lid with his staff and peering inside.

"It must have been very difficult for you to admit that." Discord said mockingly.

"It was." Wingston said closing the stone lid and limping to the next one.

"Tell me; is it my ability to create things out of thin air? Perhaps it is my ability to change into anything I desire? Or…" Discord trailed off.

Wingston noticed Discord floating over his, flapping his two different wings before him and snaking his way through the air.

"Is it that I can fly and you can't?" Discord asked amusingly.

"It's your ability to help ponies but choosing not to." Wingston stated sounding rather annoyed.

"I help ponies all that time!" Discord said in his defense.

"Without being asked?" Wingston asked him accusingly.

"Sometimes… maybe once or twice…" Discord said thinking about it.

Wingston opened the next stone chest with his staff, peering inside while Discord grumbled to himself.

"What's it to you on how I use my powers anyway?" Discord asked sounding rather annoyed.

"It's... it's because I'm useless." Wingston said quietly, lowering the lid.

"Useless? Did I hear that right?" Discord asked leaning over holding his paw to his ear.

"I didn't have the strength to protect Smolder's mother from the Last Orc, nor had the courage to stop his mother from entering the Void Mirror. I had allowed the Twins to revive the Mad King; I watched the Ashen Fields fall into ruin and almost got my friend killed." Wingston said sounding disappointed in himself.

"You're just a bat with a crippled wing, what more could you have done?" Discord asked, sounding a bit concerned.

"I wish I could do more, something more than just telling other ponies to do the things I can't do myself. I see you with limitless powers, capable of anything, and you choose torment my friend; I can't even stop you from doing that." Wingston said sadly. "I feel like I'm just a burden to Smolder."

Discord watched Wingston become very still for a while, surely contemplating his place in Equestria and how much he really mattered.

"Well if you really feel like you have nothing left to contribute then I can just send you somewhere with the snap of my claws. I mean, there are probably hundreds of other bats that have had a crippled wing, learned to read, write and speak our language. Learned to walk on his claws, study Flame Pony history, and become an influential and respected member of the King's Council." Discord said aloud.

Wingston's ears twitched beneath his hood at Discord's words.

"I'm sure any old bat could of raised Smolder the way you did, become like a father to him and be there when he needed it the most. Surely all the good that Smolder has done wasn't the direct result of the kindness you showed him all of these years." Discord concluded.

There was a short silence that followed. Discord pretended not to notice Wingston rubbing his eyes with his sleeve, before hearing him clear his throat.

"Perhaps we should check the adjoining rooms?" Wingston said limping towards the stone door.

"Yes I think that would be a wise idea." Discord said slithering towards the stone door and pulling it open for him.

"Thank you, Discord." Wingston said.

Chapter 8: Impressionable Stories

Fluttershy was hiding behind a small boulder. Carefully peeking out from behind the rock, she saw a rather well carved and marbled built building where the sign, 'Phoenix School House' was chiseled across the archway. Still believing Wingston's explanation that the school's foals and fillies still had their teacher, Ember Tutor, held for ransom somewhere inside; Fluttershy wasn't in a hurry to knock on the door. Taking a deep breath, Fluttershy thought about how every pony was eager and willing to help out here in the Ashen Fields. she decided that she had to at least try. Cautiously approaching the door, pushing the small boulder in front of her as a buffer to protect her, Fluttershy very quietly knocked on the door; lightly.

It took several more tries of lightly tapping on the door before Fluttershy noticed the stone door start to open. Fluttershy ducked behind the boulder expecting the worse, covering her face with her hooves and shaking nervously.

"Hello?" A young foal's voice asked aloud.

"Hi." Fluttershy squeaked from behind the boulder.

"Are you talking?" The young foal's voice asked.

"No... maybe..." Fluttershy whispered.

"What do you want, boulder?" The young foal asked curiously.

"Is... Mr. Tutor here?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"Mr. Tutor! There's a talking boulder here to see you!" The young foal shouted out loud.

Fluttershy slowly peaked over the boulder, the young foal was gone and now standing at the door was a young colt named Ember Tutor looking rather strangely at her. His hide was a dark brown, his flames were a dark amber, his cutie mark depicted a stone pillar with a shield leaning against it.

"Can I... help you?" Tutor asked slowly.

"Hi." Fluttershy said softly.

"Hello." Tutor replied.

There was a long silence between them, Fluttershy was still standing behind the boulder and nervously hiding her face behind her mane.

"Was there something you needed?" Tutor asked after a while looking rather confused.

"I was asked… to save you…" Fluttershy explained quietly.

"Save me?" Tutor asked looking puzzled.

"From the out of control fillies and foals that have taken you hostage." Fluttershy added.

"Who sent you?" Tutor asked curiously.

"Wingston." Fluttershy replied softly.

"Well that explains a lot." Tutor said shaking his head with a small smile.

"It does?" Fluttershy asked sounding surprised.

"Am I correct in saying that you are Ms. Fluttershy?" Tutor asked.

"Yes." Fluttershy replied.

"It's very nice to finally meet you, Ms. Fluttershy. I'm Ember Tutor, the teacher for these foals and fillies. I believe Wingston may have exaggerated the reason for your being here." Tutor said stepping aside to allow her to come inside.

"So you're not being held hostage?" Fluttershy asked curiously stepping around the boulder.

"By Celestia, no. I merely requested a pony that can help educate our students on the wildlife outside the Ashen Fields." Tutor explained closing the stone door behind her.

Fluttershy was pleasantly surprised to see twelve little foals and fillies sitting at stone desks, well behaved and not trying to open a portal to the Void. The classroom was well equipped with chalk boards, stone tablets, charcoal, etchings of letters and numbers. It looked like a normal classroom, except that everything seemed to be fire proof.

Needless to say, Fluttershy was feeling much better about the whole situation and thought about having a talk to Wingston about exaggerating his stories. Tutor motioned for Fluttershy to follow him to the front of the class, she did so as every little foal and filly watched her intensely.

"Alright every pony, we have a special guest with us today. I would like you all to say hello to Ms. Fluttershy." Tutor announced to the class.

"Hello." Every foal and filly said together aloud.

"Hi." Fluttershy said softly.

"I'd like every pony to finish their writing exercise before we move onto our next lesson." Tutor said as every pony looked back down at their desks and began writing on their stone tablets.

"Every pony is so well behaved and not trying to hold any pony hostage." Fluttershy remarked with a sigh of relief.

"Yes well they may get a little restless at times but it's nothing I can't handle." Tutor said reassuringly.

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing. Wingston had said I needed to negotiate your release and regain control of the school." Fluttershy confessed to him.

"Wingston had informed me that you are the best pony to turn to when it comes to animals." Tutor stated.

"Well, maybe not the best pony. I'm sure there are other ponies that are just as good if not better. It's really nice of him to say that though." Fluttershy replied nervously.

"Since our foals and fillies are going to be able to leave the Ashen Fields, I wanted them to get an understanding of the creatures they might meet beyond our borders. How to or not to interact with certain animals." Tutor explained to her.

"You mean like little rabbits? Or maybe little squirrels? Or humming birds? Butterflies? Birds?" Fluttershy asked looking excited to talk about all of her woodland friends.

"You can talk about any animals you want, Ms. Fluttershy. As long as these foals and fillies know what to do if they ever come across any of these creatures. We want to minimize any harm that they might cause to themselves or others." Tutor explained further.

"What if they don't like the way I talk about the animals though? What if they want some other pony to teach them? What if they end up getting hurt because I didn't explain it well enough?" Fluttershy asked quickly.

"Ms. Fluttershy, these little Flame Ponies have never seen any of the animals you are about to describe to them. I'm sure this is the first time any of them have seen a color other than black, grey, or red. They will be more then excited to hear from you, I assure you." Tutor said comfortingly.

It wasn't long before all the Flame Pony students finished their writing exercise and eagerly awaited their next lesson. Fluttershy took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves as Tutor addressed the class once more.

"Alright every pony, Ms. Fluttershy is going to be speaking to about the animals you may encounter outside our borders. If you have any questions for her, please raise your hoof and be polite about it. I'm looking at you, Lionel." Tutor said eyeing a small foal sitting near the back of the class.

Tutor turned to Fluttershy, nodding to her that she was in control of the class now. Fluttershy turned to face every pony; surprisingly she saw every foal or filly as a small Smolder. This allowed Fluttershy to find a comfortable place to speak from and smiled to every pony.

"Hello, I'm Fluttershy and I'm here today to talk to you about animals." Fluttershy said in a normal register.

Every pony's hoof shot up into the air, some very determined to get her attention as they flailed they're arms back and forth.

"Um, okay, the pony sitting in the front row?" Fluttershy asked pointing to the little filly.

"How high can a crocodile climb a tree?" The filly asked curiously.

"I've never known a crocodile to climb trees before; they mostly just swim in the water or crawl on the land." Fluttershy replied.

Every pony's hoof shot up again as Fluttershy looked around for another pony to call on.

"The pony in the third row, with the red flame." Fluttershy said pointing to him.

"Are rabbits really as big as owl bears and come to eat you in the middle of the night during a full moon?" The foal asked.

There was a long silence from Fluttershy who stared rather blankly at the small foal.

"No." Fluttershy said flatly.

A filly in back of the room nearly fell out of her seat trying to stretch her hoof as high as it could go.

"The very excited pony in the back." Fluttershy said looking her way.

"Are all butterflies the same color?" The filly asked, climbing back into her seat.

"Oh no, there are many different colors to a butterfly. I don't think I have ever seen a butterfly with quite the same color or pattern on its wings before." Fluttershy replied.

"Are dragons really mean?" A foal in the front row blurted out.

"Raise your hoof, Geoff." Tutor informed him.

"Actually, I know a really friendly baby dragon named Spike, he's helping out back at the castle. I've met some pretty nice dragons and some not so nice ones." Fluttershy explained to them.

All the hooves shot up again. Fluttershy looked around the room to see the pony named Lionel standing up in his seat to get her attention.

"The little flame pony named Lionel." Fluttershy said pointing to him.

"Have you ever seen the Oblivion Pony?" Lionel asked excitedly.

"Lionel!" Tutor shouted looking rather sternly at him.

"Oblivion Pony?" Fluttershy asked looking confused.

"It's just an old Flame Pony legend." Tutor explained eyeing Lionel to behave himself.

"I've never heard of the Oblivion Pony before." Fluttershy said looking rather curious.

"Every foal and filly knows about the Oblivion Pony!" Shouted one of the students.

"He's the scariest pony ever!" Shouted another pony.

"Alright! That's enough every pony! We're here to learn about real animals and not made ups ponies from old stories." Tutor said aloud looking around the room.

"Scariest… pony… ever?" Fluttershy asked slowly, beginning to shake a little.

"The Mad King could have beaten him!" Said one of the students.

"The Oblivion Pony would have totally whooped his flank!" Stated another pony.

"Is the Oblivion Pony really that bad?" Fluttershy asked looking at Tutor nervously.

"Can I tell her the story, Mr. Tutor?" Lionel asked excitedly.

There was an up roar of approval from every foal and filly in the class. Tutor slammed his hoof down on his desk that immediately made every pony jump; along with Fluttershy. Every pony fell quiet as Tutor wore a frown on his face.

"If Ms. Fluttershy wants to hear the story, you may tell it Lionel, but whether she does or not, you must behave yourself or I'll sit you outside." Tutor warned him.

Fluttershy watched every foal and filly look to her pleadingly, hoping that she was going to say yes to the story. Nodding yes, every pony turned around to Lionel who stood atop his desk and started to weave the tale of the Oblivion Pony.

"It has gone by many names, some call it the Death Pony, others call it the Reaper Pony, but we know it as the Oblivion Pony. Legend tells of a lost Flame Pony trapped between worlds, alone in oblivion, unable to return to Equestria but for a single night. Ponies tell that when the Blue Moon rises, the Oblivion Pony returns to Equestria looking for lonely ponies to take back to the realm of Nothingness. Some say its mane dances with the souls of all the ponies its claimed, some say you can hear the whispers on the wind of the souls begging to be set free. So surround yourself with friends during the night of the Blue Moon or be dragged into the Nothingness that is the Oblivion Pony!" Lionel shouted rearing back on his hind legs to exclaim it as loud as he could.

Lionel took many bows from the applause his classmates gave him. Tutor rolled his eyes at the flare Lionel put into the story, glancing over towards Fluttershy who had vanished from the spot. Every pony suddenly realized the disappearance of Fluttershy, looking around the room trying to find where she had gone. There was a sudden trembling from underneath Tutor's desk, glancing underneath it, Tutor found Fluttershy hiding her face and trembling.

"Ms. Fluttershy, the Oblivion Pony is the oldest ghost story we tell to scare young foals and fillies on Nightmare Night. It was meant to keep them from wandering the Dark Marsh. There is no such pony." Tutor said sympathetically.

"A-A-Are you s-s-sure?" Fluttershy stammered.

"Of course, the students have more questions if you're feeling up to the task." Tutor replied.

"Come on, Ms. Fluttershy! I want to know how bees make honey!" Shouted a pony.

"Yeah! And how birds learn how to sing!" Exclaimed another pony.

Fluttershy felt a wave of courage wash over her at the sound of the students eagerly wanting to learn more. Slowly but surely Fluttershy reappeared from behind the desk to be greeted with the excited cheers of the students.

"Okay then, who wants to go next?" Fluttershy asked watching hoofs shoot up into the air again.

The western part of the Ashen Fields had been devoted solely to farming, or at least that it was Tiff Pitchstone had tried to make of it. The soil had been dry for so many years that it took several weeks of Flame Ponies lugging buckets of water from the neighboring river near Ponyville to re-hydrate the land. It took another month to till the land, border off sections of the fields, and clear debris for the farmland. It was only until recently that Tiff was actually able to plant anything, having used one sixteenth of the overall land allotted to him. There simply was not enough pony power to have countless Flame Ponies lug water every day to water the entire farmland, thus Tiff decided to utilize a small area with the help he did have. It was clear by Tiff's anxious resolves that he was becoming extremely desperate for solutions, but his hopes had risen now that Applejack was here to provide him with possible solutions.

Applejack was always more than willing to help a fellow pony out where she could, especially when it dealt with farming, but apple trees were her specialty. From what she could see by the lay of the land, the Flame Ponies were not trying to grow apples.

"What's with all the little metal sticks coming out of the ground over there?" Applejack asked curiously pointing her hoof towards row of crops.

"They're essentially our version of gardening sticks; we're not able to use wood so we improvised." Tiff explained with a sense of pride in his voice.

"What are you trying to grow with those?" Applejack asked seeming interested.

"Grapes." Tiff replied.

"Say what now?" Applejack asked looking surprised.

"Vitis, otherwise known as grapevines, thrive very well near volcanoes. It is one of the very few things we are able to grow here at the moment; besides coffee trees." Tiff explained motioning towards the mountain.

"Are coffee trees anything like apple trees?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Not in the slightest, they only grow to be shrubs. Significantly smaller than your average apple tree." Tiff said measuring the approximate size of the shrub with his hooves for her to see.

"Well, I got to say I don't feel like I'm going to be of much use to you." Applejack said apologetically.

"Perish the thought, Applejack. Having such an established Apple Farmer here is more than I could have hoped for." Tiff said with a smile.

"Wouldn't it have been better to have a pony that specializes in coffee trees or grapes though?" Applejack asked sounding out of place.

"Our issue isn't growing the crops. It's creating an irrigation system that will provide the fields with enough water for a large scale plantation." Tiff said pointing to the dry trenches slicing up and down the fields.

"Have you tried asking Cloudsdale for some rain?" Applejack asked taking the first idea that popped into her head.

"Do you ask Cloudsdale for rain?" Tiff asked sounding rather surprised.

"Well no, we get rain every now and again but we've never scheduled it." Applejack replied thinking about it.

"Which is exactly our problem. The rain would be a big help to us, but without a natural way of keeping our crops watered we would need Cloudsdale every day." Tiff explained sounding solemn.

"That does pose quite a dilemma." Applejack concurred.

"I was hoping you could apply your techniques you use on your farm to what we have here and see if we can't come up with something similar?" Tiff asked looking hopeful.

"Well Sweet Apple Acres has a river running through it, giving us all the water we could possibly need, but it seems like you ponies are not too keen on having water around these parts." Applejack said looking around.

"It's true that water and Flame Ponies to mix very well but many years ago we had quite the plantation thriving in these fields. I'm hoping to at least bring back, even if it is just a fraction, of the crops we once had." Tiff said looking even more hopeful.

"You're really invested in this aren't you?" Applejack asked looking rather impressed with Tiff's passion for farming.

"My father was the one who taught me everything there was to know about farming." Tiff stated proudly.

"Having seen what this place looked like a couple months ago, I can honestly say that I'm blown away on how much you've accomplished in such a short time. I'm sure your pa is just as proud." Applejack said reassuringly.

"I do hope so, Applejack." Tiff said with a sigh.

"Why wouldn't he be?" Applejack asked curiously.

"My father passed away a few years ago. Leaving me as the only Flame Pony in the Ashen Fields with any kind of knowledge about planting and growing crops. He was the one who had kept the Ashen Fields green before the Madness of the King, and it was his dream to see this barren wasteland back to a lush green field of plants and crops." Tiff said scooping up some soil with his hoof.

Applejack watched the moist dirt dry in his hoof, tipping it to the side as it trailed back to the ground in a drier state.

"Oh. I'm sorry; I didn't know that your pa wasn't in the picture anymore." Applejack said sympathetically removing her hat.

"No need to apologize, Applejack. I'm just very grateful to have a pony with such experience tell me that my father's teachings are something to be admired." Tiff said reassuringly to her.

Applejack still felt a bit crumby bringing up such a difficult subject, even if it was unintentional; it's not easy having to look back on the ponies you've lost. It was around this time that Applejack realized something that Tiff had said a few moments ago.

"Tiff, you said something about bringing these here fields back to a lush green again, right?" Applejack asked as her train of thought started to pick up speed.

"Yes, my father used to tell how the fields used to be covered from end to end in a sea of green." Tiff replied pointing from one end of the field to the other.

"What we're looking at here is only part of the picture. You got everything you need to start growing plants except for water. Yet your pa didn't have that problem, it was green all over." Applejack said starting to trot around the field; her eyes scanning the ground.

"I'm sorry, Applejack. I don't really seem to follow, and have you lost something?" Tiff asked curiously trotting after her.

"No, it's you who has lost something." Applejack replied moving further towards the edge of the fields.

"Me?" Tiff asked looking bewildered.

"The Ashen Fields, every Flame Pony here, and yes even you." Applejack said sliding down into a large ditch.

"What are we missing?" Tiff asked curiously looking down into the ditch.

"A river." Applejack said tapping her hoof on the ground.

Tiff's eyes followed the edge of the ditch all the way down towards the south end of the fields and followed it back up towards the north. The ditch was unusually long and did seem out place.

"I'm guessing the ash had filled this in a long time ago and after your clean up the Flame Ponies must have thought that this here dried up river was a road or something." Applejack explained.

Applejack watched the excitement swell into Tiff's face, but just as soon as it came it faded.

"It's like you said Applejack, the river is dried up." Tiff said sadly; realizing the dilemma still remained.

"What caused the river to dry up?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Lack of water?" Tiff asked looking unsure.

"It's pretty strange for a river to dry up in just a couple of years without there being some major climate change." Applejack said looking towards the north.

"What are you saying?" Tiff asked looking towards the north along with her.

"I think that the Mad King might have had the river dammed up to prevent it from being used against him. If it turns out that I'm right and there is a dam somewhere north of here…" Applejack trailed off rubbing her chin with her hoof.

"Then there is a chance we can have water flowing back into the Ashen Fields!" Tiff exclaimed, his excitement booming once more.

"That's what I'm thinking." Applejack said watching Tiff suddenly take off towards the mountain range.

"Come along, Applejack! We have ourselves a dam to undo!" Tiff shouted galloping away.

"Wait for me partner!" Applejack shouted back taking off after him.

It wasn't long before Tiff had become winded from running his heart out, Applejack easily caught up with him and graciously decided to walk with him the rest of the way without leaving him in the dust. The dried up riverbed cut through a small canyon near the base of the mountain, Tiff bravely offered to go first to ensure Applejack's safety but Applejack was having none of that and lead the way herself.

The passage had become narrower and narrower the further they headed in. The ground itself was becoming less and less dry, while the moisture in the air was giving Applejack more confidence that her idea of dam was just around the next bend. Sure enough, Applejack and Tiff found a turn in the canyon where they discovered their dam. Several large pieces of rusted metal jutted out from the ground, while large pieces of rusted sheets of metal were laid sideways to layer the walls of the dam. It was nearly three stories high and the sounds of water could be heard just on the other side.

"Looks like I was right after all." Applejack said tipping her hat to the dam.

"Applejack, I could kiss you right now." Tiff said excitedly, walking up to the dam and touching it with his hoof.

"I'd kindly ask you to resist that urge." Applejack replied.

"Right then! How do we unclog this thing?" Tiff asked aloud giving it the once over.

"It seems like it's still holding strong, no leaks or stress marks in the steel. Just a lot of rust." Applejack said giving it a look herself.

"That's Flame Pony steel for you, wonderful welding and craftsmanship. Even it was for such an evil purpose." Tiff replied looking over at the rock face near them.

Motioning for Applejack to follow him, Tiff started to scale the side of the canyon to the ledge up above. Luckily there was plenty of sure footing to be had, and the two reached the top in no time flat. A large river of water was being held back from behind the dam, it kept stretching on for miles and miles before earning a long drawn out whistle from Applejack. Tiff slowly approached the river; Applejack watched in surprise as Tiff reached down and dipped his hoof in it. The water hissed at his touch, with a painful gasp Tiff withdrew his hoof quickly; backing away with a surprised smile.

"Why'd you go and stick your hoof in the water, Tiff? You got a screw loose or something?" Applejack asked quickly stepping over next to him.

"This is the river that helped my father make the Ashen Fields green. It's the same river where he met my mother making faces in the reflection of the water. It will be the same river that will help us have a green Kingdom once more." Tiff said rubbing his hoof looking longingly at the water.

Applejack couldn't help but sympathize with him. It would like having Sweet Apple Acres a barren waste land for years on end, listening to stories of what it used to be like, and finally having the chance to make those stories become a reality. In a Kingdom where everything seemed bland and colorless, Applejack could see how much hope this water had given him at making his dreams a reality again.

"Thank you, Applejack." Tiff said with a sigh of relief.

"Don't thank me yet, we still have to get this dam undone somehow." Applejack said fixing her hat.

"That you can leave to me." Tiff said getting to his hooves and flaring his mane.

"What are you going to do?" Applejack asked looking rather skeptical.

"I will super heat the metal near the bottom of the dam, weakening its structural integrity, and the pressure from the water will do the rest." Tiff explained pointing back towards the bottom.

"That's going to put you right in harm's way of having that river of water coming crashing down on you." Applejack remarked shaking her head in disagreement.

Tiff did not stop to listen to her, having already leaped down the rock face in record time. Applejack was quick to follow him, reaching the bottom of the riverbed where Tiff was already blasting fire at the base of the dam.

"Tiff! This is insane! You can get really hurt or worse trying to do this! We can come back with more ponies to help remove this dam carefully and safely!" Applejack shouted over the roar of his fire.

"I won't have any pony do something I wasn't willing to do myself, Applejack. There's been a lot of talk among every Flame Pony if the Ashen Fields will ever bounce back, and I know once they see an explosion of water come surging from the mountain, it will change their minds real quick!" Tiff replied spewing more fire at the base.

In between a breath, Tiff leaned back to spew another wave of fire, but found that Applejack had stepped in front of him; blocking him from breathing fire at the dam.

"One side, Applejack." Tiff said trying to step around her but Applejack mirrored him.

"You're getting too far ahead of yourself, Tiff. This here water isn't going anywhere, if you release this water in one go it's going wipe out more than half your crops you spent so much time trying to build in the first place." Applejack said defiantly.

"But Applejack-" Tiff began but Applejack cut him off.

"You can't rush this, not anymore then you can rush a plant into growing. You're thinking about what's at the end and not thinking about how you're going to get there. As an experienced Apple Farmer, I've given you my thoughts and ideas on what you should do. Now I'm telling you, as a friend, this can wait." Applejack said, almost pleading with him.

Tiff glanced over Applejack's shoulder at the dam behind her. The metal was searing from the first couple of blasts of his fire, but his eyes met Applejack's again; realizing she was right. Taking a deep breath, Tiff's mane stopped flaring and receded back to its normal simmer. Letting out a loud sigh, Tiff hung his head for a moment before lifting it again; wearing a smile.

"You're right, Applejack." Tiff said nodding his head.

Taking a few steps back, Tiff put some room between them to let Applejack know he was being honest with her, and that he wasn't going to be blasting anymore fire. Applejack stepped forward, smiling at him encouragingly and steering him back down the canyon.

"I'm glad you saw it my way, partner." Applejack replied sounding relieved.

"My father's stories about how beautiful these fields used be, how I envision it in my head; I could even smell the grass. Having to hear all of the doubts from other Flame Ponies that we'll never get back to way things were and recover what we've lost fills me with such anxiousness. I want them to see what I've always known all along, but I guess I don't have the patience my father had." Tiff said apologetically.

"One day every Flame Pony is going to see just how beautiful these fields truly are, and until then your Dad is going to be watching you get it there one day at a time." Applejack said encouragingly.

"Thank you, Applejack. I could not have asked for a better friend." Tiff said appreciatively.

"There you go thanking me again; we still have a lot of work to do, partner." Applejack stated.

The two ponies walked together through the canyon, the light of Tiff's flame throwing their shadows against the wall.

"You're welcome, though." Applejack said with a smile.

Chapter 9: Waking Smolder

It had been three days since Smolder had fallen asleep, and for three days Smolder has been unable to wake. It wasn't clear to any pony, not even Wingston that something was wrong with him. Most chalked it up to extreme fatigue, but by the second day, not even Wingston's hit to the head with his trusty staff was able to rouse him. Every pony had hoof at trying to wake him, but it was apparent that an outside force was keeping Smolder asleep. With no other pony to turn to, the entity within the mirror being the only culprit, Wingston turned to Princess Luna for help. Luckily, Princess Luna had already gotten a head start.

Nightshade, Peanut, and Cosmic were laying in infirmary beds ready to take their eighth nap of the day; while Princess Luna kept watch over them.

"There has to be an easier way to fall asleep." Cosmic complained rolling over in his bed.

"Running laps around the castle is getting old real quick." Nightshade mumbled placing his pillow over his face.

Peanut was already asleep, snoring soundly under his covers. Princess Luna stepped between Cosmic's and Nightshade's bed glancing at the two of them.

"You must fall asleep soon, we must try and reach Smolder's dream again." Princess Luna urged them.

"Can't you just enchant us with a spell or something? To have us go asleep and stay asleep?" Cosmic asked curiously.

"A sleep spell would put you into a deep slumber. I need you ponies to be in a lucid dream state so that we can avoid another embarrassing and awkward situation." Princess Luna explained glancing at Cosmic.

Cosmic blushed furiously, rolling over in his bed to hide his face beneath the covers. Nightshade chuckled to himself, thinking of how he was never going to let Cosmic live it down. Within the hour, all three Royal Guard ponies had fallen asleep, allowing Princess Luna to work her magic. With a flash of blue light, Princess Luna reappeared with Nightshade's dream world.

Ever since being forced out of Smolder's dream, Princess Luna had been working with Nightshade, Cosmic, and Peanut to breach Smolder's mind. It involved lots of sleeping and managing to maintain a lucid dream state.

Nightshade stood in front of the Throne Room once more, standing guard as usual, when Princess Luna suddenly walked through the Throne Room doors.

"Are you ready, Private Nightshade?" Princess Luna asked curiously.

"Yes, I'm just starting to wonder if I'll ever be able to dream again without thinking you're going to show up and try to break into Smolder's dream." Nightshade said looking rather unsure.

"I assure you, Private Nightshade, this lucid dreaming state will become less frequent once our task is done and you will be able to dream of Belle once more uninterrupted." Princess Luna replied.

"Please, don't tell her." Nightshade begged with a pleading look.

"Do not worry, Private Nightshade, Belle has similar dreams of you." Princess Luna said.

"Really?" Nightshade asked looking surprised.

A flash of blue light from Princess Luna's horn created a blue door within the hallway of the castle. The door knob turned, opening the door to reveal the mess hall where Peanut was eating some apples. Nightshade and Princess Luna crossed over into Peanut's dream.

"Hey." Peanut mumbled chewing on a bite of his apple.

"Are you ready, Specialist Peanut?" Princess Luna asked.

"Hang on." Peanut said tossing the rest of the apple into his mouth.

"You know this is a dream, right? You're not really eating an apple." Nightshade asked looking curiously at him.

"I know, but dream or not. I don't let food go to waste." Peanut said strolling up to them.

"Let us gather up Private First Class Cosmic and be on our way." Princess Luna stated.

Another blue flash of her horn created another blue door in the mess hall. The door knob turned, the door swung open revealing a large parade filled with colorful ponies marching down the streets of Canterlot. Princess Luna, Nightshade, and Peanut stepped through the door into the crowd of ponies lining the street cheering Cosmic's name aloud. A float made in his spitting image rolled past them, Cosmic sitting atop waving to his cheering fans.

"Well this isn't surprising." Peanut said with short laugh.

"It appears Private First Class Cosmic was not able to create a lucid dream." Princess Luna said surprisingly.

"I think he had other things on his mind." Nightshade said with a huge smile pointing at the float.

Cosmic was being hugged by a dreamt up Princess Luna, swooning in his presence as Cosmic winked at her with a heroic smile. Princess Luna rolled her eyes, her horn creating a flash of blue light made the parade and all the dream ponies vanish leaving only Cosmic standing by himself in the middle of the street. Cosmic looked around for a moment, unclear about what just happened.

"I'm dreaming… aren't I?" Cosmic asked sounding sheepish.

"Yep." Peanut replied.

"Did I have the same dream again?" Cosmic asked sounding a bit nervous.

"Oh yeah." Nightshade said smugly.

Cosmic did his best to hide his embarrassment, casually walking over to them and making it a point not to look at Princess Luna. Princess Luna smiled amusingly at Cosmic.

"Alright every pony, are we ready to try and reach Smolder again?" Princess Luna asked aloud.

"Yes, ma'am." The three ponies replied; Cosmic still wasn't making eye contact.

Princess Luna's horn began to glow a brilliant shade of blue, a red door appeared before them. The door slowly began to fade to black, the door knob melted away and the edges of the door began to seep with smoke. It wasn't anything the ponies hadn't seen before.

"Alright, let's get to it." Peanut said dreaming up a large ax in his hooves and approaching the door.

"We're coming, Smolder." Nightshade mumbled dreaming up a large canon and cannon balls.

Cosmic stole a glance at Princess Luna, unfortunately Princess Luna was already looking his way and Cosmic blushed furiously before dreaming up a metal helmet to cover his face.

I found myself standing at the balcony from the Royal Chambers, overlooking the Ashen Fields. The populace of Flame Ponies had gathered below but their collective attention was focused towards the mountain. A thunderous crack rang out over the land, the force of wind whipped the flames of our manes flat, and I saw a line of blackness draw itself in the air. The line split open with a vicious tear, the Flame Ponies all bowed before this dark portal as I spread my wings open; flaring my fire. I could see a castle bathed in a low tint of green light beyond the portal. A bolt of lightning pierced the black skies of the world within the portal, silhouetting hundreds of up-right figures standing within the darkness.

"…Smolder…"

I recognized this voice somehow, but couldn't place it.

"…help us…"

The castle beyond the portal suddenly began to crumble away. A storm of smoke reached out from the darkness, gripping the castle. The silhouetted figures were crushed by the falling debris, the rest being scattered by the storm just as the portal began to close.

"…come into the Void…"

I felt the fear in this voice. I felt myself moving to leap off the balcony, to reach this portal before it closed. This voice. I heard it before, but I can't remember where.

"Enough!" A voice rang out from out like an echo over the fields.

The portal slammed closed, the Flame Ponies below vanished from sight while Castle Char melted away beneath me. I found myself in a sea of white, no sky, no floor, no anything, but white as far as I could see.

"Smolder!" A voice cried out to me from the whiteness. I knew this voice.

"Nightshade?" I asked curiously.

There was an implosion of blue smoke. A blue door suddenly appearing a few feet in front of me. Princess Luna emerged from it with Nightshade, Cosmic and Peanut beside her. I felt myself smile wide seeing them, as they too seemed very happy to see me.

"Guys! It's Smolder!" Cosmic cried excitedly.

Before Cosmic, Nightshade, or Peanut could make a move, Princess Luna spread out her wings to keep them at bay. I felt rather confused by this, until I realized that Princess Luna wasn't looking at me but something that was behind me. Turning to look I saw a cloud of black smoke hovering a few feet behind me. It seemed to have a shape, but it was nearly formless; two yellow glowing faint orbs seemed to sit within it.

"Identify yourself." Princess Luna declared.

The cloud of black smoke did not respond.

"You have invaded the dream of Smolder and you will tell us why." Princess Luna demanded.

"…no…"

The cloud of black smoke suddenly expanded to enormous size, the smoke barreling towards me as I stepped back in surprise. A sudden blast of blue magic went sailing over my head striking the black cloud with immense force. A shrill cry echoed in the whiteness as the black cloud dissipated from sight.

"What was that?" I asked looking at where the cloud once hovered.

"It was an unknown entity from the ruined Void mirror that entered your dream and blocked me from reaching you." Princess Luna explained.

"Blocked you?" I asked looking rather surprised that anything could one up her.

"With the help of your friends, I was able to break through and dispel the entity." Princess Luna said motioning towards Nightshade, Cosmic, and Peanut.

Cosmic, Nightshade, and Peanut rushed over to me excitedly. To my surprise they all tackled me to the ground, I had not realized that this was still a dream and that my fire could not hurt them.

"Princess Celestia and I came up with the idea of having these three ponies go to sleep and together assist me in trying to reach you." Princess Luna explained.

"Princess Luna basically pulled us out of our dreams and put us into yours. Our collective thoughts overpowered that black smoke monster and saved you from… what did we save him from again?" Nightshade asked looking back at Princess Luna.

"I-" Princess Luna stopped short looking rather surprised herself.

"From the nightmares, right?" Peanut asked curiously.

"Yes! The nightmares!" Princess Luna agreed nodding her head.

"Nightmares?" I asked curiously getting to my hooves.

"Is it not what you've been having these last three days?" Princess Luna asked curiously.

"I really wouldn't consider them- wait! Three days?" I asked suddenly realizing her words.

"Yeah dude, we've been trying all this time to break through." Cosmic replied.

Three days. I knew I was tired, but I couldn't believe I slept through three whole days without even waking up once.

"By the second day, Wingston was becoming increasingly concerned about you. Believing that the entity was keeping you from waking, we decided to double our efforts in entering your dream." Princess Luna continued.

"I've never taken so many naps in all my life." Peanut said with a chuckle.

"I didn't even realize how long I had been sleeping." I said looking dumbfounded.

"There is much you have missed during you sleep, and when I release us from this dream you will awaken." Princess Luna said having her horn begin to glow.

"I really don't know what to say." I said feeling bad that every pony had gone through so much to simply wake me up.

"What matters is that we sent that entity packing and freed you from your nightmares." Cosmic said proudly.

"No pony messes with our friend." Nightshade said giving me a gentle shove on the shoulder.

"We also got paid to sleep all day." Peanut said with a grin.

Every pony laughed at this, even Princess Luna found it amusing. I found myself hugging these three ponies who immediately hugged me back.

"I won't be able to do this when I wake up, but I want you ponies to know I'm glad to have friends like you watching out for me." I said, knowing that this was as close as I'll ever get to them.

Princess Luna's horn began to glow, a flash of blue light enveloped us. The whiteness disappeared and my world went black again. Luckily, it was dark just because I had my eyes closed. From the moment I tried to lift my head I could feel my whole body begin to crack and my muscles stretch. Groaning, I stretched out over my granite, yawning loudly before opening my eyes to see that I was back in my old room.

This came as a great surprise to me having fallen asleep in the Royal Chambers and turning up here. My eyes were suddenly drawn to the ruined mirror positioned across from me. Apparently, it had made the trip into this room with me in one way or another.

Remembering what Princess Luna said about the entity coming from the mirror I thought it best to keep my distance for now. Deciding to inform Wingston, or any Flame Pony, that I was finally awake I headed towards the door of my room. Just as I reached the door I heard soft whimper come from the mirror, I could tell that it came from a place of pain rather than sadness. I struggled with my choice to approach the mirror, unsure if my concern for the entity who had kept me asleep for three days was justified. Seating myself a few paces away from the mirror, I cleared my throat.

"Hi." I said aloud.

There was no response from the mirror, but I expected as much.

"Do you want to tell me why you kept me asleep for so long?' I asked aloud.

Once more the mirror did not reply and I felt myself roll my eyes at the idea of me talking to myself.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, remembering the blast the entity took from Princess Luna.

"…no…"

I was surprised to hear the mirror reply in such a snarky way. It almost seemed to be annoyed that I would ask such a thing.

"It sounded like it hurt." I insisted.

"…shut up…"

The entity in the mirror apparently had an attitude. I knew that there was a lot I needed to get caught up on and talking to this mirror wasn't at the top of my list of things I needed to do.

"I'm not sure why you kept me asleep for so long or what you were trying to show me, but unless you're willing to talk to me without these little games you're playing I won't bother listening to you." I said with a sort of authoritative tone.

The mirror remained silent. It was my cue to leave.

"…please…"

I stopped short of leaving, bringing my attention back to the mirror.

"…I need you…"

"For what?" I asked curiously.

Before the mirror had a chance to speak the stone door to my room slid open as a Royal Guard pony poked his head into the room. Glancing at the slab of granite, noticing I was missing and turning to see me standing off to the side, the Royal Guard pony stepped into the room.

"My King, I thought I heard you speaking." The Royal Guard said looking relieved to see me.

"I was making conversation." I replied turning to him.

"With whom, my King?" The Royal Guard asked curiously.

"Please inform Wingston that I'm awake and alert. Mention that I am also undamaged." I declared ignoring his question.

"Yes, my King." The Royal Guard pony said straightening up and taking his leave of the room.

I looked back at the mirror. It's twisted, mangled metal made it unpleasant to look at.

"There are things I need to attend to, if you wish to speak further I will return later and you we can continue our conversation then." I said aloud.

"…stupid Flame Pony…"

"What?" I asked not sure if I heard that correctly.

"…stupid… Flame… Pony…."

"You're stupid!" I snapped.

The mirror did not respond. My mane flared a bit. I shrugged off the mirror and headed for the doors.

I opened the stone doors to my old room; I looked down to see Wingston standing before me. I was surprised to see him so soon, but his sudden embrace was more than welcomed.

"I'm glad to see you awake, Smolder." Wingston said stepping back.

"Glad to be awake." I said with a smile.

"Good. There is much that needs to be done and little time to do it in. Come along." Wingston said motioning for me to follow him.

I rolled my eyes a bit. Wingston's affection was as short as he was. Although his sense of duty would give a career soldier pony a run for their money. Stepping in front of Wingston, I lowered myself down to have him climb aboard so that he need not walk. This time Wingston was the one to roll his eyes and proceeded to climb on my back and we descended the stairs of the Main Hall together.

"So what's been going on while I've been asleep?" I asked curiously.

"Fortunately, our friends from Ponyville have done an extraordinary job of keeping our ponies busy, but also handling the day to day issues they have faced. Limiting the need for your personal council on certain matters. The matters that could not be dealt with I proceeded to resolve them on your behalf." Wingston explained.

"Cool. So what's been going on?" I asked again.

"You have an appointment for a fitting at Stitch Rose Shay." Wingston said simply.

"A what?" I asked looking over my shoulder at him.

"A fitting. You will have your measurements taken for your Royal outfit that you will wear during your Coronation." Wingston explained further.

"Coronation? I thought we already settled that?" I asked sounding very surprised.

"Argo has allowed Pinkie Pie to plan your Coronation, which is in two days, and Rarity's seamstresses in training are very eager to meet with you." Wingston explained in even more detail.

"Why would Argo let Pinkie Pie-" I began but Wingston interrupted.

"General Hearth assisted Pinkie Pie and a Flame Pony by the name of Ruby to obtain a deed to a building in the shopping district for a bakery. It will be catering the event." Wingston said.

"I thought General Hearth was looking for some pony to be the leader of the Royal Air Force?" I asked.

"He is. Rainbow Dash is putting our pegasi Flame Pony volunteers through what she is calling Rainbow Week. She has made great progress with our ponies." Wingston said.

My questions continued, only stopping to get directions from Wingston on where this Stitch Rose Shay place was. Wingston explained things further to me while Flame Ponies on the streets greeted me and I noticed a great improvement in their morale.

Eventually we reached a shop that had a rather new sign chiseled into a large stone tablet above the door reading 'Stitch Rose Shay'.

"Smolder! Darling!" Rarity exclaimed stepping out from the shop.

"Hi, Rarity." I greeted her.

"I am so glad to see that you're up and about once more. We were all very concerned when no pony could wake you." Rarity said looking rather relieved.

"I'm alright, I promise. Wingston said I had an appointment?" I asked looking unsure.

"Of course! They've been waiting for you." Rarity said ushering me inside the shop.

"They?" I asked believing that Rarity was going to be the pony to this.

The inside of the shop had several tables stacked with a multitude of colored garments, a few hats lining the stone shelves and so rather cool looking capes that caught my eye. I was suddenly pulled forward by small Flame Pony who dragged me to the back room. Wingston had the right idea of jumping ship before being dragged into the back.

"Good luck, my King." Wingston said with a small wave as I looked confused at the pony pulling me with Rarity bringing up the rear.

The back room had a platform in the middle of the floor; several tables were up against the wall covered in different bundles of fabric. The other side of the room has more tables holding old metal sewing machines, and an assortment of other iron tools ranging from scissors to needles. I was pushed towards the platform in the middle of the room, where a rather intimidating female Flame Pony was staring rather coldly at me.

"He should have been here over an hour ago." Rose said sounding very annoyed.

"He just woke up, darling." Rarity stated strolling over to the fabric table.

"So the King likes to sleep in?" Stitch asked curiously walking over to the equipment table and retrieving several needles.

I stood motionless on the platform, I had a lot of experience doing this for Rarity but my nerves were uneasy at the idea of these ponies in practice having a go at me. Glancing over I saw another colt Flame Pony silently measuring my hoof.

"Hi." I said.

"…Hi." Crow said softly.

The colt walked away writing down something on a stone tablet with chalk. I could tell that this was going to be a while.

"So… did you ponies make all that clothing in the front?" I asked sounding curious.

"What's it to ya?" Rose asked giving me a cold look.

"Now, Rose, he is only making conversation and he is your King so be nice." Rarity said in a disapproving tone.

"Did you see my hats?" Stitch asked curiously walking over to me and throwing a large piece of fabric over my back.

"I did." I replied watching her stick needles into the fabric.

"Let me introduce you to the Ashen Fields newest seamstresses, Ms. Stitch, Ms. Rose and Mr. Shay." Rarity announced stepping in front of me and pointing to each pony as she named them off.

"It's Skull Candy." Rose said with her face turning red and her mane flaring.

"Of course, darling." Rarity said dismissively.

"We've been making clothing for all the Royal Guests that will be attending your coronation." Stitch explained thrusting more pins into the fabric. I tried not to wince.

"It has been such a challenge but these ponies have put all of their passion and souls into making this deadline." Rarity said looking very proud.

"I'm sorry if this has caused you any trouble." I said watching Stitch throw more fabric over my flank.

"Don't worry about it, it will be reflected in your bill." Rose said in matter of fact tone.

"Oh… okay." I said feeling like Argo would have something to say about it.

I felt the fabric be pulled off of me in a single tug from Stitch. Crow approached me again, standing in front of me and doing more measurements.

"What did you make?" I asked curiously to him.

"What?" Crow asked seemingly taken aback.

"In the store? What did you make?" I asked again.

"Crow has actually designed all of the clothing for the Royal Guests, Royal Guards, and will be designing your outfit from scratch." Rarity answered for him as Crow stepped around me to measure some more.

"You must be really talented." I mentioned looking over my shoulder.

Crow looked up. I saw a smile break out across his face as he nodded a few times before going back to measuring my hind legs. He was a rather odd pony, I thought.

"Aren't you going to ask me what I made?" Rose asked looking annoyed strolling up to me and placing yet another cloth over my head.

"No." I replied quickly.

"Why not?" Rose asked sounding offended.

"Because I'm afraid you'll hit me." I said honestly.

Stitch snorted back a laugh. Rarity covered her face to hide her smile as Crow slowly backed away from me. Rose's face turned a rather bright red. She stepped up onto the platform to get face to face with me and I felt like that hit was coming.

"I made the capes, I'll have you know." Rose said looking flustered.

"Oh! Those were really cool." I said suddenly remembering the stylish capes out front.

Rose now looked caught between flustered and appreciative. She didn't know how to respond and decided to just give me the cold shoulder and went back to work.

"No worries darling, I assure you that these ponies will do the finest job." Rarity assured me.

"I know they will." I replied.

My response drew the attention of every pony in the room.

"You do?" Stitch asked looking surprised.

"Sure." I replied.

"How do you know?" Rose asked suspiciously.

"Because every pony believes that I can be King. If ponies are willing to give me this chance then I willing to believe in any pony that puts their heart into anything they do." I said simply.

There was a sudden silence that followed. I wasn't sure if I had something stupid or perhaps wrong.

"Thank you." Crow said from the sewing machines.

"It's cool." I replied.

It was another hour before the Flame Ponies would let me leave. Although I didn't leave quite yet, I reunited with Wingston who was watching the store during this time and browsed the selections. Having only brought a hoof full of bits I ended up buying a hat, which seemed to excite Stitch to no end. I wished the Flame Ponies luck as Rarity escorted us to the exit.

"It would mean a lot to the Flame Ponies if you wore the hat while you walk around town. I'm sure it will bring a lot of business to Stitch Rose Shay." Rarity quietly mentioned to me.

"No problem." I said with a smile putting the hat on my head.

"Take care of yourself now, darling. We'll send word when your outfit is ready." Rarity said as I exited the shop with Wingston on my back.

"That hat looks ridiculous on you." Wingston mumbled disapprovingly.

"You're just mad that you didn't bring any bits." I retorted with a smirk.

"Why would any Flame Pony want to wear a hat?" Wingston asked shaking his head.

"Why not?" I asked.

"The purpose of a hat is to protect oneself from the heat and rays of the sun. You're pretty much both." Wingston explained it to me.

"I think it looks cool." I said adjusting it.

"I forbid you from buying anymore." Wingston threatened me.

"What kind of pony needs more than one hat?" I asked with a chuckle.

"You'd be surprised." Wingstom replied.

Chapter 10: Forgotten History

Rarity waved goodbye to Smolder and Wingston at the entrance of Stich Rose Shay before returning to the counter where Stitch was still reeling from her first sale.

"I can't believe some pony bought something that I made! It was even the King!" Stitch squealed with excitement covering her face with her hooves.

Rarity smiled at Stitch's excitement. Having known the feeling of making a pony's first sale, it must have been all that much more meaningful to a Flame Pony who never thought they would have such a chance. Before Rarity could congratulate Stitch on her first sale, Rose appeared from the backroom holding several bundles of cloth.

"Stitch, I need your help sketching out the patterns for the King's outfit." Rose stated rather pleadingly.

"Coming." Stitch replied following Rose into the back.

"It appears that I've almost become a fifth wheel in all this." Rarity remarked jokingly.

In only a few days her seamstresses had become so confident in their own abilities that they nearly made enough clothing to open the shop two days into her lessons. Granted most of the clothing was basic black, while only a hoof full of items were different colored, but the quality of the work was at a level that Rarity was proud of. When the orders arrived from Argo Fleece to supply the Castle with elegant cloaks, suits, saddles and royal garb for the Coronation of Smolder; Rarity could not imagine even coming close to filling such a request in so short of time. Although, Stitch, Rose, and Crow all seemed more than willing, if not excited, to have this opportunity and went straight to work.

With the Coronation only being two days away, Rarity and her seamstresses had finished more than seventy-five percent of the order. All that was remaining was the King's outfit and several more cloaks to be made for the distinguished guests.

Stepping into the backroom to lend a hoof once more, Rarity came face to face with Crow in the door way carrying an arm full of Royal commissioned cloaks.

"Terribly sorry, dear." Rarity said stepping to the side to let Crow pass.

"It's… o-o-o-okay." Crow stammered with a weak smile.

Crow moved passed her to bundle up the cloaks, stack them with others, and log it into the book on how many they still had left to do. Rarity stepped inside the backroom to see Stitch sketching patterns into several pieces of cloth while Rose began to layer the mock up.

"Have any ideas for the King's outfit yet?" Rarity asked curiously using her horn to magically lift some pins to Rose.

"Crow just finished his design for the King's outfiy, Stitch is sketching out the pieces we'll need, and I'm just slapping together another cloak until she's done." Rose replied taking a few pins with her teeth and stabbing them into the cloth to hold it in place.

"May I see what he's come up with?" Rarity asked excitedly.

"He said he wanted it to be a surprise. He only gave us the patterns and measurements." Stitch said holding up a stone slab.

"I do love surprises, I'm sure it will be magnificent. Crow really does have a gift for this." Rarity said magically pulling some flame resistant string from the spool and threading it through a needle.

"Where is Crow?" Rose asked curiously looking around the back room.

"Not to worry, he's out front bundling up a stack of cloaks." Rarity said using her magic to begin sewing pieces of fabric together on the mock up.

"He better get his flank back in here on the double." Rose mumbled looking rather testy.

It wasn't very apparent to the untrained pony but Rarity could see Rose stealing glances at the door waiting for Crow to come back. It was already made clear to her that Rose saw Crow as her special somepony but it was still unclear on how Crow felt.

There wasn't much need for Rarity to try and get the two ponies together because Rose and Crow were almost always together as it was. It was becoming clear that these two ponies would continue to let their feelings be buried deep down unless something or some pony were to put things in motion.

"Stitch dear, could you come help me with something?" Rarity asked non-suspiciously.

"Okay." Stitch replied sliding off her stone seat.

Rarity escorted Stitch into the front of the store where Crow stood stacking up the cloaks onto the table.

"I-I-I-Is ev-v-very th-th-thing alright?" Crow asked curiously noticing them leaving the back room.

"Fine darling, fine. I just wanted Stitch to help me… with a stuck door upstairs is all." Rarity stated waving her hoof at him not to bother.

Rarity steered Stitch towards the staircase away from Crow who was returning to the back room. Together they climbed the stairs, stopping at the landing where Stitch looked very confused.

"Alright, I do believe we're out of ear shot. Now, how are we going to get Rose and Crow together?" Rarity whispered to Stitch.

"Is that why we're here?" Stitch asked curiously.

"Have you not seen them together? They are simply the most adorable couple I have ever laid eyes on!" Rarity remarked with a glisten in her eyes.

"I guess. You've only been here a couple of days." Stitch agreed slowly; not looking as sure as Rarity was.

"Whenever Crow leaves the room I have found Rose eagerly awaiting his return." Rarity explained.

"That's because Crow is our lead designer, whenever he leaves it almost puts production to a halt." Stitch replied.

"No, darling, you're just too young to see it yet. Its love I tell you, an aching heart desperately wanting to pour out its feelings to a special somepony but fear decides against it." Rarity said dramatically placing her hoof to her brow.

"I don't think Rose is afraid of anything." Stitch commented.

"I agree, but she is refusing to let her true feelings for Crow come out and we need to do something." Rarity said defiantly.

"Do you have any idea what Rose will do to us if we tell Crow she likes him? I like my teeth where they are, thanks." Stitch replied starting to make for the stairs.

"No! Stitch, we won't speak a word of it to Crow. It is not our place, but if we bring them to a place where they could speak honest and open maybe she'll do it herself." Rarity explained to her.

"What?" Stitch asked looking confused.

"We have them go to the Coronation, Crow could make Rose a beautiful dress that reflects his feelings for her and they'll share a dance with one another before she confesses her feelings for him." Rarity declared with her eyes glistening once more at the thought.

"Blegh." Stitch replied sticking out her tongue.

"So how are we supposed to get Crow to make Rose a dress and then get Rose to where it?" Stitch asked, making it sound like an impossible task.

"I will tell them both that they are to attend the party to help spread the word of Flame Pony clothing to potential buyers or clients. It will be under the guise of work but in reality it will be a clever trap to get them there together." Rarity explained.

"How long have you been thinking about this?" Stitch asked curiously.

"Since I found out that Rose liked Crow, it has been a splinter of curiosity in my mind ever since." Rarity replied.

"I didn't think this is what you meant by needing my help." Stitch confessed.

"Why yes, why else would we be here?" Rarity asked curiously.

"I thought you wanted me to unlock this door." Stitch replied looking at the locked stone door behind her.

"Can you really?" Rarity asked sounding surprised.

"Sure, it's just a matter of finding the loose stone." Stitch replied placing her hoof on the stone door frame.

Rarity watched Stitch slide her hoof up and down the sides of the door until there was a sudden sound of scraping rock and the door sliding open.

"I would have never have guessed that would be the way to opening this door." Rarity said with much wonder looking at the simple yet effective design of the door.

Together they opened the door further to glance inside the locked room. Amazingly, the room seemed almost untouched by time. A granite slab in the corner of the room, a single window facing the opposing wall next door, there was a vanity mirror, and a stone dresser pushed up against the wall.

"It's a girl's room!" Stitch squealed with her eyes lighting up.

Stitch quickly rushed over to the vanity mirror and began to rummage through the stone drawers for anything of interest while Rarity found herself quite content at the choice in décor. It wasn't much to look at but for such a small room with little to no sun it seemed quite charming.

"Whoever used to live here didn't leave anything behind." Stitch said disappointingly closing the last empty drawer.

"I wouldn't expect them to leave anything they couldn't very well carry down the stairs with ease." Rarity remarked looking at the rock hard bed.

"Was there anything in the dresser?" Stitch asked curiously rushing over to it.

"Anything in there might be years old darling, it must have layers of dust and soot all over it." Rarity remarked looking at the grime covered mirror.

"Look Rarity! Hats!" Stitch shouted pulling out some rather pristine looking hats.

Surprisingly, Rarity was quite impressed on the craftsmanship. It showed signs of wear but it was in remarkable condition. The material was very similar to the one Rarity had put together but it seemed to have a thicker thread count which gave Rarity some new ideas.

"Rarity!" Stitch shouted in fright.

Something had caught fire within the stone dresser. Rarity reacted quickly using the flame resistant hat to smother the fire with using her magic and standing a safe distance away. There wasn't much in terms of smoke, if any at all, as the fire died away. Rarity and Stitch peered inside the drawer to see what had started the fire.

"It appears to be… parchment." Rarity mumbled carefully removing some severely burned pieces of parchment from the drawer.

"I didn't know it was in there." Stitch said sounding very ashamed.

"It wasn't your fault dear; it seems rather odd and almost inconceivable for a Flame Pony to even have parchment. Let alone in a drawer." Rarity replied looking at the burned mess.

"What do you think it was?" Stitch asked curiously.

Rarity held up the burnt parchment with her magic, gently blowing away the burnt pieces and squinting to read it. After a few moments Rarity felt confident enough to read it aloud.

…again. I don't know why he insists on so many hats, I had to spend all afternoon making another… he chokes on it. Dad says that he's one of our best customers but if you ask me that pony can go… I guess it isn't fair. The pony has been meeting with potential suitors these past few weeks…

"That's all that I am able to read, I'm afraid the damage was much too severe." Rarity said sadly.

"Maybe there's more?" Stitch asked hopefully opening another stone drawer.

Upon opening the drawer, Stitch and Rarity were surprised to see several stacks of parchment all tied up with twine resting comfortably in the drawer. It was all stationary, everything from quills to ink bottles were inside.

"Apparently the pony that was lived here kept a journal or pen pony of some kind." Rarity said looking rather fascinated by it.

"How would a Flame Pony be able to write with that kind of stuff anyways?" Stitch asked looking confused.

Rarity simply lifted the quill and parchment with her magic, Stitch looked very impressed at Rarity's detective skills.

"It's apparent that the pony here was a unicorn, and probably liked her privacy. What better way to ensure no Flame Pony reads your writing then having it burn up on contact." Rarity stated.

"Well whatever she wrote, she must have taken it with her because all that's left is blank parchment." Stitch said looking disappointingly at the stationary.

"We have more pressing matters to attend to anyway." Rarity said placing the burned piece of parchment on the dresser and returning to the stairs case with Stitch in tow.

Upon leaving the room, Rarity closed the stone door behind her with the stone block sliding back out locking the door once more. Within the room, the block lock slid forward revealing a small compartment where several pieces of written parchment had been hidden.

Twilight Sparkle and Alex Papyrus had made great strides with making out much of the dungeons and tunnels beneath Castle Char. Cataloging several recovered relics, engravings, and lots of old Flame Pony junk. Broken chariots, broken granite slabs, broken stone chests, broken tables, broken statues and the list just kept getting longer. Every so often Twilight or Alex would find themselves coming back to the etching they had found their first day down here. Nothing else came close to being as mysterious or as fascinating to them, but even after three days of exploring neither pony had found even a hint or a clue as to what it was trying to depict.

Within the three days, Alex had placed several purposeful torches throughout the dungeons halls. Every torch placed on the right side of the wall to mark the path deeper into the dungeon, which would in turn meant that if the torches were on your left would lead you back out. Twilight was very impressed by Alex's ingenuity, while also being grateful for having more light within the dark halls and not having to ask Alex to follow her around all day as her personal light source. Today, however, Twilight was fixated on the etching. Staring at it without blinking, hoping to see something she had missed before or perhaps view it in a way she had not thought of.

"Any progress yet, Ms. Sparkle?" Alex asked curiously strolling up to her carrying a few blank stone tablets under his arm.

"No." Twilight said with a sigh, hanging her head in defeat.

"Don't be discouraged, Ms. Sparkle, you have made great leaps in our own history these last few days." Alex insisted with a rather positive attitude.

"Yeah, I discovered that Flame Ponies would throw away all their unwanted junk in these tunnels." Twilight said sounding somewhat bitter.

"Well, yes, that is true. Although you have also discovered several volumes of Flame Pony poetry, for what it's worth. As well as several tomes of Flame Pony ledgers dating as far back as the time of Lord Smoke; I say that is an incredible find." Alex said encouragingly.

"Thanks, but I feel like the answer is just staring us in the face and we just can't see it." Twilight said with a small smile glancing back at the etching.

"I'm sure it will reveal its purpose in time to you, Ms. Sparkle." Alex said looking at the etching himself.

"I told you, you don't have to call me Ms. Sparkle. Twilight is fine." Twilight said her mood slowly improving.

"Sorry, I was raised to be formal with any pony Ms- uh… I mean Twilight." Alex said catching himself.

"What have you got there?" Twilight asked looking at the blank slabs of rock under his arm.

"Basic inventory check, I will be cataloging everything down here and rechecking it afterwards." Alex explained.

"Do you want some help with that?" Twilight offered with a smile.

"I would be most appreciative, Twilight, I would assume it's at least better than staring into the void all day." Alex said reaching under his arm to give her some of the blank slates.

Twilight took the stone tablet from Alex, the slate stared back up at her and the wheels in Twilight's head began to turn.

"Alex?" Twilight asked still looking at the blank slate.

"Yes, Twilight?" Alex replied looking up at her.

"What do you call it when a pony is free from restrictions or commitment?" Twilight asked, as if expecting a response.

"Restrictions or… I'm not sure what you're asking me, Twilight." Alex said looking puzzled.

"It's what this is. A blank slate." Twilight explained showing him the stone tablet.

"Oh… so?" Alex asked still unsure what Twilight was getting at.

"It's what you are trying to do with the Mad King, you want a blank slate." Twilight said as the excitement in her voice began to increase.

"It's understandable, Twilight. We want to put this whole ugly mess behind us." Alex explained feeling like he was going to have to defend his position on the paintings once more.

"But that's just it, Alex! This wall was the blank slate!" Twilight exclaimed rushing over to the etching.

"I'm sorry Twilight, I'm just not following." Alex said looking very disappointed in himself.

"Pretend that this slate was a decree by the Mad King." Twilight said holding up her blank slate.

"Alright." Alex said.

Twilight immediately dropped it as it broke into several smaller pieces.

"Uh…" Alex said looking at the small pieces of rock on the floor.

Alex suddenly felt the remaining slates of rock be pulled from under his arm. Twilight put a few paces between them, holding the remaining slates over her head and smiling at him.

"Twilight…" Alex said slowly; suddenly realizing what she planning.

"Now pretend that these slates are all that's left referring to the Mad King." Twilight said dropping the slates.

Alex made a dive for the slates, but it was too late. The slates broke into smaller stones as Alex looked very annoyed getting back to his hooves.

"Alright, you broke all my slates." Alex said narrowing his eyes at Twilight.

"You said it yourself, Alex, no mention of the Mad King; at all. Flame Ponies want to forget the Mad King, but what if you had just one slate left that mentioned him?" Twilight asked revealing a hidden clean slate from behind her flank.

"Twilight! Don't you dare." Alex said warningly holding out his hoof to her.

"Let's say that I want to destroy this slate, but you're the pony who won't stand for it. You want there to be some mention of the Mad King, to make sure that future Flame Ponies know what happened. What would you do?" Twilight asked holding the slate out to Alex.

"I'd be sure to hide it from you." Alex said taking the slate quickly from her.

"Exactly! That's what this etching is, Alex!" Twilight said excitedly tapping her hoof against it.

Alex's face started to change from annoyance to sudden realization. His mouth slowly becoming a gape at the point Twilight was trying to make. Looking at Twilight with his awestruck face, Twilight returned it with a smile of excitement.

"We've been searching for days for anything that would mention or hint at what this could be, but haven't found anything. Nothing, and that's because everything about what happened in this etching was destroyed." Twilight explained.

"They wanted us to forget; whatever it was they didn't want any pony to know." Alex said quietly finding a whole new wonder to this etching.

"Some pony didn't want what happened to disappear forever, so that pony came down here in the dungeons and made an etching of what had happened." Twilight explained slowly drawing her hoof down the scrapes of the etching.

"Something like this would have been decreed by the King, all mention of it would have had to be destroyed without question. It would have been treason if the pony that did this was caught." Alex mumbled.

"What could have happened to the Flame Ponies all those years ago? To have them destroy any mention of it?" Twilight asked curiously.

Twilight looked over her shoulder to see Alex halfway down the corridor. Twilight took off after him, unsure of where he was going.

"Alex? Is everything alright?" Twilight called after him.

"No, it is not." Alex replied striding in a brisk pace through the dungeons.

"What's the matter?" Twilight asked sounding concerned.

"I've been an arrogant and pompous pony. Overlooking one of the most basic understandings of history." Alex said aloud sounding very angry with himself.

"I don't understand." Twilight replied following him through the corridors.

Twilight followed Alex all the way back to an all too familiar stone door with an 'x' upon it. Wiping his hoof upon the 'x', Alex pushed the stone block that opened the door once more to reveal the boxes of hats and the many paintings of the young Prince Scorch.

"Ponies who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. I'm sure the pony who carved that etching knew this as well. I can't call myself a Historian, or even an Archeologist, if I knowingly omit our own history." Alex said turning to Twilight.

"What are you going to do?" Twilight asked.

"If you're willing to help me… I would like to present this to King Smolder and eventually have it displayed in the castle one day for every pony to see." Alex said putting his personal feelings aside.

"I'd be glad to." Twilight replied looking very pleased with Alex's decision.

"I'll need to get more stone tablets first." Alex said with a small chuckle looking down at the one he had left.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that." Twilight said apologetically.

"It is quite alright. I have to admit, your methods are slightly unorthodox at times, but you truly are brilliant." Alex replied.

"Thank you, Alex." Twilight said.

"No, Ms. Sparkle, thank you for being the brightest thing down here." Alex said warmly.

Alex left Twilight at the door, making for the staircase to the Main Hall, leaving Twilight feeling very flattered by his comment. More to the point, she was very happy that Alex had changed his mind about the hats and paintings. Having known Flame Pony pride to be a very stubborn thing, it made Alex's choice that much more impressive.

Twilight and Alex spent the next hour cataloging every hat and every caricature within the room. Then it was just a matter of moving the portraits without burning them, which would be handled by pegasi Royal Guard ponies that could magically lift them out of the room. The hats were flame resistant so the Royal Guard ponies had an easier time moving them, and trying on a few hats along the way.

"The portraits and hats will be moved to the Throne Room for now, we will present them to the King later today and I hope that you will be there as well." Alex said to Twilight watching the last of the hats be carried out of the room.

"I wouldn't miss it." Twilight replied looking very pleased.

"I suppose we should finish cataloging the rest of the dungeon then." Alex said with a sigh.

"After you." Twilight said gesturing down the corridor.

Twilight and Alex made their way back down the corridor, the torches on their right, leading them deeper into the dungeon. Eventually the light from the torches further down had died out, it was normal for a torch to burn out but they usually started back at the beginning. Alex simply relit the torches while making their way through the corridor but nearly choked on his fire when Twilight let out a high pitched scream.

"What is it? What?" Alex demanded looking around frantically.

"The etching! It's gone!" Twilight cried.

The wall that had once bore the strange etching had been smashed. Hundreds of broken bits of rock littered the floor leaving nothing of the etching intact.

"No, no, no, no, no, no." Alex mumbled to himself in horror.

Alex quickly rushed over to the edge of the broken stones on the floor. Unsure of how to handle this. He carefully picked up a piece rock and another trying to find a mark of an etching on any of them.

"What could have done this?" Alex asked sounding very distraught.

"A pony." Twilight replied pointing to the hoof prints left in the disturbed remains of the wall.

"I… I don't understand… why would any pony do this?" Alex asked looking at Twilight.

"I'm not sure, but I'm glad I had the presence of mind to make a rubbing of it for our records." Twilight said sounding relieved.

"You have? Twilight you are truly the most brilliant-" Alex stopped short staring wide eye at her.

"Is everything okay?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Twilight, in the interest of your safety, I recommend that you back get to the Main Hall at once." Alex muttered motioning her back towards the lit corridor.

"Why? Do you think the Flame Pony that did this is still down here?" Twilight asked quietly slowly moving towards him.

"Yes, but I know that it isn't a Flame Pony." Alex whispered back.

"How do you know?" Twilight asked sounding surprised.

"Because I'm looking at it." Alex whispered staring it the dark corridor.

Twilight slowly turned towards the dark corridor, straining her eyes before seeing a faint outline of a pony standing in the darkness looking their way.

"I'm not leaving. We can take this pony together." Twilight whispered back quickly.

"That corridor leads to the mines. You could get separated from me or worse, hurt. This pony must have gotten in through the mines and I bet it knows how to navigate the tunnels better than we do." Alex explained not taking his eyes off the pony.

"What are you going to do?" Twilight asked.

"I'm just going to stand here, maybe ask it a question or two while you run for the guards." Alex mumbled.

"Alex this could be dangerous, we should leave together and go for help." Twilight insisted.

"No, if we run it might just hide in one of the rooms we haven't explored yet. If I stay here, I can at least keep it in the mines." Alex explained.

Twilight looked very worried and concerned for Alex. Alex glanced down at Twilight for a moment and gave her a small wink.

"I'm no hero, Ms. Sparkle. If it takes off running into the mines I won't follow, but if it comes chasing after you I won't let it get one hoof passed me." Alex said with a small smile.

"Why is every Flame Colt such a dork?" Twilight asked looking very unhappy.

"We do stupid things when we're scared or nervous, but protecting a friend is never stupid." Alex replied.

Twilight begrudgingly moved around Alex, glancing back at the pony in the darkness. Lining up with the lit corridor, Twilight looked down the path of torches on her left and back at Alex who acted as the buffer between her and the mysterious pony.

"I'll be back before you know it." Twilight reassured him.

"I do hope so, Ms. Sparkle." Alex replied with a nervous smile.

Twilight took off like a shot. Racing down the corridor as fast as she could, quietly whispering to herself that Alex would be alright. Twilight was halfway down the corridor before a sudden rush of air blasted past her snuffing out all the torches down the corridor; followed by a horrifying roar that echoed throughout the dungeon.

Two of the Royal Guard pegasi ponies, that had been helping earlier with the moving of the paintings and hats, had heard distant echo of the roar come from the dungeon. Curious to know what it was they stuck their heads through the door looking down the staircase only to get a sudden blast of wind hitting them in the face. Surprised by this the Royal Guards backed away from the doorway and looked at one another confused. A sudden burst of purple magic sparked at the top of the stairs revealing Twilight out of breath, having used a teleport spell to climb the stairs in no time flat.

"Alex is in trouble!" Twilight said urgently through deep breaths.

Without another word the two Royal Guard ponies went racing down the stairs with Twilight following closely behind them. The lead guard barreled on ahead while the second guard pony quickly relit every torch down the corridors as they ran. Rounding the corner the lead guard pony spotted Alex lying on the ground, his flame lightly flickering and unconscious. Twilight and the other guard pony caught up to see the lead guard pony rolling Alex over.

"Is he going to be alright?" Twilight asked sounding extremely worried.

"He's not hurt, just passed out." The lead guard replied checking Alex over.

"Area is clear, Topaz." The second guard said aloud.

"Watch our flanks, Spinel." Topaz replied lifting Alex onto his back.

Twilight and the Royal Guard ponies rounded the corner, Spinel stood at the threshold for a moment or two to see if anything was trying to follow them; deciding it was clear Spinel quickly followed. Once more the roar Twilight had heard from earlier echoed through the dungeons, a sudden rush of air blew out most of the torches again, but not enough to reach the Royal Guards or Twilight. The pony hiding in the darkness stepped into the corridor watching the Royal Ponies flames disappear into the distance.

Chapter 12: Planning Ahead

Tiff Pitchstone had enlisted the help of some of the Ashen Fields most gifted stone-cutters. These were the hardest working construction ponies that were in charge of repairing, maintaining, and rebuilding parts of Castle Char. Luckily for Tiff, the pony in charge of these stone-cutters was a personal friend who just happened to be willing to build him a dam. With the Council of Wingston and Argo Fleece, Tiff was given the go ahead to have the dam be built; as long as it came in under budget. Thus leaving his friend, Roman Mason, the architect, to suggest an Arch-Gravity Dam to save water from the reservoir and the size of the canyon would lessen the need for more materials to build it. Roman was pure black hide pony, subtle red flames, and a cutie mark bearing a right angle.

It took Roman a day to draw up the blueprints for the dam, and from that point on it was just a matter of getting it built. Applejack tried to lend a hood where she could, learning the finer techniques of bucking rocks, but it was clear that Flame Ponies were born to cut and build with stone. Their measurements were precise, each block nearly seamless when stacked upon the next, and needless to say that the colts moving the rocks had the muscle for this kind of work. Bucking apple trees all day was hard work but pounding a rock with your hooves all day to get it square looked just as tiring.

It had been three days since the construction had begun, and Tiff's dam was nearly finished. The crest length of the damn spanned between the edges of the canyon, the face of the dam was concave inwards, and a series of chambers at the bottom would allow the amount of water to pass through. There were many stress and safety tests to be done before dismantling the old dam to ensure that it would hold once the water was released.

"Will it be completed today?" Tiff asked hopefully, looking up at the new dam excitedly.

"That depends." Roman replied signing his name on a stone ledger a construction pony gave to him.

"On what?" Applejack asked also looking at the structure.

"It needs a name." Roman replied passing Tiff the ledger.

"A name?" Tiff asked looking surprised taking the stone tablet from him.

"All structures of some importance have names, and I believe this has more than its fair share of such." Roman explained to him.

"Here, Applejack, you decide." Tiff said quickly passing the tablet to her.

"You're riding solo on this one, partner." Applejack said pushing it back towards him.

"I've never had to name anything before, and even if I did every pony will end up referring to it by whatever I decide on calling it. It's too much pressure." Tiff said sounding very worried.

"Well don't make it stupid, then." Roman replied tapping on the stone tablet for him to write.

Tiff made a series of concerned faces, straining his brain for a name or word that would be forever associated with this structure.

"Hot... Dam?" Tiff asked looking at Roman.

Applejack pulled her hat over her face to hide her embarrassment for Tiff as Roman slapped Tiff upside the head.

"Try again." Roman said shaking his head disappointingly.

"Why don't you try naming it after something?" Applejack offered pulling her hat back up.

Applejack could see a sudden realization come over Tiff's face, he seemed confident in his decision as he scrawled the name on the ledger. Handing it back to Roman, Tiff wore a smile on his face while gazing at the newly named dam.

"Moonstone?" Roman asked curiously reading the stone tablet.

"Moonstone Dam, I think that could work." Applejack said trying the name out loud.

"You sure, Tiff? Cause Argo is going to make you go through a ton of stone tablets to change it." Roman warned holding it back out to him.

"It'll be fine, thanks for the help Roman." Tiff said pushing it away from him.

Roman nodded in agreement. Patting Tiff on the shoulder, Roman waved goodbye to Applejack and headed back towards the castle. Tiff motioned for Applejack to follow him, making his way to the embankment that led to the top of crest of the damn.

"You seemed pretty confident in that name, Tiff. Seeing as you were ready to pass the buck so quickly, what made you decide on Moonstone?" Applejack asked curiously.

"It was my mother's name." Tiff explained.

"Your mom, huh?" Applejack asked looking interested.

"My father had a huge impact on the Ashen Fields, but my mother was simply my mom. Her lasting impact was on a small foal that was taught that even the things that can hurt us can be good for us too." Tiff explained reaching to the top of the damn and strolling alongside the canyon's edge.

"I'm guessing that foal was you?" Applejack asked.

"She passed away just a year later from a sickness no pony could cure. Leaving just me and my father. He put everything aside to take care of me and raise me the best he could; he passed a few years after." Tiff continued.

"That must have been hard on you." Applejack said sounding sympathetic.

"It was, but when my mother died it brought me and father closer together. He taught me everything he knew before he passed on which has given me the opportunity to help bring back the Ashen Fields to a lush green valley once more." Tiff said.

"It seems like you're at peace with it." Applejack pointed out.

"I believe there is something good to be found in all bad things. I like to believe that I was the one good thing my parents had in a time where there was nothing but bad." Tiff replied opening up just a bit.

"Seeing how you're spearheading this whole operation, I can honestly say you've done a lot of good in place that has been through a whole lot of bad." Applejack said encouragingly.

Tiff nodded his head in agreement. Applejack could see that Tiff wasn't all together at peace with it, there seemed to be a lot of doubt still rooting around in his noggin. It was understandable to have such thoughts, considering how every pony was counting on him to essentially do the impossible and turn the Ashen Fields green.

Applejack and Tiff reached the sight of the rusted metal dam blocking the large river of water from slicing through the rest of the canyon. There had been many metallurgist Flame Ponies out here to inspect the rusted dam to evaluate the best way of removing it. The ponies agreed upon a subtle approach.

"So what did those metal heads decide on to get this here dam open?" Applejack asked curiously looking down at the rusted metal.

"Well, after much debate, they decided to use thermite." Tiff said with a smile.

"Thermite, alright… what's that?" Applejack asked looking unsure.

"I'm just a farmer, Applejack." Tiff chuckled approaching the edge of the metal dam.

Applejack could see a line of fuses lined atop the metal dam and leading down to several structural points near the base. Several clay pots were resting upon crisscrossing beams, large sheets of metal, and there seemed to be several more wedged in at other places.

"Yeah, but you're a few straws short of a bale of hay when it comes too subtly." Applejack replied looking concerned.

"All they told me is that it will weaken parts of the dam, allowing water to gradually pass through until the dam buckles completely." Tiff explained stepping out onto the rusted metal dam prompting Applejack into an immediate disapproval.

"Where do you think you're going?" Applejack demanded stepping up to the edge of the dam.

"They said to light the ones at the end first, and walk back down the line lighting each one as I go. It's perfectly safe, Applejack. Flame Ponies are all about this kind of stuff." Tiff said reassuringly doing a little dance on the rusted dam.

"Is being a dork one of them?" Applejack asked looking not at all amused.

"Couldn't tell you, but I can tell you that this is completely safe. Just like you insisted." Tiff replied.

"How do you figure?" Applejack asked looking back down at the pots.

"Well for one I'm not standing in front of it, and two, the thermite will do the work for me." Tiff said flaring his mane, reaching the other side of the dam where the first fuse to be lit sat.

"That stuff will burn through the metal?" Applejack asked looking unconvinced.

"Four thousand degrees, guaranteed. All it needs is a little heat to get it going." Tiff said throwing her a wink.

"How did those Flame Ponies not blow themselves up while setting this up?" Applejack asked looking very nervous.

"There are unicorn Flame Ponies, you know." Tiff replied.

Before Applejack could argue further, Tiff leaned down and breathed a small flame onto the fuse. It sparked and started its way down the side of the dam. Applejack started to bounce nervously watching Tiff slowly walk back, stomping his hoof down on the other fuses that sparked and started to make their way down the front.

"Should those metal head ponies be here doing this?" Applejack asked looking around.

"I told them I wanted to do it, besides they've got their hooves filled with repairs to the castle." Tiff replied stomping on another fuse.

The first fuse finally reached the clay pot, a sudden flash of fire and sparks came spraying off the metal wall. The second fuse reached the second pot sending a wave of sparks showering down, followed by the third, the fourth and the firth fuse. Each one reaching the pots and golden flakes of fire showering down.

"There should at least be one pony here who knows what the hay they are doing." Applejack insisted looking at the fire nervously.

"Applejack, relax." Tiff said stepping off of the metal dam watching her breathe a sigh of relief.

"The last thing I need is a repeat of another Flame Pony being swept downstream." Applejack mumbled.

"Which pony was that?" Tiff asked curiously.

Before Applejack could respond the sudden groaning of metal filled the air, the metal started to buckle, water spraying out from the edges. The corner of the dam tore itself away from the pressure of the water; a flood of water surged from the bottom, racing down the canyon. Almost like ripping a piece of paper from one side the other, the rusted metal dam gave way as the water raced down the canyon. Applejack looked up to see Tiff no longer standing beside her, she looked down the path to see him racing alongside the water as best he could.

"Hey!" Applejack hollered taking off after him.

The river roared through the canyon, splashing itself across the ash and dust that had accumulated over the years. Breaking, bending, and smashing the rusted metal against the rocks before crashing up against the Moonstone Dam. Several unicorn Flame Ponies lined the edges of the canyon, magically lifting pieces of metal out of the sloshing river and piling them off to the side. Tiff was breathing heavy as he came to a stop next to Roman who was beaming proudly at the success of the new dam.

"How is everything?" Tiff asked taking a few deep breaths.

"Well the dam hasn't collapsed, so that's a good start." Roman joked looking rather pleased.

Applejack eventually caught up to Tiff, witnessing the unicorn Flame Ponies magically retrieving the debris and the excitement of Tiff and Roman.

"You actually thought this through?" Applejack asked looking surprised to see things going so smoothly.

"You insisted we do this the right way, Applejack. We went to great lengths to ensure just that." Tiff replied.

"Flame Ponies pride themselves on the craftsmanship, and keeping promises. We won't allow either to break easily." Roman stated stomping his hoof down on the Moonstone Dam; admiring the work that went into it.

"Well you sure as hay made one mighty fine dam, that's for sure." Applejack replied watching the current of the water slam up against the dam and swirl around to the side.

"How long before we can trigger the gates to let the water run out into the fields?" Tiff asked Roman almost bouncing with excitement.

"Once the Flame Ponies finish clearing all the debris. We don't want anything jamming the mechanisms below." Roman stated pointing at some of the rusted metal being lifted out of the water.

"This would not have been possible without your help, Applejack." Tiff said turning to her.

"You should be thanking those Flame Ponies who built it." Applejack pointed out.

"I'm speaking of what you have done for me." Tiff clarified.

"I'm not sure I follow." Applejack replied looking curiously at him.

"Ever since I became the Head of Agriculture, I was saddled with the responsibility of bringing life back to this wasteland we've called a home. For a pony that had lost so much so quickly and felt pressured to produce some much in so little time… I'm grateful to have had you tell me that it was okay to wait a bit longer." Tiff explained.

"Stress can really do a number on a pony; sometimes all you need is another pony telling you it's going to be okay." Applejack said reassuringly.

"I told him that all the time." Roman said looking slapping Tiff upside the head.

"Yeah, but-" Tiff mumbled rubbing the back of his head.

"It means more coming from a pretty pony." Roman interrupted rolling his eyes.

"Is that so?" Applejack asked suspiciously.

"Well I was just uh… Roman and I go way back so when you said it, you were a pony who didn't know all that much about me and uh…" Tiff said nervously trying to avoid eye contact with Applejack.

"Look out!" A Flame Pony from the other side of the canyon shouted.

Every pony within ear shot perked up, looking about to what the warning was about. A sudden breaking of rock shook the ground beneath them. The current of water had brought something unexpected with it spearing the Moonstone Dam from the other side. An obelisk, blacker then the darkest of caves with undistinguishable chiseled markings had skewered the dam; having almost been driven through completely. The obelisk had punctured, yet, perfectly sealed the hole it had made and rested ominously within the rock.

"What in Equestria is that?" Applejack asked looking flabbergasted.

"I have no idea…" Tiff mumbled looking equally as surprised.

"Ingot! Go find Mr. Papyrus!" Roman shouted to a Flame Pony across the canyon.

The Flame Pony waved to him, signaling he understood and took off down the slope towards the castle. Roman continued to yell out instructions, demanding that every pony stay away from the dam until he could assess the damage.

"Where did it come from?" Tiff asked looking it over from the edge of the canyon.

"It must have been somewhere down river, the current must have swept it up and brought it to us." Roman mumbled, sounding very annoyed.

"Is the dam going to hold?" Applejack asked sounding concerned.

"Luckily, it pierced only a single stone block, if we can remove it, we can replace it without much difficulty." Roman responded motioning to them that it was safe to get closer.

"What is it though?" Tiff asked walking out over the crest of the dam to get a better look at it.

"Whatever it is, it's not anything I've seen before." A Flame Pony said aloud.

A unicorn Flame Pony by the name of Steel Alloy strolled up to them from the opposite side of the dam to inspect the Obelisk as well. Steel was the lead pony of metallurgists in the Ashen Fields. His hide was grey, flames a cherry red, and had a cute mark bearing a hammer striking an anvil.

"Come again?" Applejack asked raising a brow to him.

"Applejack, this is Steel Alloy, he helped set up the thermite at the old dam and helped to clear it out." Tiff spoke up introducing the two of them.

"Ma'am." Steel said nodding his head but was peering over the edge at the obelisk.

"You don't know what it is either, Steel?" Roman asked peering over the edge as well.

"I've never seen anything pierce stone like it was wet clay before. This should have withstood a hundred thousand apple bucking kicks before showing any sign of wear or tear. The river wasn't raging all that much, it shouldn't have had any sort of speed to do something like this." Steel explained.

"How are you going to get it out of there?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Perhaps a sheet of metal on the river side, pull the block and whatever the hay this thing is from the front. The metal sheet will act as a temporary patch until we slide a new block in and have it set." Roman said just throwing out a possible idea.

"I wouldn't do that just yet." Steel said quickly.

"Why's that?" Tiff asked.

"It's still moving." Steel said pointing at the Obelisk.

Every pony peered over the edge. Sure enough the obelisk was ever so slightly sliding forward.

"That shouldn't be possible." Roman said looking taken aback.

"What? Why? Why shouldn't it?" Tiff asked looking confused.

"The blocks are shaped like trapezoids, the wider part facing the river and the shorter side facing the front. It should have acted like a sleeve for this thing. It shouldn't be able to move with all that rock it still has to push through." Roman explained drawing the shapes on the stone under hoof.

"You think it's the water creating pressure behind this thing that's pushing forward?" Applejack asked looking back at the river.

"All I know for sure is that whatever this thing is made out of, it isn't from around here." Steel replied scanning it with his horn's magic.

Pinkie Pie was strolling down the length of the Main Hall with several Flame Ponies carrying stone tablets with them, furiously writing down the demands and suggestions she threw out concerning the coronation of King Smolder.

"Some pony needs to clean the stained glass windows! Have another pony place stances of fire basins near the darker corners of the hall to provide extra light! I want a hoof full of ponies outside in the courtyard setting up the stone tables and platform for the band to play! Have the pony handling the fireworks to meet me in one hour to discuss the grand finale! Some pony find me Ruby!" Pinkie Pie rattled off as each family pony finished writing down a task and hurried off to go complete it.

Ruby Simmer was carrying a small stone lunch box on her flank, watching the hustle and bustle of several Flame Ponies prepping Castle Char. Pinkie Pie was at the center, pointing out flaws in the layout of certain decorations and directing ponies to areas that needed more hooves for help. A Royal Guard pony trotted up to Ruby in hurry.

"Ms. Simmer?" The guard asked curiously.

"Yes?" Ruby replied feeling nervous.

"Ms. Pie is requesting your presence." The guard announced.

"Okay…" Ruby said slowly, making her way around the guard and quickly rushing over to Pinkie Pie.

"Ruby!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed in delight.

"I made you a lunch like you asked, Pinkie." Ruby said with a smile taking the stone lunch box and holding it out to her.

"Did you make the Apple Tart?" Pinkie questioned her.

"Yes." Ruby replied.

"How about the Honey Nut Bread?" Pinkie asked raising a brow to her.

"Yes, I made the Apple Turnover, the sliced apples and a piece of Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cake. Just like you asked." Ruby stated opening the stone lunch box to prove it.

"Excellent work, Ruby." Pinkie Pie said happily.

"I'm kind of nervous, this is my first time making some of these and I'd really like your opinion on them." Ruby admitted closing the lunch box.

"Well that'll have to wait." Pinkie Pie said pushing the stone lunch box back towards Ruby.

"What do you mean? I thought you wanted me to make you a lunch?" Ruby asked sounding very confused.

"I did, I said 'Ruby make me a lunch' but I didn't say it was for me." Pinkie Pie explained motioning for her to follow.

"Then who is it for?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Sparky, of course." Pinkie Pie replied climbing the stairs.

"Sparky?" Ray asked unfamiliar with the name.

"Sparky, the King? You need to get out more often, Ruby." Pinkie Pie stated shaking her head amusingly.

"The King!" Ruby shouted in surprise.

Several Flame Ponies stopped short to see what Ruby was making a commotion about but she quickly lowered her head in embarrassment. Hurrying to catch up to Pinkie Pie, Ruby felt her heart start racing at the idea of the King trying her food.

"Pinkie, the King can't try my food! You just showed me how to bake just yesterday!" Ruby hissed in protest.

"So?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"The King should be eating something exquisite and appropriate for royalty!" Ruby insisted.

"He will be once he has a taste of your Apple Turnovers." Pinkie Pie replied excitedly.

"What if he doesn't like it?" Ruby asked anxiously, slowing down and having second thoughts of taking another hoof step further.

"What are you talking about? He's going to love it." Pinkie Pie said encouragingly slowing down and looking back at her.

"But what if he doesn't? What if it's awful and he's just being nice? We have to cater the Coronation and if my baking is terrible it's going to ruin the party." Ruby asked nervously starting back away.

"You're never going to find out unless you try. No pony becomes an expert overnight, and no pony has ever not been criticized before. You just have to learn from your mistakes and keep moving forward." Pinkie Pie said positively motioning for her to continue following.

Ruby could feel her heart racing, her anxiety beginning to overwhelm her, but there was something about Pinkie Pie's smile that started to calm her down. It was the warmth and honesty in her words that seemed to resonate so strongly with her. Nervously taking a step forward, Ruby slowly walked towards Pinkie Pie who started bouncing up and down excitedly.

"You got this Ruby, Sparky is a big softy once you get to know him." Pinkie Pie said reassuringly placing her hoof upon the stone door to the bedroom.

"Say something!" I shouted aloud rocking the twisted metal mirror back and forth on the spot.

The mirror had gone silent, refusing to speak with me. My pleading attempts to get it to speak to me again were met with silence for far too long and I eventually took matters into my own hooves and shook the hay out of it. Ruby stared wide eyed at my spectacle, unsure if Pinkie Pie was accurate with her assertions just moments before about what I was like, and Pinkie Pie found it rather peculiar.

"Uh, Sparky?" Pinkie Pie asked aloud.

I immediately stopped shaking the mirror, my mane flared a bit, I cleared my throat and let go of the mirror taking a few paces back from it.

"Hello, Pinkie." I said composing myself.

"What we're you doing?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously crossing the room to the broken mirror.

"I was, uh… trying to get answers." I said being honest.

"Soul searching, huh?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"You could say that." I replied with a chuckle.

"I have some pony I'd like you to meet." Pinkie Pie announced turning back towards the door.

Ruby stood quietly at the door way, having never before seen the King of the Ashen Fields up close; she was quite surprised to see how young he was. He couldn't have been more than a year or two older than her, he didn't seem kingly at all, but he had the same look in eyes that she saw all too often in her own mirror; loneliness.

"I'm Smolder." I said taking a few steps and holding my hoof out to her.

Ruby didn't reply right away. The closer he got, the faster her anxiety started to melt away.

"I'm Ruby… Ruby Simmer." Ruby replied slowly taking his hoof with her own.

The warmth from Smolder's flames chased away her doubts and her anxiety, filling her with a calmness that she had never felt before.

"I've been told that we have you to thank for rescuing the Narrows from their irritability and adding variety to their diet." I said graciously shaking her hoof.

"I brought you lunch." Ruby said holding out the stone lunch box to him completely avoiding his compliment.

"Really?" I asked sounding more excited then I should have.

"Ruby made it herself, she's a natural." Pinkie Pie added as I carried the stone lunch box to the slab of granite.

"No kidding, I have no idea what this is but it smells amazing." I said taking a bite of the Apple Turnover.

"Ruby is going to be catering the Coronation for you, she's specifically brought some samples of what she's going to be making. She wanted to get your opinion on them." Pinkie Pie explained.

"Yes! By Equestria, yes to all of it." I mumbled through a mouthful of Apple Turnover.

"Really?" Ruby asked.

"I haven't tasted anything this delicious since I went to Ponyville." I said feeling my stomach dance in delight.

"You mean it?" Ruby asked sounding concerned.

"Of course I do, why wouldn't I?" I asked curiously making quick work of the apple slices.

"Well, I was just worried if you were just trying to be nice or make me feel better if they weren't very good." Ruby explained rubbing her hoof up and down her leg.

"Why would I lie?" I asked curiously rummaging through the lunch box with my nose.

"You're the King, your opinion matters a lot." Ruby said sounding worried.

"Just because I'm the King, makes me an expert on baked goods?" I asked curiously.

"Well…" Ruby mumbled falling quiet.

"Ruby is just having a tough time finding some confidence in her baking skills." Pinkie Pie explained.

"What does Pinkie Pie think?" I asked curiously.

"She says I'm doing a pretty good job so far." Ruby replied feeling a bit embarrassed.

"I've been teaching her all of my favorite recipes for bake goods and then we'll get into sugar sweets!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed bouncing up and down.

"Well I think Pinkie Pie's opinion holds more value than mine, seeing as she does this sort of thing for a living." I said noticing the Apple Tart in the stone lunch box.

"I'm just not used to ponies telling me such nice things." Ruby confessed looking down awkwardly.

"Ruby, am I a good King?" I asked with a mouthful of tart.

"What? Yes! Of course! You helped save us from the Mad King!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Have you ever been a King before?" I asked curiously.

"No." Ruby replied.

"So how do you know I'm a good King?" I asked.

"Because you really care about all the Flame Ponies here, you've helped out a lot these last few months. Every pony knows it." Ruby explained.

"So you're not just trying to be nice or make me feel better about being King?" I asked finishing off the Apple Tart.

"You're doing the best you can." Ruby insisted.

"I think you are too. Knowing that at least one pony thinks I'm doing a great job is enough for me to keep trying to do better. Lucky for you, you have Pinkie Pie cheering you on." I said encouragingly.

"I think you're both doing an excellent job!" Pinkie Pie cheered.

"My point is Ruby, don't let fear get in your way. It will freeze you in place and stop you from becoming something amazing. I learned that the hard way." I said with a smile; thinking back to when I was a statue.

"I'll try." Ruby muttered feeling her mane flare.

"Oh yeah, there's something I needed to tell you Sparky." Pinkie Pie spoke up.

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"You're Coronation is going to be taking place promptly at six o'clock, two days from now. You are going to need to greet all of the guests between the hours of four to five and be back in your room by no later than five thirty. At that time, Wingston will be giving his speech and you will need to get your fancy duds on so that you can make your grand appearance in the Main Hall. Wingston will talk some more, put the crown your head, every pony will cheer and then we will get the party! Where you, the newly crowned King, will have to mingle with the out of town political ponies, zebras, yaks, and donkeys. We'll take a group photo to commemorate the occasion by eight o'clock and promptly start the fireworks display afterwards where you, the King, will light the fuse. Got all that?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

I simply stared blankly at Pinkie Pie, unable to grasp the whole thing, but nodded slowly in agreement.

"Great! Ruby and I still have a lot of baking to do so we'll be leaving now." Pinkie Pie said motioning Ruby towards the doors.

"Alright then, it was nice meeting you." I said trying to remember anything that Pinkie Pie had just told me.

"If you mess this up I will tell every pony you ate rocks when you were a foal." Pinkie Pie whispered to me as she strolled by.

"Bye, Smol-King! I mean, uh, King Smolder." Ruby stammered nervously.

Pinkie Pie and Ruby proceeded down the hallway, Pinkie Pie in high spirits but Ruby seemed rather quiet.

"What's up, Ruby? Sparky said he liked your lunch." Pinkie Pie said encouragingly slowing down to walk with her.

"Pinkie, do you know when a pony tries to make every pony around them feel better but in secret they're actually hurting on the inside?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Of course I do, those ponies are usually the ones with the biggest hearts." Pinkie Pie replied looking a little concerned for her.

"How do you help a pony like that?" Ruby asked curiously.

Pinkie Pie, for the first time in Ruby knowing her, took a moment to really ponder that question.

"You start by letting that pony know how much you mean to them, and let them know you're willing to talk whenever they need it." Pinkie Pie said in a very mature way.

Ruby took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She turned around and made her way back to the stone doors and pushed it open.

"Smolder?" Ruby asked stepping into the room.

"Yea-" I said chocking on my lunch, surprised by the sudden reappearance of Ruby.

"If you ever want another lunch box just let me know, okay?" Ruby asked as her mane flared.

I swallowed hard. I felt my heart skip for a second. I had to blink a few times to register what she had said but I started nodding right away.

"Yeah, yeah sure, Ruby. Thank you." I replied.

"Bye." Ruby said with a little wave before closing the stone door.

Ruby turned to leave but almost ran into Pinkie Pie who was standing right behind her.

"Some pony has a crush!" Pinkie Pie declared narrowing her eyes.

"What? No!" Ruby shouted as her mane flared, quickly storming off.

"Come on! I won't tell no pony!" Pinkie Pie shouted after her, bouncing down the hall.

Chapter 13: Being Mineful

The shadows within the dungeon's corridors retreated further and further away from the herd of Flame Ponies that proceeded to the last known sighting of the aptly named Mystery Pony. Solar Wind, Wisp Seeker, Flare Fizzle and Ray Horizon were being led by two Royal Guard Ponies, Topaz and Spinel, with Rainbow Dash bringing up the rear. It wasn't long before Topaz and Spinel signaled for every pony to slow down before carefully approaching the corridor where Mr. Papyrus was found unconscious. Topaz took the lead, spitting a fireball down the corridor leading to the mines to illuminate the darkness; just to make sure the Mystery Pony wasn't still waiting. It was highly unlikely the Mystery Pony would have stuck around, but the Royal Guard ponies had a job to do.

"Can we get on with this? The longer we wait, the more time that pony has to escape." Ray whined tapping her hoof impatiently.

"Highly unlikely, the pony has an agenda." Flare corrected her.

"How do you know that?" Ray asked in a snarky voice.

"The Mystery Pony has taken the time to traverse an otherwise maze of a mine to reach these dungeons to destroy this etching in particular." Ray stated pointing at the broken rocks on the floor. "This pony had a plan, and executed it with great precision; being very methodical about it."

"So what? The etching is gone, game over." Ray replied kicking a rock.

"Ms. Sparkle and Mr. Papyrus also commented on the Mystery Pony overhearing their conversation concerning the rubbing that was taken of the now destroyed etching. It is safe to say that this pony will not leave until any trace of it is gone." Flare continued.

"So you're saying there is a good chance the pony is still lurking around in the mines somewhere?" Wisp asked peering down the dark corridor.

"Whatever the pony's plan was, it is either in jeopardy or halted due to Ms. Sparkle's preparedness; it won't leave until it can finish its task." Flare replied.

"Alright Ms. Smarty Saddle, what's its shoe size?" Ray taunted looking very annoyed with her.

"Shut it, Ray." Rainbow Dash scolded, getting very tired of Ray's attitude.

"Four and a half inches. I would guess that the pony appears to be a colt, approximately the same height as Rainbow Dash, if not a little taller, is right hoofed, and no stranger to combat." Flare answered casually keeping the straightest poker face Ray had ever seen.

"I'm calling bull. You're just making stuff up now." Wisp said looking unconvinced; having called her out.

Flare moved towards the smashed wall where the etching once was.

"There is a partial impression of the pony's hoof imbedded in this stone wall. From this we can determine that the pony's hoof size is at least four and half inches. Which is common for colts within the age range of seventeen to twenty, it is also the right hoof which signifies that the colt favors this this particular side as it is its dominant hoof." Flare explained to the small group of awe struck ponies.

"How do you know he's no stranger to combat, though?" Wisp asked looking like his mind was just blown.

"The colt can throw a hoof hard enough to break rock. If I'm not mistaken that is close to the amount of force a pony needs to take on an Owlbear?" Flare asked looking Wisp's way.

"Just about." Wisp replied with a smug smile flexing his arm.

"Show off." Ray mumbled bitterly.

"So what's the plan, Flare?" Rainbow Dash asked slamming her hooves together with an eager smile.

"Step one is cutting you from the team, Rainbow Dash." Flare said bluntly.

"What? You're cutting me loose?" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief.

"Ha!" Ray shouted.

"As much as your help would be greatly appreciated, none of us can physically touch you if anything were to happen to you. To this group, you are a liability and a potential weak point the Mystery Pony can exploit." Flare explained looking a little sympathetic for her.

"I guess that's true…" Rainbow Dash mumbled unhappy with it.

"It's okay, Rainbow, I'll tell you all about it when I get back." Ray said teasingly.

"I'm also leaving you here." Flare continued turning her attention to Ray.

"What!" Ray shrieked in surprise; her voice echoing downs the corridors.

"Frankly, I can't stand you, and I'm sure that goes for the rest of this team." Flare stated bluntly while Wisp nodded in agreement; Solar remained indifferent.

"B-B-B-B-B-" Ray stammered looking very shrill.

"This task will get done a lot faster without having you undermine everything we try to do with your excessive need for attention and rebelliousness." Flare said hammering the final nail into Ray's proverbial coffin.

"You can't cut me out! We're a team!" Ray shouted in protest; her mane flaring wildly.

"Were a team; just stand guard until we get back." Flare corrected her motioning for Wisp and Solar to follow her. "We'll be back with the Mystery Pony in custody."

Flare, Solar, and Wisp headed off towards the mine while Ray shook with pure rage, her flames leaping from her mane as Rainbow Dash tried not to add fuel to her fire.

"Come on, let's get back to training." Rainbow Dash offered in a calm voice.

"No! I'm going to find that Mystery Pony all by myself! Then we'll see who can't stand who!" Ray shouted spitefully; flapping her wings aggressively ready to chase after them.

"Ray!" The booming voice of General Hearth echoed from down the hall.

Stopping dead in her tracks, her mane fizzling to a low flame, Ray slowly turned to see her grandfather striding up to her with a group of Royal Guard ponies at his back.

"What?" Ray mumbled staring at the ground.

"What…" General Hearth repeated her word waiting for Ray to finish it.

"What… sir." Ray mumbled sounding very annoyed.

"I do believe I overheard Ms. Fizzle giving you a direct order to remain here." General Hearth stated sounding very strict.

Ray didn't reply, she stared angrily at the floor, muttering to herself in whispers. Rainbow Dash could see the embarrassment on Ray's face having to be scolded by her grandfather.

"Answer!" General Hearth barked making Ray and Rainbow Dash jump.

"Yes! Okay! But she wasn't being fair! She's just worried that I would find the pony without their help and boxed me out! She's just jealous that-" Ray flew into a rant but General Hearth stopped her short with a loud stomp of his hoof against the ground.

"I don't care what you think is fair, you are to do what you're told by those your superior. Do I make myself clear?" General Hearth asked looking very cross.

"But-" Ray tried to start up again.

"Do I make myself clear?" General Hearth posed his question again but this time much louder.

"Yes… sir." Ray muttered staring at the ground once more.

General Hearth took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment. It was obvious that General Hearth wasn't going to show his granddaughter any special treatment, treating her like an soldier pony, but it did seem to take a toll on him. Exhaling slowly, he looked to Rainbow Dash who seemed slightly worried she would be yelled at next.

"Let me know if she gives you anymore trouble, Rainbow Dash." General Hearth said signaling his group of Royal Guard ponies to retreat back down the corridor.

"Sure… no problem." Rainbow Dash said feeling the tension slowly dissipate.

General Hearth was half way back down the corridor when he stopped for a moment, turning back towards them.

"Your mother wanted me to ask you if you were coming home for dinner tonight?" General Hearth asked in a softer tone.

"I'm not hungry." Ray replied still looking at the ground.

Nodding his head a few times, General Hearth continued down the corridor before his fire disappeared in the shadows. There was a long awkward silence between Ray and Rainbow Dash.

"Go ahead… you can laugh." Ray mumbled bitterly.

"Why would I laugh?" Rainbow Dash asked looking a little confused.

"Because you hate me." Ray muttered still staring at the floor.

"I don't hate you." Rainbow Dash said sounding surprised to hear that.

"Don't worry, every pony does, I'm used to it." Ray said scratching the floor with the tip of her hoof.

"What makes you say that?" Rainbow Dash asked sounding concerned.

"Because I'm the General's granddaughter. Every pony knows that you 'better be nice to Ray or the General will bust you back to boot camp' or 'better let Ray win or she'll tell the General on you' and 'Ray only got to be a soldier because the General is her grandfather'." Ray mocked herself, scraping the floor harder with her hoof.

"You can be a major pain in the flank at times, Ray, but I don't hate you." Rainbow Dash said sounding very sincere, sitting down next to her.

"You don't have to try and be my friend. I don't want any." Ray said getting up.

Ray strolled over to the smashed etching. Putting her back against the wall, she sat down and proceeded to wait for her team to return. Drawing lines in the dust on the floor, Ray glanced over to see Rainbow Dash leaning up against the wall beside her. Rainbow Dash settled herself in, crossing her arms and taking a deep breath.

"What are you doing?" Ray asked leaning a bit away from her.

"Getting comfortable." Rainbow Dash replied.

"Why?" Ray asked looking uneasy.

"Sometimes being a good leader isn't enough; sometimes you need to be a good friend to reach a pony." Rainbow Dash told her.

"I told you I don't want one." Ray stated swiping a rock away from her.

"I know. I'll just wait her until you do." Rainbow Dash replied.

Ray drew large circles in the dust with her hoof. Muttering to herself, not sure whether to be annoyed, angry, or upset by this. Rainbow Dash glanced over to see Ray staring at her, only to watcher her look away quickly and become enthralled with her circles in the dust.

Flare, Solar, and Wisp reached a fork in the tunnel. The corridor had progressively turned from stone under hoof to hard dirt and unrefined rock walls. There was scorch marks lining both corridors, although the ground was disturbed by a tool of some kind to hide the hoof prints leading into both tunnels.

"So which way?" Wisp asked turning to Flare.

"We go left." Flare announced leading the way.

"How do you figure?" Wisp asked expecting another in depth explanation.

"Because I said so." Flare replied flatly.

Wisp looked over at Solar who shrugged in reply.

"So, what? No super smart explanation to why we go this way?" Wisp asked sounding disappointed.

"It smells less putrid then the other tunnel. I'm sure even the mystery pony would avoid it." Flare replied rolling her eyes.

"Let me ask you something, o' fearless leader." Wisp requested.

"Ask away." Flare mumbled, barely paying attention to him.

"Why are you even in the Royal Air Force? A brain like yours should be doing some studying with the other smart ponies trying to figure out our reason for being or something like that." Wisp asked looking puzzled.

"Let's keep our dumb little questions to ourselves, okay?" Flare asked sounding annoyed; already regretting that she let him ask it to begin with.

"I may not be a know-it-all but I can tell that you are not cut out for this kind of work." Wisp replied with a chuckle.

"What makes you say that?" Flare replied with an exasperated sigh.

"Well for starters, you aren't the fastest pegasi pony we got. Hay, you are close to being one of our slowest. I'll have to leave you a forwarding address by the time you got to where we were going." Wisp began to make his list.

"Hilarious, I can see why you're cut out for this job." Flare replied half-heartedly.

"I don't mean to brag but I've got a knack for being a hero." Wisp said proudly rubbing his hoof against his chest.

"Oh, please, do go on." Flare said sarcastically.

Flare felt her hoof snag on a cord. The cord quickly began to slide across the ground, the sound of rope whining through iron castings was heard when a large slab of granite dropped from up above her. Shutting her eyes, Flare raised her hooves over her head to protect herself from the impending granite. There was a large thud that rang out through the corridor. Opening her eyes slowly, Flare could see Wisp standing beside her, standing on his hind legs, having caught the slab of granite from falling on her.

"Secondly, you don't really watch where you're going and that can lead to trouble." Wisp said straining under the weight of the slab.

Wisp tilted it to the side, letting the granite slide off of his hooves and drop to the ground before tilting it up against the wall. Solar had taken the liberty of inspecting the trap while Wisp gave out a sharp whistle; rolling his shoulders from the impromptu workout. Wisp turned to look at Solar who was holding up an iron casting that he had found near the trap.

"What you got there, Solar?" Wisp asked striding away to check out the iron casting he had in his hooves.

Flare felt her mane fizzle. Her heart was already pounding from the sudden rush of fear, but it now seem that it wasn't beating from the granite that nearly had crushed her. She stared at Wisp, almost dumbstruck that this muscle loving colt had just saved her life like it was no big deal. Her face began to flush at the thought of Wisp heroically standing over her, keeping that slab of granite from crushing her once more, and how handsome he looked doing it. Shaking her head free of such ridiculous thoughts, Flare composed herself and joined the others.

"There's something you don't see every day." Wisp said examining the iron casting.

"What?" Flare asked looking at it as well.

"This wasn't made by a Flame Pony, no doubt about it. Our mystery pony got its hooves on some of tools." Wisp said looking it over.

"Or some pony could be helping it." Flare added.

"Not likely, welding ponies usually leave a mark showing who made it. This hasn't got one." Wisp corrected her.

"You know a lot about welding?" Flare asked curiously.

"Not much, I know a lot about traps though. I see them every now and again when going into the Dark Marsh. Spiders, Timber Wolves, Diamond Dogs, leave them to try and catch some poor unsuspecting Flame Pony. Seems rather old though, could just be something left over from the old mining days, but I can't be sure. Probably expected some ponies to come looking for it." Wisp explained showing it to her.

"If the Mystery Pony set one, then there are probably more ahead." Flare stated.

"You can bet your saddle on that. You two wait here while I go check-up ahead to get an idea of what we're dealing with." Wisp said tossing the iron casing aside.

Flare and Solar stood side by side in the tunnel, watching Wisp slowly make his way up the corridor to make the tunnel safer for them. For some reason Wisp's heroic dumb smile kept creeping into Flare's mind. Glancing at Solar, Flare could see him in his thousand yard stare and nonchalant way he carried himself.

"You got anything to say?" Flare asked nudging Solar.

Solar turned to look at Flare who raised a brow to him expecting some sort of reply.

"What should I say?" Solar asked in a near monotone voice.

"Anything useful?" Flare pitched.

"Off the record?" Solar asked.

"Sure, anything." Flare replied.

"You shouldn't have left Ray behind." Solar said in a matter of fact tone.

"Left Ray beh- she is insufferable, disrespectful and immature! She would have been a burden to us!" Flare snapped at him; looking surprised.

"You're right. This couldn't have been educational in any way for her to learn how to work with us as a team. Let's leave her behind where she'll get no help at all." Solar replied.

Even in a monotone like voice, Flare could still hear the sarcasm in his voice. She felt her mane fizzle again; she was almost embarrassed by what Solar has said.

"Well… why didn't you say anything?" Flare demanded trying to turn this back around on him.

"It wasn't my place to say." Solar replied.

Flare fumed for a bit. It was hard to accept but Solar had made a good point. Leaving Ray behind may have been the logical step to take but it wasn't because she wasn't ready, but it was because of her own feelings about having her around.

"You know, not speaking up for Ray when you had the chance is just as bad as leaving her behind." Flare mumbled to him.

Solar broke away from his thousand yard stare to look at the ground for a moment; he turned to look at Flare who seemed to be feeling just as guilty.

"I guess you're right." Solar replied.

There was a sudden snap of a rope, a creak of metal, and large metal chain fused with twisted pieces of barbed wire whipped out from the wall. Fortunately, Flare and Solar were a ways away while Wisp nimbly ducked under it as the metal chain embedded itself with immense force into the rock wall beside him.

"All clear, you can move your flanks on up." Wisp called back to them.

"Are you alright?" Flare asked glancing at the metal chain as they walked over.

"This trap was done hastily, probably heard us coming and rushed it. The thing pretty much set itself off, I barely touched it." Wisp explained pointing out the poor design and layout of the trap.

"But are you alright?" Flare asked again.

"Look, Flare Bear, I do this kind of thing for a living. You just keep playing leader and let me do my job." Wisp replied tapping his hoof on her nose.

That unfamiliar feeling Flare had concerning Wisp quickly retreated and her scowl made an appearance.

"We should keep moving." Solar said strolling past them.

"The statue speaks, what else can you say?" Wisp asked giving Solar a nudge.

Flare started to follow them but felt something eating away at her.

"Wait… wait a minute." Flare said aloud slowing to a stop; causing Wisp and Solar to stop.

"What's wrong now?" Wisp asked sounding annoyed.

"We should go back." Flare stated.

"Say what now?" Wisp asked looking surprised.

"For Ray?" Solar asked, his brow lifting ever so slightly.

"That pip-squeak? We can get this job done in no time without that little pony bothering us." Wisp declared crossing his arms.

"Perhaps, but if I had left you behind, boulder head, I'd be a pancake right about now." Flare said poking him in the chest with her hoof.

"Was that a weird way to say thanks for saving my life?" Wisp asked with a coy smile.

"You're saying that Ray might have a chance to prove herself as an asset to this team." Solar stated.

"I'm saying that we're going back for Ray and we're all going to try to make this work." Flare said still poking Wisp in the chest.

"Whatever you say, Flare Bear, but this was your idea; both times." Wisp said retreating back to the dungeon with the others.

Rainbow Dash and Ray had been sitting in silence for almost an hour. There were times where Ray mumbled something but would quickly take it back and hide her face. Needless to say, Rainbow Dash was being very patient with her and letting her get to the point where she would want to talk on her own.

"Am I a good flyer?" Ray asked quietly after a while.

"One of the best." Rainbow Dash replied glancing over at her.

"Because I really am a great flyer or because my grandfather said I was?" Ray asked drawing circles in the dust again.

"Does it matter?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"Yeah…" Ray mumbled. "It matters to me."

"What's up with you and General Grandpa?" Rainbow Dash asked sitting up straight.

"Every pony thinks I'm getting special privileges just because I'm the General's granddaughter, but I worked harder than any other pony to get to where I am. The more the other ponies see me with my grandfather, the more they think I'm just asking for things." Ray said sounding miserable.

"Why not just tell your grandpa that? I'm sure he can explain it to the other ponies." Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"I don't need his help, I don't need any pony's help, I can be the best flyer on my own and show all of them that they were wrong about me." Ray said swiping away the dust under her hoof.

"So you're going to become the leader of the Academy and show up every pony?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"That's right." Ray said folding her arms in a huff.

"How's that working out?" Rainbow Dash asked with a small smile.

Ray started to pout; having been left behind by her team for guard duty wasn't part of her master plan.

"Wanting to be the best is a great thing to strive for, but when you've got an attitude like dragon with a tummy ache, you're going to find it's hard to get where you want to be." Rainbow Dash said.

"I'm not the one with the problem." Ray snapped.

"You're the only pony with a problem." Rainbow Dash replied.

"Every pony has a problem with me!" Ray insisted; nearly shouting.

"You want every pony to treat you with respect, but you go around treating every pony like dirt. That's not a quality of a good leader and it's definitely not a good way to treat your fellow flyers." Rainbow Dash scolded her.

Ray didn't reply, she was trying to think of something to say but couldn't come up with anything.

"You've tried pushing away every pony that really cares about you because you think they're in your way, but the truth is that those ponies are the ones that want you to succeed the most. That's why your Grandpa scolds you when you act up, that's why I'm hard on you when you talk back, and it's the reason your team left you behind." Rainbow Dash explained to her.

Rainbow Dash could see Ray starting to shake, she had her eyes shut and she could hear her quietly whimpering. Ray tried to hide her face from Rainbow Dash, folding her arms and burying her face. Even so, the flames on her mane wavered from her whimpering. Flare was still young, acting out was a common things for ponies her age, but for Ray it was more about getting ponies to trust her for her own merits and not because of her lineage.

Noticing a faint light coming from down the tunnel, Rainbow Dash could see Flare, Solar and Wisp making their way back. Feeling that it was way too soon to have captured the Mystery Pony, Rainbow Dash felt that they were coming but a different reason.

"Hey, Ray…" Rainbow Dash said warmly trying to get her attention.

"W-W-What?" Ray stammered still hiding her face; still quietly sobbing to herself.

"If you had the chance to tell your team you were sorry for being a pain in the flank, would you?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"Does it matter?" Ray asked choking back a sob.

"Yeah, I think it matters a lot." Rainbow Dash replied.

"I guess so…" Ray mumbled to herself; rubbing her nose.

"Even if you were teased by Wisp for having to say you're sorry?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"Wisp is annoying and a jerk." Ray said rather harshly.

Ray seemed to calm down, thinking more about having to apologise and how Wisp would react to it.

"Although, my grandfather did tell me that Wisp once fought off twelve Diamond Dogs, with a broken hoof, to protect a turtle they were trying to eat." Ray mentioned.

"A turtle?" Rainbow Dash asked with a laugh.

"It just... reminds me that Wisp will help any pony in trouble, no matter how small or weak. It kind of makes me feel safe around him; even if he picks on me." Ray explained wiping her nose with her hoof.

"You seem to get along okay with Solar, though." Rainbow Dash mentioned.

"Well, that's because he doesn't talk all that much." Ray said looking over at her.

"So I've noticed." Rainbow Dash replied.

"Solar is, like, the most sensible pony I've ever met. Nothing really gets to him, just does what he needs to do and doesn't speak unless he has to." Ray continued tapping her hooves together.

"It sounds to me like you sort of respect him." Rainbow Dash mentioned.

"Solar never teased or accused me of anything; he would just nod his head at me whenever we saw each other. I guess he's the closest thing I've had to a friend." Ray confessed, flushing slightly.

"Have you ever told him that?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"No! Why would I? It would make things weird." Ray snapped sounding very defensive.

"What would be so weird about it?" Rainbow Dash asked looking puzzled.

"We'd might start… I don't know… hanging out and stuff." Ray muttered turning a soft shade of red.

"Celestia forbid you'd hang out with a friend." Rainbow Dash said rolling her eyes.

"If you didn't choose Flare, I think Solar would have been the next best choice for leader." Ray added.

"Do you think that Flare was the right choice to lead this team?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"… yeah." Ray said slowly.

"Why was she the right choice?" Rainbow Dash asked again.

"Flare is really smart, like super smart about everything. She's independent and she can be tough when she wants to be. She's... she's everything I wanted to be." Ray confessed looking over at Rainbow Dash.

"Do you look up to her?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I don't know… maybe… I've never been very good with strategy, tests, but Flare makes it look so easy." Ray muttered.

"Why haven't you asked her to tutor you or help you out with your studying?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I don't know, I didn't want her to see me struggle with something that comes easy to her. She already thinks I'm annoying, and I really wanted to impress her so she could think I wasn't... as... annoying." Ray replied with a sigh.

"Well, maybe not that annoying." Flare's voice drifted in.

Ray's mane flared for a moment. She refused to turn around, staring wide eyed at Rainbow Dash; she could feel her face turning a bright red. Flare, Solar, and Wisp stood in the corridor, it was unclear how much of their conversation was overheard but it didn't matter for Ray; she was mortified.

"Oh! Hey! I didn't see you there!" Rainbow Dash said faking her surprise.

"Rainbow…" Ray hissed covering her face with her hooves in embarrassment.

"What are you ponies doing back so soon? Did you find the Mystery Pony?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously getting up from the floor.

"Not quite, we came back for Ray." Flare informed her.

Ray perked up after hearing these words. Jumping to her hooves she turned to her wayward team with the look of disbelief.

"R-R-Really?" Ray asked sounding very surprised.

"We talked it over-" Flare began.

"They talked it over; I had nothing to do with it." Wisp interrupted.

"WE talked it over, that means you too Wisp, and decided that you're part of this team whether we like it or not and that if we're ever going to get along we should probably start somewhere. So we're starting here." Flare explained throwing Wisp a look.

Flare felt herself lurch back a bit by Ray's sudden embrace. Flare felt Ray hugging her tightly, hiding her face in her shoulder as Flare awkwardly patted her on the back.

"I'm sorry." Ray mumbled to her.

Rainbow Dash was all smiles but Flare seemed out of her element with sort of thing.

"F-Forget about it, just keep it uh…" Flare struggled to find something to say.

"Cool." Solar offered.

"Yeah, keep it cool." Flare said not sounding too sure that was the word she was looking for.

"You got it." Ray said stepping back from Flare.

"You ponies watch your flanks in there." Rainbow Dash said to them.

"Yeah, yeah. Can we go now? All this walking and we haven't even gotten past our feelings yet." Wisp mumbled walking once more back down the tunnel.

"We'll be back soon, Rainbow Dash." Flare assured her following Wisp.

Solar motioned for Ray to walk beside him and she did so rather tentatively at first. Rainbow Dash nodded in acceptance of the Flame Ponies and turned around to make her way back up to the Main Hall.

"Rainbow Dash!" Ray shouted running back towards.

"Yeah?" Rainbow Dash asked turning around.

"I…" Ray began as her voice suddenly cracked.

Rainbow Dash giggled as Ray looked away clearing her throat; her face turning red.

"I wanted to say thanks for being such a good… friend to me." Ray said nervously.

"Don't mention it." Rainbow Dash said with a warm smile.

"I'll make you proud Rainbow Dash!" Ray shouted running back off towards Solar who waited patiently for her.

Chapter 14: Oblivion Pony

Lionel Hart, nearly ten years old, was an eerie black, with a flame of imperial red, and had not yet acquired his cutie mark. In all honesty, Lionel cared little about it; he was more concerned with myths, legends, mystery, and adventure. Having grown up on tales of Lord Smoke the Dragon Rider, Firehoof the Giant Toppler, and of course the Rise of the Mad King Scorch, Lionel was eager to have his exploits remembered through the ages.

When none of his classmates wanted to investigate the strange noise coming from behind the school house, it was Lionel who braved the task and discovered it to be Mr. Tutor having a nap; snoring something awful. It was Lionel that faced down the creepy shadow that stalked the edge of the Dark Marsh that threatened the foals and fillies, to find it only to be a bit of hanging moss swaying in the breeze.

Lionel wanted more though, not for fame or admiration, but the sheer thrill of facing the unknown. The world was now open to him, the chance of a life beyond the borders of the Ashen Fields, and it would begin tonight. The third full moon of the season was rising and Lionel was going to catch a glimpse of the Oblivion Pony.

For it was well known among all foals and fillies that the Oblivion Pony only preyed on those who had no friends but Lionel was well prepared.

"You're not really going to do this, are you Lionel?" A young filly asked nervously.

"Stop your worrying, Licorice, the Oblivion Pony only comes after ponies who don't have friends." Lionel insisted peeking around the corner of one of the stone huts.

Licorice Black was Lionel's side kick and quite possibly only real friend. Time after time dragging her on his quests and constantly getting them into trouble. Licorice was a very timid Flame Pony, nearly ten as well, she,of course, was the color of black licorice, with a very vibrant red flame and she too had no cutie mark. Her interests were far from Lionel's thrill seeking, she enjoyed studying and reading far more then living the adventures in her books.

"We're going to get caught again." Licorice warned him beginning to sound worried.

"Don't bail on me now, Licorice, the Oblivion Pony will get me for sure." Lionel whispered motioning for her to get down.

Two Royal Guard Ponies walked down the path, enjoying a conversation of the delicious bake goods that they had eaten before going on duty. Lionel and Licorice were successful in avoiding detection and darted across the path to other side of the street. Keeping close to the stone huts, Lionel peeked out from around the corner to get a better view of the Dark Marsh that stood silent in the distance.

"Lionel, we can still go back to my house and finish reading chapter seven for tomorrow." Licorice offered sounding very hopeful Lionel would agree.

"We have reading to do?" Lionel asked curiously looking back at her.

"Mr. Tutor is going to quiz us on it and you know how mad he gets when you don't do your assigned reading." Licorice reminded him.

"You win some, you lose some." Lionel mumbled peeking back around the corner.

"Mr. Tutor is going to make you stand outside again." Licorice warned.

"Jokes on him, I like being outside." Lionel mumbled.

"My mom just bought something called cupcakes today; we can go back to my place and try them." Licorice offered trying to convince Lionel to back out of his plan.

"Sounds gross." Lionel replied.

Licorice could feel her heart racing out of sheer anxiety. Going into the Dark Marsh when you were a foal and filly was not only dangerous, but also forbidden. Just getting caught trying to reach it would mean a month of grounding for her.

"Mr. Tutor is going to know you're up to no good when he sees you're not home tonight." Licorice whispered suddenly thinking of another way out of this.

"Ember is making arrangements with Fluttershy to take the class on a field trip to Ponyville tomorrow; they'll be at Castle Char for a while." Lionel replied watching a few Royal Guard Ponies check the perimeter of the Dark Marsh.

"But- wait, really? We get to go to Ponyville?" Licorice asked sounding very excited.

"Shush." Lionel hissed pointing at the guards.

"We're going to go and see all of the animals Fluttershy talked about today in class and meet some of the ponies in Ponyville." Lionel whispered to her.

"When did Mr. Tutor tell you this?" Licorice whispered back sounding very curious.

"He didn't, I eavesdropped on his conversation with Fluttershy before I snuck out." Lionel stated.

"Lionel, if we get caught, we might not be able to go on the field trip tomorrow." Licorice warned sounding very concerned.

"I can see Ponyville any old time, unlike the Oblivion Pony who only shows up during the Blue Moon." Lionel replied.

"The moon isn't blue." Licorice informed him pointing towards the moon.

"The Blue Moon is the third of four full moons in a season. Being blue has nothing to do with it." Lionel explained sounding very studious.

"How do you know that?" Licorice asked sounding impressed.

"I asked Ember about it a while ago." Lionel replied.

"Oh." Licorice said looking a little less impressed.

"Okay, the patrol is moving down to the southern end of the marsh. We're only going to have about ten minutes to cross the fields before we get caught when they start heading back." Lionel informed her as he watched the patrol of Royal Guard Ponies move further away.

"Mr. Tutor is going to be very angry with you if we get caught again, Lionel." Licorice warned him suddenly getting nervous again.

"He can make me sit outside." Lionel mumbled sarcastically.

Lionel lived with Mr. Tutor ever since Lionel's parents got really sick and never woke up; at least that's how Licorice's parents explained it to her. Lionel didn't like having to go home with Mr. Tutor after school every day, so Licorice invited him over after school one day and Lionel has been glued to her ever since.

"Alright, let's go!" Lionel hissed popping out from around the corner.

Reluctantly, Licorice followed Lionel out from around the corner and went dashing after him towards the Dark Marsh. The flames from their manes danced in the darkness as they sped across the fields. The Dark Marsh was quickly growing closer and closer and with no sign of Royal Guard Ponies they were home free.

Mere meters away from the edge of the Dark Marsh, Lionel looked over his shoulder to Licorice to throw her a wink, signaling that they had done it.

"Boo."

Lionel and Licorice shrieked together, tripping over their own hooves as Fluttershy's head suddenly popped out of the brush in front of them. The two young ponies toppled over one another as they came to a rest at Fluttershy's hooves.

"I hope I didn't over do it." Fluttershy said looking worried.

"You did wonderfully, Fluttershy." Mr. Tutor said stepping out from behind a tree off to the side.

Lionel quickly got to his hooves. He looked very confused and very annoyed at the same time. Licorice was silently thanking Celestia that fate intervened and stopped them from going into the Dark Marsh.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were going to Castle Char?" Lionel asked sounding annoyed.

"We did." Fluttershy replied.

"Then why are you here?" Lionel asked again looking very confused.

"Because, Lionel, you're not the only pony who eavesdrops on other ponies conversations." Mr. Tutor explained striding over to them.

"Mr. Tutor and I went to Castle Char to have the Royal Guard Ponies escort us to the edge of the Dark Marsh where we could stop you from going into this very dark and scary place." Fluttershy explained further.

"Just what did you hope to accomplish this time, Lionel? Steal some gems from a Diamond Dog? Bring back a spider's fang for show and tell?" Mr. Tutor asked looking suspicious.

"We were going to go see the Oblivion Pony." Licorice replied.

"Licorice!" Lionel hissed looking very betrayed.

"Oh sweet Celestia…" Mr. Tutor mumbled face hoofing himself.

"That would be a very dangerous thing to do, Lionel." Fluttershy told him.

"I'm not afraid!" Lionel said in protest.

"That's not the point, Lionel." Mr. Tutor said.

"Putting yourself in danger is a very reckless thing to do when it can be avoided. It's even more reckless to get your friend involved and put them in danger too." Fluttershy explained pointing to Licorice.

Lionel didn't protest this time, he looked rather guilty in having involved Licorice in this.

"Does this mean we can't go on the field trip tomorrow?" Licorice asked looking very disappointed.

Fluttershy glanced over at Mr. Tutor with a very warm smile, as if trying to have him go easy on them. Mr. Tutor sighed while rolling his eyes.

"Seeing as neither of you actually 'entered' the Dark Marsh, you didn't technically break any rules so I guess you can still go on our field trip tomorrow." Mr. Tutor said seeing the excitement grow in Licorice's face.

"As long as you promise not to go into these creepy Dark Mashes until you're old enough." Fluttershy added.

"I promise." Licorice said promptly.

Lionel just sat there making a rather annoyed face.

"Lionel…" Mr. Tutor said slowly glaring at him.

"I…pro(mish)." Lionel said throwing a cough in at the end.

"Lionel." Mr. Tutor said again but more stern.

"Fine, alright, I promise." Lionel mumbled looking defeated.

"There, now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Fluttershy asked softly.

"It's time to go home, every pony." Mr. Tutor said motioning for them to head back towards the Narrows.

"Can I stay at Licorice's place?" Lionel asked quickly.

"No, you've caused enough trouble for one night." Mr. Tutor replied watching Lionel pout.

There was an awkward tension that seemed to come around whenever Lionel and Mr. Tutor spoke to one another. It wasn't a very warm feeling between each other; they were bland and unfriendly with one another. It was obvious for any pony to see that Lionel and Mr. Tutor were not getting along very well but no pony really knew how to approach it. Mr. Tutor was, for all sense of the words, parental guardian but there wasn't much parenting going on. On the other hoof, it didn't seem like Lionel was looking to replace the ones he had lost.

From the southern-most part of the Dark Marsh, the group of ponies saw a sudden flash of light. It was quick, almost like a flash from a camera. Mr. Tutor stepped in front of every pony looking very unsure of what had just happened.

"Fluttershy, please escort Lionel and Licorice back to the Narrows. I'm going to see if everything is alright with the Royal Guards." Mr. Tutor requested.

"Are you sure that's safe?" Fluttershy asked sounding worried.

"I was once a soldier pony, I can handle myself. I won't be long." Mr. Tutor said confidently gesturing them to get a move on.

Mr. Tutor had headed off along the edge of the Dark Marsh towards the mysterious flash of light. The group of Royal Guard ponies that had escorted them earlier had continued their evening patrols right after leaving them by the edge of the Dark Marsh. The closer Mr. Tutor got to where the flash of light seem to originate, the more and more suspicious he became when he did not see any of the Royal Guard ponies making their way back.

Eventually, Mr. Tutor came to a halt where the ground beneath him seemed disturbed and uneven. Waving the flames from his hoof over the ground like a torch, Mr. Tutor tried to determine what had gone on.

"Did you find something?" Lionel whispered.

Mr. Tutor nearly jumped out of his hide. Whipping his head around to see Lionel standing behind him; waiting for an answer.

"What are you doing here? What happened to Fluttershy?" Mr. Tutor hissed.

"I gave her the slip. So what happened to the Royal Guard ponies?" Lionel asked excitedly looking around at the ground.

"How did-Why would-No. You're going home right this instant." Mr. Tutor said turning Lionel around on the spot and started to push him back towards the Narrows.

"Aren't you curious to know what happened to the patrol?" Lionel protested trying to dig his hooves into the ground to slow Mr. Tutor's relentless pushing.

"I am, but I've got a foal who won't listen to me to deal with first." Mr. Tutor replied still guiding him forward.

"But you're a soldier pony; Dad said you never leave a pony behind." Lionel insisted.

"Your Dad and I were soldier ponies, not you." Mr. Tutor explained.

Lionel wormed his way out of Mr. Tutor's grasp, leaping from side to side trying to get around him but Mr. Tutor blocked him.

"Lionel!" Mr. Tutor shouted in frustration trying to get a hold of him.

Lionel suddenly froze up, much to Mr. Tutor's surprise. Quickly noticing that Lionel's attention was focused on something behind him, Mr. Tutor turned on the spot to see what it was. Mr. Tutor's eyes fell upon a figure of a pony, standing motionless, staring at the two of them, the shadows of the Dark Marsh concealing it. Reaching behind him, Mr. Tutor moved Lionel behind his back leg to shield him as the Mystery Pony remained unmoved.

"Who are you?" Mr. Tutor demanded aloud.

The Mystery Pony remained silent. Mr. Tutor could feel Lionel pressing up against his leg, shaking from fright.

"It's the Oblivion Pony." Lionel whispered in horror.

The Mystery Pony suddenly charged them. Mr. Tutor kicked out his back leg, throwing Lionel a few feet behind him.

"Run, Lionel!" Mr. Tutor shouted flaring his mane at the Mystery Pony.

Lionel did not hesitate to do so. Scrambling to his hooves, Lionel took off down the edge of the Dark Marsh. There was a sudden gust of wind that ragef past him and lifting him up off his hooves before landing back down onto the ground; blacking out.

Lionel was slow to stir, slowly opening his eyes and feeling his head throb he noticed two hooves in front of him. He could hardly make it out, it seemed like smoke was streaming off the hooves of this pony, Lionel's heart started to race believing it was the Oblivion Pony standing before him. Closing his eyes tightly, Lionel quietly begged to be spared; shaking like a leaf. It was some time before Lionel dared to open his eyes again to see that the smoking hooves were no longer before him. Carefully raising his head, Lionel looked around to see Fluttershy and Licorice rushing towards him.

"Lionel! Lionel! Are you okay?" Licorice asked sounding extremely worried.

"I saw him, Licorice, I saw the Oblivion Pony." Lionel mumbled looking very pale.

"Lionel, where is Mr. Tutor?" Fluttershy asked looking around.

"Mr. Tutor… Ember!" Lionel shouted suddenly looking very worried.

Lionel took off again, stumbling a few times, trying to get his hooves under him as he raced back to where he had left Mr. Tutor with Fluttershy and Licorice following close behind. Up ahead, Lionel could see Ember lying on the ground, his flames just a flicker and not moving. Lionel slid to a stop, leaping over Mr. Tutor and rushing over to his face.

"Ember? Ember, are you okay?" Lionel asked nervously tapping him on the face with his hoof.

"Oh dear, is he alright?" Fluttershy asked with a gasp.

"What happened to him?" Licorice asked coming up alongside Lionel who was still trying to wake him.

"Come on Ember, wake up." Lionel pleaded looking very distressed.

"Wake up, Mr. Tutor." Licorice lent a hoof in trying to stir him.

"Don't stay asleep." Lionel begged nudging him more.

The flames on Mr. Tutor's mane increased, groaning and straining, he slowly started to lift himself up. Holding his head with his hoof, Mr. Tutor shut his eyes tightly, opening them, and stretching his neck.

"Are you alright, Mr. Tutor?" Fluttershy asked looking relieved.

"Yeah, I guess I must have passed out." Mr. Tutor replied blinking a few times.

Mr. Tutor looked down to see Licorice beaming up at him and Lionel trying desperately not to show close he came to crying. Mr. Tutor gave Lionel a playful shove as Lionel retaliated with a shove of his own.

"Do you remember what happened?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

"There was some mysterious pony that attacked us, there was rush of wind, and I blacked out after that." Mr. Tutor explained thinking back on it.

From the brush of the Dark Marsh several sounds of moaning were heard. Once more Mr. Tutor pulled Lionel behind him as Licorice and Fluttershy followed suit. Four Royal Guard ponies stumbled out of the marsh, looking very battered and dizzy.

"It's the missing patrol." Lionel stated looking surprised.

"Is every pony alright?" Mr. Tutor asked quickly approaching the closest Royal Guard pony.

"That remains to be seen." The Royal Guard pony mumbled massaging his jaw.

"Did the Oblivion Pony do this to you?" Lionel asked aloud.

"You saw it too?" A different Royal Guard asked.

"It attacked us as well." Lionel replied.

"Mr. Tutor, has anyone informed the Castle yet?" The jaw massaging guard asked urgently.

The Mystery Pony galloped silently across the fields, the smoke from its hooves, tail, and mane whipped in the wind. Leaping high onto the roof of the long stretch of stone huts of the Narrows it quickly raciled across the rooftops.

The two patrolling Royal Guards from earlier, who were still discussing about the bake goods, stood at the corner chatting things over. The mystery pony leapt from the rooftops, silhouetted by the moon for a brief moment before landing hard upon the two guards. Knocked to the ground, the unsuspecting guards were out cold from the impact and the Mystery Pony galloped on.

General Hearth steppEd out of the large stone doors of Castle Char, being greeted by the Royal Guards posted at the entrance.

"Heading home, sir?" The guard stationed at the left side of the entrance asked.

"Yes, my daughter has invited me over for dinner tonight. She says she's bought some pies from the new bakery earlier today." General Hearth replied.

"Have a good night, sir." The guard pony replied.

General Hearth headed down the path towards the Narrows when something out of the corner of his eye had him stop and turn. Not clearly able to make out what it was, General Hearth strained his eyes to try to make something out in the darkness but to no avail.

The Mystery Pony raced along the edge of the fields, it could see a small flame lingering on the main path and somehow knew it was watching it. After a few more moments the flame moved on and the Mystery Pony quickened its pace towards the back of Castle Char.

The courtyard of Castle Char was bustling with several Flame Ponies, being directed by Pinkie Pie, trying to get things ready for the coronation. Several stone tables were being lugged out, with even more stone chairs, statues from the dungeon were being used as decoration and a platform for which the band was to play from. The Mystery Pony leapt once more high into the air and landing onto the battlement surrounding the courtyard; void of any Royal Guard ponies. Silently racing along the edge of the battlement, the Mystery Pony leaped onto the side of the castle wall and took hold of a lipped edge. Swinging itself to the left onto an old sconce from years long past, the Mystery Pony looked towards the scaffolding covering the windows of a chamber high above.

"Hey you!" Pinkie Pie shouted aloud.

The Mystery Pony dropped its gaze to the ponies in the courtyard below.

"I said three by six by three by six! Not six by three by six by three!" Pinkie Pie hollered pointing at the Flame Pony's chair arrangement.

"Sorry, Ms. Pie." The Flame Pony said looking sheepish and quickly started to fix it.

The Mystery Pony looked towards the makeshift sheet metal platform that was the base of the scaffolding, with another incredible leap the Mystery Pony got a hoof on it and hung from it. With impressive strength the Mystery Pony lifted itself by one hoof up and climbed onto the metal sheet. Stepping very carefully the mystery pony stepped gingerly over the warping metal and headed towards the metal ramp leading up to the top portions of the scaffolding.

The Mystery Pony's climb up the scaffolding proved time consuming but effective in remaining undetected. Reaching the top metal platform of the structure, the Mystery Pony placed a hoof gingerly against the decorative round window glass of the Royal Chamber and let out a soft breath. The window suddenly became fogged by cold, shards of ice formed around the base of its hoof and with a simple tug the window popped out.

Carefully sliding itself through the now open window, the Mystery Pony let the window slide back into place before the frost from its hoof dissipated and let the Mystery Pony drop to the floor. The room was dark, no lights from any source, allowing the Mystery Pony ample time to hide.

"I'm sorry Alex had to take off in the middle of our presentation, who knew that Applejack and Mr. Tiff would also be the ones making archeological finds today." Twilight Sparkle said escorting Smolder down the hall.

"I don't mind it all, Twilight. You're presentation was very… in depth." I said trying to find the nicest way to put the four hour presentation she provided.

"I'm just glad you agreed to display the portraits of your father for the museum, I'm sure it must have been hard for you to do." Twilight replied sympathetically.

"Not as much as you would think. He wanted ponies to fear him, and remember him as this fierce ruler but now we can see that he was very much like any pony else at one point." I said reaching the doors to my room.

"I'll go meet up with Alex and see what all the fuss was about." Twilight said turning to me.

"I think I'll turn in for the night, I don't want to get Wingston mad by staying up all night again." I replied.

"Have a good night sleep, Smolder." Twilight said making her way back down the corridor.

"Twilight." I said before she got too far.

"Yes?" Twilight asked turning around.

"Thank you, for everything." I stated simply.

"What are friends for?" Twilight asked with a smile.

I opened the door to my chamber, my flames casting a light onto the walls and a glint from the mirror caught my eye. It didn't seem like it was in a talkative mood so I thought it best not to wake it, or at least get roped into another conversation. The light of my fire danced along the walls as I entered the chamber, closing the door with my back leg and lazily moving towards my slab of granite. I couldn't believe that I was actually yawning. Having slept for three days I felt I should have been able to stay up for at least a whole day but my body had other ideas.

The Mystery Pony clung to the ceiling, its hooves frozen to the stone, spots of water could be seen where the mystery pony had climbed up the side of the wall. Lifting its hoof, the ice breaking away very slowly to minimize the noise. The eyes of the mystery pony suddenly illuminated a bright icy blue, as it was prepared to strike.

"SMOLDER!" The voice from the mirror screamed.

I was taken aback by the sudden shout from the mirror, it sounded so sincere and full of fear that I immediately looked around. It must have startled the other pony in the room because a sudden loud crack from the ceiling drew my attention. The Mystery Pony broke free of the ice that kept it bound to the ceiling, twisting in mid-air, flaring out its wings, eyes burning blue, just as a blast of ice escaped its mouth.

Chapter 15: Sapphire's Fury

Princess Celestia was sitting with Discord in the Royal Throne Room, the two were pouring over several old books that were stacked several feet high. Discord floated over Princess Celestia's head, slithering in small circles slowly, wearing a smoking jacket, fez, reading glasses, and a rather large pipe that he held in his teeth. Slowly tearing pages out of the book he held, crumpling them up, and eating the page.

"Have you found anything yet, Discord?" Princess Celestia asked curiously.

"I found the loveliest recipe for Double Fudge Chocolate Chip Cookies." Discord replied lowering the book down in front of her face.

"That's a cook book." Princess Celestia stated sounding annoyed.

"I was thinking you would be getting rather hungry, having spent the better part of the day reading." Discord said tearing out the page before eating it.

"We have to find out what's on the other side of that mirror." Princess Celestia stated diligently.

"It's been a long time since I baked anything that hasn't tried to crawl away, perhaps I should take Pinkie Pie's class on baking." Discord mumbled to himself.

Private Nightshade and Private First Class Cosmic were standing guard once more just outside the Throne Room. Looking none too happy, but standing at attention regardless.

"I can't believe Bob and Lloyd made us cover their night shift." Nightshade mumbled sounding very annoyed.

"They covered for us when we assisted Princess Luna." Cosmic reminded him, still sounding just as annoyed.

"Belle and I were supposed to go to that new fancy restaurant that opened a few months ago." Nightshade sighed looking miserable.

"You mean the place that makes you lick gems before every bite?" Cosmic asked sounding surprised.

"It was Belle's idea." Nightshade answered quickly.

"But licking gems?" Cosmic asked trying to work it out in his head.

"They say that licking gems gives you a clean pallet and enhances the taste of your food depending on the color of the gem." Nightshade explained.

"What?" Cosmic asked looking confused.

"I wanted to go to see Lord of the Saddles: The Two Stables." Nightshade said with a sigh.

"That's out already?" Cosmic asked looking ever more surprised.

"Came out two days ago." Nightshade replied.

"We have to go see it." Cosmic said decisively.

"If we ever get time off again." Nightshade mumbled.

"Did Pony Resources ever get back to us on the 'leaving statues in our place' idea?" Cosmic asked curiously.

"Yeah, they said they already had two stiffs working that area." Nightshade replied.

"That cut me real deep just now." Cosmic said putting his hoof to his chest.

"Ahem!" A voice cleared itself.

Nightshade and Cosmic jumped in surprise. Their eyes fell upon a very tall colt and mare, just about the same height as Princess Celestia, towering before them. The two ponies had clouds of frost billowing from his hooves, mane, and tail. The colt was rather handsome, his hide a milky blue, his cutie mark bore a crown resting upon a icelandic tundra. The mare was rather beautiful, elegant, her hide was a smokey grey, and her cutie mark was tiara titled upon a mountain of ice.

"Who the hay are you?" Cosmic asked in surprise looking up at him.

"I am Lord Tundra, and this is my wife, Lady Frost, we are the King and Queen of the Frozen North; leaders of the Ice Ponies. We are seeking an audience with Princess Celestia on very urgent business." The stallion replied in a very regal voice.

Nightshade and Cosmic both scrambled to throw a salute, trying to bow at the same time before rushing over to the Throne Room doors. Fighting over the handle of the door, Cosmic got the upper hoof and knocked Nightshade to the side before slowly opening it.

"Excuse the intrusion, Princess Celestia. You have visitors." Cosmic said aloud stepping into the Throne Room.

"Visitors?" Princess Celestia asked looking up from her book in surprise.

The doors to the Throne Room opened wide to reveal Lord Tundra and Lady Frost strolling in very elegantly. Discord lowered his reading glasses to get a better look at the two ponies as Princess Celestia got to her hooves looking very pleased to see them.

"Lord Tundra, Lady Frost, what a pleasure." Princess Celestia said aloud stepping down from the throne to greet them.

"Celestia, it has been too long! You haven't changed a bit!" Lady Frost exclaimed, excited to see her.

Lady Frost stepped forward to embrace Princess Celestia as Lord Tundra politely lowered his head to her.

"What an unexpected surprise, what do I owe this visit to?" Princess Celestia asked curiously.

"Theft." Lord Tundra announced. "It's quite bothersome."

"Theft? Theft of what?" Princess Celestia asked glancing over at Discord with suspicion but Discord shrugged feigning innocence.

"A relic, taken from the Ashen Fields in the days after the banishment of the Mad King." Lady Frost stated casually.

"Sounds dangerous." Discord said looking very interested.

"Hardly, the relic was useless on its own, incapable of being anything more than an oversized doorstop." Lady Frost replied.

"What was this relic?" Princess Celestia asked.

"It was an Obelisk." Lord Tundra answered.

"An Obelisk?" Princess Celestia asked looking rather confused.

"I know it sounds rather odd dear, but it does hold significant value to our research into the Void." Lady Frost explained sounding very motherly.

"You're researching the Void?" Princess Celestia asked looking rather surprised.

"Sweet cupcakes no, darling, Tundra and I have no interest in such things. We have other ponies doing such research for us." Lady Frost said in a bit of a giggle.

"This brings us to our reason for being here." Lord Tundra stated.

"Was it not the theft that has you here?" Princess Celestia asked.

"The theft is the reason we have taken a personal interest in it." Lord Tundra explained.

"Our daughter has run away from home." Lady Frost said sounding not all that concerned.

"That's very troubling to hear." Princess Celestia said looking rather worried.

"Yes, we were hoping that she would have come here, some place safe and some pony she trusted." Lord Tundra replied with a chuckle.

"You don't' seem all that upset about your little princess running away." Discord mentioned.

"Well, when you bring up 'arranged marriage' to young ponies these days, you never know how they're going to react." Lady Frost replied.

"An arranged marriage? With whom?" Princess Celestia asked looking rather shocked.

My entire Royal Chamber was coated in about an inch of ice, icicles hung from the ceiling, the walls were slick with ice, and the floor was covered with snow. The largest mound of snow in the room was where I was left standing, buried beneath it, having taken the full blast of the attack. Having used my wings to shield me, I could feel they had grown extremely heavy, and I had difficulty keeping them raised. Twisting and struggling against the snow I flared my mane as much as possible to melt as much ice before trying to dig myself out.

"Sweet Equestria! Is this ten bucking kelvin?" I asked in a very shrill voice shaking violently from the ice on my wing.

I felt my wings drop into the snow, they were frozen solid, having taken most of the blast and redirecting the rest of it to the room around me. The flames from my hooves began to melt the ice underneath me and fill the room with steam.

"Smolder?" I heard the mirror call to me.

"I'm alright, I'm alright!" I shouted looking towards the direction of the mirror trying to make it out through the steam.

I felt two hooves connect to my side, causing me to trip over my frozen wing. I tumbled over into the snow as it hissed viciously from my flames throwing even more steam into the air.

"…watch out…" I heard the mirror say.

"Thanks." I mumbled sarcastically.

"You can't be serious?" Princess Celestia asked looking rather surprised.

"Well it's not official. We have only just brought this to the attention of Smolder's legal guardian." Lord Tundra explained.

"You mean Wingston?" Princess Celestia asked.

"Of course not, Celestia, we were referring to you." Lady Frost said with a smile.

"Perhaps I have missed something deliciously gossipy over here?" Discord asked slithering up next to Celestia looking quite enthralled.

"How could you think I would be Smolder's legal guardian?" Princess Celestia asked looking completely dumbfounded.

"Are you not the godmother to Prince Smolder?" Lady Frost asked curiously.

"I don't have any recollection of agreeing to such a position." Princess Celestia said defensively.

"Perhaps we have made a mistake?" Lady Frost asked looking up at Lord Tundra.

"Forgive us, Celestia, we heard of how influential you were and how supportive you were to the young Prince during the final days of the Flame Pony exile. We simply assumed a deeper connection considering your history with the Flame Ponies, you would been a perfect choice to be named a godmother to him; before all that nasty business with the Mad King of course." Lord Tundra explained waving the whole thing aside.

"I'm sorry to tell you that I made no such commitment." Princess Celestia replied.

Even though the steam made seeing anything two hooves in front of me impossible, I could still hear the crunching of snow approaching me very quickly. I did my best to lift my wing up to defend myself as I felt the hooves come striking down once more and connecting with the ice on my wing. Repeatedly the pony stomped, viciously and unrelenting, and all it was doing was making my fire rage inside me.

Using my frozen wing like a shield I got to my hooves and spun around on the spot bringing my other frozen wing, whipping through the air and slamming hard into the side of this Mystery Pony. I heard it yelp in pain as the impact shattered the ice from my wing, my flames blazed once more and I flapped it hard to shake the remaining ice shards from it.

It was all for not as I felt the blast of another wave of ice collided with me, knocking me off my hooves and sending me sliding across the icy floor and slamming up against the wall. My mane started to flare trying to protect me from the cold but the ice was already layering against me.

The Mystery Pony spewed its ice, caking the wall, before letting up and stepping back. Several hundred snowflakes started falling from the ceiling, the Mystery Pony watched as the yellow light with the ice slowly began to fade away. The Mystery Pony looked content with it's job, heading towards the window to leave. It only got a few steps towards the window to leave when the yellow light started to grow in intensity. Two red eyes appeared beneath the ice; waterfalls of melted water began pouring off the wall.

My flames erupted, shattering the ice, fire sweeping the room and beginning to melt the surrounding frost. Drying out the air and removing the steam, the brilliance of the light blinded the Mystery Pony as the fires from my body raged around me.

I reared back my head, ready to return an attack at my assailant but chocked on my fire midway upon seeing the Mystery Pony in the light.

"Hey! You're a girl!" I pointed out bluntly looking very surprised.

Her hide was a sapphire blue, her mane seemed to be a cloud of frost that trickled the smallest of snowflakes, her wings were glistened from the light of my fire, and her cutie mark bore the image of a snowflake adorning a small crown.

Needless to say I was taken aback by this. I watched this Ice Pony lower her hoof from shielding her eyes as my fire died down giving me one of the coldest stares I've ever received in my life. She also revealed a horn, making me realize that this was an Alicorn, just like Princess Celestia, Luna and Cadance. There was an awkward tension that followed our long silence.

"So…" I said slowly tapping my hoof a few times trying to break the ice; figuratively.

The Ice Pony did not hesitate to release another blast of frost my way. Leaping to the side I was apprehensive about attacking a girl, for about a minute, but the feeling soon disappeared as the second blast of her frost shot again. I felt the fire jump from my throat, colliding with her frost and turning the chamber into a steam room once more.

"…stupid flame pony…" I could hear the mirror hiss.

"What?" I asked sounding annoyed by the mirror's disapproval.

"…pretty ponies... make you stupid…" The mirror stated.

"Shut up." I mumbled feeling my mane flare.

The steam suddenly curled, causing me to instinctively duck down as the Ice Pony's wing sliced through the air. Loud thuds impacted the wall behind me, several wing shaped icicles were deeply imbedded into the stone and it made my mane flare again.

"…whoa…" I heard the mirror gawk.

"Whoa." I replied in shock realizing I could have been a cabob.

I felt a sudden strike to my chest from the Ice Pony's hoof, it stung really badly and my temper got the better of me. I swung my hoof back at where I thought she was and connected with her shoulder and I heard her yelp in pain; I instantly felt guilty.

"I-I-I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" I started to stammer but was shut down by her wing knocking me against the head and sending me sliding across the room.

"…stupid…" The mirror remarked.

I wasn't so much mad as I was annoyed at this point. My flames quickly surrounded me, throwing me into my Flash Step and caused the Ice Pony to double back in surprise. Pushing off the wall with my wing I slid back towards her, I was surprised by how nimble she was, and watched her gracefully leap over me. Unfortunately for her, I wasn't going to be a gentle pony about this anymore and hit her square in the back with a blast of my fire.

The Ice Pony slammed against the wall, slumping into a heap on the floor. I apprehensively approached her, raising my wings in front of me expecting another sudden blast of ice. The Ice Pony rolled over, her horn a glow, as the frozen sundial from the other side of the room flew towards me. It was quick enough to dodge it, watching it shatter to pieces against the wall. The Ice Pony was not letting up that easy as she magically lifted my slab of granite from the floor.

"Whoa, hey now. Let's not get carried away." I said backing away slowly.

"You intend to wed your daughter to the little Flame Pony Prince? This keeps getting better and better." Discord said rubbing his claw and paw together.

"Our relations with the Flame Ponies have been non-existent for many years. Truth be told, opening up trade and mutual partnerships would benefit our Kingdom greatly in many aspects. It may seem a little out of place to suggest an arranged marriage but it will be the fastest way to join our two Kingdoms." Lord Tundra explained.

"During the winters, where the snow begins to bury smaller Yak settlements it becomes increasingly difficult to assist them without… well…" Lady Frost struggled to find the words.

"Fire power?" Discord offered.

"Sure, fire power, but it is only one of the many things that the Flame Ponies can assist us with. There is much to be discussed but we merely came for your blessing." Lady Frost continued.

"I would have thought you would have come to seek help finding your daughter?" Discord asked looking surprised yet amused.

"We are not too worried about her, she is probably heading towards the Ashen Fields. We have her a choice of having us introduce her to him or letting her meet him on her own." Lord Tundra said calmly.

"It's most likely she's already met her potential husband by now." Lady Frost remarked.

The slab of granite, my bed, had been thrown clear across the room at me but seeing as I was still in the Flash Step I was able to avoid it but watched as it impacted the wall and exploded into several large chunks.

"What are you going to throw at me now, huh? What?" I asked in an almost teasing manner watching the Ice Pony scan the room.

Her eyes fell on the twisted metal mirror and attempted to lift that to no avail. I watched her struggle to lift it with her magic, her horn glowing intensely, and calling on all her strength to get it to budge but had no luck.

"It doesn't move unless it wants to." I informed her as she took several deep breaths.

"What?" The Ice Pony asked looking confused and flustered.

I dropped out of my Flash Step, but my mane was still flaring though. The sound of her voice struck a chord with me. It was soothing and gentle even though she seemed rather upset.

"I-I-It's a magical mirror." I said quickly.

"…step off hussy…" I heard the mirror hiss.

"Excuse me?" The Ice Pony retorted looking appalled at the word.

"…hussy…" The mirror repeated.

The Ice Pony blasted the mirror with frost, encasing it in a large mound of ice and nodding approvingly at her work. Glancing over at me I stepped back hoping that this lull in our battle would be enough to converse rather than continue fighting.

"I don't know what you want or why you're here but-" I began trying to speak quickly before she decided to throw more ice my way.

"I've come to take back what you have stolen!" The Ice Pony declared, her eyes burning blue.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Time out!" I shouted waving my hooves at her trying to get her to back down.

The Ice Pony let loose another blast of frost. Rolling to the side to avoid the ice, I decided to charge her, taking her by surprise and tackling her to the ground. Pinning her down on the floor, I towered over her watching her struggle against my hooves. A blast of magic from her horn hit me square in the chest, knocking me back and slamming up against the wall.

It was the Ice Pony's turn to charge me, and it was her turn to get knocked on her flank. I let loose a blast of fire that caught her head on, pushing her back and causing her to tumble head over hoof to the other side of the room. She was slow to get to her hooves, having learned my lesson I shot another blast of fire knocking her up against the wall once more watching her slump back down onto the floor.

I heard her quietly whimper to herself, trying to get back on her hooves and I couldn't bring myself to attack again. My Flash Step faded away. I approached the Ice Pony once more hoping to make peace again.

"I have not stolen anything from any pony." I said trying to sound sincere.

The wing of the Ice Pony sliced through the air, the tip of her wing struck the side of my face leaving a rather sizeable cut on my cheek. The Ice Pony seemed to be rather surprised that I had not tried to dodge her attack, having only then just realized that my attempts to be civil were sincere.

"Alright, Snowflake, let's play." I said slowly feeling my fire starting to rage inside me.

I've never had to fight a girl before, but I found that they fight pretty dirty. There were several hoof hits to the back of my head, her magic did give her an edge when trying to throw me across the room and she wasn't below cheating.

"Ow! Are you biting me?" I shouted feeling teeth digging into my shoulder.

I threw off the Ice Pony with a thrust of my wings. She landed on her hooves and charged me again. The Ice Pony tackled me. Although it proved rather foolish as the icy floor caused us to both slide across the room and slam up against the wall. Needless to say I had the wind knocked out of me, while the Ice Pony had hit her head rather hard against the wall. With her hoof she lifted herself from atop me rubbing her own head in pain.

"Look, I really have no idea what you think I stole." I started trying to sound calm but it came out in rasp.

"Liar." The Ice Pony mumbled looking over at me still holding her head.

"No. No, I swear. I've only been King for a few months now and I haven't even left the fields for-" I started again but was cut off once more.

"More lies!" The Ice Pony declared again.

"Well, technically the official ceremony is in two days but I'm already wearing the crown and sitting in the chair so I kind of already got the job." I explained watching her face turn up in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" The Ice Pony asked looking very confused.

"Look, how about we just talk things over like civilized ponies? Before one of us ends up getting really hurt?" I offered not wanting to continue this fight.

The Ice Pony seemed to be considering my offer. At that moment the ice wall that had caked the doors to my chamber shattered and stone doors swung open. Several Royal Guard ponies stormed in.

"Lord Smolder! We heard a commotion coming from-" Topaz stopped short.

Needless to say that the ice around the room was a surprise, but nothing surprised them more than the innocent yet compromising position the Ice Pony and I were found in. The Royal Guard Ponies quickly averted their eyes trying to maintain a sense of professionalism by concerning themselves with the state of the room.

"A thousand pardons my Lord." Topaz said quickly as every Royal Guard retreated back to the corridor; closing the stone doors behind them.

I could feel my mane flare but the sudden hoof to the gut the Ice Pony gave me as she got to her hooves made my mane flare harder from the pain.

"Colts." The Ice Pony mumbled flushing slightly.

Gasping for a breath, I rolled over trying to get to my hooves but I had to lie on the ice for a few more seconds before I could stop wheezing. Glancing over at the Ice Pony, her wings were poised to strike but I held my hoof up to her asking her for another minute. With a very peculiar look, the Ice Pony watched me get to my hooves; still massaging my stomach.

"So where is it?" The Ice Pony asked aloud.

"Where's what?" I wheezed.

"The relic you stole." The Ice Pony stated in a demanding voice.

"Look, Snowflake…" I began.

"Do not call me that!" The Ice Pony shouted, her face flushing.

"I'm going to say this one more time." I said through a few wheezes.

I strolled over to her, still clutching my stomach and narrowed my eyes getting right up in her face.

"Snowflake." I muttered.

The Ice Pony's face flushed even more, scowling before turning her head away from me as I stepped back from her. I had a moment to give her the once over, for some reason I felt a sense of relief that I had not visibly harmed her but sort of annoyed at the same time.

"So what's your problem, Snowflake?" I asked moving towards the frozen mirror.

"Call me Snowflake again and you'll regret it." The Ice Pony warned eyes starting to turn blue.

"You apparently know who I am, you also tried to make me into an ice cube, and I can tell you from experience it's not fun being a statue. So before my friend Wingston hits you in the head for trying to kill me and the Royal Guards lock you up, tell me why you wanted me dead in the first place." I replied placing my hooves on the mound of ice watching it slowly begin to melt away.

"I wasn't planning on killing you, I... I just wanted to teach you a lesson for stealing our property." The Ice Pony replied.

"Oh sweet Celestia, what did I steal? What is it?" I asked sounding very annoyed.

"Our Obelisk!" The Ice Pony shouted.

"The what?" I asked looking at her strangely.

"The… big pokey thing sticking out of your dam!" The Ice Pony shouted pointing her hoof towards the mountain.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up, Snowflake." I said taking my hooves off the mound of ice to see her mane flare like mine did but several hundreds of tiny snowflakes poured off of hers.

"If I had stolen that big pillar thing, why in all of Equestria would I spear it through our dam from the water's side?" I asked in disbelief.

The Ice Pony seemed taken aback by this, opening her mouth several times to speak but unable to find the words to answer.

"Let me ask you this; were you that Mystery Pony down in the dungeons?" I asked looking at herincriminating.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about!" The Ice Pony stated turning her head away from me once more.

"You're in so much trouble with Mr. Papyrus, you broke his favorite etching." I warned her with a short laugh.

"That etching will only lead to ruin and disaster, I could not allow for the safety of Equestria to be left to the device of such a lowly King!" The Ice Pony snapped back.

"Well this lowly King just whooped your flank, you two left hoofed wannabe assassin!" I snapped back.

The Ice Pony and I flared out manes wildly, seeing which would strike first but neither of us ever did. I whipped around to defrost the mirror while the Ice Pony stormed off towards the other side of the room.

"How do you know that etching would lead to ruin and disaster?" I asked curiously after a few minutes of cooling off.

"Unlike you, I've been given a proper education on the history of Equestria and that etching was showing the way of how to open a portal to the Void." The Ice Pony said coldly.

"Is that why you attacked Mr. Papyrus and Twilight?" I asked curiously.

"I didn't attack him! I merely… put him to sleep." The Ice Pony said defensively.

"From what I heard you sounded like an Owlbear with a tummy ache." I replied with a smile.

"I merely shot him with a blast of cold air that simply lowers a Flame Pony's core temperature down to a certain level that causes them to fall asleep." The Ice Pony declared in her defense.

"Still, you should apologize." I mumbled.

"I will consider it after you destroy the rubbing the purple pony took of it." The Ice Pony stated.

"Sorry, no can do Snowflake." I said having nearly melted the mirror free.

Something rather hard hit me in the back of the head, what remained of it exploded into a powdery snow. I looked over my shoulder to see the Ice Pony looking the other way.

"Did you just hit me with a snowball?" I asked looking surprised.

"Be grateful I didn't freeze you on the spot." The Ice Pony threatened.

"I'd be grateful if you told me your name." I said melting the last of the ice from the mirror.

"What is that thing?" The Ice Pony asked looking rather disgusted by the mirror.

"It was a mirror to the Void, or at least it was at some point." I replied looking it over.

"You cannot be serious." The Ice Pony said slowly approaching it.

"…hussy…" The mirror stated as she grew closer.

The Ice Pony's mane flared once more, quickly rearing back to blast it with ice but I stepped in front of her hoping to stave off her attack. The Ice Pony stepped back looking rather infuriated by the mirror but walked off in a huff instead.

"…stupide flame pony…" The mirror hissed.

"You okay?" I asked ignoring the insult.

"…duh…" The mirror replied.

"Good, now leave Snowflake alone, okay?" I asked the mirror motioning over my shoulder to the Ice Pony.

"Sapphire!" The Ice Pony shouted making me recoil in fright.

"What?" I asked looking over my shoulder.

"My name is Sapphire Flurry you… stupid flame pony!" The Ice Pony shouted, flushing slightly.

"…it's catching on…" The mirror remarked sounding rather happy.

"Well how was I supposed to know that, Snowflake?" I asked watching the Sapphire's eyes glow blue once more and charged me.

The Royal Guards standing outside the Royal Chambers heard the muffled cries of the King and the Ice Pony, stifled by sudden thumps and knocks coming from inside the room. All the ponies looked at each other unsure of what to do.

"Should we see if the King is alright?" A Royal Guard Pony asked.

"He could be in danger." Spoke up another guard.

"I do not want to be the pony that has to explain this to Wingston." Topaz said simply hearing a rather large thud come from the room.

"It don't sound like what it's supposed to sound like." Said another guard.

"That's it, I'm going on break." Spinel said as all the Royal Guard Ponies nodded in agreement.

Chapter 16: Into Darkness

Solar Wind, Wisp Seeker, Flare Fizzle and Ray Horizon had reached the end of the tunnel that led out into a chasm. There were several large pieces of rocks that lay broken all around them. Flaring their manes to provide themselves with more light, they searched the area for any sign or clue to where to Mystery Pony might have went. There had to be hundreds of old mining tunnels spotted along the cavern walls, with several old stone bridges connecting a few together; needless to say it was going to be nearly impossible to search them all.

"Alright every pony, fan out and see if you can find any clues to where that Mystery Pony went." Flare ordered.

Flare watched Wisp stride over to the broken rocks, examining them closely, she found herself staring at him a lot longer than she thought she would before Wisp looked up at her.

"You see something you like, Flare Bear?" Wisp asked raising an eyebrow.

"Just silently criticizing your methods." Flare replied watching Wisp's face turn sour.

Having averted her gaze away from Wisp to avoid seeming truly interested, Flare saw Ray and Solar standing near the edge of the chasm looking over its ledge. Having since gone back for Ray, she was unusually quiet and seemed to be trying her best to turn over a new leaf. Flare watched Solar look over his shoulder and motion for Flare to come hither. Striding towards them, Flare looked over the side of the chasm, noticing a pathway leading down to a lower part of the mine.

"Permission to scout the area?" Solar asked aloud looking towards Flare.

"You mean down there?" Flare asked pointing down into the dark chasm below.

"I can fly over the expanse of it, see what there is to see, it shouldn't take long." Solar replied motioning towards the emptiness in front of them.

"I'd rather we not separate…" Flare began thinking it over.

"I won't be long." Solar stated; his monotone voice trying to sound more assuring.

"Alright, but be careful." Flare warned him.

Nodding in agreement, Solar opened up his wings and let himself fall off the side of the chasm. His wings caught the air rushing past him and he glided out over the chasm. Flare watched Solar's light become smaller and smaller for a while, only to realize that Ray was watching Solar just as intensely.

"Keep an eye on him, Ray." Flare said turning away from the chasm.

"Yes, ma'am." Ray replied promptly.

"Hey, it's Flare." Flare said nudging Ray with her hoof.

"Okay, Flare." Ray said with a small smile.

Flare believed that if this team was going to work they would need to have some even ground to stand on, being in charge gave her the privilege of doing things the way she wanted to do but it almost meant earning the trust of the other ponies. It would appear to Flare that Solar and Ray were already on her side but Wisp seemed to be another story.

"What are you doing?" Flare asked watching Wisp smell a rock.

"Tracking." Wisp replied taking another big whiff.

"Come again?" Flare asked seemingly turned off by Wisp's insistent sniffing of the rock.

"There is a layer of mildew under many of these rocks, although this one appears to be rather new." Wisp explained tossing her the rock.

Flare caught the rock, debating whether or not to smell it for herself but decided to take his word for it.

"So what does this rock tell us?" Flare asked looking it over.

"Not much, other than that Mystery Pony has been here recently." Wisp replied looking through the other rocks.

"We already knew that." Flare said looking rather disappointed.

"I'm not done looking around, Flare Bear, just cool your flames a little." Wisp said casually lifting up another rock.

"Come find me when you have something useful to report." Flare said turning around and tossing the rock back towards him rolling her eyes.

"You got it Flare Be-" Wisp was cut short by loud thump.

Flare looked over her shoulder to see what the noise was. A Cave Spider had pinned Wisp to the ground, the spider wildly trying to bite him while he held the spider's face back with his hooves. Leaning her head back, Flare shot a blast of fire at the spider, the flames licked the Cave Spider all over, but it didn't seem to bother is much. Although, it did draw it's attention away from Wisp, now focusing its eight eyes upon her.

The spider quickly lunged at her, Flare stepped back lifting her wings to defend herself, but the spider fell short of reaching her; slamming hard onto the ground. Wisp was already on his hooves, having a firm grasp upon on of the spider's back legs and dragging it away from her. Before Flare could have the chance to attack, Ray soared over her head, spinning head over hooves like a flame wheel, and landing hard on the spider's back. The spider screeched in pain while its large body acted like a trampoline, bouncing Ray clear of the spider. Wisp turned on the spot, dragging the spider around with him with great force, before throwing it clear off the side of the chasm. Echoes of the spider's screeches rang off the walls of the chasm; before it faded to silence.

"Oh yeah!" Ray hollered tossing her hooves up in excitement.

Ray jumped over to Wisp, holding her hoof out to him, Wisp half-heartedly hoof bumped her before watching her bounce around some more.

"Are you alright?" Flare asked approaching Wisp.

"Darn Cave Spiders, thick hide makes it hard for fire to scare them, you got to beat some sense into them before they wise up and take off." Wisp grumbled wiping the dirt from his arms.

"I asked if you were alright." Flare said taking his hoof and looking at his arm.

"I'm fine." Wisp said flatly pulling his hoof away from her.

Flare gave him a cold stare, holding out her hoof once more to have him let her look at it. Wisp did not oblige, tapping her on the nose and walking past her. Flare whipped around to make her demands when she saw Solar come soaring back down to where Ray was waiting for him.

"Every pony alright?" Solar asked looking around.

"Cave Spider tried to make a meal of me, gave it the old heave-ho off the side of the ravine." Wisp replied approaching him.

"Which is why you need to let me check to make sure you're not hurt." Flare said striding up next to Wisp trying to take his hoof.

"You find anything?" Wisp asked him while moving his hoof around, keeping Flare from being able to grab it.

"There was a cave in further down the cavern. Our best chance of finding anything is to go deeper into the mines." Solar reported watching Flare become flustered trying to grab Wisp's hoof.

"I'll lead the way, just in case this Mystery Pony left us anymore traps." Wisp said giving Flare a gentle nudge to move past her.

Flare fumed in frustration watching Wisp walk away from her towards the tunnel entrance. Solar gave her a soft pat on the shoulder, trying to calm her down before following after him.

"Wisp doesn't like it when ponies fuss over him." Ray mentioned quietly.

Flare shot her a look, she was still pretty hot from being brushed off by Wisp but felt herself coming down seeing how Ray was trying to help her.

"It's silly Flame Pony pride, it makes colts stupid." Flare replied still sounding annoyed.

"Why does he call you Flare Bear?" Ray asked curiously.

Flare felt her mane fizzle for a moment. Clearing her throat, Flare merely motioned for Ray to get moving and Ray complied.

The old Flame Ponies mining tunnels were some of Equestria's most dangerous and maze like passages to have ever been dug. In the early days of the Flame Ponies, the mines were dug in haste to satisfy the needs of the Dragons greed. Creating hundreds upon hundreds of tunnels that were left without supports, leading to dead ends, and sheer drops at times; ponies could wander aimlessly for weeks before meeting a very unfortunate end. Luckily, Wisp was rather familiar with most of the old mining tunnels. Having chased stray Diamond Dogs from the old mines year after year, Wisp felt more confident than most ponies when entering but this only seemed to make Flare more flustered with him slowly taking over as leader.

"Every pony is going to need to get down low, on their bellies to get by this one." Wisp announced to the group patting a large boulder that blocked their path.

"Is it safe?" Ray asked looking at unconvinced.

The boulder blocking the path had seemed to come from the ceiling above but got wedged between the narrow walls and creating an even narrower path underneath it.

"Hard as a rock, ain't going to budge one bit." Wisp declared giving it a rather forceful kick with his back leg.

The boulder did not budge, adding truth to Wisp's statement offering Ray the first go.

"Ladies first." Wisp said watching Ray get down on her belly and slowly crawling herself under the boulder.

Flare stepped forward to go next but Wisp held out his hoof to her stopping her short.

"Sorry Flare Bear, but you're the leader of this little team and that means you have to go last." Wisp said watching Solar begin to crawl underneath it.

"What sort of stupid rule is that?" Flare asked knocking his hoof away.

"One I came up with right now." Wisp replied with a smirk.

Wisp wasn't quick enough to slip under the boulder without having Flare give him some rather harsh whacks with her hoof. Flare felt her mane fizzling in her frustration, taking a deep breath to calm herself she got down on her stomach and proceeded to follow.

Ray and Solar assisted Flare back to her hooves as she finished crawling beneath the boulder. Wisp was several meters ahead inspecting the dirt once more.

"There has been some spiders messing around back here, looks to be about ten of them or so at least." Wisp announced turning back to the group.

"How can you tell?" Ray asked coming over to look at the dirt.

"Impressions in the dirt, some fairly old, some more recent, I'm just throwing out a rough number but rest assured that spiders have big families." Wisp explained to her.

"So what do we do?" Solar asked looking to Wisp.

"That's up for our leader to decide." Wisp replied looking back towards Flare.

It was a rather difficult decision for Flare to make, finding the Mystery Pony was their task but leading her team into a nest of spiders to do so was rather reckless. As hard as it was for Flare to say these words, she did so with as much dignity as she could muster.

"Wisp… what would you suggest?" Flare asked trying not to sound annoyed.

"Glad you asked Flare Bear, I say we explore the length of the tunnel and see what there is to see. If we run into any spiders we'll have the advantage of bottle necking them in these narrow walls." Wisp suggested with a smug smile.

"Ray and I will scout up ahead." Solar said motioning Ray to follow him.

"Not without me you're not." Wisp countered stepping towards them.

"You need to stay here and have Flare take a look at that arm." Solar said.

"Look at what?" Wisp asked looking confused.

Solar gave a swift jab onto Wisp's arm. Surprisingly Wisp recoiled hissing in pain holding his arm. There was a rather greenish looking mark that drew itself down the length of Wisp's arm, it did not seem too bad but it did not look pleasant.

"You got scratched by one of the Cave Spider's fangs." Solar informed him.

"It's only a scratch." Wisp insisted still holding his arm.

"As Wisp said, if we run into any spiders we will have the upper hand. Ray and I will scout ahead while you attend to Wisp's arm." Solar said to Flare.

"Look after Ray and don't take any side routes." Flare said to him walking up next to Wisp.

Wisp grumbled in annoyance watching Ray and Solar head off down the tunnel. Still clutching his arm, Wisp lifted his hoof for a moment to get a better look at it.

"Let me see." Flare said reaching for his arm.

"I said it's just a scratch!" Wisp snapped pulling it away from her.

Flare reared back, much to Wisp's surprise, throwing her whole weight into Wisp's side and knocking him to the ground. Wisp landed on his side, looking quite bewildered, while Flare placed one hoof on his back and took his arm rather forcefully with her other hoof.

"Just a scratch." Flare mumbled looking at it at last.

"That's what I've been-" Wisp began.

"The poison doesn't look too good though." Flare cut him off; inspecting his arm further.

"Poison?" Wisp asked looking at his arm again.

"Working its way to your heart as we speak." Flare explained letting go of his arm.

"So what are we going to do?" Wisp asked getting back onto his hooves gingerly holding out his arm.

"Do? We're in a cave, there's no doctor pony here." Flare said shrugging it off.

"Whoa, wait a minute, we can head back and get me some medicine or something." Wisp suggested pointing back at the large boulder.

"The poison is already in your blood, it's just coursing through you faster the more you move." Flare explained looking at his arm once more.

Wisp froze on the spot, his injured arm outstretched, doing his best not to move.

"Straining yourself also helps the poison." Flare mentioned.

"Come on Flare Bear, you've got to have some sort of cure in that brain of yours." Wisp said starting to sound nervous.

"I did minor in Medicine." Flare mumbled rubbing her chin.

"Yeah, yeah?" Wisp asked looking hopeful.

"Normally we'd just take the whole arm off." Flare said lightly sliding her hoof back and forth at the Wisp's shoulder.

The color in Wisp's face started to drain away.

"C-Can I have a second opinion?" Wisp asked sounding rather shaken.

"Well there might be another way but it might hurt a hay of a lot when it's over." Flare offered tapping her hoof to her chin again.

"Can I keep the arm?" Wisp asked hurriedly.

"You'd be able to keep the arm but-" Flare began.

"Do it! Do the thing that lets me keep my arm!" Wisp said pleadingly.

"Alright but you might want to sit down for this." Flare said flaring her mane and taking Wisp's arm.

Wisp sat down, watching Flare's mane blaze, closing his eyes tight he braced himself for the pain to start. Wisp felt himself jolt, his face was feeling hotter than usual, the stinging sensation went away and his eyes shot open. Flare leaned in giving him a kiss on the arm; she held it there for a few seconds before pulling away from him. Wisp stared wide eyed at her, unsure of what was going on but felt his face grow even hotter seeing Flare's smile.

"I think that will do it." Flare said patting his arm gently.

"But… the poison…" Wisp mumbled still trying to register what just happened.

"My mistake, turns out it was just a nasty little scratch after all." Flare said whimsically.

"You tricked me!" Wisp exclaimed getting back to his hooves; mane flaring in embarrassment.

"I said it would hurt a hay of a lot, but you didn't think it would come from your big ego now did you?" Flare taunted Wisp letting the flames of her tail whip him on the nose.

"You got a problem with me, Flare Bear?" Wisp asked stepping towards her.

"Yes, your fat head is taking up more room than that boulder!" Flare shouted standing up to him.

"Coming from the egghead that couldn't be bothered to listen to any pony else and almost got crushed by a slab of granite!" Wisp snapped back.

"Well thanks for saving me!" Flare shouted back.

"Don't mention it!" Wisp shouted.

Wisp and Flare stood fuming at one another. Both of them were trying to stare the other pony down, their manes blazing, and breathing coming in short bursts. Wisp buckled, stepping forward, lowering his head quickly and kissing Flare. Flare didn't shy away from it, leaning into him, and placing a hoof on his shoulder. Their embrace lasted for a few more seconds before Flare pulled away abruptly.

"Well now that that is out of the way, let's get moving." Flare said clearing her throat and trying to regain her composure.

Wisp stepped towards her once more with a grin on his face. Flare was deliberately avoiding his gaze and trying to smooth down the flames on her mane as if to keep herself occupied with something to hide her nervousness.

"Come on; let's catch up with the others." Flare mumbled walking ahead of him' trying to maintain her calm and collected demeanor.

Solar and Ray strode side by side down the tunnel. Ray was attempting to be on her best behavior for the other ponies, hoping to convince them that she was making a solid effort to be a team player. Except now that Wisp and Flare were not hanging around, Ray could let herself relax being with Solar. Ray had time to think about how she acted in front of the others, how she nailed that spider good, and her attitude during the mission and felt very proud of her efforts. It was also because Solar didn't really talk much, giving her the time she needed to work things out in her head.

Ray glanced over at Solar's stoic, almost expressionless face. It wasn't that Solar didn't care enough to show his emotions, but rather Solar didn't sweat the small stuff; that's at least how Ray saw it. Where most ponies got nervous, Solar would yawn, when ponies got frightened Solar would shrug, and when things really got out of hoof, Solar would raise his eye brows. The whole of Equestria could be collapsing around him and Solar would go calmly marching on.

"End of the road." Solar stated.

Ray arrived at a sudden stop. The tunnel let out into a drop off that seemed to go on forever. The expanse of the cavern was so immense that their light could not reach the other side, illuminating the stone walls around them and nothing else.

"That's a long way down." Ray mumbled looking into the deep dark abyss.

Solar spit a stream of fire out over the abyss, illuminating a broken stone bridge that seemed to have connected to the tunnel at one point. Without a word Solar leaped from the edge, fanning out his wings and glided out over to the broken edge of the stone bridge. Ray watched Solar motion to her to follow.

"Shouldn't we wait for the others?" Ray asked looking back over her shoulder.

"Then wait." Solar replied turning to proceed down the stone bridge.

Ray bit her bottom lip, trying to figure out if waiting here for the Flare and Wisp was the right choice or if following Solar was. Stomping her hoof, Ray jumped from the edge and went soaring after Solar. Trotting up next to him, expecting to see him smiling at her choice but Ray was disappointed to see Solar still stoic.

"Aren't you worried we'll get separated?" Ray asked looking back over her shoulder.

"No." Solar replied.

"What if we get lost?" Ray asked looking around the darkness.

"Then we're lost." Solar replied.

"What if we're attacked by spiders?" Ray asked glancing over at him.

"Then we'll fight them off." Solar replied.

There was a long period of silence after that. The light from their flames only illuminated the stone bridge around them, it offered nothing else in the darkness and it was very quiet. Solar didn't seem to mind it but Ray did not like the eerie feeling of being in such a large dark space.

"Solar?" Ray asked after a while.

Solar turned to look at her, giving her his attention.

"We're friends… right?" Ray asked feeling her stomach suddenly turn.

"What?" Solar asked looking at her seeming a bit surprised.

"No, forget it, it isn't anything important." Ray said quickly brushing it off and continuing on.

"You're my only friend." Solar said watching her walk away.

Ray stopped short. Her mane flared for a second, her face flushed and she didn't know why.

"Y-You're only… friend?" Ray asked turning around feeling her heart speed up.

"I enjoy your company." Solar replied striding up to her.

"Really? Why's that?" Ray asked quickly trying to settle her nerves.

"You're interesting." Solar answered standing in front of her.

"We don't ever really talk though." Ray said drawing circles in the dirt.

"What you aspire to be, the pony you want to become, the hard work you put in to get there; that's interesting to me." Solar told her.

"When I'm not mucking it up royally." Ray mumbled looking away.

Ray felt Solar's hoof touch her cheek, he gently turned her head back towards him and she saw him smirking. Ray's face flushed furiously.

"That is also interesting." Solar said removing his hoof from her face and continued down the stone bridge.

Ray's face was hot, gingerly touching her cheek where Solar had touched her. Her heart was pounding out her chest and she knew what she was feeling. She quickly chased after him, coming up alongside him again and trying to hold back the grin she wore so blatantly on her face.

The rattling of chains broke the silence, Ray and Solar ears perked; looking around to determine the origin of the sound. The echoes of the chains traveled for a good while, before the sound of rattling chains came once more. The chains began to grow closer and closer, striking and grinding against stone.

Solar flared his mane, as did Ray, their flames casting their light further to reveal a creature running towards them. Clad in iron armor from head to toe, the creature ran on its hind legs and stood up right. It carried a large metal mace in one hand and in its other; it wrapped itself with the chain.

The creature snapped its arm towards Solar, a metal chain whipped through the air, lashing itself around Solar's neck. With a vicious jerk, the creature pulled Solar right off his hooves and had him crashing to the ground before him.

"Solar!" Ray shouted in panic.

Solar was slow to rise, the creature was already standing over him, raising the mace high in the air to bring it down on him. Flare let loose a blast of fire that knocked the creature back, forcing him to lower the mace, Solar was now back on his hooves tugging against the chains that wrapped around his neck.

The creature took a swipe at Solar who dipped low to avoid it, letting loose a blast of fire that forced the creature to shield himself with his arms. Ray leaped over Solar, driving a hard kick into the creature's chest, knocking it backwards and forcing it to release its grip on the chain. Solar struggled to undo the coil around his neck, Ray trying her best to assist him with it.

Countless loud screeches echoed from the abyss below, long black legs stretching out from over sides of the stone bridge. Solar freed himself of the chains, pushing Ray back towards the tunnel and sending a blast of fire at the spiders coming up over the side.

"Get them!" The creature cried, getting back to its feet and giving chase.

Ray and Solar raced back down the stone bridge, their light revealing countless black legs just barely coming up over the side, keeping ahead of them by mere hoof steps. The screeches of the spiders grew closer and closer, Ray didn't chance looking back and powered forward, hearing the hoof steps of Solar right behind her. A black spider leg reached up over the side, catching Ray's back leg and tripping her. Ray fell down hard, sliding near the edge, coming face to face with a Cave Spider that snapped at her, but a quick blast of fire Ray had knocked it from the bridge. Ray felt Solar's hooves reach under her, pulling her away from the edge and setting her back down on the hard stone floor. The spiders had closed the distance, Solar and Ray stood ready to fight the rushing horde.

A blast of fire traced the bridge from up above, sweeping several spiders from the bridge and sending them falling into the abyss. Wisp landed hard onto the stone bridge in front of Solar and Ray, flaring his mane more fiercely then Ray and Solar combined, forcing the spiders to stop short in fear.

"Ray! Solar! Move it!" Flare shouted from the tunnel entrance.

Wisp reared back, throwing a massive blast of fire down the expanse of the bride, forcing the spider to topple over one another trying to get away from the blast. Ray and Solar retreated back towards the tunnel entrance while Wisp continued to lay cover fire.

"Come on!" Wisp shouted in amusement, blasting more fire at the spiders that scattered off the sides.

Through the flames the iron clad creature came storming through. Whipping the chain through the air once more, catching Wisp in the leg and wrapping itself tightly around it. The iron clad creature tugged to pulled Wisp off his hooves but found that it wasn't so easy. Wisp winced, feeling the chain scrape against his injured arm and tugged back trying to force the creature to stumble. Spiders were climbing up the side of the bridge, this time trying to flank Wisp. A surge of fire washed over the bridge, knocking the spiders clear, as Flare, Solar and Ray raced back to help Wisp. Flare rushed over to Wisp's side, breathing an intense stream of fire on the chains around his arm while Solar and Ray kept the spiders at bay. With the groaning snap of the chain link, Wisp was free and the creature stumbled back.

"Let's move every pony!" Flare shouted leaping off the side of the bridge.

Ray, Solar and Wisp all followed her. Flying out into the expanse of the cavern and circling back towards the tunnel, leaving the creature and spiders unable to reach them. Ray was the first to land back in the tunnel, followed by Solar, then Flare and Wisp bringing up the rear. There was a lot of heavy breathing between them, all of them looking at one another, nodding that they were okay. Ray smiled a bit, causing Flare to smile, who saw Wisp laughing and Solar trying hard not to. There were a few exchanges of high hooves, pats on the shoulders and a hug here and there between them.

Every pony looked back towards the stone bridge to see the iron clad creature standing at the edge. The light of their flames was enough to silhouette him in the darkness; the sounds of hundreds of spiders clicking their fangs could be heard echoing in the darkness.

"What is it?" Ray asked in a whisper.

"Who the hay are you, bub?" Wisp asked aloud to find out.

The creature reached up removing the iron helmet. Its face a dark grey, pointed ears, a bald head, a stout nose and the blackest eyes. It had markings adorning its head and it wore a scowl.

"It's an orc." Flare whispered in amazement.

"The age of the Flame Ponies is at an end." The orc declared to them; raising his mace into the air.

Within the darkness the sound of hundreds upon thousands of screeches echoed up from the abyss. Wisp shot a blast of fire into the darkness below, revealing countless bodies of spiders swarming up the walls, the darkness seemed to come alive with the amount of spiders that were moving.

"We need to tell King Smolder about this." Ray mumbled.

"We need to leave. Now." Wisp said slowly stepping away from the edge.

The iron clad orc watched the Flame Ponies turn to run down the tunnel. The light of their flames slowly faded out of sight. The Orc stood in the darkness, thousands of screeching spiders below him; with a single raise of his closed fist the spiders fell silent.

"To the mountain!" The orc cried.

A sudden ripple in the darkness formed, the spiders moving at his command, and emptying the cavern. The orc watched through the darkness, his eyes capable of seeing in the dark, lifting his helmet and placing back on his head. Four Queen Spiders descended down from the high chasm ceiling on their webbings; heading towards the abyss below, lowering themselves past the orc. One of the Queens was missing three of her legs, having a few squashed eyes and severe burns all over its body.

"We're keeping this in the family, Smolder. Like father, like son." The orc said to himself. Taking hold of the Queen spider's webbing, the Orc slid down into the darkness.

Chapter 17: Overlapping Issues

General Hearth stood within the dungeon corridor leading into the mines. He wore a nervous expression about him, drawing small circles in the dirt with his hoof and staring down the dark corridor. Morning had come without any news of the Pegasi Flame Ponies that went into the mines to find the Mystery Pony. Furthermore, the identity of the Mystery Pony had been revealed that morning to him as being Princess Sapphire Flurry of the Frozen North. Which made General Hearth fear the worst for the Flame Ponies still in the mine and caused him great anxiety for the safety of his granddaughter. Having sat within the dungeon corridor for over an hour, General Hearth wrestled with the idea of going into the mines himself to look for the missing Flame Ponies.

"You're waiting for them too?" Rainbow Dash asked striding up behind him.

"Oh, good morning, Rainbow Dash. How did you sleep?" General Hearth replied looking over his shoulder.

"Slept like a rock." Rainbow Dash said with a yawn.

"You're a poor liar, Rainbow Dash." General Hearth remarked with a grin.

"What can I say? I don't like any pony walking into danger while I'm sitting on my flank doing nothing." Rainbow Dash said stretching out her wings and arms.

"Should we go look for them?" General Hearth proposed.

"I'm not going to lie, I've been thinking about going after them all night." Rainbow Dash replied.

"Why didn't you?" General Hearth asked curiously.

"Probably for the same reason you're still standing here." Rainbow Dash replied.

"Old age?" General Hearth asked with a chuckle.

"I believe that whatever they come up against, they'll be able to handle it together." Rainbow Dash said optimistically.

"If they're capable of working together." General Hearth mumbled shaking his head.

"You'd be surprised with the progress they've made." Rainbow Dash mentioned.

"A pony can only hope." General Hearth replied.

Rainbow Dash stepped forward abruptly, waving her hoof at General Hearth and pointing down the corridor. A small light in the distance caught General Hearth's eye, the light began to grow in intensity as several pony shapes started to emerge from the darkness. Ray, Solar, Wisp and Flare strode the length of the corridor, their voices echoing off the walls.

"Wisp could you just drop it already?" Flare asked sounding annoyed.

"No, I will not!" Wisp declared.

"No pony cares, Wisp!" Ray whined in annoyance.

"No! I want to talk about this!" Wisp shouted insistently.

"Sweet Celestia." Solar mumbled under his breath.

"Why can't I make a necklace out of this Cave Spider fang?" Wisp asked holding up over his head.

"First of all, it might still have venom in it. Second of all, you might get stung from it. Third and finally, it will look stupid." Flare answered him.

"Stupid?" Wisp asked sounding offended.

"Really stupid." Ray insisted.

"Ray!" General Hearth shouted aloud.

Ray jumped at the sound of her name being called, as did Wisp, Flare and Solar. General Hearth galloped the length of the hall, scooping Ray up into his arms and embracing her tightly. Ray's mane flared from embarrassment as the other ponies moved away from them. It was rare for Ray to see her grandfather show affection for her in front of the other ponies, but she didn't fight against it; even if it did embarrass her to no end.

"How'd it go you guys? Every pony in one piece?" Rainbow Dash asked looking excited and relieved at the same time.

"I got scratched by an enormous Cave Spider, almost lost the arm but the venom wasn't strong enough to kill me." Wisp replied throwing out his chest.

"Was that before or after you begged me not to cut it off?" Flare asked curiously.

"Oh I don't remember Flare Bear, was that before or after we-" Wisp didn't get the words out as Flare jabbed him in the chest with her elbow to silence him; her face turning a slight shade of red.

"We were unsuccessful in finding the Mystery Pony, but we've encountered something much more threatening." Solar reported.

"What is it? What did you find?' General Hearth asked easing up on his hug on Ray.

"We need to speak with King Smolder at once." Flare stated sounding urgent.

Outside of 'Stitch Rose Shay' several Royal Guard ponies were making several trips in and out of the shop carrying several bundles of fire resistant cloaks to a stone cart parked out front. It became very apparent that one stone cart wasn't going to be enough, and before long there were four more stones carts lined up; filled to capacity. Argo Fleece presided over the transaction, carefully inspecting the cloaks before allowing the Royal Guards to load them onto the carts.

"Ensure that these cloaks are brought to the pink pony and only the pink pony." Argo instructed the guard pony who nodded in compliance.

The Royal Guard ponies hooked themselves up to their respective carts before setting off in a convoy towards Castle Char. Rarity stood at the threshold of 'Stitch Rose Shay' wearing a look of pride as the carts rolled away with all of their hard work. Argo made a note on his stone slab before turning to Rarity.

"The order was satisfactory." Argo mumbled holding the stone slate out to her.

"It has been a pleasure being able to assist with Smolder's Coronation." Rarity replied, using her magic to sign off on the stone slate.

"The King sends his regards for your assistance during this occasion." Argo replied, sounding very uninterested.

"It was really no trouble at all." Rarity assured him.

"In accordance to the contract, one hundred gold trimmed cloaks, twenty silver trimmed cloaks, thirty red trimmed cloaks, twenty blue trimmed cloaks, twelve special ordered custom tailored cloaks, and the Kings garments will be paid in full upon delivery." Argo read off the stone slate.

Without looking up, Argo motioned to his left as a Royal Guard pony pulled a stone cart from around the corner. Rarity's eyes lit up seeing that the cart itself was loaded to the brim with gems and coins.

"As agreed, the payment has been made out in precious gems and coin as requested by the hired party. This concludes our arrangement, have a nice day." Argo said flatly before motioning to the guard to get a move on.

"A very nice day to you as well!" Rarity exclaimed waving goodbye to them.

"Stitch! Crow! Rose!" Rarity shouted into the store before rushing over to the cart full of gems.

Stitch poked her head out from the store while Rose waltzed out past her looking around for what the commotion was. Stitch and Rose caught sight of the cart full of gems, their jaws dropping at the sight of it.

"Is this ours?" Stitch asked leaping onto the back of the cart and scooping up hoof fulls of gems.

"You bet your saddle it is. Payment for all your hard work these last few days." Rarity replied.

"What are we going to do with all of this money?" Rose asked joining in on the scooping of gems.

"Well we'll have to deduct our expenses, place orders to restock our wares, invest in some renovations to the shop, purchase new equipment, and put some money into advertising." Rarity replied, listing off several things at once.

"I was leaning towards where we were going to put it." Rose remarked.

Rarity realized the sheer amount of gems and coin they had on hoof. Thinking to herself for a few moments, Rarity perked up.

"Perhaps we can store these gems in the upstairs room with the secret door switch?" Rarity offered.

"Secret door switch?" Rose asked looking confused.

"Sure, no pony but us knows where the switch is and the window is too small for any pony to climb through." Stitch agreed.

"Alright, then. Let's start by making a couple of sacks so we can store the gems and coin in to make carrying these much easier." Rarity said heading towards the shop door.

Crow stepped out from the shop holding an arm full of sacks, smiling at Rarity, having already thought of this issue ahead of time.

"You never cease to amaze me, Crow." Rarity said happily taking a sack from him with her magic.

It took about an hour of loading up sacks full of gems and coins, lugging them up the stairs and tossing them into the room. The sacks of gems and coin began to pile up in the corner, as every pony started to get rather winded from lugging their payment up the stairs over and over again. Eventually the last bit of coin was scraped from the back of the cart into the last sack, and tossed in with the rest.

"My legs are on fire." Stitch whined leaning against the sacks of gems and coin.

"You're a Flame Pony, Stitch. You're always on fire." Rose corrected her.

"You know what I mean." Stitch whined slowly letting herself slide to the floor.

"Alright, the next step is to count up all of the gems and coin." Rarity said cheerfully entering the room followed by Crow.

"Do we have to?" Stitch whined rolling over on the stone floor.

"Keeping a record of the shop's expenses is part of running a business, Stitch." Rarity explained.

Rarity could see that Stitch and Rose were in no mood to do such a tedious task by the looks on their faces. Crow on the other hoof nodded his head in agreement.

"How about Crow and I work on counting up the gems and coin while the two of you go down stairs and start making a list of things we can improve around the shop?" Rarity offered.

"Rose… carry me." Stitch mumbled dramatically, rolling over on the floor towards her.

"I'd sooner jump in a river." Rose replied walking out the door.

"Rose…" Stitch whined dragging herself across the floor towards the door.

"I suppose we should get started on this, it is going to take us quite some time to finish." Rarity said to Crow, looking over at the pile of money sacks. Crow nodded in agreement.

Crow took charge of the bookkeeping while Rarity separated coin from gems. When Crow finished with the pile of coin large enough to be in its own sack, Rarity would replace the coins into the sack and place it in the opposite corner to avoid any confusion. Rarity hardly spoke, not wanting to indulge too much in conversation to spare Crow from having to speak. She did not mind the silence, it was rather comforting to see Crow so relaxed, how happy he seemed to be about the work he had done and the rewards that came with it.

"R-R-R-Rarity?" Crow stammered, still writing out numbers onto the stone slate in front of him.

"Am I going too fast for you darling?" Rarity asked curiously, magically holding a sack of coin and gem in the air.

"I want to-" Crow struggled to get the word out. "-thank you… for what you've d-d-done… for me."

"You are most welcome Crow, but I haven't really done anything then give you the means to express yourself creatively." Rarity replied with a smile.

"No-you've g-g-g-" Crow stammered again closing his eyes tightly trying to speak. "-given me hope."

"It was your determination that got you here, Crow." Rarity said smiling warmly.

"My fa-" Crow struggled to speak. "-father… never liked… me."

Rarity remained quiet.

"T-T-T-Told me… I… was a n-n-nopony." Crow continued, slowly writing less and less.

"What an awful thing for a father to say to his son!" Rarity remarked sounding appalled.

"You ma-ma-made me feel... like I could…" Crow paused trying to pronounce the word. "Prove him… wrong."

"You most certainly have Crow, you have remarkable talent and incredible perseverance. You're one of the bravest ponies I have had the pleasure of knowing." Rarity said comfortingly.

Crow nodded in agreement. Doing his best to steady his shaking and smile in gratitude.

"Come now, Crow. Let us finish with this and prepare for ourselves for the Coronation tomorrow." Rarity said warmly motioning to the sacks.

Crow nodded in agreement.

"Crow! Rose says she's moving my work station outside!" Stitched shouted from the bottom of the staircase.

Crow got to his hooves, rolling his eyes and heading towards the stairs to make peace before Stitch did something that would really get on Rose's nerves. Rarity followed him to the door but stopped short a sudden blast of fire surged up from the staircase. Downstairs Rose and Stitch were spraying fire at each other, throwing insults at one another and making quite the commotion.

"Stay here." Crow said waving Rarity back with a sigh.

"Yes, I think that is best." Rarity agreed stepping away from the door.

"I'll b-b-be right b-b-back." Crow said pressing the button on the door to ensure no stray fire would find its way in.

The stone door slid shut, the muffled shrieks of Rose and Stitch could still be heard as Rarity rolled her eyes. Taking the opportunity to pick up where Crow had left off, Rarity magically lifted the stone slate and the charcoal with her magic and brought it to her hooves. Her magic lifted several sacks of coin towards her, unraveling itself as the coins came single file out from the bag over her head.

"Let's see now, seventeen, twenty-four, thirty-seven…" Rarity mumbled to herself counting the coins magically floating by her.

The coins floated back into the same bag, tying itself up once more before Rarity turned her head towards the corner to toss the sack with the rest. Before she focused her magic on the next bag, the scraping of rock filled the room, drawing Rarity's attention away.

"Hello?" Rarity asked aloud looking around.

Her eyes fell towards the stone door where a single block was left sticking out from the side. Rarity looked at it curiously, placing the stone slate and charcoal on the floor, and heading over to take a look. The block was hollow, containing several bundles of letters, loose parchment and twine. Levitating the pages from the hollow stone block, Rarity discovered a journal at the bottom that had the letters 'GS' embossed into the cover.

"I've seem to have found where the previous resident hid her private letters and journal." Rarity said to herself reaching in and picking up the journal.

"It would be very inappropriate to read another pony's most inner feelings and personal thoughts." Rarity said slowly staring hard at the journal.

"Although, to return these to the rightful owner… one must take liberties and find a name." Rarity said quickly opening the journal.

Rarity's eyes scanned over the journal pages, the letters, and loose parchment that floated around her; beforeeverything came to an abrupt halt. Recoiling, Rarity gasped loudly, placing her hoof over her mouth looking very shocked.

"I do not believe this! I have to see Smolder right away!" Rarity exclaimed; magically pulling all the letters and loose parchment into a stack.

Placing the journal on the top of the stack, using some of the old twine to bunch it all together, Rarity shoved the hollow block back into the wall as the door slid open.

"Crow! Rose! Stitch!" Rarity shouted racing down the staircase.

Applejack and Tiff Pitchstone stood at the base of the Moonstone Dam, the Obelisk still spearing through the stone block, acting like makeshift cork. Applejack scratched her head, unsure of what it even was or how they were going to get it out of there. Tiff on the other hoof was staring at it quizzically, pondering his options as Applejack took notice of his sudden grin.

"No! No more thermite!" Applejack stated right away.

"But we could simply-" Tiff began to plead his case.

"Mr. Papyrus has asked us to remove it in the safest way possible and I'm not going to be the pony to explain to him why this here Obelisk is melted in two." Applejack continued, cutting him short.

Tiff looked grumbled, looking rather annoyed that his idea was so quickly shot down.

"Where did Roman take off to?" Applejack asked curiously looking around.

"He went to carve up another block to replace the one the Obelisk pierced. Perhaps thinking of a way to remove it without letting a torrent of water coming blasting through as well." Tiff replied looking back up at the Obelisk.

"You ever seen anything like that before?" Applejack asked curiously.

"No, never. I mostly stick to plants and foliage but I'd sure remember seeing something like this." Tiff answered.

"Whatever pony made this, they did one hay of a job. It pierced that block like it was a hot knife through butter." Applejack commented tipping her hat to it.

"It looks rather heavy, doesn't it?" Tiff asked tilting his head to change his view of it.

"It would probably take a couple of strong ponies to lift that thing off the ground." Applejack replied, trying to judge it merely on looks.

"I'm just wondering how this thing got through the canyon." Tiff said looking at her seeming puzzled.

"What do you mean?" Applejack asked curiously.

"We've walked down that canyon few times before, it had several twists and turns that would make anything with that size and length rather difficult to navigate through without getting stuck." Tiff explained.

"Seeing as it went through solid stone, perhaps it just smashed through parts of the canyon and got stuck here?" Applejack suggested.

"Have you ever used a planting stick before, Applejack?" Tiff asked curiously.

"Sure, whenever a little tree or shrub is having a hard time standing up, we'll tie it to a stick to help it along." Applejack replied nodding her head.

"If you were a pony who wanted to hide this where no Flame Pony could get to it, where would you put it?" Tiff asked curiously.

"I reckon I'd throw it in some water, seeing as you Flame Ponies are fans of swimming." Applejack answered.

"You saw how rusted that metal dam was, you remember how it held back hundreds and thousands of gallons of water and didn't budge an inch?" Tiff asked rubbing his chin.

"What are you getting at?" Applejack asked looking over at him.

"I think that this is what kept that metal dam from buckling all these years, the Obelisk was used as the main support to keep the dam from moving." Tiff explained glancing over at her.

"It would be rather hard for a Flame Pony to try and get to it if it meant having all that water fall right on your head." Applejack said in agreement.

"So I'm guessing that it was put there on purpose." Tiff said slamming his hoof into his other hoof.

"Why?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Beats the hay out of me. I just want to get it out of my dam." Tiff replied as Applejack rolled her eyes.

From the distance, Roman returned strolling back with two worker ponies magically lifting the replacement block up the rampart. Tiff and Applejack approached him, hoping he had a plan that didn't involve thermite; at least Applejack did.

"What do you know, what do you say, Roman?" Tiff asked patting him on the shoulder.

"I say you owe me some overtime, Tiff." Roman replied as Tiff nervously laughed it off.

"Have you thought of a way to dislodge that thing?" Applejack asked curiously looking back at it.

"I've got an idea, it isn't the best idea but it might just work." Roman replied scratching his head.

"Does it involve thermite?" Applejack asked quickly.

"No." Roman replied.

"Alright, let's hear it." Applejack asked watching Tiff pout some more.

"The way the block is shaped, it isn't coming out through the front." Roman began drawing a crude diagram in the dirt in front of them.

"We got that much." Tiff said.

"Unless we break up the block, let it crumble and have that poker thing come sliding through. We have some unicorn ponies with the new block in position behind the tower, once it's through, they put the cork on it and we have… what… a little flooding?" Roman asked shrugging his shoulders.

"Sounds simple enough." Applejack said nodding in agreement.

"You think you can break up that block without getting any Flame Ponies too close?" Tiff asked sounding somewhat concerned about it.

"My guys can just shoot a couple of stone cutting spells at it, from the front, off to the side, weaken it. Should slip right through and the other ponies will have the new block all set to go." Roman reassured him.

"The Obelisk is going to take a nasty fall." Applejack pointed out.

"If it can withstand hitting solid rock, it can take a fall to the ground." Roman said not seeming to care.

"You make a solid point there." Applejack said nodding.

"If you're ready to do this, I'll have my guys clear the area and get started with plan 'Get'em out of here'." Roman said making his way up the rampart.

"Get'em what?" Tiff asked looking confused.

"I didn't have time to come up with a name for it, just move your flanks." Roman called, back motioning for them to follow.

Applejack and Tiff stood off to the side as several unicorn worker ponies positioned themselves halfway down the rampart, their horns glowing, listening to the call out from Roman who signaled to them to fire their shots. A blast here, a shot there, the block was slowly breaking away, unfortunately for Applejack, Flame Pony engineering was made to last and it was a whole hour of tedious spell shooting. Tiff seemed equally as bored, falling asleep where he stood several times before a sudden wind would almost blow him over and his sudden start was enough to make Applejack laugh under her breath at him.

"Alright! Get that block ready!" Roman shouted holding his hoof high over his head to signal to the ponies behind him.

One unicorn pony on each side of the canyon magically lifted the replacement block from the top of the dam and slowly lowered it into the water with their magic; positioning it behind the base of the Obelisk. The front of the block was now trickling with water, the water streaming faster and faster as if it was about to give way. Applejack and Tiff were now very much interested in seeing how this was going to play out.

"Applejack?" Tiff asked suddenly glancing over at her.

"Yeah?" Applejack asked looking back.

"What if this doesn't work?" Tiff asked.

"Well we'll…" Applejack trailed off for a moment.

"Get ready!" Roman shouted aloud, still holding his hoof high in the air.

Without much warning the Obelisk shot out from the rock like an arrow slicing through the air. Roman fell backwards in surprise; the dam had sprung a leak, the block crumbling away with rushing water as the unicorn workers carefully positioned the new block. The current sucked the block into place, the unicorn ponies put great effort in to making sure the block was all the way in as Applejack and Tiff ran out onto the dam to see where the Obelisk had gone.

Catching a glimpse of a thin black line sailing through the air, the Obelisk suddenly dipped low, spinning over and under before striking itself into the ground; perfectly planted onto the ground as if had always been there. Tiff was at Roman's side who seemed rather bewildered by the Obelisk's sudden departure, but was fine all the same.

"What in the hay just happened?" Applejack asked looking very confused.

"That thing just went soaring through the air!" Roman shouted in disbelief.

"Where did it land?" Tiff asked trying to get a better look at it.

"It planted itself in that clearing over there, a ways out from the Castle." Applejack said pointing it out to him.

"Someone needs to tell the King about this." Roman said getting to his hooves.

"Leave it to us; you just make sure this here dam isn't going to spring anymore leaks. Come on, Tiff, let's go tell Ash about this." Applejack said galloping from the top of the dam towards the rampart.

"Ash? Aren't we going to see the King?" Tiff shouted galloping after her.

Chapter 18: Thin Ice

Princess Sapphire Flurry stood at the doorway of the Infirmary looking rather unconvinced at the fuss I was making about the scratch on my face. Wingston stood upon a small stone block, tending to me as I sat patiently looking very annoyed. Wingston didn't seem to have an opinion about it either way; he was more interested about how the Princess of the Frozen North ended up in my room last night.

"So let me get this straight." Wingston began carefully applying a thin layer of ointment on my cheek.

"Something of grave importance, to the Kingdom of Ice Ponies, was stolen and was last seen being brought here to the Ashen Fields." Wingston stated.

"It's an Obelisk, similar to the one currently spearing your dam." Sapphire spoke up.

"So Princess Sapphire took it upon herself to track down this thief, and came to the conclusion that King Smolder was responsible for this crime." Wingston continued wiping the excess ointment from my face.

"Prince. He made it a point to tell me that he isn't officially crowned a King just yet." Sapphire corrected.

"So believing that Smolder was responsible, you infiltrated the grounds through means of the old mining tunnels, attacking a few of our Flame Ponies and eventually ended up in Prince Smolder's bedroom?" Wingston asked looking over at Sapphire.

"That's a gross over simplification of the events that transpired!" Sapphire snapped flushing slightly.

"Perhaps you can, in detail, explain what happened in the Royal Chambers last night? The Night Watch had their own thoughts on the matter." Wingston asked looking back and forth between Sapphire and myself.

"We had a disagreement about who stole the Obelisk." I stated simply.

Wingston raised a brow in curiosity, glancing over at Princess Sapphire who turned her head in a huff, flushing slightly. I felt Wingston's staff knock against my head, catching me off guard.

"What was that for?" I asked holding the top of my head.

"For the sake of everypony, please keep your hooves to yourselves." Wingston replied climbing down off the stone box.

"If you are insinuating that there was some sort of romantic affection being shown towards-" Princess Sapphire approached Wingston looking flustered but was cut short when his staff knocked her against the head as well.

The knock to her head had knocked Princess Sapphire on her flank. Clutching her head, Sapphire looked up at Wingston, her face full of surprise.

"That was for breaking the sundial I gifted to Smolder." Wingston explained limping towards the door.

I offered a hoof to help Sapphire up, she took it reluctantly, getting back to her hooves and holding her head.

"He grows on you." I mumbled to her.

"You'll forgive me if I don't believe you." Sapphire replied pulling her hoof away from me and glaring at Wingston.

"Speaking of forgiveness, I suggest you make peace with ponies you attacked." Wingston mentioned turning back towards them from the threshold of the Infirmary door.

"I hardly touched any of them! I merely-" Princess Sapphire began.

"I will send word to the Lords of the North to inform them that you are in our care for the duration of your visit. Smolder will see you around the Kingdom." Wingston interrupted.

"Me?" I asked sounding confused.

"It is your Princely duty to show the visiting Princess around the Kingdom." Wingston explained before bowing his to them and taking his leave of the Infirmary.

Sapphire stood fuming, flakes of snow drifted off her mane as it swirled around her. It was rather surprising to me but even when she was angry or upset Sapphire still looked very beautiful. I watched as Sapphire whipped her mane to the side, the snowy clouds slowly billowing off one side of her head, exhaling a large breath looking rather annoyed. She suddenly turned to me, catching me staring.

"What?" Sapphire asked flatly.

"Nothing." I said quickly, heading towards the door trying not to look guilty.

I could feel Sapphire's icy stare burning a hole through the back of my head as I got to the Infirmary doors.

"Come on then." I said awkwardly motioning for her to follow.

"Are we going to look for my missing Obelisk?" Sapphire asked apprehensively.

"Uh… no?" I replied walking out of the Infirmary.

Stepping into the corridor I found a group of Night Watch Ponies coming off their shift. Looking very down trodden, the group of Flame Ponies spoke amongst one another.

"This feels like a walk of shame." Murmured a Guard Pony.

"It's not every day a squad of Flame Ponies gets their flanks handed to them." Replied another Guard Pony.

"If I could just get my hooves on that Oblivion Pony, I'd-I'd-I'd…" Another Guard trailed off rubbing his hooves together.

"You'd what?" I asked aloud.

"Lord Smolder, good morning." One of the guard ponies spoke up as the others quickly bowed their heads.

"Every pony okay?" I asked curiously.

"We've already spoken with General Hearth, my Lord; we were ambushed last night and knocked out cold." Another guard pony replied.

"It was a cheap shot, my Lord; the pony came at us from behind!" A different guard pony spoke up looking rather annoyed by it.

"Cheap shot?" Sapphire asked aloud stepping out from the Infirmary.

It came as a great surprise to every pony to see a rather breath taking Ice Pony step out from the room. The Royal Guard Ponies stared wide eyed, jaws slowly falling open as the Ice Pony looked at them inquisitively.

"Every pony, may I introduce Princess Sapphire Flurry of the Frozen North, the pony responsible for knocking you out last night." I announced.

"You do seem rather familiar, which one of you ponies screamed like a little filly?" Sapphire asked curiously looking at each one of them.

"That would be Corporal Hicks, my Lady." A guard pony spoke up pointing to the pony on his left.

"I did not scream like a filly!" Corporal Hicks snapped looking rather embarrassed.

"Quite right, I believe you were the first pony I hit with my Ice Breath before making short work of the rest of your companions." Sapphire said thinking back on it.

"This is where you're supposed to apologize." I whispered to her.

"Apologize?" Sapphire asked taken aback.

"No apologies necessary, my Lady. It didn't hurt at all. Consider it an honor to have fought such a beautiful and skilled pony, right guys?" Corporal Hicks asked looking back at the other guards.

There was a sudden flare of from every Royal Guard Ponies mane. A swell of pride overcame the guards, their tough pony acts coming to fruition, throwing out their chests, and doing their best to impress.

"Yes, no trouble at all, my Lady. It would have been rather troubling if we had harmed you even in the slightest." Another guard pony stated as every pony nodded in agreement.

I rolled my eyes, realizing that I wasn't the only pony who got stupid around pretty ponies.

"If you'll excuse us gentle colts, Prince Smolder and I have some rather importance business to attend to." Sapphire stated stepping past them.

The Night Watch ponies eyes were glued to her, one pony even tried to catch a small snowflake that fell from her mane. After she had passed the group of Night Watch ponies turned to me nodding in acceptance, patting me on the shoulder and congratulating me; whispering to me of how lucky I was. I felt my mane flare, my face starting to flush at the idea.

"Prince Smolder, we haven't got all day." Sapphire said tapping her hoof impatiently.

I felt one of the guard ponies push me towards her, more whispers of encouragement as the group of Night Watch ponies quickly moved away from us. Sapphire looked rather confused by their peculiar behavior but I didn't question it.

"So about my Obelisk." Sapphire began striding alongside of me.

"What is it with you and this Obelisk?" I asked looking at her in disbelief.

"It was a very important component to our research into the Void; I've spent years studying the effects of the Void and its history with Equestria." Sapphire explained.

"Oh." I said understanding her relation to it.

"My research began right after my graduation from the Ice Pony Military Academy but before my dissertation of the effects of the Void to my professors at the Northern Institute of Magic." Sapphire continued.

"Cool, cool." I replied feeling very small at this point.

"What did your studies involve?" Sapphire asked looking my way.

"Studies?" I asked looking surprised.

"Your field? What sort of education did you pursue?" Sapphire asked rephrasing her question.

"I always liked reading." I replied feeling almost ashamed at my answer.

"Who was your mentor?" Sapphire asked curiously looking at me with a raised brow.

"Wingston?" I replied not too sure if that counted.

"The bat?" Sapphire asked looking surprised.

I could feel my mane flaring. For the first time I was feeling embarrassed about being a Prince, because I had some other pony to compare myself to. I had no real training, no advanced education, no military experience, and it made me feel that I was very under qualified to be named King; Sapphire seemed to realizing this as well.

"I do realize that you were oppressed by the Mad King for a majority of your life but did you never try to pursue an education or learn to become a soldier pony?" Sapphire asked looking rather disappointed.

"I... didn't have time for much of anything. My Flame Ponies were suffering and needed help, so I went looking for some." I said feeling my face burn with embarrassment.

Sapphire didn't reply. I refused to look at her. There was an awkward tension walking the rest of the corridor in silence, it wasn't until we reached the branching staircase that led to the Main Hall was the tension broken by Fluttershy and Mr. Tutor at the bottom of the staircase surrounded by foals and fillies.

"Good morning, Smolder." Fluttershy said softly.

"Alright every pony, just like we practiced." Mr. Tutor said to all the foals and fillies.

"Hello King Smolder!" Every foal and filly shouted before having a fit of laughter.

"Hi." I replied back finding it humorous as well.

"Oh my, who is this?" Fluttershy asked looking at Sapphire.

"Every pony, this is Princess Sapphire Flurry from the Frozen North. She's going to be our guest here for a few days." I said introducing her.

Every foal and filly stared at her in amazement. Wide eyed and awestruck. Even Mr. Tutor seemed to be rather fixated on her, but probably for the same reasons the guards were.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Fluttershy said softly.

"What is every pony doing here?" I asked curiously.

"I wanted to stop by to see if the guard ponies from last night were alright, before going on our trip to Ponyville." Mr. Tutor explained tearing himself away from Sapphire.

I watched as Sapphire lowered her head to the foals and fillies, letting them touch her mane and nudging her nose against a rather shy foal. Sapphire seemed very happy around them. I saw her smile genuinely for the first time and it made my mane flare.

"The ponies say it was the Oblivion Pony." Fluttershy whispered to me.

"Oh, it wasn't the Oblivion Pony, it was Sapphire." I said motioning over to her.

"What?" Mr. Tutor asked in surprise looking over at her.

Sapphire lifted her head, looking at Mr. Tutor, squinting rather hard at him.

"You're that pony at the edge of the marsh? You had a little foal with you." Sapphire stated looking surprised.

"Y-Y-Y-Yes, my Lady." Mr. Tutor stammered.

"From the way you carried yourself I thought you were another guard pony. Nothings broken I assume?" Sapphire asked curiously looking at him.

"No, my Lady. I'm fine. So is Lionel, you gave him quite a fright last night." Mr. Tutor said putting his hoof on Lionel's shoulder.

"Did not." Lionel said folding his arms as the other students snickered.

Sapphire leaned over to Lionel, giving him a kiss on his head, which set his mane sparking and his face a bright red.

"I was worried that I had hurt you last night, I'm sorry I scared you." Sapphire whispered to him.

Ever foal and filly all gasped at once. Lionel did his best to hide his face from every pony by leaning against Mr. Tutor's leg but his mane stilled sparked something awful. Mr. Tutor chuckled at the sight.

"Sapphire traced a stolen item back here to the Ashen Fields and was mistaken in thinking that it was one of us that had taken it. We're working together now to try and get it back." I explained, leaving out the part about her trying to turn me into an ice cube.

"Oh my, I hope you get whatever was stolen back soon." Fluttershy said softly.

"I hope that you ponies have a good time at Ponyville." I replied to all the foals and fillies but they were occupied with Sapphire giving them her undivided attention.

"We'll take good care of them Lord Smolder." Mr. Tutor said.

"Just Smolder." I replied with a smile.

"R-Right. Of course. Smolder." Mr. Tutor said nodding in agreement.

"Alright every pony, say goodbye to Lord Smolder and Princess Sapphire." Mr. Tutor said aloud.

"Bye!" Every foal and filly shouted at once.

Mr. Tutor herded his students towards the main entrance; Fluttershy gave a small wave goodbye before following them. Sapphire looked on with a smile, letting out a small sigh before whipping her mane back with her hoof. The clouds billowing from her mane danced through the air before settling in behind her. She caught me staring at her again.

"What?" Sapphire asked.

"You're... pretty good with the foals and fillies." I mentioned.

"I used to volunteer to read to the foals and fillies back at the Academy. My obligations and responsibilities have kept me busy, making it difficult to find time to read to them anymore. Seeing these young ponies have brought back some rather… special memories for me." Sapphire replied looking somewhat disappointed.

I smiled apologetically.

Twilight Sparkle and Alex Papyrus climbed up out of the dungeons, having heard the news of an Ice Pony in Castle Char, and came up hoping to catch a glimpse. Luckily for them we were already several feet away and Alec began marveling at the sight of Sapphire.

"I cannot believe we have an actual Ice Pony here with us." Alex whispered to Twilight.

"I had no idea that there were Ice Ponies here in Equestria." Twilight whispered back.

"They're not very social with other ponies, keeping mostly to themselves and having minimal contact with the Yaks." Alex quietly explained to her.

Sapphire and I turned to greet them. Twilight offered me a smile that eased me out of my insecurity. Mr. Papyrus was already bowing his head to us, but before Twilight could follow suit I waved it off.

"Twilight Sparkle, Alex Papyrus, this is Princess Sapphire Flurry from the Frozen North." I said introducing them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Sapphire." Twilight said.

"Truly, to see the Princess of the North up close has confirmed all of the rumors of her legendary beauty. I am beside myself to even be in the same room as you, my Lady." Alex said his head still lowered to her.

I'm glad I wasn't the only pony rolling me eyes as I saw Twilight rolling hers over Alex's compliment.

"At least some pony knows how to treat a Princess." Sapphire said looking over at me.

"Wait until you tell him you're the Mystery Pony that knocked him flat in the dungeons." I replied.

Alex's head shot up in surprise, Twilight looked rather surprised herself.

"You're the pony that attacked me?" Alex asked mouth a gape.

"You were the pony that smashed our etching?" Twilight asked finding it hard to believe.

"You were the two ponies down in the dungeon?" Sapphire asked pointing at the two of them.

"Well, yes we were but I don't understand-" Alex began but was cut short.

"Relinquish to me the rubbing you took of the etching immediately." Sapphire demanded it holding out her hoof to them.

"We're not giving you anything until you apologize to Alex and explain to us why you destroyed our etching." Twilight stated.

"You dare speak to a Princess in such a way?" Sapphire asked stepping up to Twilight.

"I'm not daring you, I'm telling you." Twilight replied not backing down.

"Now ladies, I'm sure we can talk this out in a calm and rational manner." Alex proposed trying to step between them.

Sapphire whipped her mane to the side, stepping back from Twilight trying to compose herself. Twilight seemed to relax a bit as well, but still looking rather annoyed.

"I'm sure that Princess Sapphire has a good reason for smashing our etching. Princess Sapphire, if you would be so kind as to enlighten us?" Alex asked still being the buffer between her and Twilight.

I thought to myself of asking Alex to teach me how to speak so formally to ponies; he seemed to be quite good at it, even it did seem cheesy at times.

"The etching depicts a certain event that happened in Flame Pony history many years ago, one that if any pony were to duplicate could spell the end for Equestria." Sapphire explained tossing her mane once more.

"How much do you know about Flame Pony history?" Alex asked sounding amazed.

"It really depends, I only minored in Equestrian History, but the Flame Ponies were always up to something as I remember it." Sapphire replied.

Sapphire recoiled a bit seeing Alex approach her rather quickly, his mane flaring from excitement.

"Lady Sapphire, I have not right to ask you for a favor but if you could find it in your heart to humor with me an hour of your time by telling me of our history I would be forever in your debt." Alex said quickly bowing his head at every other word respectfully.

"H-H-Have you no record of your own history?" Sapphire asked looking surprised at his sudden outburst.

"The Mad King pretty much destroyed everything." Twilight replied.

"Perhaps it would be best if you were to just visit to the Northern Institute's Library for yourself and study your history for yourself." Sapphire offered only to see Alex's mane flare from her words.

"Lady Sapphire! I cannot thank you enough for this invitation!" Alex exclaimed taking her hoof and lightly kissing it.

Sapphire didn't seem to mind it; in fact, she looked rather pleased at the gratitude being shown to her.

"Lord Smolder, do I have your permission to travel north?" Alex asked turning to me, unable to contain his excitement.

"Uh yeah sure, if you don't have anything to do here." I said shrugging.

I barely finished my sentence as Alex went racing off towards the dungeons, but he didn't get very far before Twilight's magic took hold of him and slowly dragged him back.

"We've still got a lot of work around here to do, Alex." Twilight said dropping him beside her.

"Of course! You're quite right, Ms. Sparkle." Alex replied straightening up; still looking very excited.

"I've answered your question, now give me the rubbing." Sapphire demanded holding out her hoof once more.

"You didn't apologize to Alex yet." Twilight stated.

Sapphire rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"I am sorry for knocking you out, Pop-Pop Rust." Sapphire said with a sigh.

"It's Papyrus." Alex corrected her.

"Yes, yes. Now may I have the rubbing?" Sapphire asked.

With a burst of purple light, emanating from her horn, Twilight magically retrieved the rubbing and unfolded it to her to show her that it was the real thing. I found myself looking at it, the world around the rubbing started to fade out of focus. The rubbing started to peel away, revealing a window it a world behind it, and I found myself standing on the balcony once more overlooking the Ashen Fields. The portal opened once more revealing the creatures that stood upon their hind legs, the storm in the darkness raging in the distance, and the Castle collapsing at its fury.

A sudden bump to my head made the world go dark, I felt myself hit the floor as the Main Hall came back into focus. Twilight and Alex stood off to the side, looking at me with great concern as Sapphire crouched over me getting right up to my face.

"What was it? What did you see?" Sapphire asked urgently lifting my head up off the stone floor.

I felt dazed, as if I had just woken up from sleeping, and the things that I saw were quickly fading from my mind. Sapphire shook her head in disappointment, giving me a few slaps to the face to wake me up before I got annoyed and started to push her away.

"How long have to you been having these visions?" Sapphire asked promptly.

"What?" I asked rubbing my cheek.

"Your eyes rolled back up into your head, Smolder, and you weren't moving." Twilight said stepping over to me looking me over.

"I will ask again, how long have you been having these visions?" Sapphire asked sounding more urgent.

"I don't know, and even if I did I don't remember anything from it." I replied giving Twilight a smile to let her know I was alright.

"I've seen Lord Smolder go into a sort of trance just yesterday, he claimed it was hunger and I thought nothing of it since." Alex mentioned aloud.

"Hunger?" Sapphire asked looking puzzled.

"He was asleep for three days." Twilight explained.

Sapphire stared blankly at Twilight, glancing up at me to which I nodded in agreement.

"Is Lord Smolder going to be alright, Lady Sapphire?" Alex asked curiously.

"Does it have something to do with the Void?" Twilight asked still holding onto the rubbing.

"It is only a subset of the cause." Sapphire said approaching me.

"Subset to what?" Twilight asked stepping aside to allow Sapphire to get to me.

"Magic. The line of Alicorns span back many centuries, at times an Alicron can experience past memories of their ancestors lives through strong magical bonds." Sapphire explained taking a hold of my head and pulled it closer to her.

"But I don't have a horn." I said feeling her touch my forehead.

"Not yet, your magic is beginning to awaken. I'm rather surprised it's taken this long for it to appear." Sapphire replied; I felt my mane flare.

"So what does this mean?" Alex asked looking over Sapphire's shoulder at my forehead as well.

"The rubbing is resonating with Smolder's dormant magic, giving him a glimpse into the past." Sapphire explained still holding onto my head.

"How come he isn't able to remember it?" Twilight asked now joining in at looking at my forehead.

"The connection probably isn't strong enough. The rubbing offers a sort of relay for the visions to engage, but it isn't enough to ground him to it." Sapphire continued.

"There are several relics down in the dungeon that might offer the grounding that Lord Smolder may need." Alex offered.

"No, it will need to be something that his ancestor owned. His magic will resonate with it and handle the rest." Sapphire said shaking her head.

"Can I have my head back?" I asked growing rather tired of staring at the floor.

"What of the Royal Crown? It has been in Smolder's family ever since the Lord Smoke, the Dragon Rider." Alex pitched.

"It could work, where is the crown now?" Sapphire asked, letting go of my head.

"Probably in the Throne Room." I replied.

"What do you mean probably?" Sapphire asked looking surprised.

"That's where I last left it." I answered.

"You just leave a priceless family heirloom where ever you feel like it?" Sapphire asked sounding appalled.

"It's heavy." I replied.

From the dungeon, General Hearth, Ray, Solar, Wisp, Flare, and Rainbow Dash came racing out in a great hurry. I felt rather relieved to see that the pegasi Flame Ponies had made it back in one piece, although, having caught sight of me seemed to send them into a mad dash in my direction.

"Lord Smolder!" General Hearth shouted coming to a halt before me.

"What? Is every pony okay?" I asked unsure of what the urgency in his voice was for.

"Lord Smolder, the task force sent to find the Mystery Pony have uncovered something most unsettling." General Hearth explained.

"Mystery Pony?" Sapphire asked looking puzzled.

"What is it?" I asked bracing myself for bad news.

"Smolder darling!" Rarity's voice echoed across the Main Hall.

Every pony turned to see Rarity galloping towards us with a bundle of parchment under her arm and Stitch, Crow, and Rose following close behind her.

"Smolder, darling, we found something that I believe you'll want to see." Rarity said trying to catch her breath.

"Can it wait, Rarity? General Hearth was about to inform me of something rather important." I asked motioning to the ponies behind me.

"It's about your mother, Smolder." Rarity said holding up the bundle of parchments.

"My… mom?" I asked slowly taking a step towards her.

"Hey Ash!" Applejack's voice had me looking towards the castle doors again.

Applejack galloped up to us, one hoof on her hat while Tiff was a few yards back, leaning against a pillar trying to catch his breath.

"I'm not sure if this is a bad time but we need to talk." Applejack said sounding just as urgent.

"Applejack I've got a lot of ponies trying to talk to me and-" I began.

"I'll just cut right to the chase; the Obelisk just flew itself across the fields and planted itself just out back." Applejack said interrupting me.

"What do you mean the Obelisk flew?" Sapphire asked stepping forward.

"Who the hay are you?" Applejack asked looking at her awkwardly.

"You said it flew, like literally flying through the sky?" Sapphire asked still not believing her.

"It shot out of the dam like rabbit on a hot date, before turning end over end and planting itself right side up at the back of the Castle." Applejack explained as Tiff shakily walked over nodding in agreement; still breathing heavy.

"Smolder, we need to check this out at once!" Sapphire demanded turning to me.

"We need to discuss the Orc we found in the mines!" Flare spoke up.

"Orc?" I asked whipping my head around.

I watched as every pony spoke over one another, I wasn't able to make out much of what they were saying. My heart was starting to race, my ears were throbbing from all the shouting and I could feel my stomach tighten. I was beginning to wonder how I was going to deal with all of this.

There was a very loud clang of metal striking the floor as every pony stopped speaking at once. Every pony turned to see Wingston standing at the top of the stairs looking down at us.

"Come along every pony, we have much to discuss with King Smolder." Wingston declared pointing his staff towards the Throne Room doors behind him.

Every pony nodded in agreement. Climbing the stairs, proceeding into the corridor that led the Throne Room as I purposely hung back to pick up Wingston.

"Thank you, Wingston." I mumbled to him as I lowered myself for him to climb up.

"Don't mention it." Wingston replied patting me on the shoulder.

Chapter 19: Weighted Feelings

The Obsidian Crown was made to be unnecessarily heavy. It could have been made from any type of metal, forged to be nearly weightless, but it was like balancing a brick on my head. Wingston explained to me that it was simple way to remind the pony that wore it of the responsibilities and the burdens that came with leading a Kingdom. To shoulder your ponies through the darkest of times, carrying the weight of your title while still keeping your head up. Knowing that the moment you lowered your head, you conceded to whatever stood in your way. I still felt it was still unnecessarily heavy.

It was customary for the King to sit on the throne, adorning the crown, and in light of Princess Sapphire being in the room I decided to try to look the part. Wingston sat at my left, General Hearth sat at my right while every pony else sat on the circular steps that arched out from the edges of my throne. Flare, Ray, Wisp and Solar stood within the center of the circle to address the throne and the ponies present. It was all too formal for my taste but seeing as this was going to be a very serious topic I decided to play this by the book.

"Lord Smolder, during our search for the Mystery Pony in the mines we came across an iron clad Orc that is in the command of hundreds upon thousands of Cave Spiders, declaring that the age of Flame Ponies was coming to an end." Flare announced.

"And you're sure that it was an Orc?" General Hearth asked aloud still sounding skeptical.

"It showed us its face. I can confirm that it was an Orc, sir." Solar replied.

"There hasn't been any sighting of an Orc since Grog." General Hearth mumbled to himself.

"Grog may have had help, or perhaps it is an orc seeking to finish what Grog set off to do." Wingston said strumming his long fingers on his staff.

"The Orc proved to be an exceptional fighter, utilizing ranged attacks and showed no fear of our fire." Wisp reported.

"We should seal off any remaining routes into the mines both within the Castle and caves leading into the mountains." General Hearth suggested.

"We will need to inform the neighboring Kingdoms of this, the Crystal Empire and Canterlot can support us if this Orc plans on starting a war with the Ashen Fields." Wingston recommended.

"I will double up on the amount of patrols; we'll widen our routes to encompass Ponyville and the roads leading towards the Crystal Empire to minimize possible spider attacks." General Hearth announced.

"We weren't able to find the Mystery Pony unfortunately." Ray added, looking rather disappointed.

"Oh, we already found her." I spoke up.

"Her?" Flare asked looking surprised.

"Yes, her." Sapphire said looking rather hurt.

"Princess Sapphire was the Mystery Pony?" Ray asked looking shocked.

"I thought you said it was a colt?" Wisp asked looking rather confused.

"You thought I was a colt?" Sapphire asked sounding rather flustered; her mane billowing small snowflakes.

"The hoof prints in the rock wall were very large." Flare mumbled, noticing the sudden flush of purple come over Sapphire's face.

"I coated my hooves with ice to break the rock and avoid chipping my manicured hooves." Flare said quickly looking rather embarrassed.

"My apologies, my Lady." Flare said looking rather embarrassed herself.

"Why in the hay did you leave those traps for us?" Wisp asked sounding rather annoyed.

"Those were for the deplorable Cave Spiders that tried to follow me into the dungeons. They were meant to keep them out; not to keep you in." Sapphire replied whipping her mane to the side.

"Oh yeah, that makes a lot of sense when you think about." Wisp mumbled to himself nodding his head.

"In any case, your actions were very commendable. Uncovering this threat may have saved a great many Flame Ponies from another Black Winter." Wingston said bringing the conversation back around.

Flare, Solar, Wisp, and Ray bowed their heads respectfully.

"We'll need to mobilize the troops, have every capable Soldier Pony on and off duty report to Southern End of the Fields to be brought up to speed." General Hearth said pointing to the Flame Ponies.

"At once, sir." Flare replied bowing once more before making their way towards the corridor leading to the Main Hall.

"Rainbow Dash." General Hearth spoke up, seeing her get up to follow the Flame Ponies out.

"Sup?" Rainbow Dash asked turning around.

"Thank you. If not for you, I fear I would have lost a few of our Flame Ponies today." General Hearth said sounding very grateful.

"Don't mention it." Rainbow Dash said waving her hoof at him.

I rubbed by brow with my hoof, the thoughts of more spiders didn't sit well with me and this vengeful orc didn't help matters any.

"General Hearth." I said dragging my hoof down my face.

"Yes, my Lord?" General Hearth asked promptly turning to look at me.

"Mr. Tutor, Fluttershy and a herd of foals and fillies went to Ponyville for a field trip today. Ensure that their return is met with an escort of Flame Pony soldiers." I said watching General Hearth nod in agreement.

"Consider it done." General Hearth replied bowing his head quickly and excused himself from the room.

"I'll personally write to Princess Celestia and Princess Cadance of the looming threat of this new Orc and its army of spiders." Wingston assured me.

"The spiders can be dealt with later; our attention should be focused on the magical Obelisk looming over the fields." Sapphire stated.

"How do you know it's magical?" Alex asked curiously.

"I can see no other reasonable explanation for it being able to fly through the air." Sapphire replied rather sarcastically.

"Point taken." Alex replied nodding in agreement.

"So what exactly happened, Applejack?" I asked looking over at her and Tiff.

"There isn't really much to tell, Roman and his unicorn work ponies were trying to dislodge the darn thing from the dam when it just suddenly took off." Applejack stated; giving her account of what transpired.

"Did the obelisk react in any sort of way? Did you see any sort of abnormality with it before it took off?" Sapphire questioned her looking very interested.

"Can't say that it did, one minute it's sitting tight and the next it was already half way to the castle." Applejack replied.

"It did seem to have some sort of purpose." Tiff mentioned, speaking up.

"Purpose? Explain, Flame Pony." Sapphire said commandingly.

"It flew rather straight and true for the short time that it was in the air, but as it approached the castle it flipped end over end and seemed to plant itself upright." Tiff explained.

"What does that prove?" I asked.

"It could mean that the Obelisk is being drawn to that spot in particular, as if something is calling it there." Sapphire explained, patting her chin; deep in thought.

"Was any pony hurt, Mr. Pitchstone?" I asked looking over to him.

"No, my Lord, it did give us quite a start, but it was mostly just unnerving." Tiff replied.

"I can imagine. How is that dam fairing now?" I asked shifting the discussion.

"Roman has finished repairing the hole the Obelisk made, my Lord. Moonstone Dam is completed in full and we are ready to start irrigation at once." Tiff said happily.

"I commend your efforts, Mr. Pitchstone, and thank you for all the work you've done. I cannot thank you enough either, Applejack." I said with a gracious smile.

"We've got a lot more work to do before we can celebrate." Applejack replied tipping her hat to me.

"I would ask Sapphire, Mr. Papyrus, and Twilight to examine the Obelisk in detail in hopes that they can uncover more of what its purpose is." I said noticing Sapphire impatiently tap her hoof.

"What about your visions, Smolder?" Twilight asked curiously with a hint of concern in her voice.

"Visions?" Wingston asked looking surprised.

"Lord Smolder is having some sort of reaction to the rubbing; Lady Sapphire claims that it is Smolder's dormant magic asserting itself through bloodlines of his family." Alex explained as mostly every pony looked at me in confusion.

I felt Wingston's staff clock me on the side of the head, nearly knocking my crown off.

"You said you were hungry!" Wingston snapped.

"I was! I just thought I was having hallucinations or something." I shouted rubbing my head.

"Lady Sapphire says that if Smolder can wear the Obsidian Crown and look at the rubbing, he might be able to have a stronger connection to it and remember what he is seeing." Alex explained further.

"It is only a theory, if Smolder was to awaken his magic, we wouldn't need to circumvent this." Sapphire mentioned.

"We can deal with that later; your first priority is to determine if the Obelisk poses any immediate threat to us." I said to Sapphire who seemed rather annoyed with me; as if I had just given her an order.

"Consider it taken care of, my Lord." Alex replied bowing his head.

"Quickly now, we mustn't waste any more time speaking here." Sapphire said seeming rather eager to go check it out.

Twilight and Alex got to their hooves, making their way to Sapphire. Rarity got up as well, but approached me instead.

"Smolder, darling, there was a room in our shop that contained a hidden block which had several letters and a journal belonging to a Glow Sunbeam. At first I didn't realize her importance until I saw the name of shop. She used to live and most likely work there with her parents. It was originally called 'Hot and Smolder Choices.'" Rarity began holding the parchment and journal in her arms.

"I know that place." Twilight said aloud as Alex nodded in agreement.

"Twilight had mentioned that the Mad King had frequented such a place, but I can only speculate that it was because he was coming to see your mother. She mentions him by name several times, not that I read past the first page or so, but it was enough to realize who this belonged to." Rarity explained.

I was fighting back the urge to take the letters and journal immediately. All I had of my mother was a name and what other ponies told me. To have the chance to know what sort of pony she was first hoof, to see what similarities we shared, and get a glimpse into the life she once had; I never thought I'd get that chance. I got off my throne, approaching Rarity, seeing her hold the bundle of parchment in her arms.

"Thank you." I said to her, my voice slightly shaking.

Rarity smiled sympathetically to me.

Every pony could see that I would have liked nothing more than to take the bundle from her, but knowing I'd just burn them with a single touch I ended up just standing there staring at them in Rarity's arms.

"I'll bring these to your room, Smolder. I'll help you go through them later tonight." Wingston said limping towards Rarity and holding out his arms to take the bundle.

Rarity gave it to Wingston who hugged it close to his chest and covered it with part of his cloak. I took a deep breath, trying to let my feelings pass.

"I also wanted to thank you and your incredible seamstress ponies for the work you did for the Coronation." I said looking over to Stitch, Rose, and Crow.

"It was a pleasure, I assure you." Rarity said as Stitch, Crow, and Rose nodded in agreement.

"I would… very much like to see this room you spoke of one of these days." I added.

"Of course, whenever you'd like." Rarity said warmly.

"The Coronation is tomorrow, Smolder. There is much we must prepare for before then." Wingston mentioned to me.

"I hope to see you at the party tomorrow." I said with a smile, looking at Rarity and then to the other ponies.

"You can count on it." Rarity replied.

Every pony retreated out of the Throne Room, the Obsidian Crown still perched upon my head, but I didn't feel like taking it off just yet. I'd be wearing it almost all day tomorrow so I felt that I should start getting used to it. Every pony descended the staircase, returning to the tasks at hoof, I stood at the top of the staircase heaving a sigh as Wingston stood beside me.

"Whoever this Orc is, he will be no match against the forces of Castle Char, Canterlot, and Crystal Kingdom." Wingston said trying to ease my worries.

"I'm more worried about tomorrow, to be honest." I said looking over at him.

"Nonsense. You'll do just fine." Wingston said limping towards the corridor leading to the Royal Bed Chambers.

"It was easier when every pony referred to me as King, but now that every pony will know that I am the King. It makes it so much more… real." I said following him.

"This responsibility has been placed upon you, Smolder. You will not face it alone, you have reformed the Council, you are kind to your Flame Ponies, and you have me here to help you along the way." Wingston said encouragingly.

Reaching the Royal Chambers I placed my hoof upon the door, sliding it open as Wingston limped in. The Royal Guards were kind enough to remove all the ice from last night and cleared the debris of my broken bed along with the destroyed sundial. They even managed to replace my slab of granite.

"I will leave these here for the time being." Wingston said placing the bundle of parchment atop the stone dresser.

"When do you think we'll be able to look through it?" I asked trying not to sound too eager.

"If time permits, tonight, but in the mean time I have left a stone slab on your granite of the lines you must memorize by tomorrow for your crowning ceremony. It's only a few short lines, easy enough to memorize in a day." Wingston mentioned motioning towards my bed.

"Is that all?" I asked watching Wingston limp back towards the door.

"Pinkie Pie will be by later to run you through the ceremony to give you a bit of practice and get you up to speed on the festivities." Wingston added.

I watched as Wingston got to the doors of the chamber, a part of me got very frightened at not seeing him again; the Orc's threat having fueled my paranoia.

"Wingston." I said aloud, some urgency in my voice.

Wingston turned around to look at me.

"Have one of the Royal Guards escort you around the Castle and the fields for the next few days." I said to him.

"I hardly think that is necessary." Wingston replied.

"Please, Wingston." I said, my voice sounding very concerned.

Wingston nodded his head slowly, understanding my worry for his safety with the possibility of spiders roaming about.

"Consider it done, my King." Wingston replied bowing his head to me.

Wingston closed the door behind him. The thuds of his staff slowly echoing away. I turned towards the dresser, keeping a safe distance away as I tried to read what I could from what was on top. It proved fruitless as Rarity had placed the letters face down in the stack. I sighed loudly, hanging my head.

"…what's eating you…" The voice from the mirror asked.

I looked over to the twisted mirror.

"I'm having a rough morning." I replied.

"…tough…" I heard it reply.

I sneered at the mirror, feeling my mane flare.

"What do you want?" I asked sounding rather cold.

"…you…"

"Seems like every pony does." I mumbled.

"…who…"

"Spiders and an orc." I replied.

"…meh…"

I looked at the letters on the dresser; I could feel my heart beginning to race again as I so badly wanted to read them.

"You knew my mother." I said after a while.

"…who…"

"The Queen of Flame Ponies, you said you met her." I continued.

"…yeah…"

"I'm her son." I stated.

"…so…"

"Could you tell me… I mean… could you describe..." I struggled to bring myself to say it.

"…no…"

"I know she's gone, but there's a part of me that can't fully let her go. There's a part of me that wants to believe she's still in the Void somewhere, that she's waiting to be rescued." I said pleadingly to it.

"…no…"

My heart throbbed sorrowfully. I lowered my head, letting the Obsidian Crown slide off and fell to the floor, landing with a loud thud. I could feel my breaths become shallow, I knew that I was close to crying, but I did my best to hold it back.

"…she loved you…"

My head lifted up in the instant. My heart leaping from the pit of my stomach, I could feel my breathing get shorter and shorter as I leaned in closer.

"What?" I asked in a small gasp.

"…wouldn't shut up about you…"

I could feel my heart almost dancing at these words. I still felt like crying but it was for a completely different reason now.

"…or the Twins…"

"Wick and Pyre?" I asked quickly.

"…so annoying…"

"What else did she say?" I asked lowering myself to the small shard of glass.

"…nope…"

"Nope?" I asked looking confused.

"…go be a King…"

"Wait, please, tell me more." I begged knocking against the metal of the mirror.

The mirror had fallen silent again. I sat back up. I took a deep breath, my breath still a rasp and my voice still a bit shaken. Rubbing my eyes I let out of sudden laugh, sniffling and wiping my nose; I was smiling. The mirror paid me a kindness, seeing me upset it attempted to comfort me, in a small way, but it tried at the very least.

"Thank you." I mumbled to the mirror picking up the Obsidian Crown off the ground and putting it back on my head.

There came a knock at my stone doors. I looked over to see Pinkie Pie's head slowly lean in, an ear to ear grin on her face. I smiled back, chocking back a laugh at her antics as she stepped fully into the room. Her face softened into a rather endearing look that made my mane suddenly flare.

"How you doing, Sparky?" Pinkie Pie asked sounding sincere.

"Fine, just fine." I said moving over to her.

"Wingston told me that you're having a pretty rough morning." Pinkie Pie continued.

"It's getting better." I said with a smile.

"Well, this might just make you smile a bit more." Pinkie Pie said holding up a letter to me.

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"A few days ago I mailed out the invitations to your Coronation. Moist Lipwig undertook the tremendous task of delivering all the letters to every corner of Equestria in just two days. Today he arrived with all the R.S.V.P.'s and a letter addressed directly to you." Pinkie Pie explained.

"To me?" I asked looking surprised.

"From a certain nurse pony in Manehattan." Pinkie Pie said teasingly, shaking the letter in front of me.

My mane flared. I made grab for it, but Pinkie was too fast; it was probably for the best too.

"Sorry, Sparky, but you can't touch this letter." Pinkie Pie said pointing at my flames.

"Pinkie, you're not going to ransom my letter… are you?" I asked looking at her suspiciously.

"Not unless you agree that there are never enough fireworks." Pinkie Pie said looking rather sly.

"A party can never have too many fireworks." I said in agreement.

"Well then, I don't see why I can't open this letter for you." Pinkie Pie said opening the envelope and unfolding the letter.

Being very considerate, Pinkie, did not look at it. She merely flattened it out on the granite for me to read and stepped away from it.

"There you go." Pinkie Pie said motioning towards the letter.

"Thank you, Pinkie." I mumbled feeling a little embarrassed.

Dear Smolder,

I've tried sending letters prior to this one, but no Mail Pony Service made deliveries to the Ashen Fields. It was only recently that I was visited by a Flame Pony claiming to be a Mail Pony with an invite to your Coronation. Unfortunately, I could not find a rock large enough to write this on so I hope that you'll be able to read this letter one way or another.

News traveled fast about what happened in the Ashen Fields, that the young Prince of Flame Ponies, known as Smolder, had overthrown the Mad King and claimed the throne. I'm not sure whether to say that I'm sorry for your loss or whether to congratulate you on your victory. Either way, I hope that you're doing well and you're in good spirits.

If you're curious to know, my lantern is still burning. Whenever I look at it I wonder how you're doing. I wonder if you got any closure or made amends with those you struggled to reach. I wonder if becoming King will make you even more reckless or if it will give you a chance to relax. I've wondered if you had any pony to talk to when you need some pony to lean on. I guess I'm just worried about you. You have a very gentle heart, Smolder, but it's protected by a very fierce flame.

There are so many things I want to ask you, so many things I want to tell you. I'm unsure of how busy the King of Flame Ponies life can be, so I will keep this letter short. If you're not too busy with doing Kingly things, perhaps you can meet up with me at your Coronation and let me know how you're doing? It would be really cool to brag to all my friends that I hung out with the King of the Flame Ponies. No pony at school believes that I know you.

Your friend,

Tea

I could hear Tea's voice while reading her letter. To think that she would concern herself so greatly with my well-being was surprising to me, but it was a soothing thought.

"Everything okay?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"Tea is coming to the Coronation tomorrow." I reported stepping away from the letter.

"I know, Wingston told me to invite her." Pinkie Pie replied picking up the letter and putting back into the envelope.

"He did?" I asked looking surprised.

"He insisted that all the ponies you made friends with be here for this special event." Pinkie Pie explained strolling over to the dresser where my mother's letters were.

Pinkie Pie placed the letter on the dresser, next the bundle belonging to my mother.

"That's very kind of him." I mentioned.

"Have you started memorizing your lines for tomorrow yet?" Pinkie Pie asked spying the stone slate on my granite.

"Not yet." I confessed.

"Well just bring it along then, you can rehearse your lines while we rehearse your crowning ceremony." Pinkie Pie said heading for the door.

"What exactly am I supposed to be doing?" I asked scooping up the stone slate.

"Alright, picture this." Pinkie Pie began stopping at the door and holding up her hooves to me as if I was looking through a picture frame.

"You leave the Royal Chambers as you are now; you make your way to the stair case. Descending down to the landing where you'll sit on this rather old rock that Wingston said you have to sit on. Then Wingston will ask you some questions to where you reply with the answers we've gave you. Wingston drops the crown on your head and then we can party." Pinkie Pie said waving her hooves in front of my face.

"It doesn't sound that bad." I mentioned nodding my head.

"Besides every political and royal pony from every corner of Equestria being in attendance and watching you to see if you flub your lines? Yeah, piece of cake." Pinkie Pie said in agreement.

I felt my heart skip a beat at my sudden nervousness. I took a hard gulp looking down at my lines as Pinkie Pie clapped her hooves together at me to get my attention.

"Come on, Sparky, we've got a lot to cover and not a lot of time to do it so let's get cracking." Pinkie Pie said trying to usher me out the door.

"Hey Pinkie?" I asked walking out of the Royal Chamber.

"What's up?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"How is Ruby and the bakery doing?" I asked curiously.

"Ruby? She's getting all the pastries ready for tomorrow; she's really excited to come to this party." Pinkie Pie replied.

"It seems like every pony is." I replied.

"Well she's actually very excited to see how every ponies reaction to her new treats; especially yours." Pinkie Pie corrected her previous statement.

"Me?" I asked looking surprised.

"What's it like to be the most sought after bachelor pony in all of Equestria?" Pinkie Pie asked suddenly holding up an invisible microphone to me.

"Bachelor what?" I asked feeling my mane flare.

"Who knows folks; we could be seeing the future Queen of the Flame Ponies tomorrow." Pinkie Pie said to no pony in particular.

I felt my face run hot, my mane flaring for a bit as I followed Pinkie Pie to the Main Hall.

Chapter 20: Hard Choices

The dull and colorless Main Hall of Castle Char had been transformed into a colorful and exciting place to be. From Twilight's and Alex's exploration of the dungeons, some of Castle Char's old banners, statues, tapestries, furniture, rugs, and portraits had been rediscovered. Allowing Pinkie Pie to incorporate them with her decorations for Smolder's coronation, banners hung from the ceiling depicting the emblems of the previous Kings, the stained glass windows had been cleaned allowing the sun to cast a kaleidoscope of colors to wash over the floors, tapestries mounted the walls revealing small glimpses into Flame Pony history, and portraits were hung in the corridors of famous Flame Pony Generals, philosophers, and passed Royal Family. I wasn't able to marvel at the decorations as much as I would have liked, Pinkie Pie was already running me through the procedures for tomorrow night.

"Alright Sparky, you'll hear the band start to play 'All Ye' Gentle Ponies', which will signal you to step down the steps." Pinkie Pie explained motioning me to start moving.

"Alright." I said taking a single hoof step.

"Head up, Sparky! Chest out and try lifting those knees!" Pinkie Pie shouted at me immediately, as I quickly made the corrections to my posture.

I tried to position my body in the way that she had told me to conform, trying my best not to look rigid while doing it.

"Alright, so the music will keep going until you reach your seat, so I recommend putting a little speed on it because no pony can stand 'All Ye' Gentle Ponies' for very long." Pinkie Pie said reading off her stone slate directing me to the stone block at the landing.

"Is this where I sit?" I asked looking at it awkwardly.

"Yep, you plant your flank right on top of it. The music will die down, and Wingston will go on with a declaration of Flame Pony history, the purpose of the stone and yadda yadda yadda where he will have General Hearth bring up the crown." Pinkie Pie explained further as I sat down.

Pinkie Pie removed my crown from my head, leaping off the platform, hustling to the other side where she strolled up the side carrying the crown formally.

"General Hearth will hand it off to Wingston who will turn to you and ask 'Is his Majesty willing to take the oath?' Which is where you say…?" Pinkie Pie asked trailing off.

"I am willing." I replied looking down at my own stone slate.

"Louder! No pony is going to hear that!" Pinkie Pie shouted into my ear.

"I am willing!" I shouted loudly in surprise.

"Good, Wingston will raise the crown over your head and ask 'Will you govern your ponies, Ashen Field, towns, and colonies accordingly through our laws and customs?' And you say…" Pinkie Pie asked holding the crown over me.

"I solemnly promise to do so!" I replied loudly, feeling Pinkie Pie place the crown back on my head.

"He will then ask, 'And will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy to be executed in all your judgments?' And you're going to say…" Pinkie Pie asked strolling away from the platform and dragging a stone table into the middle.

"I will!" I said aloud watching her move it.

"This is where you will get off the rock, approach the table and give your speech." Pinkie Pie continued ushering me towards the table.

"Speech?" I asked sounding confused, looking over my stone slate and not seeing one.

"We can't do everything for you, Sparky." Pinkie Pie said looking at me crossly.

"But I don't know what to say." I mentioned turning the stone slate over hoping to see more words on the other side.

"So after you've given your speech you will then finish it off with the final few words…" Pinkie Pie trailed off once more.

"The things which I have here before promised I will perform and keep. To the end of my reign or life." I read off the stone slate.

"You will then hoof print the book, sign the oath, and you're King." Pinkie Pie said simply with a smile.

"It's rather easy to be crowned King." I said watching Pinkie Pie push the table away.

"You can say that again. After that, your banner will unravel overhead, adding your place among the other King's that came before, you'll parade down the aisle and out through the front doors of Castle Char where every Flame Pony will celebrate." Pinkie Pie explained pointing towards the other end of the hall.

"I have a banner?" I asked curiously looking up at the ceiling.

"We had Rarity work it in to her already busy schedule." Pinkie Pie said looking up with me as well.

"What does it look like?" I asked curiously.

"It's your cutie mark." Pinkie Pie replied.

I felt my mane flare. It was simply a smoldering pile of embers. It didn't really seem to fit the grand, intimidating sigils that the rest of the banners had.

"Afterwards you'll be greeted by all the political ponies, royal ponies, and every pony else here in the hall. You'll mingle for a bit, we'll open up the courtyard for dinner and entertainment. After a few hours of partying we'll let the fireworks commence." Pinkie Pie explained reading off her stone slate.

"How many ponies are going to be here?" I asked curiously looking over Pinkie Pie's shoulder at her stone slate; to my surprise it was a picture of cupcake.

"Almost one hundred honored guest ponies, almost another hundred special guest ponies, and the rest will be common guest ponies." Pinkie Pie replied.

"What's the difference?" I asked looking confused.

"Well the honored guest ponies will have gold trimmed cloaks, the special guests ponies will have silver, red, or blue. The common guest ponies will be dressed in however they what." Pinkie Pie explained to me.

"What are the colors for?" I asked curiously.

"It's to help you recognize the important ponies you have to be Kingly in front of; the rest you can be yourself around." Pinkie Pie said ushering me back up the stairs.

"Well that will be helpful." I said climbing back up the stairs.

"Now, I need you to work on your speech. Some of your guests will be arriving later tonight and you'll need to formally greet them." Pinkie Pie said shooing me up the stairs.

"What guests?" I asked surprised.

"The ponies that are traveling all the way from Saddle Arabia, and other really far places. Jeez, Smolder, it's not like they can make the trip in a single day." Pinkie Pie said rolling her eyes.

"Indeed, we'll need to have the Main Hall ready before their arrival. Are we still on schedule?" Argo Fleece asked aloud descending the stairs opposite of me.

"No worries, we're actually a little ahead of schedule." Pinkie Pie replied throwing Argo a salute.

"I hope everything is to your satisfaction, my Lord." Argo asked approaching me.

"It is fantastic, Mr. Fleece, you have my sincerest gratitude for overseeing this." I said bowing my head to him.

"The Pink one insisted on spear heading this, she is the one who needs your thanks." Argo replied still descending the stairs past Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie and I watched Argo cross the hall towards main entrance. I noticed Pinkie Pie looking rather serious as she stared after him.

"You alright, Pinkie?" I asked leaning my head out in front of her.

"How much do you know about Argo, Sparky?" Pinkie Pie asked me suddenly.

"Argo? Only what Wingston shared with me before I brought him onto the Council." I replied with a small shrug.

"What did he say?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"Well, Wingston told me that Argo was unmatched in terms of coin. That I should be cautious when considering him a position when picking ponies to be on the Council." I said.

"Why did you need to be cautious?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"When my father disbanded the Council, he sought younger ponies, ponies capable of working with him; this was before he was the Mad King of course. Argo was one of the few ponies that believed in my father and helped him during his reign." I explained.

"What happened?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"When my father started to fall into madness, Argo supported my father through it all, until the day my father was banished to the Void." I said quietly to her, making sure no pony but she could hear.

"Why would he do that?" Pinkie Pie asked in a whisper.

"Well, it was actually General Hearth who told me in confidence that Argo had personal reasons for doing what he did." I whispered back.

"What reasons?" Pinkie Pie asked in a hushed tone.

"I cannot talk about it, it was told to me in secret and it would be wrong to tell another pony." I said waving it off.

"I can keep a secret!" Pinkie Pie insisted.

I shook my head no, refusing to answer her as I made my way back to the Royal Chambers.

"General Hearth said he lost his family during the reign of the Mad King." Pinkie Pie hissed to me, running up alongside me.

"He said what?" I asked in a hushed tone looking around the hall for any pony that might have heard.

"He said Argo lost his family." Pinkie Pie repeated quietly.

"You can't tell a pony, Pinkie, and I mean no pony." I said quickly pointing my hoof at her.

"I promise." Pinkie Pie said crossing her heart.

"The Mad King threatened any pony that stood against him, banishing ponies from the Kingdom or worse. Argo agreed to help the Mad King to make sure his family was spared from his wrath. Argo's wife didn't agree with Argo's choice in helping the Mad King hurt other ponies, but when Argo refused to stand against the Mad King she left him and took their filly with her." I explained quietly.

"She ran away?" Pinkie Pie asked quietly.

"General Hearth said she fled north, but there wasn't ever any word if she made it or not." I said quietly.

Pinkie Pie looked down at her hooves, apparently in deep thought as I felt like I shouldn't have said anything to begin with.

"Argo wanted to protect his family, I know what that feels like, and I offered him a place on the Council because of it. Wingston was worried that Argo wasn't of sound mind to be on the Council, but aside from his attitude he has been good for the Ashen Fields and its ponies." I explained.

"Thanks Sparky, I promise I won't tell no pony." Pinkie Pie said heading back down the stairs.

"Pinkie." I said turning around, Pinkie Pie stopped short to look back at me.

"Thank you, for everything you've done here." I said with a smile.

"Just don't forget your lines, Sparky." Pinkie Pie said threateningly, but quickly followed it up with a smile.

Princess Sapphire was several paces ahead of Twilight Sparkle and Alex Papyrus. Sapphire strode with such a brisk pace that Twilight and Alex almost had to trot to keep up with her. She seemed to know her way around the Castle very well, crossing the Main Hall in no time, making her way out the front of the Castle before proceeding around the side to reach the Obelisk that stood halfway out in the fields.

"My Lady, the Obelisk isn't going anywhere. Perhaps you can slow down a bit?" Alex asked struggling to carry an arm full of blank stone slates.

"Need I remind you that the Obelisk was seen flying to where it is now?" Sapphire asked, refusing to slow down.

"She makes a good point." Twilight replied, picking up the pace.

Rounding the corner of the courtyard the Obelisk came into view; standing ominously in the distance. Sapphire broke out into a gallop, leaving behind Twilight and Alex in a flash. Twilight took after her while Alex gave up his pursuit, deciding to get there at his own pace; mumbling to himself of how unfair it was for him to carry everything.

Sapphire reached the base of the Obelisk, Twilight only seconds behind. Leaning hard against the Obelisk, Sapphire discerned that it wasn't going to budge, which caused her to start examining ground beneath it. Twilight stood off to the side, observing its interesting designs and watching Sapphire trace her hoof along the edges.

"Other then it having flown here, I don't see anything different." Twilight commented.

"On the surface is remains the same. Come; place your hoof on the Obelisk." Sapphire said ushering her to come closer.

Twilight did as she was asked, placing her hoof upon the Obelisk, feeling a small pulse faintly beating.

"Why is it doing that?" Twilight asked curiously.

"I really can't say for sure, but it may be having something to do with my missing Obelisk." Sapphire suggested, stepping back and looking at it from top to bottom.

"You think the two are connected?" Twilight asked curiously.

"I was under the impression that the Obelisk in the Frozen North was the only one left in all of Equestria. With there being two now… well I'm not sure if there are merely two or perhaps a hundred out there." Sapphire said looking perplexed.

Alex finally reached the Obelisk, composed and admiring the Obelisk himself. Sapphire quickly approached him, taking the stone slate with her hoof and using her magic to sear her writing into the slate. Alex looked rather impressed with her resourcefulness and her eagerness to get to work.

"What have you deduced?" Alex asked approaching Twilight.

"Well, there could be more than the two we know of and there is small pulse coming from Obelisk." Twilight reported.

"Fascinating, where should we begin?" Alex asked looking excited.

"You could start by drawing accurate and detailed pictures of the designs found on each side of the Obelisk." Sapphire said aloud, not looking up from the stone slate.

"Right away, my Lady." Alex replied placing the blank slates on the ground.

Taking a blank slate off the top of the stack, Alex went to work on sketching out the markings. Twilight picked up a blank slate as well, approaching Sapphire with a smile.

"What can I do?" Twilight asked cheerfully.

Sapphire looked up from her slate at her, narrowing her eyes at Twilight's horn, she turned to face her.

"Do you know any spells that would be used for detecting things or other objects?" Sapphire asked curiously.

"I know one or two that have proved useful to me." Twilight replied.

"Would you check the immediate area of the Obelisk and see if you can't find a reason to why it landed here?" Sapphire asked looking around at the mostly barren field they were in.

"Am I looking for anything specific?" Twilight asked curiously.

"I suppose anything that doesn't belong nor has a distinct pattern to it. Anything at this point will be welcomed as good news." Sapphire replied.

"I'll get started it on it right away." Twilight said nodding her head.

Twilight, Alex, and Sapphire spent the next hour mostly keeping to themselves. Focusing on their individual tasks, making notes, but Sapphire was the only pony who seemed to be making some sort of progress. Twilight's attempts to find something irregular with the Obelisk's placement was coming up short each time, slowly spiraling out from the Obelisk to scan new areas. Alex was having a very difficult time copying every small detail the Obelisk offered, the designs were of all shapes and lengths with sudden departures that curved around its edges.

"Have you found anything interesting?" Twilight asked aloud looking towards Sapphire.

"Nothing I haven't already discovered from the Obelisk in the Frozen North." Sapphire replied, sounding slightly annoyed by this.

"Did you spend a lot of time studying your Obelisk?" Twilight asked.

"I spent nearly three years studying the Void and its effect on Equestria. The Obelisk is the only known relic to have come directly from the Void and we still know next to nothing about it." Sapphire explained further.

"Is the Void a popular area of research in the Frozen North?" Alex asked curiously.

"Hardly, very few Ice Ponies consider it a worthwhile field to explore." Sapphire replied.

"Then why did you choose it?" Twilight asked curiously; she and Alex had both stopped their work to listen.

"I felt that are weakest fields should become our greatest strengths. The Void was used more frequently centuries ago but it suddenly stopped during the Rise of the Flame Ponies." Sapphire answered still busy taking notes.

"Rise of the Flame Ponies?" Twilight asked looking over at Alex.

"It was just after the Lord Smoke, the Dragon Rider, had assumed the title of King, just after he had successfully overthrown the Dragons. It was the first time the Flame Ponies governed themselves rather than being ruled by Dragons." Alex summed it up for her.

"Letters from ponies during that time describe a 'Moment of Fear'. Many letters stated it happened here, in the Ashen Fields. That Lord Smoke saved Equestria from certain destruction, but few mentioned what it was that threatened it in the first place. Except for one mention of a portal so large that it could swallow Castle Char." Sapphire said looking up at them.

"That is way bigger than the portal we used to banish the Mad King with." Twilight stated.

"Seeing the etching down in the dungeon made me fearful of what would happen if any pony was to try and attempt to open a portal that large once more. With our Obelisk missing, I didn't want to take any chances and smashed it." Sapphire admitted.

"It seems you had ample reason to be cautious." Alex said nodding his head.

"Well now that story time is over, let's get back to work." Sapphire stated waving her hoof at them to get moving.

"There is something that's still bothering me though." Twilight said narrowing her eyes at Sapphire.

"What would that be?" Sapphire asked tapping the Obelisk with her hoof.

"You saw this Obelisk speared through the dam, did you not?" Twilight asked.

"Of course, I had mistaken it for ours." Sapphire replied.

"You also incapacitated several Royal Guard Ponies, but didn't question a single one." Twilight continued looking at her even more curiously.

"What is your point?" Sapphire asked trying to determine where she was going with this.

"Why were so rough with Smolder?" Twilight asked curiously.

"I beg your pardon?" Sapphire asked taken aback.

"You merely knocked out the Guard Ponies, why bring down the hammer on him? I heard you turned his room into a winter wonderland." Twilight asked again; noticing Sapphire's hesitation to answer.

"I was… merely trying to uncover the truth about his involvement in the theft of our Obelisk." Sapphire said looking a bit flustered.

"Was that before or after you tried to flash freeze him?" Twilight asked with a smirk.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Sapphire snapped, flushing slightly.

"You just seemed to be a little angry with him than with any other pony you've met." Twilight mentioned trying not to sound too accusing.

Alex watched the clouds of Sapphire's mane swirl in frustration, the purple in her face was becoming more vibrant; Alex decided to not to get involved. Sapphire's mane showered small snowflakes all around her; she frowned at Twilight before whipping her mane to the other side of her head.

"If you must know… my parents intend for me to marry Prince Smolder." Sapphire said her face mostly purple.

"What?" Twilight asked in shock.

"Our Prince Smolder?" Alex asked looking equally as stunned.

"Of course your Prince Smolder!" Sapphire snapped, ice shards forming on her hooves from such embarrassment.

"Does Smolder know about this?" Twilight asked still looking flabbergasted.

"No. My parents offered me a choice: that they introduce me to him or I come down here and meet him myself." Sapphire said quickly trying to focus on her notes.

"So you attacked him?" Alex asked looking puzzled.

"There were several conflicting emotions!" Sapphire snapped again, her mane showering snowflakes.

"So… did you attack him, hoping he would dislike you or something?" Twilight asked making her way over to her.

"I was angry, upset, annoyed, frustrated and above all else… afraid." Sapphire said refusing to look at Twilight.

"Afraid of what?" Twilight asked, sounding concerned.

"I'm a Princess; there are things that are required of me. My responsibilities leave little to no room for compromise. I do what I am told and I do it to benefit the Ice Kingdom and its ponies. I was afraid of… losing what little freedom I had left." Sapphire said quietly, Alex got to his hooves to move closer.

Twilight's magic pushed Alex back several yards back, getting the hint that he wasn't going to be a part of the conversation anymore.

"I had no idea." Twilight said to her sympathetically.

"I've spent most of my life being molded into an upstanding Princess, and I'm paired up with Flame Pony who doesn't even know the first thing about being a King." Sapphire said bitterly.

"I don't think Smolder's intention was to become King; when you're last on the list you don't really see yourself making it to the top." Twilight said trying to comfort her.

"He's a dork." Sapphire said glancing over at her.

"Well… I can't argue with that." Twilight said nodding in agreement.

"It's deplorable to see a Prince act so… carefree in the way he carries out his duties." Sapphire said whipping her mane to the side.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were jealous." Twilight said with a coy smile.

"Me? Jealous? Jealous of what?" Sapphire asked looking completely guilty.

"The freedoms Smolder had growing up." Twilight replied.

Sapphire tossed her stone slate aside, her mane fluttered for a bit, flakes of snow falling from her mane. Twilight waited patiently for her response.

"Being promised to a pony I hardly know isn't quite how I planned my life to unfold." Sapphire confessed after a while.

"Smolder doesn't have to agree with it." Twilight said optimistically.

"The joining of two Kingdoms, fire and ice, will be a windfall for the prosperity for both sides. The union would expedite years of political squabbling over trade and market, it would ease the relations of Flame and Ice Ponies, and it will allow for intermixed communities of our ponies to live in both the Ashen Fields and the Frozen North." Sapphire stated, almost reciting these words.

"He still doesn't have to do it." Twilight insisted.

"It would be morally and politically irresponsible for him to disagree with this arrangement." Sapphire stated.

"Do you want to do it, or do you have to do it?" Twilight asked curiously.

Sapphire didn't respond, struggling to reply in the way she knows she's supposed to, rather than how she feels.

"Standing up for yourself is never easy, Princess Sapphire. You just need to have a talk with your parents and let them know how you feel." Twilight said gently patting her on the shoulder.

"I'm afraid that I will disappoint them." Sapphire replied solemnly.

"The only pony you'll be disappointing is yourself if you allow your feelings to stay buried." Twilight said reassuringly.

Sapphire turned her head for a moment, wiping her eyes away from Twilight before lifting her head high and taking a deep breath. Glancing over at Twilight, Sapphire gave her a soft smile.

"I had wondered why Prince Smolder put so much trust in such common ponies. I'm beginning to realize how extraordinarily uncommon you all truly are." Sapphire said sounding more cheerful.

"Why don't you go speak with Smolder about all this, Alex and I can handle this." Twilight said reassuringly picking up Sapphire's stone slate.

Sapphire nodded her head slowly. Making her way back towards the Castle, glancing over at Alex who was laying on his back staring up at the sky in complete boredom.

"Alex! We've got work to do!" Twilight shouted to him.

Alex bolted up. Collecting the stone slates in his arms he hurried over to the Obelisk, noticing Princess Sapphire making her way back towards the Castle.

"What did I miss?" Alex asked curiously.

"Alex, focus. We've got to figure out why this is here." Twilight said, ignoring his question.

"But-" Alex began but she gave him a hard stare that had him rethinking his question.

"What would you like me to do?" Alex asked, deciding to drop it all together.

Chapter 21: Mira's Mirror

Representatives and distinguished guests from Griffonstone, Yakyakistan, Fillydelphia, Trottingham, Buckingham Palace, Mustangia, Maretania had all arrived that afternoon by carriage or chariot. It was unfortunate that Pinkie Pie excluded herself from being part of the welcoming committee, claiming that it was better that I do it alone and with my respective Council of Flame Ponies; Pinkie assured me that she'd be watching from the shadows regardless. Luckily, I had Wingston by my side along with Argo Fleece to make the greetings go over smoothly; seeing as I was unfamiliar with the proper formality and customs these ponies hailed from.

"It is my honor to welcome you to the Ashen Fields and open my home to you." I said lowering my head to the Queen and the Duke from Buckingham.

"If you would be so kind, your grace, to allow me to escort you to your room?" Argo asked bowing his head and gesturing towards the staircase.

"Do I really need to say this to every pony that walks in here?" I whispered to Wingston standing beside me.

"You'll get a pass on this next one, it's Prince Rutherford." Wingston whispered back tipping his staff towards the Main Entrance.

"Flame Pony!" Prince Rutherford cried aloud; his face bore a smile so I returned it nervously.

Prince Rutherford and his Yaks guards stomped towards us, taking in the decor and testing the durability of our stone floors. Surprisingly the Yaks and Prince Rutherford looked quite pleased at what they saw and stomped on.

"Greetings Prince Rutherford I-" I began but was immediately jabbed in the chest by Prince Rutherford's hoof.

"Yaks begin to think party never coming!" Prince Rutherford said aloud.

"I assure you that our first available opportunity we scheduled for this party to happen." I said trying to keep my smile from turning into a painful frown.

"Yaks like the stone buildings! Strong homes make for wild parties!" Prince Rutherford declared stomping his hooves; his guards joined in.

"The Royal Guard will show you to your room." I said passing him off to a very nervous looking guard.

"Yes! Rest! Full strength needed for party tomorrow!" Prince Rutherford declared as the Guard Pony nodded in agreement.

As Prince Rutherford and his guards followed the guard pony, I clutched my chest and heaved a sigh of relief; feeling the stinging slowly subside.

"You did better than I expected." Wingston complimented me.

"I'm just glad this isn't a party consisting of only Yaks." I mumbled. "Please tell me that this was the last guest we're receiving tonight?"

"You'll be happy to know that Prince Rutherford was the last of our expected guests for this evening." Wingston said reassuringly; patting me on the shoulder. " Why? Have some where to be?"

"I still have to write a speech for tomorrow if you must know." I replied.

"Well, just so you know, you won't be able to bring the slate with you when you are crowned tomorrow. You'll have to commit it to memory." Wingston informed me.

"You're kidding, right?" I asked looking horrified.

"If you like, I can proofread it for you before you memorize it." Wingston offered; I could tell he was smiling under that hood.

A Royal Guard Pony approached us, throwing a quick salute at me.

"All guests have retired for the night, Lord Smolder. At least not ones we are expecting." Topaz reported.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked curiously looking at Wingston.

"Well no pony else is sneaking Princesses into his Royal Chambers late at night these days." Wingston remarked.

My mane flared as Topaz looked away hoping I wouldn't seem him smiling at Wingston's comment.

"I'll be in my room." I said flatly.

Several herds of Royal Flame Pony guards and soldiers stood at attention. Standing in formation, General Hearth presided over the Flame Ponies and ready to announce his news. Flare, Solar, Wisp, Ray, and Rainbow Dash stood off to the side, standing at attention as well.

"I've gathered you here today in light of recent events. We have received word of a looming threat facing the Ashen Fields. An Orc with an army of Spiders has threatened to wipe us off the face of Equestria." General Hearth began standing before the regiment of Flame Ponies.

There were some murmurs running through the ranks of the Flame Ponies but none of them seemed too nervous. General Hearth approached the front line of ponies, slowly pacing his way across them, looking straight ahead while continuing to address them.

"Personally I find it rather stupid. The last Orc that tried it failed, I should know, I was there, kicking those spiders back into the holes they crawled out of. Nevertheless, with Prince Smolder's Coronation and every pony from here to Saddle Arabia is going to be in attendance. Security was already tight but now we're going to lock it down. I want every Captain to instruct those under his command to close any mining tunnel you come across and double your patrols." General Hearth commanded.

Several Flame Ponies nodded their heads.

"Most of us have dealt with Spiders and half of us have dealt with Cave Spiders. They're similar in that they are both ugly and like to bite. Their difference is their venom. A spider's venom puts you to sleep, and you wake up with a massive headache; if you haven't already been eaten. A cave spider's is a little different, it causes a pony to go into a frenzy, makes your blood boil, and makes you go feral for a while. You'll end up getting lost in the mines, trying to eat your own hoof, and once you regain your senses you'll be too tired to fight them off. Make sure your armor is reinforced, and checked out with Roman." General Hearth announced.

A few Soldier Ponies took a quick look at their armor; determining whether or not it required some attention.

"Let's just get through the next two days without incident. An incident free, spider-less, and Orc-less coronation. It will be our gift to Lord Smolder. " General Hearth said stopping at the last pony in line who nodded to him in agreement.

With ever Soldier Pony seeming to be on the same page, General Hearth felt there was little left to be said.

"Dismissed!" General Hearth said aloud.

All the Royal Guard and Soldier ponies began speaking with one another, discussing their orders and what mines to prioritize first. Several ponies approached General Hearth to speak with him on certain issues they themselves were curious about before heading back to their respective duties. General Hearth headed back towards Rainbow Dash and the others; heaving a big sigh.

"Nice speech, General. Short and to the point." Wisp said encouragingly.

"There isn't much to say until something happens. The threat of spiders and an Orc doesn't resonate with these younger ponies as it would with ponies my age." General Hearth said solemnly.

"What now, General?" Solar asked promptly.

"Rest. You ponies have been on duty for nearly a whole day. Take the rest of the day off." General Hearth replied with a small smile.

"Oh yeah! I'm heading straight to that new bakery." Wisp said, already walking away.

"I could eat." Flare said mentioned following Wisp towards the Narrows.

"What are you going to do?" Rainbow Dash asked looking at Solar.

"Sleep." Solar said simply, nodding to Applejack, General Hearth and giving Ray a wink.

Ray's mane flared as Solar passed by. Rainbow Dash took notice of this, as did General Hearth who looked at her with raised brows. Ray glanced over at them, realizing she has been found out and started to flush.

"W-What are you looking at?" Ray asked innocently, trying to feign ignorance.

"I guess things went better than expected down there in the mines?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"You wouldn't believe how many spiders there were, Rainbow Dash! I even got the jump on a couple of them!" Ray exclaimed in excitement to her.

"You can tell us all about your adventure on the way home, Ray." General Hearth said motioning for them to follow him.

"Home?" Ray asked looking surprised.

"Your mother is beginning to worry. It would be best to have you come home for lunch and put her nerves at ease." General Hearth explained.

"Can Rainbow Dash come?" Ray asked looking over at her.

"That's up to Rainbow Dash." General Hearth replied.

"A very wise pony once told me, 'Never pass on a free meal or the chance to try something new.' So let's eat." Rainbow Dash said much to the excitement of Ray.

"This is going to be so awesome! I can't wait to tell you all about our adventure!" Ray exclaimed walking side by side with Rainbow Dash and General Hearth.

Wisp and Flare strolled down the dirt path together, having been part of Rainbow Week, much of the buildings in the shopping district were new to them. Although the allure of the bakery made it that much more tempting by the irresistible smells it brought from further down the path. Unfortunately, as Flare and Wisp got closer to the bakery, they saw the line of Flame Ponies grow longer and longer.

"Do you think we'll make it to the front of the line before we go on duty tomorrow?" Wisp asked leaning over to Flare.

"It's not that bad, the line seems to moving at a steady pace." Flare said watching Flame Ponies walking into the bakery.

Wisp and Flare got in line with the other Flame Ponies. Every pony spoke one another about what they wanted to try out this time, and offered their own personal favorites.

"How's your arm?" Flare asked after a while.

"My what?" Wisp asked, clearly not paying attention.

"Your arm." Flare said jabbing him on the arm she was speaking of.

"Well, it hurts now." Wisp mumbled rubbing his arm with his other hoof.

"Don't be such a filly." Flare replied.

"Well why ask how it is if you're not going to care?" Wisp asked looking confused.

"I just asked how it is, I didn't say I cared." Flare replied watching the line move forward.

"I don't know why you're still playing hard to get." Wisp mentioned.

"I don't play hard to get!" Flare snapped glaring at him.

"I've seen dragons with more subtly then you." Wisp stated with a grin.

"I bet you've never even seen a dragon." Flare said glaring at him.

"Of course I have, there's that little purple one that follows Wingston around." Wisp replied.

"That's cheating!" Flare declared.

"You didn't say it had to be a big dragon." Wisp said innocently grinning all the while.

"Can I help you?" Ruby asked aloud.

Wisp and Flare moved with the line and found themselves at the counter of Baking It Real; the Ashen Field's new bakery. Flare looked at the all the treats, pies, muffins, cupcakes, cakes, turnovers, scones and bread.

"What's popular among Flame Ponies these days?" Wisp asked unsure of what he wanted.

"The custard cream pie is a favorite for almost every pony." Ruby said pointing to two ponies outside.

Flare and Wisp looked to see two Flame Ponies smashing two custard cream pies in each others faces before eating it off their own face.

"I'll take one of those." Flare said immediately tossing a couple of bits on the counter.

"Here you go." Ruby said sliding the pie to her.

Flare whipped around and smashed it into Wisp's face. The tray slowly slid off, clanking to the floor as Flare smiled in victory. Wisp slowly licked his lips before wiping the cream away from his eyes.

"I think I'd like to purchase one of those pies as well." Wisp said putting some more bits on the counter.

"No! No he doesn't! He wants the apple turnovers." Flare said quickly pointing to them.

"No, I REALLY want one of those pies." Wisp said again glaring at Flare who insisted he didn't.

"Here…" Ruby said slowly sliding the pie to him.

Flare took off in a flash as Wisp picked up the pie and bolted from the bakery after her.

"Wisp! Don't you dare!" Flare shouted back at him.

"Running will only make it worse!" Wisp shouted back.

It took a lot of convincing but Flare was able to convince Wisp to hold off on hitting her with the pie. It took some feminine charm, a gentle exterior, and a kiss to seal the deal but Flare was spared. Sharing the intact custard pie between each other, Flare insisted on finding Wisp and herself something suitable to wear for the Coronation. Even though Wisp insisted that their armor would be enough, but he wouldn't mind seeing Flare in something more appealing then metal.

"Here it is, Stitch Rose Shay." Flare said looking up at the sign.

"How do you know about this place again?" Wisp asked looking puzzled.

"It was the shop that Argo Fleece used to order all the cloaks for the Coronation." Flare said looking inside the shop window.

"How do you know that?" Wisp asked looking even more puzzled.

"My sister is his secretary." Flare mentioned.

"You have a sister?" Wisp asked with a smile.

Flare stared at him. Wisp quickly put his smile away and started to examine the pie tin very carefully.

"Just come with me." Flare said pulling on Wisp's arm and bringing him into the shop.

"Hi, welcome to Stitch Rose Shay, I'm the best so my names first. How can I help you?" Stitch asked aloud standing behind the counter.

"Can I get a dress for the Coronation tomorrow and a suit for my…" Flare looked up at Wisp who, in turn, looked down at her.

"…friend." Flare finished, her face turning red.

"Sure, just let me get my minions to assist you." Stitch said walking to the backroom's door.

Stitch pushed it open, sticking her head inside to shout something. She removed her head as Rarity, Rose and Crow filed out from the back room.

"Welcome to Stitch Rose Shay." Rarity said cheerfully.

"I already said that." Stitch said from behind the counter once more.

"Are you the minions?" Wisp asked curiously.

"Minions?" Rarity asked looking surprised.

"Stitch! What have you been telling ponies?" Rose asked whipping her head towards her.

"Nothing…" Stitch mumbled back away slowly.

Rose made a dash for her as Stitch fled upstairs, Rose gave chase as Crow rolled his eyes.

"Don't mind them, it's a sort of sisterly bonding kind of thing they are trying to work out. You said you wanted a dress and a suit for the Coronation tomorrow?" Rarity asked looking between the two of them.

"Yes, please." Flare replied.

"Excellent. I will let Crow take your measurements while I retrieve the other two." Rarity said heading behind the counter while Crow motioned for them to follow him into the back room.

"P-P-Please stand here." Crow stated gesturing to the two platforms in front of them.

"I've never done this before." Flare admitted getting onto the platform.

"Alright, Crow, I'm a thirty-two length slim, thirty in the arms, I prefer vests over cummerbunds, and I like a three button suit." Wisp said, much to the surprise of Flare and Crow.

Wisp noticed their astonished looks.

"I take pride in the way I look." Wisp said flushing slightly.

It would be another hour before the measurements were finished and the details of their clothing were finalized before taking their leave of Stitch Crow Shay. Wisp and Flare were told to come back the next morning to pick up their orders. The two of them made their way back to the Narrows where it was becoming evening. The Night Watch ponies were already relieving the guards from their duties by the time they got there.

"Should I pick up the outfits tomorrow, or do you want to do it?" Wisp asked curiously.

"We could pick them up together." Flare offered.

"We could but I live all the way at the end of the Narrows, and I'm not really a morning pony." Wisp said cringing at the idea.

"You could stay over at my place." Flare suggested, her mane sparking suddenly.

Wisp's mane flared for a moment too. He had trouble looking over at her as he scratched the back of his head.

"I wouldn't want to impose…" Wisp said slowly.

"Suit yourself." Flare said.

Wisp looked over to see Flare stepping away, the flames of her tail whipping him on the nose as she stepped inside her home; leaving the stone door slightly ajar. Wisp could feel his heart beginning to race, wondering if this was another one of her tricks.

"Well it is a rather long walk to my house from here, and with the spiders it would be safer to crash at a friend's place." Wisp said aloud to himself.

Wisp reached for the door, hoof hovering in front of it but unable to push it open. Hesitating, pulling his hoof back and then pushing it forward but not making any progress. The door opened suddenly as Flare reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Just get in here." Flare said pulling him inside.

I entered my Royal Chambers muttering to myself of all the things I could possibly include in my speech. Nothing was coming to mind and it was starting to bother me. Memorizing a few responses for the Coronation wasn't all that demanding but having to address every important pony in Equestria with a speech I wrote wasn't something I was looking forward to.

"…welcome… back…"

I glanced over at the mirror.

"Thanks." I mumbled.

"…you're still…stressed…"

"I have to make a speech for in front of every pony tomorrow and I can't think of anything to say." I explained pacing around my room.

"…lame…"

"I know, right?" I replied.

"…want… help…"

"Wait, you're offering me help? You're not asking for it this time?" I asked curiously.

"…yes… or no…"

"Okay, okay. I'm game." I said going over to my dresser and retrieving a blank stone slate.

"…do you… trust me…"

I stopped short of the mirror. Usually any pony that starts off with these words doesn't really need to ask this unless whatever they were about to do involved something very dangerous.

"That… depends." I said slowly.

"…on what…"

"Are you going to make me sleep for days on end again?" I asked suspiciously.

"…no…"

"Then what is it?" I asked.

"…a memory…"

"A memory?" I asked curiously.

"…I will tap… into your past..."

"Wait, you mean like what I've been doing with that rubbing?" I asked suddenly very interested.

"…I tried to… show you… before…"

I tried to think back to the day I woke up from my long sleep. I couldn't really remember what I was seeing, but the feeling of seeing something familiar was the only thing that seemed to stick whenever I started to space out.

"Will I remember it?" I asked.

"…yes…"

"Why did you try and show it me before?" I asked curiously.

"…to show you… the truth…"

"The truth about what?" I asked starting to feel interested.

"…of what your… family… did… to us…"

My heart started to race. I wasn't very sure about what the entity in the mirror was going to show me but it didn't seem like it was anything good. Although, if I don't take this chance now, I might never know the truth and staring at the rubbing wasn't getting me anywhere but passing out.

"Alright then." I said finally.

"…good flame pony…"

In that moment the world started to melt away, but the mirror remained. I watched as the twisted metal of the mirror started to etch out towards me. Taking hold of my hooves, and my legs before digging beneath my hide; darting its way up towards my head. The pain was unspeakable. Before I knew it, the metal had worked its way to my eyes and darkness took me.

A storm of colored water poured down before me, it trickled like rain on the black canvas, droplets splashing upon the ground like puzzle pieces. Like the twinkling of starlight the darkness disappeared beneath the veil of color, the sound of a thousand wind chimes came clanging against my ears, thrusting me to and fro, my steps creating ripples in the water, changing the scenery, swirling the colors. The noise, the noise, there was no end to the noise. From the water the colors began to climb, reaching heights well above, like paint the colors began to fade leaving not but the dry cracked flakes that fluttered away in a breeze that took the chimes further from my ears. Colorless splotches of the once rich water hung in the air, a rain once more came pouring from above, washing away the stains from my sight, revealing to me the darkness that still lingered behind it.

"Your Majesty!"

A voice called out to me. I turned to see blackness.

"The storm is coming!"

Slowly the figure of a pony revealed itself to me through the rain. My eyes were drawn forward, the portal opened once more revealing the creatures that stood upon their hind legs, the storm in the darkness raging in the distance, and the Castle collapsing at its fury. These creatures running in fear, I could feel their gaze fixed on me, crying for help.

"Lord Smoke!"

My wings fanned opened, the flames leaped from my wings, the fire reaching two obelisks on the ground below. The obelisk's markings began to glow a brilliant green, the cries of these creatures were elevated; their fear resonated with me. The storm billowed towards the portal, consuming the creatures as it passed, with the wave of my wings the portal began to close. Cries of terror filled the air, soon muffled by the roar of the storm, and silence fell with closure of the portal. A heavy feeling was left in my heart, a pain so weighted that it lowered my head.

On the ground I saw a metal chisel, mounds of dirt and rock at my hooves. Lifting my gaze I saw the etching in the dungeon before me, sorrow filled my heart as the light of my flames slowly drifted away bringing me into darkness once more.

I found myself standing at the Summit, every pony eyes were on me, there was cheering to be had. I felt myself smiling but my heart hung heavy. The cries of 'hero' and 'savior' rose above the applause but I knew deep down that I was a 'coward' and a 'murderer'. The Summit swirled, the colors began to blend, slowly the world's rotation came to a stop and I stood before the Void Mirror; unbroken.

"Help us."

I could see two yellow eyes, two small hands pressed against the glass on the other side. It was so small, the same markings upon the obelisks were apparent on her arms.

"I'm sorry, Mira."

I shook my head and walked away from it. Leaving the mirror and the creature in the darkness of the dungeon, I could feel my heart growing very heavy as the stone door slid shut and our problems were finally put to rest.

The world around me disappeared once again. My Royal Chambers came back into view. I blinked several times to adjust to it, looking down at my hooves and legs to see if the metal had actually dug into me but I was free of injury. My heart was throbbing with sadness as I stared at the twisted mirror, where this creature still waited; asking for help.

"Those Obelisks…" I started to say, breathing rather hoarsely.

"…a portal to… our world…"

"My… Lord Smoke…" I said through breaths.

"…trapped us… with the storm…there are… so few of… us now…"

I was trying to catch my breath, hundreds of questions were still running through my mind but I couldn't seem to pick the right ones to ask; even if I did, I couldn't get them out.

"Mira? That's your name isn't it?" I asked.

"…yes…"

"I… I don't…" I mumbled, unable to find the words.

"…we're so few now…"

"Why do you need my help?" I asked finally.

"…you are the last… in the line… of Kings…"

I swallowed hard at its words.

"…only your fire… can open the portal…"

"I cannot let the Void into Equestria." I said shaking my head, realizing what she wanted from me.

"…will you… abandon us… like Smoke… did…"

I closed my eyes for moment. From an assassin's attack, to an Orc with an army of Spiders, to a race of beings trapped in the Void because of my ancestor; I was really not looking forward to what tomorrow had in store.

Chapter 22: D&D (Doubts & Dragons)

Princess Sapphire stood outside the Royal Chamber, looking rather anxious, and trying to psych herself up.

"You can do this. You can do this. Just walk in there and tell him." Sapphire mumbled to herself.

Sapphire failed to raise a hoof to the stone door, simply frozen in place. Stomping her hooves, Sapphire hissed under her breath words unbecoming of a Princess as she tried to rationalize her situation.

"Just tell him. Tell him that mother and father have offered an arranged marriage between the two of us." Sapphire said quietly to herself.

These words only made Sapphire more nervous. Pacing back and forth in front of the door, Sapphire attempted to rationalize Smolder's response to it.

"If he doesn't agree to it, then I'm off the hook. It's not like I was keen on this idea from the start, but he turned it down. I don't expect mother and father to have me fight for this arrangement." Sapphire mumbled.

The blue seemed to drain away from her face, making her quite pale.

"What if Twilight was mistaken? What if Smolder does feel obligated to marry me? What if he realizes the importance of this union and accepts reluctantly?" Sapphire asked herself.

Her heart was beating rather fast now, her attempts to approach this with a calm mind and steady heart had completely collapsed by this point. Heaving a sigh, Sapphire let her head fall forward, thudding against the door in defeat; wishing she had stayed in the North. Mustering what little courage she had left, Sapphire pressed a hoof against the stone door and pushed it open slowly.

"Smolder?" Sapphire asked; making her presence known.

Sapphire had barely opened the door when a stone slate slammed against the door, shattering into countless rocks. Rather surprised by this, Sapphire peered inside to see what was going on.

I was sitting in the middle of the chamber, my breathing was shallow from the amount of anger I had pent up inside me as I tried to calm myself down. It was just poor timing that Sapphire had decided to enter at that moment when I lost my temper.

"Smolder?" Sapphire asked again stepping cautiously into the room.

"Hey…" I said with a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Sapphire asked curiously gently swiping the remnants of the shattered stone slate away from the door.

I had to think for a moment, realizing that having to explain what I had just seen and how I acquired this information would be rather problematic seeing as no pony else trusted the mirror as I had, so I thought it best to keep it quiet for now.

"I have to make speech tomorrow and I'm having trouble trying to figure out what I'm supposed to say." I replied motioning to the broken pieces of the slate.

"How quaint, one of the many kingly speeches you will surely have to preform throughout the years." Sapphire said reminiscing on her own appointed speeches.

"I'm not ready to be King." I said shaking my head.

Having seen what my ancestor, Lord Smoke, had to go through, condemning an entire species to be trapped for all eternity with the Void, I wasn't feeling all that confident in my abilities to make those kinds of decisions.

"I could have told you that." Sapphire replied.

Realizing her tactless response, Sapphire cleared her throat and closed the door behind her before trying to start again.

"What makes you say that?" Sapphire asked trying to sound surprised.

"Other than that I have no prior instruction, experience, or training to becoming King? Probably because I'm the youngest Flame Pony to ever be named King." I said miserably.

"Alright, you are woefully ill prepared to be crowned the next King." Sapphire replied, leveling with me.

Sapphire crossed the room, seating herself next to me and wiped some noticeable dust from her hoof.

"Taking that into consideration, ready or not, you are going to be the next King." Sapphire continued.

"How am I supposed to be a King when I've spent all my life in fear of one?" I asked bitterly.

"You take everything that the previous King did to scare you and do the opposite." Sapphire said simply.

"It's not that easy." I replied.

"Sure it is. The previous King set the bar so low, there is no conceivable way that you can underperform as the new King." Sapphire said encouragingly.

"I'm serious, Sapphire. I'm not ready." I said solemnly.

"So… what? You're going to tell your ponies you're not going through with it and saddle your Kingdom without a King?" Sapphire questioned me.

"Well I mean-" I began but Sapphire wasn't finished.

"There is an Orc with an army of Spiders coming for us but I'm sure you can handle it on your own." Sapphire said mockingly.

"I didn't mean-" I tried to speak but was cut off once more.

"Things are getting too real for me, so I'll just be sitting this one out everypony." Sapphire mocked once more.

"Shut up!" I shouted feeling my mane flare.

I could feel fire inside me start to boil over, my flames danced wildly off my mane.

"Yell all you want, but it isn't going to change the fact that you're turning your back on every pony who believes in you." Sapphire said calmly.

My heart skipped a beat. My flames died down from hearing these words.

"I couldn't understand why a Flame Pony Prince would bother speaking with such common ponies. How informal you insist them to be when addressing you, and how you entrusted them with the future of your Kingdom." Sapphire said glancing over at me; making my heart skip a beat.

Being so close to her I could see quite clearly that her eyes were indeed like sapphires and it was very hard not to get lost in them.

"The answer was quite simple really, I'm surprised that it took me so long to realize it." Sapphire confessed. "They are your friends, Smolder. You believe in them and they believe in you."

My mane flared for a moment.

"They are not your subjects or tools. They are not a means to an end or ponies for hire. They've become your family." Sapphire continued smiling at me.

My heart was beating rather quickly now.

"Where will you be when the Orc and its Spiders come to claim them?" Sapphire asked placing her hoof over mine.

Her touch was just as surprising to me, her touch reminded me of how much I have taken for granted up until now. That the connections I've made up into this point, whether they be physical or meaningful, were things I did not want to lose.

"Thank you, Sapphire." I said softly.

Sapphire nodded in agreement. Sapphire removed her hoof, taking a moment to throw her mane to the side as the billowing cloud started to trickle down.

I felt a little less nervous about becoming King; at least for the moment. Sapphire had made me realize that the best way to protect my friends was being the pony who would stand out in front of every pony else when any sort of danger came our way. I looked over at her, remembering that she had most likely come in here for a reason.

"So what did you need?" I asked, heaving a relieved sigh.

"Need?" Sapphire asked looking slightly confused.

"You came here for something, didn't you?" I asked curiously.

I watched the color in Sapphire's face drain away before a shade of purple suddenly flushed across it. She cleared her throat, straightened up but still looked quite uneasy.

"I came here to tell you something very important, Smolder. Something that I didn't want you hearing from another pony." Sapphire began sounding very formal.

"Your names not Sapphire." I replied quickly.

"What?" Sapphire asked, looking very surprised.

"So what is it? Is it really Snowflake?" I asked looking hopeful.

"This isn't about my name and don't call me Snowflake!" Sapphire snapped, her mane billowing several flakes of snow.

"Alright then, what did you want to tell me?" I asked getting to my hooves and heading over to the dresser to retrieve another stone slate.

"Well... with most royal traditions, there are certain aspects of it that fall through the cracks but at times can come up when you least expect it. With that being said, traditional methods have always worked out for the better in the long run even if the immediate situation doesn't present itself with a clear understanding of what that might be." Sapphire rattled off.

I glanced over my shoulder looking very confused by what she had just said. Sapphire took notice of it and nodded to me that she was going to try again.

"I just want you to know that this was something that my parents suggested and that I am in no way a part of. Well, technically I am sort of involved, but the initial idea wasn't presented with me being present. Rather, I was informed of this after it was thought up." Sapphire said trying to preface her point.

"It's going to look like I don't understand what you're trying to say, but just know I'm still listening." I replied taking another blank slate from the dresser drawer.

"My parents want us to get married." Sapphire said quickly.

I wasn't sure if it was my realization of what was being said to me, or my surprise to it, but the stone slate slipped from my hoof and broke on the floor. I turned around to look at Sapphire who was a very deep shade of purple and seemed very embarrassed by it.

"Y-Y-You're kidding right?" I asked nervously.

"I know that this seems to be coming from out of nowhere, but they thought it was in the best interest of our Kingdoms to suggest this union." Sapphire stated quickly.

"But I'm such a horrible choice." I replied feeling my mane flare.

"That is what I said to them but- I beg your pardon?" Sapphire asked, cutting herself short.

"Let's be honest here. You'd be getting the short end of the stick." I began rubbing the back of my mane nervously.

"I'm not sure I follow." Sapphire said looking at me very peculiarly.

"I know I'm not a pony's first choice in a special some pony, but I feel I'd be the last pony to be with such an incredible pony like you." I said quickly feeling my mane flare.

I could see Sapphire staring at me with a rather curious expression; it made me feel that I wasn't getting my point across.

"What do you mean?" Sapphire asked.

"Well for starters, you're completely out of my league." I mentioned, trying to find reasons.

"League?" Sapphire asked sounding confused.

"You're beautiful." I said abruptly.

Sapphire's face turned purple once more. I started to feel my own face flushing and decided some context would be needed to follow up my remark.

"You're a Princess of such poise and etiquette, an unbelievable fighter, and an education that rivals Twilight's. You deserve a pony that can appreciate these things and personifies the qualities that you deem necessary to be your special some pony." I said quickly, trying to put it as politely as I could.

"So... you don't think you could be my special some pony?" Sapphire asked slowly.

"I'm a horrible choice for some pony's special some pony." I said with a nervous laugh.

"Why's that?" Sapphire asked sounding rather suspicious.

"Well I've been… uh… told that… I'm not very bright. I mean, look at me. I'm hardly special pony material. I don't really have any discernable qualities other than that I'm being crowned a King. I'm just a walking talking torch that can spout a lot of nonsense from time to time." I said tapping my hooves together.

"So what are you saying exactly?" Sapphire asked curiously, seemingly becoming less and less nervous while I became more and more uneasy.

"W-W-Well… I don't think that you'd be happy being married to me." I stammered.

"Would you be happy with me though?" Sapphire asked raising a brow.

"I think any pony would be happy to have you as their special some pony." I replied, my mane flaring.

"Except you?" Sapphire questioned me.

"I wa-couldn't be… I ne- but it isn't…" I tripped over every word I tried to get out.

Sapphire looked at me rather expectantly, waiting for a response, but Wingston had always warned me about saying the wrong things around a mare.

"I would... be very grateful... to have some pony like you by my side." I began feeling my face flush. "I'm just not... you know..."

"Who is she?" Sapphire asked with a promiscuous smile.

"She? She who?" I asked quickly feeling my mane starting to flare faster.

"The pony you like." Sapphire stated, eyeing me.

"Pony? Me? Like? I don-uh… she's not really… I can't…" I mumbled, my face burning red hot.

Sapphire was waiting for an answer.

"She's just a pony I met once... you know..." I mumbled feeling very embarrassed about it.

I watched as Sapphire strolled over to me. I did my best to look at her but every time I did my stomach doubled up in knots. I found myself looking at the floor. To my surprise I felt something I've never experienced before, it wasn't for more than a second but Sapphire had given me a kiss on the cheek.

"You have many admirable qualities I look for in a pony, Smolder." Sapphire said softly to me.

I was sure my heart was doing backflips at this point.

"You may not have the fine tuning that most Prince Pony' s have, but you're more a gentlepony then all of them put together." Sapphire complimented me.

I glanced to see she was smiling at me, I smiled back with a nod.

"I'm almost jealous of this pony you have your heart set on." Sapphire said looking at me rather incriminating.

"There's nothing to be jealous about, we're just friends. Besides she's a normal pony while I'm a Flame Pony." I mumbled sadly.

"So?" Sapphire asked sounding surprised.

I lifted my hooves to show her the flames that surrounded them. Sapphire took notice of it and shrugged.

"So?" Sapphire asked again.

"I'll burn her." I said bluntly.

"Just turn it off." Sapphire remarked simply.

"I can't." I replied.

"What?" Sapphire asked looking oddly surprised this time.

"No Flame Pony can." I informed her.

"I just figured that you Flame Ponies did it to show off how tough you all were." Sapphire remarked having come to her own realization.

"Believe me, if I could, I would." I said looking at my hooves.

"I suppose Flame Ponies never had reason to do so, but would you like me to teach you?" Sapphire asked curiously.

"Teach me what?" I asked.

"How to hide your flames, of course." Sapphire offered.

I stared at her wide eyed for a moment.

"Y-You can do that?" I asked in amazement.

"I don't think it's much of a stretch from how we Ice Ponies learned to contain our own element." Sapphire said reassuringly.

"You cloud isn't…" I started to ask eyeing her mane.

"My cloud? It's a technique we utilize to internalize our frost, it allows us to come in direct contact with normal ponies without turning them to ice." Sapphire explained running her hoof through it.

"You'd think it would work for Flame Ponies?" I asked in a hurry stepping towards her.

"Well, I'm sure with practice you'll be able to do it… eventually. Although, you would be the first to achieve this." Sapphire said taking a step back.

"Can we get started now?" I asked in excitement.

"I suppose, but weren't you supposed to be working on a speech for your Coronation tomorrow?" Sapphire asked looking at the two piles of broken slates.

"I excel at last minute ideas." I said reassuringly.

"Well, alright then." Sapphire said waving her hoof for me to step back.

Sapphire whipped her mane about, her horn flashed for a moment, as large icicles suddenly sprang from her mane and hooves. I watched in amazement as it seemed to transform herself into a different pony. No more a soft and gentle looking Princess, but a fierce and intimidating Ice Pony; with really sharp spikes. It acted almost like armor for her as the rest of her body seemed to be continuously growing a thin layer of ice that broke whenever she moved.

"This is an Ice Pony's original form. It is cumbersome, rather heavy and doesn't allow us the luxury of touching anything that isn't already frozen without freezing it ourselves." Sapphire explained.

The ground around her began to ice over, slowly spreading out further and further. With another flash of her horn, the Ice exploded into millions of ice particles that showered over her and brought back her billowing cloud mane.

"We teach our foals and fillies of this technique at a young age so that the process becomes easier to maintain and switch as they grow older. I'm not sure how hard it will be for an older pony without any experience." Sapphire stated looking rather curious at me.

"Does every pony need to use magic to like you just did?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, not at all. It is merely easier for unicorn ponies. Young unicorns cannot perform powerful spells until they can control their magic, so it is a matter of just focusing for every Ice Pony." Sapphire explained.

"But you said that I had dormant magic." I said quickly.

"Well if you had a horn, I could potentially teach you how to control your magic so it would be easier for you to control your flames, but it would take some time to perfect it seeing as you would be new to magic." Sapphire replied eyeing my fore heard.

"I'm willing to try anything." I said.

I felt a sudden hoof slap my upside the head. Touching the back of my head, I quickly looked up at Sapphire who still had her hoof raised; her face slightly flushed.

"I thought I could just… you know… smack it out." Sapphire said looking quite hopeful but rather guilty.

"Does that work?" I asked looking rather unsure.

"I'm not sure. I've never met a late bloomer before." Sapphire said offering to hit me again.

"Well give it another go and let's hope for the best." I said leaning my head towards her.

The Iron Clad Orc stepped out from threshold of the tunnel, hundreds of spiders swarmed before him. With a single step forward the Spiders froze, by his second step, the Spiders had parted, creating a path for him. Shafts of sunlight found its way through the partially collapsed mountain above, illuminating his darkened world briefly. A wave of his hand sent the Spiders racing to the tunnels spotted about and disappeared from sight. The four Queen Spiders crawled over the Orc, dragging behind them the missing Obelisk in their webbing. The Orc took its time, going deeper into the darkness of the mountain, slowly traveling further down into the earth.

When I was a boy, all I knew was dragon wrath and fire. When everyone ran, my father stayed, to face the dragons alone; but it was not to be. We were driven from our homes, separated from our people. We took refuge in the mountains and hid in shadow. Our people had fled to the seas, while my father and I delved deeper into darkness.

The Orc reached the heart of the mountain; a chasm lay before him, seemingly bottomless. Raising his hand into the air, the Orc swung it to his side. Hundreds of Spiders came silently sliding down on their webbing from the high ceiling above.

Where my father could not best a dragon, he easily overcame the Spiders that populated the shadows. For years we hid underground, away from the light, from sound, from color, but we could not escape our fear. When my father learned the Flame Ponies part in the fury of the Dragons, he could think of nothing else but revenge. With one Spider Queen he raised an army to challenge them. I have four.

Among the web strings of the Spiders, the four Queens lowered themselves into the blackness. Once more the Orc took hold of the webbing lowering him down into the darkness as well.

A Name Day for a young Orc is everything to him. Through his actions, his skills, and his accomplishments, an Orc's father would present him with a name to which he would carry for the rest of his life. My father promised me a name upon his return. That I my sacrifice was paramount to any Orc that had ever lived; that my name would be legendary to our kin. My father returned blackened and charred at the hooves of his enemy, King Scorch.

The chasm stretched on deeper and deeper into the earth, more Spiders came scaling down the side of the abyss, while the Orc slid ever downward.

King Scorch had defeated my father, destroyed him, and laid him at my feet. He was surprised to see me, unaware that there would be an Orc, no less, his son waiting for his return. He had the opportunity to end it there, to do to me what he did to my father.

Down in the depths of the chasm the Spiders slowed their descent, lingering above what appeared to be the bottom of the chasm. The Orc let go of the spider's web, letting him drop into the darkness below; landing hard on the ground.

The King could not bring himself to do it. Sparing my life, but in my anger, my hatred for him, I swore vengeance on his family and kin. The King turned to me, eyes full of fire, and spoke to me the words I have never forgotten.

"Go, run." The Orc said a loud.

"Gorun! Gorun! Gorun! Gorun! Gorun!" The Spiders began to chant, their voices rising in volume; the chasm echoing their chants.

I did just that. Running back into the darkness, into the mountain, plotting my revenge on the Flame Ponies and the King's family. I spent years breeding another army of Spiders, more vicious and crazed then the ones before. Taking to heart the words the King had spoken to me, carving them into my heart and bearing them as a name. Gorun. It was many years later that the King returned to the mountain, alone, seeking something in this darkness.

Gorun the Orc stepped forward into the blackness. A sudden rush of air, so fierce it caused him slide backwards while trying to brace himself. Gorun steadied himself, raising his arm to signal the Spiders above. Withdrawing his mace, Gorun raised it as the Spider's began to chant his name once more.

Every pony took the Mad King's threat to cover all of Equestria in fire seriously. None knew how serious a claim he had made. For his Final Solution required the fire of a creature lost to time.

Slowly reaching down, Gorun dug his free hand into the ground; scooping up the dirt. The mass that moved before Gorun would have been equal to a whole separate mountain sliding by. A large eye three times the size of Gorun opened before him. Gorun let the dirt trickle through his hand to reveal several gold coins in his hand, the hole he dug up revealed even more gold beneath the surface.

The Great Dragon Char himself.

Gorun let the coins drop one by one, until he held but a single coin in his hand. The massive eye focused on him intensely, peering at the gold coin in his hand. Gorun's mace, still raised high, let it drop to his side; closing his fist around the coin.

The Spiders stopped chanting. The voices echoed for a time, the massive eye staring at Gorun's clenched fist.

When I was a boy, all I knew was Dragon wrath and fire.

The Great Dragon Char snorted, blowing a whirlwind of dirt off the surface of his gold before dragging his head to face Gorun. The entire chasm shook; countless gold coins were thrown into the air, just by Char's slow turn. Gorun remained where he stood, balancing himself against the shifting coin underfoot.

When everyone ran, my father stayed, to face the dragons alone; but it was not to be.

"*Foolish Orc."* Char growled.

Its breath was so hot that it caused Gorun's Iron armor to turn different shades of orange and red from the heat.

My father could not tame the Dragons, but what will you do, Smolder, if I could?

From high above in the chasm the missing Obelisk fell from the blackness, spearing the Great Dragon Char in the back. His roar shook the chasm, the Spiders bounced around on their webs and even Gorun had to cover the sides of his helmet to dampen the noise. Slamming his wings into the side of the chasm, breaking large pieces of rock from the wall, the wails of Char began to weaken, his legs giving out on him and his massive eyes began to droop.

What will Equestria do?

Gorun looked down at the gold coin in his hand. Gorun lifted free hand into the air, signaling the Spiders to move in. The Spiders started to crawl over the Great Dragon Char, draping him in webbing, biting him in his exposed flesh and working the Obelisk out slowly. Gorun stepped away, each step crunched under the gold coins underfoot.

"Gorun!" The Spider Queen screeched.

The disfigured Queen Spider lowered herself down from the web that let her hang in the air. The Queen's body was badly burned, blackened for the most part, as she limped towards the Orc. Balancing on her remaining legs, the Spider Queen lowered herself to the Orc to speak with him.

"You promised me the cursed Flame Pony!" The Spider Queen spat.

"You will have what is left of Smolder." Gorun assured her.

"What if the dragon smashes him? Dragon could consume the Flame Pony before I can sink my fangs into it!" The Queen screeched.

Gorun reached over to the Queen's mouth, tearing one of her lesser fangs from her mouth as she screeched in agony. The Queen reared up to strike at Gorun, but before she could lift a leg the sound of hundreds of Cave Spider's hissing echoed through the chasm; signaling for her to back down. The Queen lowered herself once more to Gorun, hissing loudly at him in anger.

"I will personally see to it that your fang finds its way into Smolder's heart. It would be a shame to arrive at the Coronation without a suitable gift for the new King." Gorun said waving the fang in front of her.

Chapter 23: The Coronation (Part 1)

The Ashen Fields was becoming the talk of Equestria. The Coronation of Prince Smolder had finally come, and every pony that was some pony had been invited to this event. Ponies from all over showed up anyways just to join in on the festivities that were taking place, hoping to catch a glimpse of the new King and be a part of such a historical event. Some vendor ponies even set up shop along the main dirt roads hoping to pitch some of their wares, while other street performing ponies tried to catch the eyes of potential agents that might be passing by. Needless to say, the Ashen Fields had become more lively in the first few hours of the morning then it had been for nearly thirty years.

General Hearth stood at the Main Entrance of Castle Char, the focal point of every ponies interest as more and more delegate, royal, and famous ponies were dropped off to attend the coronation. Greeting each guest was just one of his many duties as he also oversaw the crowd control of the rubber necking paparazzi ponies. The Royal Guard ponies only had to flare their manes a bit to get their point across for the on looking ponies to step back, but every time the Royal Guards did the ponies would ask to see them do it again.

"General Hearth, sir." Spinel said aloud approaching him from entrance of the castle.

"Yes?" General Hearth asked turning to him.

"I have gone over the morning reports as requested. Squads one through eleven have secured all the known south and eastern mining tunnels as ordered. Squads twelve through twenty-two have closed the majority of the tunnels within the dungeons. Our scouts have reported little to no Spider activity following your orders." Spinel reported.

"Continue to watch the main roads, we didn't expect so many uninvited ponies to show up and it may spell trouble if Spiders decide to have a snack." General Hearth ordered.

"Right away, sir." Spinel replied throwing him a salute.

There was a sudden commotion coming from the crowd of ponies gathering outside the castle. A carriage soaring down from the sky, flying in low from down the road and coming to a stop at the entrance as every pony shrieked in excitement.

"It's Princess Cadance and Shining Armor!" A pony shouted from the crowd as nearly every pony withdrew a camera to start taking pictures.

Sure enough, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor emerged from the carriage with Burning Sand also stepping out. Several ponies shouted to Princess Cadance, hoping beyond hope to be acknowledged by her, and their wishes were granted when Princess Cadance waved to them.

"General, it's a pleasure to see you again." Shining Armor said approaching him.

"Always a pleasure, sir." General Hearth replied bowing his head to him.

"I wasn't expecting such a turnout for the Coronation." Princess Cadance remarked looking at all the ponies still taking pictures.

"My Lady." General Hearth said bowing his head to her as well.

"Did you miss me?" Burning Sand asked jokingly striding up next to him.

"I would think so, having only Argo to speak with has become quite tiresome. How was your trip to the Crystal Empire?" General Hearth asked patting Burning Sand on the shoulder.

"I think I would like to retire there, it is quite colorful." Burning Sand said happily.

"It was a pleasure having you, Senator Sand." Princess Cadance said warmly.

"The pleasure was mine, my Lady. I think it best if I inform Argo of my return." Burning Sand said excusing himself.

"How is Smolder doing, General?" Shining Armor asked, smiling for the cameras.

"He's quite nervous about today and quite stressed about other things." General Hearth replied.

"There hasn't been any problems yet, has there?" Princess Cadance asked.

"We haven't encountered any Spiders or possible threats, which in itself is a good thing. We're taking all the appropriate measures to ensure that we can allow Smolder a Spider free coronation." General Hearth said confidently.

"Let us know if there is anything we can to help, General." Shining Armor insisted.

"Of course, your Grace." General Hearth said bowing his head.

Stitch Rose Shay was closed for business today, allowing only pick-ups for ponies that had placed orders days prior. Rarity was becoming increasingly nervous, her secret plan to get Rose to confess her feelings for Crow at the coronation had some minor hiccups.

"What do you mean you're not going?" Rarity asked in disbelief.

"We've been working nonstop these last few days to finish those orders and all the orders we got in between. I'm going home, eating a whole pie by myself and going to sleep." Rose said clearing off her work station.

"But you can't miss this event, Rose darling. Every pony is going to be there." Rarity insisted, striding up next to her.

"Which is why I'll be going home. Who wants to be around so many stuck up and pompous ponies anyways?" Rose asked rhetorically.

"I can assure you that not every pony is like that." Rarity insisted, following Rose towards the door leading out into the shop.

"Not interested." Rose remarked.

Rose strolled over behind the counter to put in her time at work before clocking out for good. Rarity paced nervously, spying Stitch across the room, rearranging the hats on the shelf. Without a second thought, Rarity bolted over to Stitch and pulled her away from the hats with her magic.

"Stitch, Rose is leaving and there isn't anything I can do to stop her." Rarity whispered urgently.

"So?" Stitch asked looking puzzled.

"Rose is supposed to be going to the coronation with Crow so she can confess her feelings to him and they can live happily ever after!" Rarity whispered aggressively.

"What do you want me to do?" Stitch asked looking confused.

"Keep her from leaving!" Rarity hissed.

"How am I supposed to do that?" Stitch asked looking over her shoulder at Rose.

"You two fight all the time, just think of something!" Rarity hissed impatiently.

Rose stepped out from behind the counter, heading towards the door to leave. Rarity shifted uncomfortably the closer Rose got to the door as Stitch scratched her head for an idea.

"Hey Rarity, did you hear that Crow was going to ask some pony to the Coronation?" Stitch asked aloud suddenly.

Rarity watched Rose stop dead in her tracks, her mane flared for a moment. Glancing at Stitch, Rarity could see that she was looking a little nervous herself.

"Why yes! I did hear something about that." Rarity replied loudly, trying to sound sincere.

Rose refused to turn around, her mane kept flaring every few seconds.

"I wonder who he's going to the Coronation with?" Stitch asked scratching her head once more.

"I'm not sure but I bet she's-" Rarity was cut short as Rose was now glaring at her face to face; mere inches away.

"Who… is… she?" Rose asked slowly.

Rarity was already back against the shelf of hats, Rose's hot breath made her all the more intimidating as Rarity tried to reason with her. Stitch attempted to slip away but Rose was too quick and caught her back leg; dragging her back.

"W-W-Well, darling, we simply don't… know." Rarity said nervously feeling as if Rose was peering into her soul.

"But I bet she doesn't have a grip like an Owlbear." Stitch mumbled trying to free herself from Rose's hoof.

"What?" Rose shouted lifting Stitch off her hooves and held her upside down.

"Now, Rose, be reasonable. Stitch is rather young and doesn't understand the finer points of a lady's feelings when it comes to-" Rarity began but Rose's sudden glare had her back down once more.

"I bet he's gonna ask her to marry him." Stitch said teasingly, letting herself hang from Rose's vice of a grip.

Rose's mane exploded with fire, Rarity took a hat off the shelf and held it up in defense.

"R-R-Rose?" Crow's voice came from the stairs behind the counter.

Rose almost immediately dropped Stitch, who landed on the floor with a thud. Rarity could see that she was still very much upset and was now going to confront the unsuspecting Crow with all her fury.

"Now Rose, let's not be too haste-" Rarity tried to intervene but Rose was already marching her way over to Crow.

"I hear that you're going to ask some pony to the Coronation!" Rose said aloud as Crow appeared behind the counter.

"W-W-W-Where d-d-did you h-h-hear th-th-th-" Crow seemed rather surprised, unable to get the rest of his sentence out.

Rose's flaring mane started to suddenly diminish, seeing Crow struggle to speak caused her to take pity on him; even though she was livid.

"Is she… at least kind to you, Crow?" Rose asked slowly, there was a hint of pain in her voice but she tried to hide it with her smile.

"She has al-al al-always been th-there for me." Crow said, nodding.

Rarity quickly leaned down to Stitch who was picking herself up off the floor.

"Crow isn't really going to the Coronation with some other pony, is he?" Rarity asked in a panic.

"How should I know?" Stitch asked back.

"Well Rose really thinks he's going to the Coronation with some other pony and it seems like Crow actually has some pony to go with!" Rarity hissed in horror.

"Well I guess it's just a coincidence." Stitch mumbled.

"This can't happen! This isn't how it was supposed to happen!" Rarity hissed; pacing nervously once more.

Rose looked very solemn, staring down at the floor. She wore a smile but just under the surface she was doing all she can not to let her emotions boil over. A rectangular stone box came into view in front of her, Rose looked up to see Crow shaking nervously as he held it. Carefully taking it from him, Rose looked down at the box and up at Crow who flushed something awful still shaking from head to hoof.

"W-W-W-Will y-y-y-you g-g-g-g..." Crow struggled to speak, fighting very hard to get the words out.

Rose opened the lid to the stone box to see an elegant dress resting inside, laced with roses and colored just like her fire. The fire on Rose's mane plumed, snapping it shut from embarrassment and feeling her face burn red hot.

"Are you… asking me to the Coronation?" Rose asked slowly.

Crow nodded his head very quickly, his eyes shut tight, his whole body shaking.

"Unless you h-h-h-have other p-p-p-plans." Crow stammered.

"No! No-no-no-no I'll go with you, Crow." Rose replied quickly stepping towards him.

Crow perked up at these words. Rose seem flustered by this sudden invitation from him but she seemed rather relieved that Crow wasn't asking some other pony out. Rarity was silently congratulating herself, jumping in place as she was just ecstatic that her plan had come together.

"Alright Stitch, phase one of our plan has succeeded. Phase two is now in effect." Rarity whispered to her.

"What do you mean our plan?" Stitch asked looking confused.

"Just start getting ready for the coronation, dear, I'll explain everything once we get to the castle." Rarity said hurrying her along.

The Main Hall of Castle Char was more lively and cheerful then it had ever been in several decades. Royal Guard Flame ponies had passed out cloaks to every pony that walked through the front entrance of the castle, each one presenting the invitation and the cloak they received corresponded with the color they received. It was quickly becoming the hot topic between the guest ponies, as it allowed for them to have minimal physical contact with the Flame Ponies. Hooves were now able to be shaken, and for others a careful hug was even capable of being pulled off without difficulty.

Wingston sat upon the edge of the platform connecting to the landing of the staircase. His staff resting over his lap, in his long fingers he held a stone slate, looking it over and crossing words off.

"Wingston!" Princess Cadance called out.

Wingston looked up to see Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia approaching him; every pony wearing smiles and the cloaks. Placing his stone slate down next to him, Wingston picked up his staff and got to his claws; balancing on his staff for support.

"Lady Cadance, Lady Luna , Lady Celestia, and Lord Shining Armor, I'm glad you could make it." Wingston said bowing his head to them.

The platform was raised high enough off the ground so that Wingston was almost head height with all the ponies.

"Why are you sitting here all by yourself?" Princess Cadance asked curiously.

"I found it easier to speak with ponies from here and it minimizes the chance of being accidently stepped on by hapless guests." Wingston replied.

"How is everything coming along?" Princess Luna asked curiously.

"We haven't had any incidents yet, everything is running as smoothly as we could have hoped for." Wingston answered looking around the hall.

"Well these cloaks will minimize any accidental run-ins with Flame Ponies." Shining Armor mentioned lifting a part of his cloak.

"Which brings us to why we're here." Princess Celestia stated looking over at Princess Cadance.

"Wingston, would it be at all possible to see Smolder before the ceremony?" Princess Cadance asked looking very hopeful.

"Before the ceremony? Are you planning on leaving before the party?" Wingston asked curiously.

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that." Princess Cadance said hastily.

"Cadance would like to hug Smolder for luck, seeing as her new cloak allows her to have minimal contact with Flame Ponies. That way she doesn't embarrass him in front of all the other ponies later tonight." Shining Armor responded, emphasizing the word minimal.

"It's just one hug, dear. No need to get jealous." Princess Cadance replied, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Who's jealous? I'm not jealous." Shining Armor said defensively.

"Besides it wasn't just my idea, Princess Celestia was the pony who brought it up." Princess Cadance stated.

"Although, it was Luna who thought to ask Wingston to see him before the festivities." Princess Celestia mentioned.

"What purpose does Royalty serve if not allowing you to flex your position every now and again?" Princess Luna asked with a smirk.

"So everypony wants to hug Smolder?" Wingston asked curiously looking over at Shining Armor.

"I don't want to hug him. A high hoof or a pat on the back would suit me just fine." Shining Armor said looking even more defensive.

"I'm sure Smolder would appreciate it very much, coming from you ponies." Wingston said bowing his head to them.

Shining Armor assisted Wingston on to his back before allowing him to lead them to the Royal Chambers. Upon reaching the stone doors, Wingston reached out with his staff and knocked it a few times against the door.

"Smolder, Princess Cadance, Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, and Shining Armor are here to see you." Wingston said aloud.

There was no response from the other side. Wingston looked quizzically at the door, as did everypony.

"Smolder?" Wingston asked aloud, knocking upon the door again.

Being met with silence once more, Wingston motioned to Shining Armor to open the door. Pushing against the door, every pony looked in to see that it was empty; much to every pony's surprise. Wingston slid off Shining Armor's back and limped inside the room rather quickly looking around.

"Maybe he went for a leisurely stroll?" Princess Luna offered stepping into the Royal Chamber.

"Of all days to get cold feet." Wingston mumbled shaking his head.

"Perhaps Smolder left a note?" Princess Cadance offered looking around the room.

"It's rather empty in here, isn't it?" Shining Armor asked looking around at the bare walls and little décor.

Princess Celestia eyed the twisted metal remains of the Void mirror, she approached it and stood before it looking it over.

"Hello?" Princess Celestia asked aloud.

Everypony turned to see who she was speaking to and noticed the ruined mirror as well. Wingston, Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, and Princess Luna moved over to join her.

"If the entity of this mirror is present, I would have it make itself known." Princess Celestia said to it.

"…who's asking…"

"It talks?" Shining Armor asked in surprise.

"Where is Smolder?" Princess Celestia asked promptly.

"…who…"

"Don't play games with us, tell us where he is." Wingston demanded knocking his staff against the metal.

"Why is this… thing talking?" Princess Cadance asked in a whisper to Princess Luna.

"It is what remains of the Void Mirror that the Mad King once resided in." Princess Luna replied in a whisper.

"So who's talking?" Shining Armor asked in a whisper joining in.

"That is beside the point, if you have done something to Smolder, or known where he is, then tell us." Princess Celestia demanded.

"…he's gone…"

"Gone where?" Wingston asked impatiently.

"…for tea…"

"He went to a tea party?" Princess Cadance asked looking confused.

"Doesn't sound like something Smolder would do." Princess Luna commented.

Shining Armor perked up, waving his hoof in front of himself drawing the attention of everypony as he seemed to be remembering something.

"I-I-I think I know what it means! I think Smolder went to get Tea!" Shining Armor said triumphantly; beaming with pride.

"That's what it just said…" Princess Cadance said sounding disappointed with him.

"You really should pay more attention." Princess Luna remarked shaking her head.

"No! I meant Tea! As in Tea Herbal! The nurse pony back when we needed Smolder to come help us rescue those missing ponies! The case of the Nopes!" Shining Armor explained, watching Princess Cadance suddenly perk up.

"Smolder went to go meet Tea Herbal?" Princess Luna asked looking surprised.

"I'm sure Smolder realized that Ponyville is where Ms. Herbal's train would most likely stop, seeing as it doesn't run any closer to the Ashen Fields." Princess Celestia stated, smiling at the idea.

Wingston rubbed his temples with his longer fingers, mumbling to himself.

"...happy now..."

"At least he's not flown the coop." Wingston said after a moment, seeming a bit more relieved.

"I had no idea that Smolder and Tea were an item." Princess Cadance remarked looking very excited at the idea.

"I don't think they're anything but friends at the moment." Shining Armor mentioned.

"But why would Smolder go all the way to the train station to pick her up?" Princess Cadance asked trying to counter the idea.

"Perhaps he fears for her safety, seeing as the Orc has sworn to wipe out the Flame Ponies; he's just being protective of her." Wingston replied limping towards the doors.

"Well that's just part of it. A colt does a lot of things to show how much he cares for a special somepony." Princess Cadance insisted.

"Surely Smolder hasn't already chosen Tea to be his queen yet." Princess Luna remarked following Wingston to the door.

Princess Cadance gasped aloud.

"You don't think it's that serious yet, do you?" Princess Cadance asked, her eyes lighting up.

"They're just friends, Cadance. It would be best not to start any rumors, they spread like wild fire around here." Shining Armor warned her.

"It would also be a good idea not to mention Princess Sapphire's late night rough housing with Smolder." Wingston pointed out reaching the door.

"Princess Sapphire is here as well? And what the hay was she doing in his bedroom! At night!" Princess Cadance asked in shock following Wingston.

"Sister?" Princess Luna asked aloud looking over her shoulder.

Princess Celestia was standing over by the dresser where a stack of parchment rested.

"I'll be along in a minute, let Sapphire know her parents will be arriving later tonight." Princess Celestia replied glancing over at her.

"Alright, but you better not be snooping." Princess Luna warned her.

"I'm not snooping!" Princess Celestia replied in surprise.

Princess Luna narrowed her eyes at her, but eventually proceeded to leave the Royal Chamber. Princess Celestia waited a few moments to make sure that Luna was gone for sure before using her magic to untie the twine that bound the stack of parchments together. Magically lifting the first letter off the top of the stack, Princess Celestia quickly began to skim over it before moving on to the next one.

"Aha!" Princess Luna shouted jumping out from behind the door.

"Luna!" Princess Celestia shouted in surprise, trying to hide the letter behind her back.

"You are so predictable." Princess Luna scoffed strolling over to her.

"I was simply trying to restack this letter with the rest, as the twine… accidently came loose and caused it to slip off the top." Princess Celestia insisted looking very suspicious.

"What did it accidently say?" Princess Luna asked curiously looking over her shoulder at it as Princess Celestia pulled it away from her.

"I wouldn't have the faintest idea." Princess Celestia replied.

"You are so easy to read, just like this ponies hoofwriting. By Celestia, her calligraphy is gorgeous." Princess Luna remarked taking a letter off the top of the stack.

"Is it a formal letter? What does it say?" Princess Celestia asked quickly looking at it.

"What is going on, sister?" Princess Luna asked suspiciously looking up at her.

Princess Celestia raised her head back, trying to put on a royal presence, but Luna did as well to show she was not backing down.

"Well, Lady Frost believed that I was Smolder's… godmother." Princess Celestia said looking rather uneasy.

"Why would she believe that?" Princess Luna asked curiously.

"From what she was told, Queen Sunbeam had mentioned it to Lady Frost just before Smolder's birth." Princess Celestia explained.

"You were not made aware of this until recently?" Princess Luna asked in surprise.

"It came as a surprise to me as well, seeing as that Queen Sunbeam did not go through with it. So..." Princess Celestia trailed off looking at the stack of parchment.

"So?" Princess Luna asked waiting for her to continue.

"I just happened to observe a stack of, what appears to be, letters written by Queen Sunbeam." Princess Celestia mentioned glancing down at the pile.

"So you thought she might have explained why she didn't go through with it in one of her letters?" Princess Luna asked trying to piece it together.

"I'm not saying I would have agreed to it, but why wouldn't she ask me?" Princess Celestia asked looking rather hurt.

"Perhaps she had better options?" Princess Luna suggested.

"I'm a great option!" Princess Celestia exclaimed seeming rather offended.

"Shall we invade Smolder's privacy further to uncover the truth?" Princess Luna asked eyeing the stack of parchment.

"We are merely observing the fine penmanship of her eloquent hoofwriting." Princess Celestia insisted picking up another letter and skimming it over with her eyes.

I had to keep telling myself that this was a good idea. It was the only way to get the nagging Wingston voice out of my head. No pony would have let me leave the castle, not today and not with Orc and it's Spiders skulking about. Luckily I had wings and a loose pane of glass that Sapphire had shown me from the night she broke in. I wanted to make sure Tea was escorted safely to the Ashen Fields, not the Royal Guards or General Hearth, I wanted it to be me; no pony else.

My only regret was that I was overdressed for the occasion, having already put on my ceremonial dressings before hoof and now I stuck out like a sore thumb. It was a very regal cloak that had so much detail in its design that it must have taken several hours just to do the stitching alone. It even had slits for my wings to rest comfortably in between the cloak so that I could still fly if necessary but hid my flames in the meantime. Needless to say, I was the best dressed pony standing off to the side of the platform there; the platform was still not Flame Pony friendly.

No pony seemed to be around the train station, it was all but deserted and rightfully so as the festivities were in the Ashen Fields.I waited patiently for the train to arrive, unsure whether or not the train that did show up would have Tea aboard nor if she was already at the castle. I made up my mind so quickly that I didn't really think it all the way through; I just wanted to see Tea. I told myself that if she didn't show up when the train pulled up I'd go back to the castle, but that was two trains ago. I half expected Wingston to have sent some pony after me by now but I'm sure I was in for a couple good whacks to the head when I finally showed up. Regardless, I would have shown up before the ceremony and be ready to go before it became a problem.

A faint whistle cut through the air, I perked up to see the train slowly coming into view in the distance. I could feel my heart beginning to beat faster, my mane flared in anticipation. The train grew nearer, the rumbling of the wheels on the tracks became louder as it pulled passed me;the breaks screeching and the bell ringing. Steam hissed from beneath the train, the doors slid open as spotted groups of ponies came bustling out pulling their luggage behind them. I stood patiently, my eyes darting from pony to pony wondering if Tea was somewhere in the mix. I caught sight of a light green earth pony stepping off of the train. Her dark green mane fell to one side, her cutie mark was a tea leaf and she looked about for where to go next. That's when she glanced over at me, standing off to the side of the platform.

I couldn't help but smile, my heart seemed to dance around in my chest. Tea's eyes lit up, a smile broke out across her face as she approached the edge of the platform.

"Hi... Tea." I said, choosing my words carefully; feeling my face flush.

"Hello, Smolder." Tea replied with a smile.

Chapter 24: Fleece Family

Argo Fleece stepped out from his chamber, his nose nearly pressed against the stone tablet he carried in his hoof. Strolling down the corridor Argo emerged into a small seating area where Gleam Fizzle, younger sister to Flare Fizzle, sat at her desk gazing longingly at the doors leading into the Main Hall where all the special guest ponies were mingling. Gleam was a very light colored black, her fire was a dark orange that her sister was very jealous of, and her cutie mark depicted a few exploding fireworks that seemed to gleam when she walked around.

"I need the reports from yesterday morning, Ms. Fizzle." Argo said, not looking up from his stone tablet.

Gleam sighed loudly. Completely oblivious of Argo standing off to the side of her and ignoring his request; lost in her daydream. Argo reached out, without looking, with his free hoof to take the stone tablets Gleam was supposed to be giving him but felt nothing come in contact with his hoof. Looking perplexed, Argo looked up from his tablet to see what the hold-up was and saw Gleam spacing out.

"Ms. Fizzle?" Argo asked aloud sounding very annoyed.

"Mr. Fleece isn't seeing anypony today." Gleam said as if rehearsed.

Argo stepped in front of her desk, and then positioned himself in her line of sight that made her jump in her stone chair.

"You will not be seeing anypony if you don't get me those reports!" Argo snapped at her.

"Of course, Mr. Fleece!" Gleam said frantically.

Scrambling out her chair, Gleam pulled open several drawers looking through several stacked tablets. Slowly but surely, Gleam came to a halt, lowering her head in shame as she looked over her shoulder at Argo.

"W-W-What reports did you need?" Gleam asked sheepishly.

"Yesterday morning." Argo replied narrowing his eyes at her.

Gleam slammed several drawers shut before opening the appropriate drawer and retrieved the stack of tablets. Placing them on the desk in front of him, Gleam sat back down in her chair and tried to seem busy by writing on a blank stone tablet. Argo scooped the stack of stone slates from the desk, Gleam could feel his glare as he headed back towards the corridor. A sudden upheaval of laughter came from the Main Hall, which had both Gleam and Argo looking towards the stone doors.

"I cannot wait for this day to be over and done with." Argo mumbled.

Looking over at Gleam, expecting her to approve of his statement, found her gazing at the door and leaning against her hoof. Argo appeared in front of the desk once more, causing Gleam to fumble for her charcoal and start writing right away again.

"It's apparent that our 'honored guests' will not be settling down anytime soon." Argo said dropping the stack of reports back onto her desk.

"Q-Quite right, sir." Gleam said quickly pulling the stack back.

"Take the rest of the day off, Ms. Fizzle." Argo said walking away from her desk.

Gleam nearly dropped the stack of stone tablets, quickly contorting her body to catch the loose tablets from sliding out from her hooves. Hopping over to the drawer and letting them fall in, Gleam turned to look at Argo in astonishment.

"You really mean it, sir?" Gleam asked.

"Is there a problem?" Argo asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"N-No, sir. No problem at all." Gleam said quickly, trying to hide her excitement.

Argo nodded in agreement. Strolling back down the corridor as Gleam silently screamed in joy and danced on the spot. Quickly clearing up her desk and signing out on her time slate, Gleam through a quick salute to her desk before hurrying to the stone doors leading to the hall. Just as Gleam placed her hoof on the door, she felt it push inwards as Burning Sand seemed to be struggling to open it more then he already had.

"Senator Sand?" Gleam asked in surprise pulling the door open for him.

"Oh, good afternoon, Miss… uh…" Burning Sand squinted his eyes at her trying to remember her face.

"It's Gleam Fizzle, Senator." Gleam stated showing him in and closing the door behind him.

"Oh, yes that's right, I mistake you and your sister." Burning Sand replied strolling into the room.

"Was there something I can help you with, Senator Sand?" Gleam asked quickly, her eyes glancing at the door but choosing to be a good receptionist.

"I'm just here to see Argo. I'll show myself in, if you don't mind." Burning Sand replied heading down the corridor.

"At least let me escort you." Gleam offered striding up next to the elder Flame Pony.

Argo crossed his chamber to his desk that had several more stone tablets stacked at different heights. Seating himself in his chair, Argo took one off the top letting it drop in front of him as he started to skim over it. It was about a minute before there came a knock at his door.

"Who is it?" Argo asked looking up towards the door.

"It's me, Ms. Fizzle, sir." Gleam said from the other side of the door.

"What is it, Ms. Fizzle?" Argo asked aloud.

"Senator Burning Sand to see you, sir." Gleam replied through the door.

"Show him in, Ms. Fizzle." Argo replied looking back down at the tablet.

The stone door to his chamber slide open, Burning Sand stepped inside with Ms. Fizzle.

"A little bird told me you'd be working today, Argo." Burning Sand said with a chuckle.

"There are no birds in the Ashen Fields, Sand." Argo replied.

"It's a figure of speech." Burning Sand stated.

"How did I ever get by without you?" Argo mumbled shaking his head.

Argo looked over at Gleam who was standing by the door, she seemed rather anxious to get to the festivities.

"Good day, Ms. Fizzle." Argo said waving her off.

"Good day, sir." Gleam replied quickly, bolting from the room and slamming the stone door behind her.

"She's an energetic one, isn't she?" Burning Sand asked curiously, glancing over his shoulder.

"She's reliable most of the time, when she's not distracted." Argo commented, once more reading the slate in front of him.

Burning Sand carefully seated himself in the stone chair facing Argo's desk, it was brought in from the waiting area to allow representative ponies a place to sit when speaking with him.

"Is it safe to say you won't be joining the activities this evening?" Burning Sand asked watching Argo read quietly.

"Lord Smolder has requested our presence later tonight, in place of his family at the King's Table, we shall be filling in for them." Argo informed him.

"Are you going to be the grumpy Uncle of the family?" Burning Sand asked jokingly.

"Was there something you needed?" Argo asked impatiently looking up from his stone slate.

"Just making conversation." Burning Sand replied honestly.

"I'm in no mood for conversation at the moment." Argo replied to him.

"You're never in the mood for anything." Burning Sand retorted.

"Fine, you wish to have a conversation, then so be it." Argo said, dropping the slate onto the desk and leaning back in his stone chair; looking very irritated.

"How have you been?" Burning Sand asked cheerfully.

"Marvelous. How was the Crystal Empire?" Argo replied quickly.

"In all my years I never thought color would be something I would have forgotten. The multitude, the variations, Argo, it was an unbelievable sight." Burning Sand said reminiscing of his journey.

"Lovely, nice speaking with you." Argo said dismissively, picking up his slate once more.

"Shining Armor and Princess Cadance were so accommodating to me." Burning Sand continued, still reminiscing about his trip.

Argo did his best to drown out Burning Sand's ramblings. Looking back down at his tablet, Argo tried to focus back in on his work but his mane continued to flare. With a frustrated grunt, Argo pushed the tablet away from him, leaning back in his chair and rubbed his brow with his hoof. Argo took a deep breath and let out a sigh. A knock came at the door.

"What is it now, Ms. Fizzle?" Argo asked aloud.

The stone door slid open. Pinkie Pie's head popped in through the door and that was enough to have Argo facehoof himself at the sight of her; Burning Sand glanced over his shoulder.

"Hey, Mr. Fleece, do you have a minute?" Pinkie Pie asked with wide smile.

"Of course he does, come in, little pink pony." Burning Sand said aloud before Argo could refuse her.

"Great!" Pinkie Pie shouted in glee.

"You have thirty seconds before I tune you out." Argo replied still rubbing his hoof against his face.

"I just wanted to talk to you about something." Pinkie Pie said strolling into the chamber.

"If this is about the band, I can't say I really care for the 'Cream of Clopton', but frankly I really don't care about any of this anymore." Argo stated, pulling the tablet back towards him.

"That's what I'm here to talk to you about." Pinkie Pie said approaching the desk.

"I already said, I don't care about the band." Argo said shooing her away towards the door.

"This isn't about the amazing band known as the Cream of Clopton, it's about some special guest ponies." Pinkie Pie replied.

"We have a one size fits all rule that we are adhering to. The only accommodations we made were for Royalty." Argo stated half-heartedly, still pretending to read the stone tablet in front of him.

"This is actually about a personal matter." Pinkie Pie continued.

"Please take your troubles someplace else, Pink Pony, I have much work to do." Argo said dismissively.

"At least give her the chance to speak, Argo." Burning Sand said seeming interested.

"Say whatever it is you came here to say and then leave." Argo said rubbing his hoof against his temple.

"So the other day I was speaking with General Hearth and he told me something that I didn't know was as secret until I spoke to Sparky who said it was a secret but not a secret that ponies tell other ponies but more a secret that ponies don't speak of because it involves a personal problem that the original pony didn't want other ponies knowing." Pinkie Pie started to explain.

"I didn't catch a word of that." Argo said shaking his head at her.

"She was told something in confidence, Argo, try to pay more attention." Burning Sand said seeming to understand her ramble.

"I thought long and hard about what I should do and what I shouldn't do. Because some things just have to work out for themselves, but I then realized that sometimes a pony needs to get the ball rolling for that certain something to start happening. So I ran into Princess Sapphire yesterday, smacking the living hay out of Smolder's head for some reason in his Royal Chambers, causing even more rumors, but apparently they were just trying to get his horn to grow. So I told her about my problem and she agreed to help me send a letter to the Frozen North if I never talked about what I saw to any pony, but I ended up telling you ponies anyways so don't tell no pony." Pinkie Pie continued, taking a deep breath.

"I'm just going to keep nodding my head at you." Argo said staring blankly at her, his head slightly bobbing up and down.

"This is getting really interesting, I had no idea Smolder and Sapphire were seeing each other in private." Burning Sand said looking very excited at what she was going to say next.

"Through her connections, Princess Sapphire helped track down a group of Flame Ponies that lived in a small commune that had been refugees from the age of the Mad King. Several of those Flame Ponies showed interest in returning to the Ashen Fields after realizing that the ban had been lifted." Pinkie Pie stated.

"If those Flame Ponies want to return, I don't have say in it either way, that is for our soon to be crowned King to decide." Argo replied.

"Two of those ponies just so happen to be Mrs. and Ms. Fleece." Pinkie Pie finished, sounding very sincere.

Argo's mane didn't plume, nor did it blaze, it nearly snuffed itself out. Burning Sand and Pinkie watched as he sat motionless for several seconds, stone faced, before his flames returned as a small burn. Staring at Pinkie Pie, looking very frightened by this news, his eyes full of sadness, as he started to shake. It almost seemed like he was going to faint. Slumping back in his chair, eyes wide in disbelief, looking very vulnerable and feeble; a feature no pony would had ever thought possible.

"You… spoke… to..." Argo mumbled quietly.

"That's not possible. Helena never made it to the Frozen North. Argo said so himself. It was tragedy that Argo has had to live with since the day's of the Mad King." Burning Sand stated looking very surprised; not believing a word of it.

"Mrs. Fleece made it alright, with their little filly who isn't such a filly anymore." Pinkie Pie replied looking excited.

"How is this possible, Argo? You told me your family never made it past the mines." Burning Sand asked sounding confused.

Pinkie Pie looked back at Argo who was shaking all over. He seemed helpless, looking around his desk as if there was going to be something that was going to tell him what he needed to do.

"Argo?" Burning Sand asked looking concerned.

"I lied." Argo said quietly.

"You what?" Pinkie Pie and Burning San asked in surprise.

Argo glanced up at Burning Sand who seemed very concerned, as did Pinkie Pie.

"I had a few connections left in the North, just before the Mad King went to war with Equestria. One of the contacts I had, told me about their arrival a few weeks after she had left. That they had both made it safely." Argo confessed, speaking very solemnly.

"You knew your family was alive this whole time?" Argo asked in disbelief.

"Yes." Argo replied drawing his eyes down to his desk.

"Then why the hay are they still up in the North? Better yet, why are you still here?" Pinkie Pie asked, leaning over his desk to ask him nearly face to face.

"They... believed me to be dead." Argo replied quietly.

Pinkie Pie seemed taken aback by this, Burning Sand slowly shook his head in disappointment.

"Why would they think that?" Pinkie Pie asked in astonishment.

"Because that's what I told my contact to tell them, so that Helena would never have reason to return; even if she wanted to." Argo answered, refusing to look up at her.

Pinkie Pie slammed her face down on the desk, the very thought of it made her shake her head. Lifting her head, Pinkie Pie saw Burning Sand standing by Argo's side. Pinkie Pie watched him violently shove Argo out of his chair. Argo, having been taken by surprise, had no time to brace himself as he fell hard onto the floor.

"You should be ashamed of yourself. Doing something so horrible to your family, it's completely beneath you. All these years ponies have sympathized with your pain only to find out that you've never lost anything, you're just simply hiding from it." Burning Sand said, scolding him.

"Helena left me!" Argo shouted angrily, getting to his hooves and standing up to Burning Sand.

"So you, in turn, pretend to be dead?" Burning Sand questioned him.

"What was I to do? Beg Helena to come back to a warring Kingdom? The Frozen North was far away from the troubles of the Mad King and it was better for Goldie to grow up there then in the aftermath many of our ponies went through." Argo argued with him.

"Goldie?" Pinkie Pie asked, interjecting herself into the conversation.

"Golden Fleece, the name of Argo's daughter." Burning Sand explained, not taking his eyes off Argo.

"Having them believe that I was gone was the best way to keep them from coming back to the Fields." Argo said definitively.

"I always believed you to be a pony of honesty, Argo Fleece. Even if your honesty was blunt and rude at times, you always spoke your mind. Now I see that you're just a sad, angry, old pony who wishes he was some pony else. A pony that had gone after Helena rather than stewing in his own self-pity all these years." Burning Sand said looking very disappointed in him.

"I did what I had to do, Burnie! You wouldn't understand!" Argo shouted at him; looking very conflicted with his own words.

"I know that not a day goes by that I don't wish to see the ones I lost, Argo. Some of us don't have the luxury to choose anymore." Burning Sand replied coldly.

Argo didn't have anything to say to him this time, and couldn't bring himself to look Burnie in the the eye anymore. Burning Sand took his leave, pulling open the stone door and leaving without saying another word. Pinkie Pie looked over at Argo who seemed to be at war with himself. Attempting to justify his reasons and trying to beat down the guilt that seemed to be boiling over inside him.

"Argo…" Pinkie Pie said slowly waiting to see if he would reply.

"Just leave me alone." Argo mumbled in defeat.

"I really think you should see your family." Pinkie Pie said confidently.

"No, I don't think I will." Argo replied bitterly, sitting back down in his chair.

"But Argo…" Pinkie Pie started again.

"I said no, Pinkie Pie!" Argo shouted, his mane flaring.

Pinkie Pie stared at him, even though his face was screwed up in anger, she could see the pain lurking behind his eyes.

"They're waiting out in the seating area." Pinkie Pie said, glancing over her shoulder at the doors.

Argo suddenly looked very frightened. His anger falling away, his flames diminishing very quickly.

"Why? Why did you bring them here?" Argo asked covering his head with his hooves.

"Because you made a lot of mistakes in the past, and you've made up for nearly all of them except for this one." Pinkie Pie said leaning across his desk.

"I haven't changed at all. I'm still that same arrogant pony, Pinkie Pie. Still the Treasurer of Castle Char, still a strict, cold hearted pony that drove them away in the first place. They already know I've lied to them, they'll take one look at me and leave." Argo said bitterly.

"I'm going to level with you, you're one mean son of a diamond dog, and not in the good way. Your attitude stinks and getting a compliment out of you is like squeezing water from a rock." Pinkie Pie confessed.

Argo lowered his hooves from his head. Pinkie Pie could see the years of stress and regret on his face.

"But this is your family, Argo. Something you protected, a treasure you couldn't replace. You have a chance to get it back, to invest in it, and cherish it once more. Don't keep trying to hide it, you need to embrace it, and let yourself be vulnerable for once." Pinkie Pie said comfortingly.

Argo lowered his hooves. Pinkie Pie was surprised to actually see him looking very scared at what he was being asked to do; he always seemed to be made out of stone.

"To be lectured by such a fool of a pony, not even a quarter my age." Argo mumbled rubbing his nose with hoof.

Pinkie Pie watched Argo wrestle with his emotions for a while before, for the first time in a very long time, Argo genuinely smiled.

"I'll… be right out." Argo said quietly, staring down at his desk. "I just need to compose myself."

Pinkie Pie beamed at him. Bouncing towards the door in excitement at the thought of a family being reunited once more sent chills down Pinkie's spine. Quickly making her way out from the chamber, Pinkie Pie could see Gleam speaking with two other Flame Ponies at the end of the corridor. Gleam glanced over her shoulder to see Pinkie Pie miming with her hooves to stretch; asking her to stall for time.

The older mare was Helena Fleece, a dark grey Flame Pony, her fire was light red and her cutie mark bore a small pile of treasure. The pony beside her was Golden Fleece, she was a fairly light grey pony, her flames were a deep yellow and her cutie mark was a golden thread that curled.

"Mr. Fleece is single hoofed the most important pony working for Prince Smolder. He is the first pony to arrive and the last pony to leave every day, he is the economy of the Ashen Fields. It has been an honor to work for him." Gleam said graciously.

"Sweetheart, I know this pony. He gives saddle soars a good name." Helena remarked sounding uninterested.

"Mother!" Goldie hissed in disapproval.

"It's true dear. Your father is the most closed off, inconsiderate pony that has ever walked these fields." Helena replied not missing a beat.

"How did you two meet? If you don't mind me asking." Gleam asked curiously; finding the idea of her standing up to Argo inspiring.

"I was his secretary." Helena replied simply.

"You were his secretary?" Gleam asked in disbelief.

"You don't need to pander to me, honey. I know what it's like working with that colt, so don't start playing up the old wind song for that pompous pony. He's rude, demanding and won't let you have a day off unless you're missing a leg; he might even ask if you just limp into work anyways." Helena mumbled, frowning at her own memories.

"Tell me about it." Gleam mumbled under her breath.

"You still ended up marrying him, mother." Goldie said eyeing her.

"That doesn't change the fact that he's a cold, unfeeling rock of a pony." Helena stated turning up her nose.

"How did you end up together?" Gleam asked sounding very curious.

"Good luck, I've been asking her about that for years now." Goldie replied rolling her eyes.

"I sang your mother a song." Argo said aloud from the threshold of the corridor.

Helena, Goldie, and Gleam all turned to face Argo who stood wearing a very serious expression. There was an awkward silence that followed his remark. Pinkie Pie stood off to the side, Gleam slowly sliding away from Helena and Goldie, trying to make her way to the door. Goldie would have liked nothing more then to hug her father, having never seen or known all her life, but her mother made it perfectly clear that they were to be angry with him when he showed his 'big dumb face'.

"Argo? What a surprise, and here I thought you were dead." Helena remarked coldly.

"I got better." Argo replied snidely.

"Just so we're clear on this, you wrote a series of anonymous letters to me expressing your undying love before finding the courage to confess that it was you all along." Helena pointed out.

"If I recall correctly, you wouldn't shut up about your secret admirer pony for weeks on end." Argo retorted.

"I recall you standing me up twice on two of our dates, apologizing out the saddle for it in the following letters claiming you had pony pocks and a hernia. Only to finally confess that it was you writing these love letters through a rather poorly written love song you sang to me on our third, but first real date." Helena snapped hotly.

"I told you I would have improved upon it, but you ran away before I could get the chance." Argo replied coldly.

"Would that have been before or after bleeding ponies dry for every last ounce of gold they had to fund the Mad King's war?" Helena asked angrily.

"It was after…" Argo said trailing off.

Helena noticed that his tone had changed. His stern exterior had fallen, much like how it used to disappear when he spoke sweetly to her, when it was just them.

"When I came home to our empty house, finding an empty crib, and realizing you weren't coming home ever again." Argo said, his voice starting to tremble.

Argo's age was beginning to show through, the years of regret causing him to look feeble, and it hurt Helena to see him so vulnerable. Helena stepped towards him, trying desperately to keep the scowl she wore but it was quickly being beaten back by her trembling lip.

"You know why I had to do it, Argo." Helena said, her voice also trembling.

"Yes, and you know why… I had to do what I did." Argo said remorsefully.

Helena nodded her head yes, not trusting herself to speak in fear that her emotions would get the better of her. Argo managed a very sorry looking smile, making Helena choke back laugh at his meager expression.

"I've missed you so much, Helena." Argo confessed.

By the time Argo had finished his sentence, Helena was already embracing him with all the years of separation put into this one hug. Goldie was not far behind, taking Argo's other shoulder, hugging him tightly and rambling in his ear how good it was to finally meet him.

"I'm sorry for all the pain I caused you, Argo." Helena whispered to him.

"I'm sorry for making you choose between us and our treasure." Argo whispered back.

Gently kissing his daughter on her forehead, Argo shared a long overdue kiss with Helena. It was a few more moments before they separated, Helena smiled warmly at him as he smiled back. That's when Argo suddenly felt Helena's hoof hit him upside the head, staggering him a bit, while Argo looked at her in surprise.

"That's for trying to make me believe you were dead. How dumb do you think I am?" Helena asked sounding very cross.

Pinkie Pie watched as Argo attempted to explain his way out of being in trouble once again, as Burning Sand strolled over to her.

"You did a very kind thing to a very unkind pony, Pinkie Pie." Burning Sand said to her looking very approving.

"Every pony deserves a chance to be happy." Pinkie Pie replied happily.

Chapter 26: Wayward Smolder

Tea and I took the main road into the Ashen Fields from Ponyville. There were several vendor ponies pulling carts down the road, speaking to one another on better selling points, and possible locations for the best chance of making a bit more coin. The hood of my cloak suddenly came down over my head, while feeling Tea's hooves adjusting it so I could see.

"Can I help you?" I asked, sounding a little confused by what she was doing.

"Hiding you." Tea whispered to me.

"From what?" I asked looking around.

"From any pony that might recognize you." Tea whispered to me.

I felt her hoof lightly knock the back of my head. It brought a smile to my face as a flood of memories came pouring back. I felt Tea brush up alongside of me. She was walking very close to me know, so close that our shoulders almost rubbed together.

"What are you doing?" I asked, feeling my nerves take over.

"I'm trying to make you look less suspicious by having every pony think you're being assisted by me." Tea whispered back.

"Wouldn't a hooded pony next to a light green pony look rather suspicious anyways?" I asked curiously.

"Not if the hooded pony walks like he's got a purpose." Tea hissed at me, feeling her nudge me to move faster.

The closer we got to the canyon, cutting through the base of two connecting mountains, the more crowded it seemed to become. Many pony vendors had set up shop on the sides of the road before leading into the canyon, mostly ponies offering food or drink; while others pitched flags and other trinkets bearing a picture of flames to support the crowning of the King. Several ponies blocked parts of the road, listening to the sale pitches the pony vendors had while examining their wares. Tea did her best to snake me through the crowds.

"How much further is it to your castle?" Tea asked me in a whisper.

"We just have to get through the canyon and cross the Ashen Fields." I whispered back.

"That far?" Tea hissed sounding surprised.

"It's not that far… kinda." I hissed back.

I suddenly felt myself being pulled away from Tea, some pony hand taken me by the arm, through the cloak, and led me over to a platform.

"Hello gentlecolt! Nice cloak you got there!" The unicorn pony dressed in a blue candy stripe shirt, straw hat, with a red mustache said.

"One in every single pony tends to get some sort of stain on their clothes almost one-hundred percent of the time." An identical unicorn in a blue candy stripe shirt, straw hat, with no mustache said.

I watched the two twin ponies climb atop their platform, pulling back the curtain to reveal several bottles of some sort of blue liquid. All the ponies that had already been standing around the platform let out a collective 'ooo' at their product.

"Today's the day when you look great!" The mustache pony began to sing.

"Perhaps to a party or a really hot date!" The mustache-less pony joined in.

"You take one last look before you start to trot!" The mustache pony sang.

"But wait! What's that? Good heavens a spot?" The mustache-less pony sang.

"You try your hooves with all that scrubbing." The mustache pony continued.

"But all that hard work has given you nothing!" The mustache-less pony retorted.

"When stains are a pain and won't go away!" The mustache pony sang.

"Try Flim Flam Brothers new Cleaning Spray!" The other pony joined in.

"I don't have any stains." I said slowly clapping along with the rest of the crowd.

"Not yet you don't!" The pony known as Flim said aloud.

I watched him pick up a bucket of something yellow, drop off the stage holding it up over his head and started walking over to me.

"Watch as my brother pours mustard all over this willing and consenting pony's cloak, surely to be stained forever, but have it restored like new with our Cleaning Spray!" The pony known as Flam said aloud to the crowd.

I stepped back only to bump into on looking ponies that pushed me back towards the mustard bucket, hoping to see this Cleaning Spray in action and probably not wanting to be caught in the splash zone. Flim lifted the bucket high, ready to dump it on me, as I felt myself begin to panic. Ready to flare my fire to have every pony back off, I watched as Tea stepped past me and pushed the bucket the other way, dousing Flim with his own mustard.

"He's not interested. Thank you." Tea said promptly.

I felt her grab my shoulder, pulling me away from the now mustard covered Flim and led me through the crowd of on looking ponies.

"No need to worry every pony! I'll have my brother cleaned up in no time!" Flam announced to the crowd as Flim sat covered in mustard looking very annoyed.

Tea lead us out from the crowd of ponies, I was very relieved to have come out unstained from that ordeal but it came at a cost; Tea hit me in the back of the head once more.

"What do you think you were doing?" Tea asked in a huff.

"Me? That pony pulled me away." I said in protest; defending my innocence.

"Rarity would have killed you if you showed up with a smelly mustardy yellow cloak." Tea hissed taking a hold of my hoof through the cloak and pulled me back down the road.

It technically wasn't holding hooves, seeing as Tea was merely pulling me through the crowds of ponies, but it made my heart race all the same. We eventually reached the canyon where several Royal Flame Pony Guards blocked the main entrance, while a few other squads patrolled the outer areas of the main roads.

"Are they not letting ponies into the Ashen Fields?" Tea asked sounding a bit worried.

"Well, not all at once." I replied.

"Why not?" Tea asked.

"The canyon is prone to rock slides and with the possibility of spider ambushes we've decided to take measures to ensure every pony got through safely." I explained to her.

"So how do we get in?" Tea asked curiously.

"All you have to do is ask and a Royal Guard will escort you through the canyon." I informed her.

This time I took hold of Tea's hoof, through the cloak, and led her up to the Royal Guard Pony standing front and center.

"Would you like to enter the Ashen Fields?" Corporal Hicks asked formally.

"Hicks… it's me." I whispered lifting my hood so that he could see my face better.

Corporal Hick's doubled back in surprise, drawing the attention of the other guard ponies but motioned to them to stand down. Leaning in close to me, Corporal Hicks began to whisper.

"My Lord, what are you doing here?" Corporal Hicks hissed.

"I went to the train station in Ponyville to pick up a friend." I whispered back.

Corporal Hicks glanced at Tea who offered him a small wave.

"My Lord… how many wives are you considering?" Hicks asked in a whisper.

"Wives?" I asked quickly, feeling my face flush.

"We thought that you and Princess Sapphire were… you know…" Corporal Hicks hinted.

"What do you mean we?" I asked, sounding surprised by the idea of more ponies having the same thought.

"Well, ever since her appearance, it seemed like she was going to be the new Queen and we were all excited to have more Ice Ponies walking around; I mean a lot of those mares are probably just as gorgeous as Princess Sapphire." Corporal Hicks whispered, looking rather embarrassed himself over the idea.

"I haven't chosen a special somepony yet and I'd very much appreciate it if you didn't gossip to the others about me personal life!" I hissed feeling my face burn up.

"Is everything okay?" Tea asked, wondering what we were whispering about.

"Yep! Everything's great." I said turning to Tea with a smile.

"I only mention it because the other guards and I were taking bets on when the two of you were going to go public with it and-" Corporal Hicks started to explain.

"You need to stop talking about this right now and let me get back to the castle before Wingston kills me." I hissed quickly.

"Of course, my Lord. Right away." Corporal Hicks said nodding his head several times.

Corporal Hicks waved to one of the other Flame Ponies to come over, informing him to take his place; Corporal Hicks motioned for us to follow him through the canyon. Our walk through the canyon was in silence for a bit, once we were out of earshot from the other ponies we were free to speak normally.

"If you don't mind me asking, my Lord, why did you leave Castle Char?" Corporal Hicks asked glancing over his shoulder.

"It's Smolder, and I wanted to meet my friend Tea at the train station." I replied glancing over at Tea.

"It's not safe to be going off on your own, my Lord. Especially with the Orc and Spiders seeking to destroy us." Corporal Hicks warned.

"Have there been any siting of spiders today?" I asked curiously, my thoughts mostly concerning the small gathering of ponies near the edge of the canyon.

"None yet, my Lord. We've closed a majority of the old mining tunnels in several key areas, several patrols are scouting the areas where ponies are mostly concentrated and our flyers are watching over the main and side roads." Corporal Hicks reported.

"You seem well informed." Tea said sounding encouraging.

"General Hearth believes that every pony should know what's going on, hoping to minimize the need for questions if things start turning south." Corporal Hicks replied.

"I wasn't expecting so many ponies to be here." I pointed out.

"Don't worry, my Lord. We have everything under control." Corporal Hicks said sounding confident.

"Lord Smolder." Tea said to herself before quietly snickering.

"I don't make them say that." I said to her.

"It's out of respect for what our young Lord has done for us; it's also part of our job." Corporal Hicks said with a chuckle.

"Do you like serving under Smolder?" Tea asked curiously.

"To be honest, Lord Smolder hasn't asked us to do more then what we've signed up for when becoming Royal Guards. General Hearth has asked us to pull double shifts since the threat against the Kingdom but we're more than willing to defend our new home." Corporal Hicks explained.

"Well, at least you're not letting this whole King thing go to your head." Tea said approvingly, narrowing her eyes at me.

"If you don't mind me asking," Corporal Hicks began looking over his shoulder at Tea. "How'd you come to be a friend of our Lord Smolder?"

"Well… Princess Celestia and Princess Luna had brought him to the Canterlot Infirmary where I sort of… treated him." Tea said thinking back on it.

"Makes sense." Corporal Hicks said nodding his head.

"What does?" I asked curiously.

"Usually injured soldier ponies develop affections for the nurse ponies that treat them. I believe it's called a 'Florence Nightingale' effect, I've seen it happen many times. " Corporal Hicks mentioned.

I could feel my face beginning to flush. I could tell that Tea was also feeling a bit embarrassed about it.

"I'm no soldier pony though." I clarified trying to play it off.

"But you do have feelings for each other?" Corporal Hicks asked curiously looking over his shoulder.

Words seemed to fail me as I tried to somehow admit to my feelings while simultaneously denying it to spare Tea and I the embarrassment over having every pony know about us. Tea had taken a sort of vow of silence on the topic, refusing to come to my rescue on this matter.

"Don't worry, my Lord. Your private affairs are none of my business." Corporal Hicks said reassuringly; even thought here was a series of bets floating around concerning it.

Tea and I sighed in relief. I'm pretty sure I heard Corporal Hicks mumble something to himself about Princess Sapphire but lucky for me Tea did not hear it. Our escort through the canyon was uneventful, much to my relief and on the last turn through the canyon it opened up to the Ashen Fields.

Peanut, Cosmic and Nightshade stood outside Castle Char near the chariots that the Royal Ponies used to arrive in. Having been selected by Princess Celestia to act as their Royal Escorts to the Coronation, the three colts were head over hooves to be getting out of guard duty for a day or two. Unfortunately, instead of standing in front of Throne Room doors, the three colts stood guard in front of the chariots.

"I can't believe Princess Celestia asked us to accompany her to the Ashen Fields." Cosmic said sounding pumped.

"Technically we were the ponies on hoof to drive the chariot, so it was just good timing." Peanut remarked taking in the sights.

"Aren't you excited that we might get to see Smolder again?" Nightshade questioned him.

"It's a Coronation. Smolder is going to have every pony who's some pony here and he'll have to talk to each one. I'd be surprised if he has enough time to say hello to every pony before tomorrow." Peanut remarked still looking around.

"Well at least it's nice change of pace from having to stand in front of those Throne Room doors." Cosmic said looking rather relieved.

"Yeah, now we can stand next to empty chariots all day." Nightshade replied suddenly realizing what they were doing.

"Don't ruin this for me, Shades. At least we're outside, in the fresh air and not standing in hallway." Cosmic mumbled looking annoyed with him.

"We'll probably be sent back to Canterlot with the chariots." Peanut mentioned motioning towards the chariots.

"Nuh uh!" Cosmic snapped looking worried.

"Well, we're not technically qualified to protect Princess Celestia or Princess Luna." Nightshade mentioned.

"I'll just break a wheel! That'll keep us in the Ashen Fields for a bit!" Cosmic said suddenly, taking hold of the chariot's wheel and tugging on it.

"The chariots can still fly without a wheel, genius." Peanut remarked slapping his hooves off of the wheel.

"Hey…" Nightshade said slowly looking down the dirt road towards three ponies gradually making their way closer and closer to the castle.

"Isn't that Tea Herbal?" Nightshade asked squinting at the light green pony coming down the path.

Cosmic and Peanut were both now squinting themselves, trying their best to make out whether or not it was indeed Ms. Herbal. After a minute of hard squinting, it had become clear to see that it was indeed Ms. Herbal.

"I thought Smolder had a thing for Ms. Herbal?" Peanut asked looking surprised. "Who's this pony she's with?"

"They could just be friends, Peanut." Nightshade pointed out.

"Who is she with, though?" Cosmic asked curiously trying to make out the cloaked pony she walked next to.

"You don't think she's found some other special some pony, do you?" Nightshade asked, sounding a bit worried.

"Smolder did say he didn't want to tell Ms. Herbal of his feelings for her." Peanut mentioned.

Corporal Hicks slowed to a stop, a few feet away from Peanut, Cosmic, and Nightshade before turning to me and Tea.

"I believe this is far enough, my Lord. I wish you luck on your Coronation." Corporal Hearth said bowing his head to me.

"Thank you." I replied, awkwardly bowing my head to him as well.

Corporal Hicks nodded to Tea, signaling his goodbye before heading off back to the canyon. My eyes fell upon the three Canterlot Guard ponies standing watch over the chariots and my heart jumped at the realization of who they were. Although they did not seem as pleased to see me the closer we got.

"Hello, Ms. Herbal." Peanut said politely slightly bowing his head to her.

"Hey Tea." Cosmic said whimsically.

"Who's the colt?" Nightshade asked outright eyeing me.

I suddenly realized that I still had my hood up, keeping my identity concealed to every pony. Before I had a chance to remove my hood, I felt Tea's hoof take hold of mine.

"Just a friend of mine." Tea said in a matter of fact tone.

I could see Nightshade, Cosmic, and Peanut become uncomfortable at these words. I could feel daggers from their eyes by the way they looked at me.

"So... who is he?" Nightshade poised the question again; sounding rather unimpressed.

"Well he's a Lord from a Kingdom that is good friends with Canterlot." Tea told them, being very vague about it.

"What's with the dress?" Cosmic asked, trying to poke fun at it.

"It's a very elegant cloak that only the most important of ponies can wear." Tea replied resting her head upon my shoulder.

I could see that this made Nightshade, Cosmic, and Peanut fidget uncomfortably.

"Ms. Herbal, may I have a word in private?" Peanut asked motioning to a spot a few feet away.

"Of course." Tea said happily, leaving my side as Cosmic and Nightshade slowly approached me; looking none too happy.

Peanut and Tea walked for a few brisk strides before Peanut turned to speak with her.

"Ms. Herbal, are your feelings for this colt, well, genuine?" Peanut asked carefully.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Peanut, my feelings for him are rather genuine.." Tea said reassuringly.

"Ms. Herbal, I don't know if Smolder told you, but he thinks the world of you." Peanut said in a lower register; almost a whisper.

"Does he now?" Tea asked, pretending to be surprised.

"Indeed he does. It's because he is a Flame Pony that he feels he cannot create a functioning relationship with you. But I can assure you that he cares about you very deeply." Peanut informed her.

"He told you this?" Tea asked curiously.

"He expressed remorse for not being able to tell you how he felt when we went to the mountain to find the missing ponies. I'm sure it was to spare you from having to deal with a long distant relationship, but I feel he was more concerned with the fact that he was a Flame Pony" Peanut informed her.

"I see, I guess Smolder told you ponies before telling me." Tea said thinking about it.

"I'm sure he wanted to, but just couldn't find a way that would make you both happy." Peanut said reassuringly.

"Oh, I know that. He told me on the walk over here." Tea replied.

"He did?" Peanut asked looing rather surprised.

"Of course, he came to pick me up from the train station." Tea remarked glancing over her shoulder at the cloaked pony.

Peanut looked up to see Cosmic and Nightshade staring the cloaked pony down before realizing who that pony actually was.

"So… you think you're good enough for Tea Herbal, do you?" Cosmic asked intimidatingly.

"You don't look like much of a colt to me." Nightshade said looking me over.

"I bet you've never served as a solider pony before." Cosmic said narrowing his eyes at me.

"No." I replied.

"I didn't think so!" Cosmic said accusingly, pointing his hoof at me.

"We've got a friend who's madly in love with Tea and I'm sure he's going to be pretty mad when he hears you're dating her." Nightshade threatened; trying to play up his threat.

"You wouldn't like him when he's mad. Want to know why? Cause his dad was the Mad King! That's right! Our friend is the soon to be King and I bet he throws you in the dungeon for even going near his Tea!" Cosmic said trying to scare me.

"Nope." I said feeling myself trying not to laugh.

"Can't stand the sun? Is that why you where this cloak? Well if you can't stand the heat, you won't be able to stand up to Smolder. He's hotter than you… both physically and literally." Nightshade warned.

"You think Smolder is hot?" Cosmic asked looking at Nightshade.

"What? No. I was just doing a thing." Nightshade replied.

"What thing? You said he was hot." Cosmic insisted.

"He's a Flame Pony, he's on fire. Hot." Nightshade tried to clarify.

"Yeah, but you said physically. Like it, handsome. That kind of hot." Cosmic retorted.

"So?" Nightshade asked.

"Nothing, I just didn't know you thought about things like that." Cosmic mentioned.

"Like what?" Nightshade asked.

"Just that. You know, that." Cosmic said sounding defensive.

"No, what's that?" Nightshade asked again.

"Never mind, just forget it." Cosmic said shaking his head.

"No, tell me what you meant." Nightshade insisted.

I could help but snort a laugh at this. Which brought their focus back on me.

"What's so funny?" Cosmic asked looking annoyed.

"Laughing at us are you?" Nightshade asked sounding defensive.

"Well laugh at our faces like a proper colt before we kick your flank for it." Cosmic said, throwing back my hood.

I couldn't help but grin seeing the looks on their faces when they realized it was me. It was a mixture of surprise, delight, and confusion all at once. Eventually, Cosmic and Nightshade began to smile wide before giving me playful shoves.

"You clever colt, it was you under there all along." Cosmic said looking me over.

"I really thought you were going to have an episode seeing Tea with some other pony." Nightshade confessed patting me on the shoulder.

I felt another hoof pat me on the back. I glanced over to see Peanut patting away, laughing all the while.

"You really had us going there." Peanut said wiping his brow.

Tea strolled up next to me, leaning against me; much to the surprise of Cosmic and Nightshade.

"Wait… so you to are...?" Cosmic asked looking suspicious.

"You two are really are…?" Nightshade trailed looking at each of us.

"We're just seeing how things go… for now." I said nervously; Tea nodding in agreement.

"Oh! Sure! Of course!" Nightshade said quickly, nodding in understanding.

"We won't tell no pony." Cosmic said reassuringly.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready for your ceremony, Smolder?" Peanut asked noticing the lateness of the hour.

I still had a whole hour before the ceremony would take place, which left not enough time to get scolded by Wingston but enough time to come up with something to say in the meantime for the speech I had not written. Although, this would conclude my time with Tea, and have to say goodbye to Cosmic, Nightshade, and Peanut already.

"Would you mind looking after Tea while I'm gone?" I asked them.

"Say no more, we've got it taken care of." Cosmic said thumping his hoof against his chest.

"Aren't we supposed to be watching the chariots?" Nightshade asked, bringing up their discussion from earlier.

"We've been asked by the King of the Ashen Fields to watch over his special special some- I mean- guest; we can't deny the request of such nobility." Peanut stated.

As much as it pained me to have to leave Tea, I knew that my responsibilities came first before myself. I gently nudged Tea with my arm, smiling at her, hoping to convey, without words, that it was time for me to go. Much to my surprise, Tea seemed to understand it, nudging me back and smiling warmly.

"I'll see you ponies later." I said optimistically; giving them a smile before throwing my hood back over my head.

"We'll be the ponies in the back cheering for you." Nightshade said encouragingly.

I did my best not to look back at them, throwing up my hood again, hoping to convey some sort of stoic confidence I knew I didn't have but so that I didn't change my mind last minute. The sudden flashes of several dozen cameras started to go off in my face the moment I got near the Main Entrance to Castle Char, paparazzi ponies were asking me question after question, all of them speaking over one another. None apparently knew who I was and the question I heard most often was who the hay I was and where did I come from. Luckily, the Royal Guard ponies quickly approached me, offering me some reprieve from the paparazzi ponies and led me to the Main Entrance. There I saw General Hearth presiding over the welcoming party.

"Welcome to the Ashen Fields, my Lord." General Hearth began.

"General, it's me." I said quietly, lifting up the hood so he can get a better look at me.

General Hearth seemed taken aback, quickly motioning for the other Royal Guard ponies to take over as he led me inside quickly. Once we were well enough away from the mob of paparazzi ponies, I felt General Hearth give me a shove on the shoulder in protest of my being here and looked very concerned.

"What are you doing here, Smolder?" General Hearth asked sounding concerned.

"I went to go meet a friend." I told him.

"Smolder, there is an Orc out there looking to put you down." General Hearth said sounding disappointed in me.

"I know, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking clearly when I left." I confessed.

"Who was this friend?" General Hearth asked, with a sigh.

"Well… she was… uh… a friend from… uh…" I started to say, unable to get past my nerves.

"She? You went to meet a girl?" General Hearth asked looking rather surprised.

"Yeah, what of it?" I asked sounding a bit defensive.

"It's… nothing. I just thought that… well, Princess Sapphire is here and… well the guards have been talking about… you know." General Hearth said looking a bit uncomfortable talking about it.

"We're just friends. Tea is just a friend and Sapphire is just a friend." I insisted, feeling my face flush.

"Okay, okay. I'm just glad you made it back in one piece, and in time for the ceremony." General Hearth said patting me on the shoulder.

"Do you know where Wingston is?" I asked curiously.

"Where ever he is, I'm sure he's looking to put you down as well." General Hearth informed me.

I reached up to remove my hood but felt General Hearth's hoof stop me.

"I think its best you leave that on until you reach your chamber. Wouldn't want you being mobbed until after you're King." General Hearth said with a laugh.

"Right. I'll go there right now." I said reassuringly.

"And stay there." General Hearth added, watching me closely.

I nodded in agreement. We parted ways, General Hearth returning to the Main Entrance while I walked the length of the Main Hall passing through the sea of all of our honored guests. I kept reminding myself to thank Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and her seamstresses for color coding the cloaks the guests were wearing; it made it so much easier to know which pony were the more important pony and the ponies I could probably make jokes around. Luckily enough, I reached the platform that blocked the staircase leading up to the upper part of the castle, which was where my bedroom was, and where I was supposed to be. Although, my luck ran out as Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor and Wingston all stood atop the platform all staring at me with curious looks. My first instinct was to slowly slip away back into crowd but I could tell that they knew who I was already.

"Welcome back." Wingston said gripping his staff rather menacingly.

Chapter 27: The Coronation (Part 3)

Inside my Royal Chambers, the bulk of Royalty stood about as Princess Cadance gave me the most endearing hug I have ever had the good fortune of receiving; through my cloak of course. It lasted well into half minute before Shining Armor's sudden throat clear caused her to loosen her grip on me. Princess Cadance had acted as a temporary shield against Wingston's wrath but I hoped that he wouldn't strike me in front of every other pony.

"We are so very excited for you, Smolder." Princess Cadance remarked joyfully.

"Could you be nervous for me instead?" I asked jokingly, wishing the butterflies in my stomach would go away.

"We were doing plenty of that when we discovered you were absent from your chamber." Princess Luna replied.

"I'm sorry that I took off like that." I apologized sincerely.

"The heart wants what the heart wants." Princess Cadance stated, in almost a loving sigh.

"What?" I asked feeling confused.

"Cadence is referring to your meet up with Tea." Shining Armor explained.

I felt my face flush.

"H-H-How did you know..." I stammered feeling my face flush more.

"The entity in the mirror revealed to us your whereabouts." Princess Celestia informed me.

I whipped around to glare at the Void Mirror. I quickly approached it, my embarrassment nearly boiling over.

"Why would you tell them that?" I asked the mirror in a hushed tone.

"...so they would... shut up..."

"I thought we had an understanding?" I asked feeling betrayed.

Every pony looked on with surprise to see me so chummy with the mirror. Speaking to it so casually and acting like it was another pony standing in the room with them.

"...tough..."

I snorted in displeasure. Glancing back over to the other ponies I could see that they were giving me strange looks. I remembered that no other pony knew about my relationship with the mirror. Every pony must have believed that I simply ignored it or spent as much time away from it as possible.

"H-H-Having the mirror see everything I do is a bit annoying... at times." I said trying to come up with an excuse.

"…shut up…"

"The ceremony is going to begin in less than half an hour, are you ready?" Wingston asked getting right to the point.

"I'm ready." I said confidently.

From my posture it would seem that I was ready, but my eyes told a much different story. It was a lot to ask of a young Prince pony, it was a lot to ask of any pony that was going to be standing in front of some many respected Lords and Leaders who were silently judging you on appearance and merit. Although, the comforting smiles from the Princesses and Shining Armor were enough to settle my heart once more.

"It would be best to get back to the Main Hall to allow Smolder some time to prepare." Shining Armor mentioned.

"If you a need a friendly face to look at while you're up there, Shining Armor and I will be near the front; I know how difficult it is to talk to a group of ponies when I first started out." Princess Cadance offered

I nodded in agreement. Princess Cadance leaned over to hug me once more, this time for luck. When she pulled away Shining Armor approached me, placing his hoof on my shoulder. Between colts, there really isn't much need to speak, but just knowing a fellow colt was there for you made all the difference. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor took their leave for my chamber as Princess Luna and Princess Celestia stepped towards me.

"Brevity is the soul of wit, Flame Pony." Princess Luna said.

I felt Princess Luna put her hooves around me as well, she embraced me just like Princess Cadance; I got hugged by two Princesses.

"What?" I asked looking towards Princess Celestia confused.

"It basically means to keep it short, and don't waste time." Princess Celestia informed me.

"Oh." I said, wondering if I tended to be long winded.

"It will be over before you know it." Princess Celestia reassured me.

Princess Celestia decided to forgo the series of hugs I had been receiving for a more formal nod of the head; she threw in a wink just for me though. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia made their way to the doors of my chamber and headed back down to the Main Hall leaving only Wingston and I.

"What you did was brash, arrogant, and very selfish, Smolder." Wingston began, sounding very strict with me.

"I know." I said, admitting to these accusations.

"Although, you are allowed to have a social life and your intentions were clearly for Ms. Herbal's safety." Wingston continued putting a spin on things.

"Really?" I asked looking surprised.

"You're becoming a King now, Smolder. You are sacrificing much of your own personal life to serve the Ashen Fields. You are entitled to your own desires, but every pony here is depending on you to put their needs before yours. From the richest ponies, to the poorest ponies, Equestria will be watching you now, judging you actions and your intentions." Wingston informed me.

"I know, but I need to do this. I want to do this." I replied confidently.

Wingston limped over to me, hugging me as best he could as I wrapped my arm around him.

"You have no idea what you're going to say, do you?" Wingston asked curiously.

"Not a clue." I replied honestly.

Wingston pulled away from me, his eyes narrowed at me and looking rather unsurprised by this.

"It's not surprising. The speech is the time where the Prince would speak of the deeds his father, the King, had done and would swear to do right by him or better. It's safe to say that you won't have to convince many that you'll be a better King then your father." Wingston replied strumming his long fingers on his staff.

"I can promise not to wage war with Equestria." I mentioned jokingly.

"It's a good place to start. I should be getting ready to start the ceremony." Wingston said nodding and turning towards the door.

"I'll make you proud, Wingston." I said, hoping that it would reassure him.

Wingston looked over at me. His hood covering much of his face but I could tell that he was smiling at me.

"You already have, Smolder." Wingston said sincerely.

Wingston left my chambers, the moment was almost here and I wasn't prepared for it at all. I kept telling myself that something would come to me, that the words and courage I needed would just come out when I needed it most but, like usual, my mind was as blank as ever. My hood fell to my shoulders as I rubbed my temples, trying to calm myself down, thinking of what I could try to base my speech on. My thoughts slowly drifted to Tea, it filtered onto the friends I had made and the ponies I've met but nothing cohesive seemed enough to make a speech.

There came a knock at my chamber door, a Royal Guard pony stuck his head in looking around for me. He spied me over by the twisted broken mirror.

"Two minutes, my Lord." The Royal Guard Pony announced.

"Understood." I replied nodding to the guard.

The Royal Guard nodded his head in agreement. Disappearing behind the door and closing it. I could hear the music of 'All Ye' Gentle Ponies' was already beginning to play from the Main Hall and knew it was time.

"Wish me luck." I said with a sigh to the mirror.

"...stupid... flame pony..." The mirror replied.

The Main Hall was nearly filled to the brim with some many different kinds of ponies. I felt each and every pony's eyes trained on me as I descended the stairs; all I could think was to not trip. Luckily I reached the landing without any mishaps, quickly seating myself on the rock I was supposed to sit on; I sat like a statue trying not to make eye contact with any of the ponies in the audience.

"We are gathered here today, from every corner of Equestria to bring in the new King of the Ashen Fields. Here, upon the stone of Dragons, that we honor the first of the long line of Kings; Lord Smoke. For it was this stone that Lord Smoke stood upon, to declare to every Flame Pony that toiled under the tyranny of the Dragons, 'No more.' Leading the revolt against the Dragons and securing Flame Pony freedom in the years to come. We honor the leadership, the courage, the resolve, that the first King had shown for his fellow ponies." Wingston said aloud, beginning his speech.

I honestly had no idea that this stone held some much importance to our Flame Pony history. It was rather surprising that this stone had been used to seat every King that had ever been crowned.

"It represents the buildings blocks of our great Kingdom and…" Wingston's voice seemed to grow fainter and fainter.

No sooner had his voice begun to fade, so did Wingston himself start to fade. I looked towards the hall of ponies looking on and saw that they too had begun to fade. My eyes were growing dark; I could feel myself panicking, unsure of what was going on. Just as the world disappeared from my sight, I realized what was happening; my dormant magic was reacting to the stone beneath me. I closed my eyes as tight as I could, silently begging myself not to do this now, fearing I'd slump over once more in front of every pony in Equestria.

"Scorch?"

I opened my eyes to see rather elderly Flame Pony colt standing before me. He wore armor that bore the emblem of a Phoenix on his chest, holding the Obsidian Crown in his hooves, and standing before me with a smile.

"I am ready, father." I could hear the words come from my mouth.

"I, Lord Phoenix, ruler of the Ashen Fields, hereby step down as King. By the laws set by the first of our kin, I name you, Scorch Phoenix, my successor and only heir to the throne." Lord Phoenix said aloud placing the crown upon my head.

"May your reign be that of peace and prosperity, my son." Lord Phoenix said quietly, so only I could hear it.

The hall erupted with the chant 'long live the King', I could see the wealth of Flame Ponies, and even Princess Celestia in the audience cheering. I felt myself rise from the stone, approached the table and begin to address the gathered ponies.

"In the days of my father, our lands enjoyed a golden age like none that came before before. We've reveled in a peace that has surpassed any recorded reign in Flame Pony history and have gathered a great many friends in these years. It is with a heavy heart that I must succeed my father before his time, but I will be fortunate enough to have his council in these early days of my reign. I look forward to what the future may bring, the challenges that await, and the chance to prove myself a suitable King." It was clearly my father's voice, much younger and without the malice.

His voice became, muddled, the world began to fade once more, and I felt myself being drawn back into the darkness. Darkness kept me for a while; I tried my best to find anything to fixate my eyes on. The darkness saw fit to drop stones from the abyss before me, one by one, before hundreds started to build around me. It was Castle Char, but much newer looking, and not completely built yet. I saw the wealth of Flame Ponies that were dirty, tired, but seemingly happy none the less.

"I crown thee, King Smoke, Dragon Rider, and Lord of the Ashen Fields."

I felt the crown be placed upon my head from someone behind me. The Flame Ponies present started to cheer. A figure moved beside me, it was tall and stood on its hind legs. It was draped in a cloak, its hand resting upon my shoulder. I had seen this creature before, within the Void, calling for help. It turned to look at me, two bright yellow eyes staring down at me.

"May our two great Kingdoms always stand united as Flame and Shadow." I felt myself declare.

I rose once more from the stone, standing side by side with the Void Walker. We proceeded through the crowd of Flame Ponies, their cheers echoed around me. What was to be the entrance of Castle Char was merely an arch, and beyond it were hundreds of these Void Walkers waiting in the ash ridden fields. The Void Walkers cheered for me, I could see the more Flame Ponies intermixed with the creatures.

The castle began to fall back up into the sky, much of how it built itself before, but the figure remained staring at me. Its hand digging in deeper to my shoulder, even as the world disappeared from sight it remained; relentlessly staring at me. The figure knelt down next to me, being at eye level, its eyes still burning bright and staring into mine.

"Help us."

It spoke those two words before slowly dissolving away into the darkness. I kept myself fixated on where its eyes had been, wondering if it was speaking to me or past memory that lingered.

"Smolder?" Wingston whispered to me.

I blinked several times. The world fluttered back into view, Wingston stood before me holding the Obsidian crown; he had small stairs case to stand on to reach me.

"Is his Majesty willing to take the oath?" Wingston asked aloud.

"I am willing." I replied, it wasn't all that loud but it was enough for Wingston to proceed.

"Will you govern your ponies, Ashen Fields, towns, and colonies accordingly through our laws and customs?" Wingston asked raising the crown over my head.

"I solemnly promise to do so!" I replied louder, remembering what Pinkie Pie had trained me for.

"And will you to your power cause Law and Justice, in Mercy to be executed in all your judgments?" Wingston asked still holding the crown over my head.

"I will!" I said aloud confidently.

"I, Wingston of the Dark Marsh, Advisor to the King, hereby appoint you, by the laws set by the first of your kin, Smolder of the Ashen Fields, the successor to the throne." Wingston announced placing the crown upon my head.

The hall exploded with cheers, applauding ponies, and a few shrill whistles in the far back; it must have been Nightshade and Cosmic. I felt the crown's weight come full down on my head, looking up I could see Wingston beaming with pride.

"May your reign be long and just, my friend." Wingston said quietly, so only I could hear.

Wingston stepped down from the small staircase, pulling it aside as it marked my cue to approach the table. The cheers of the ponies began to die down. I stood staring out over the hall, meeting the eyes of Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, General Hearth, Ruby, Princess Sapphire, and many more. I stood silently for a few moments, every pony seemed eager to hear what I had to say. I drew my eyes down to the book before me, or rather, it was a series of stone slates that simply stacked up and was held together with iron rings. I flipped back one slate to see my father's hoofprint and name; Scorch Phoenix.

"Hi..." I said aloud.

There were a few hushed laughs from the hall of ponies.

"If... if some pony were to tell me a few months ago that I would be standing here, being crowned King of the Ashen Fields, I'd say that they were wrong… that it would be either Wick or Pyre, my brothers, who would be named King." I began, placing my hoof over the imprint of my father. "I'm not ready to be King."

I turned the slates further back, seeing the line of King's that had come before. My grandfather, his father, and his father's father, up until I got to the very first slate where a rather faded mark of a hoof print remained with the name Smoke written beneath it.

"If that same pony were to tell me that I would have had to face my father in battle, to strike him down, claim the right to rule for my own, I'd say that it was impossible… my father is trapped in the Void; he could never get out." I continued turning several slates at once before reaching the blank slate that awaited my hoofprint. "I would never be able to defeat him."

I looked over at Wingston, who stood just off to the side of General Hearth, I knew deep down what I needed to say.

"As it turns out, it wasn't a pony that had told me this, but a very wise friend of mine, Wingston. I've known no pony longer than him, I've known no better consult than his, nor have I ever doubted his efforts to keep me true to myself. To have some pony who believes in you more than you do yourself, that is not something to be taken lightly, and it is the reason I'm standing here today." I explained.

I took a breath. Trying to remember to keep it simple and short.

"In these last few months I have learned a great many things. I've learned how to make friends, how to put trust in other ponies, how to fight for what is right, and... how it feels to lose those closest to you." I said pressing my hoof on the slate, the low hiss of my flames burning the rock beneath.

"This Kingdom owes a lot to its citizens for the horrors my father brought, and to those that it had forsaken. It was only by the good grace of our new friends that we have been given this chance to start anew, and for that I am thankful." I said writing my name down beneath my hoof print.

"I swear by the old Kings, that this Kingdom, that I, will defend all those that are threatened by darkness, that we will become the beacon for those that are lost, and I swear to never turn away any pony that cries for help." I said decisively looking down at the book that read 'Smolder Phoenix'.

"The things which I have here before promised I will perform and keep. To the end of my reign or life." I finished, closing the book and taking a deep breath.

I could hear the banner overhead unraveling, revealing my cutie mark, a smoldering pile of ash for all to see. The hall almost instantly erupted into applause and cheers. I was almost taken aback by the sheer noise of it all; it made me smile to see the enthusiasm of every pony. I felt Wingston limp up next to me, he beamed up at me.

"Well spoken, my King." Wingston congratulated me.

Royal Guard Ponies removed the table before us, bringing a small staircase for which I was to step off the platform and proceed to the front of Castle Char. My nerves suddenly came racing back, the cheers from every pony were appreciated but it did make it rather hard not to smile. I paraded myself down the aisle, catching the eyes of many ponies, namely Princess Sheva, and the Duke of Wellington who both seemed rather pleased with me.

The large doors of Castle Char slid open, revealing a sudden barrage of flashing cameras as I came striding out onto the landing for all to see. General Hearth stood off to the side; the Royal Guard Ponies kept the paparazzi pony's at bay and while a dozens of reporters shouted their questions at me. I gave a few casual waves, smiling all the while, wondering if all the flashing cameras would somehow sync up to be one giant white flash. Before turning back into the hall, I made it a point to look over at General Hearth. He nodded to me, looking very proud.

I had only just turned around when several ponies from the Main Hall were already upon me just waiting to introduce themselves; luckily it was Princess Sheva who reached me first.

"Congratulations are in order, for the new King Smolder." The zebra known as Princess Sheva said in rhyme.

"Slow to start and quick to finish. Why can't more royal speeches be like that?" The donkey known as the Duke of Wellington asked.

"I'm glad that you could make it." I said politely, noticing the gold trim on their cloaks.

"Lord Smolder, I am Belinda Trotwit, Duchess of the Trottingham, and I must say that these cloaks are just simply divine." The Duchess said with a very throaty voice, whimsically twirling the cloak with her hoof in amusement.

"Yaks enjoy the blankets too!" The yak known as Prince Rutherford shouted next to the Duchess who seemed to nearly jump out of her hide.

"Capable of touching a Flame Pony, a grand idea if you ask me." Princess Sheva remarked admiring her own cloak.

"Well we aren't going to be getting all touchy feely now, are we?" The Duke asked as if he was about to gag.

"No one is forcing you to touch a Flame Pony, Frederick." The Duchess said to the Duke.

"Not yet, at least." The Duke grumbled folding his hooves.

I could see groups of other ponies gearing up to approach me after I was done speaking with the Royalty presently bending my ear. Feeling that every pony here deserved at least a moment of my attention I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the rest of the night.

"If every pony will excuse me, I must thank a great many other ponies for coming tonight." I said apologetically.

"Don't let them scare you. Look'em right in the eye and snarl if they get too chummy with you." The Duke warned me.

"Relax and have fun. The party has only just begun." Princess Sheva said to me.

"Do take care, Lord Smolder. Try not to get sucked into conversation with the Countess Eve Fang, she will tell you her life story before the night is over." The Duchess forewarned me.

"Yaks recommend shouting your words!" Prince Rutherford offered shouting directly at me.

I nodded in agreement before excusing myself to meet with the blue trimmed ponies. Who seemed much more humbled by my presence then I was expecting. I suppose any pony that didn't know me personally would consider meeting a King a great honor but I was fresh out of the box and didn't really deserve some of the gasps I got when greeting fancy ponies. I started to realize that many of these ponies spoke with breathy voices, and I began to wonder if all ponies who enjoyed the finer things in life spoke like this.

"Smolder?" A familiar voice called out.

I turned to see Princess Sapphire approaching, the crowd of ponies parting for her.

"Hello, Sno-Princess Sapphire." I caught myself before saying it aloud for all to hear.

"If you have a moment I'd like you to meet my… parents." Princess Sapphire said looking a little uncomfortable.

"Sure." I said trying to sound eager at the opportunity.

"If I may, I would like to introduce you to Lord Tundra and Lady Frost of the Frozen North, my mother and father." Princess Sapphire announced stepping aside.

A mare and a colt, roughly the height of Princess Celestia strolled up to me. The crowd further backed away, allowing the privacy of the conversation between such esteemed Royalty to take place, but immediately began to whisper among themselves about the encounter.

"It is my honor to-" I began.

"So this is the little Flame Pony we've heard so much about!" Lady Frost exclaimed striding over and embracing me tightly.

"I have to admit, with a name like Smolder, I was picturing a much shorter pony. It's good to see that they grow them tall down here in the fields." Lord Tundra remarked in a jolly tone of voice.

"Thanks." I mumbled, feeling the tight hug of Lady Frost around me.

"He's got such a lovely shade of yellow in his fire. I tell you, it resembles the sun; so warm and inviting." Lady Frost mentioned gently stroking my fiery mane.

Something clicked inside me. I really wasn't sure what it was exactly. It was a hug, but just not any sort of hug. I felt a sense of security in her embrace, I felt safe and even loved. I leaned my head, resting it on her shoulder, I feel her arms tighten around me and I deep down I didn't want her to let go. I realized that this was the sort of hug only a loving mother could give.

"Mother!" Princess Sapphire hissed in embarrassment.

"Give the poor thing a chance to breath, dear." Lord Tundra remarked with a laugh.

"Where are my manners? I just haven't seen such an adorable Flame Pony in almost two decades. Don't you think he's adorable, sweetheart?" Lady Frost asked releasing her grip on me and turning to Princess Sapphire.

I could see Sapphire flush a light purple, unable to agree or disagree with me being an adorable pony, which meant that she had yet to tell her parents about the arranged marriage being refuted.

"That's our Snowflake. She never could speak around handsome colts." Lady Frost said amusingly.

I stood looking rather dumbfounded while Sapphire flushed a deeper purple, quickly taking her mother's arm, as well as her father's and pulled them away from me.

"It was nice meeting you, Smolder darling." Lady Frost said aloud.

"Perhaps we can have a colt to colt talk later, what do say, Smolder?" Lord Tundra asked curiously.

"Dad!" Sapphire hissed tugging on his arm to try and get him to stop talking.

I watched Lord Tundra and Lady Frost smile down at Sapphire who still seemed pretty embarrassed by the whole encounter. Slowly the fancy ponies started to surround me once more, while the Royal Ice Pony family moved further away, but I still felt very much alone. Silently wishing to have my own parents here to get embarrassed about. To be congratulating Wick or Pyre on their coronation, pledging my loyalty to them, and just being able to spend time with them. I tried to imagine them being here, sharing in this moment, trying to remember their voices, or at least their faces.

"Lord Smolder, what do you prefer caviar or fish eggs?" A fancy pony asked me.

"I... can't remember." I said.

Chapter 28: The Party

Twilight Sparkle strolled through the Main Hall wearing a cloak with gold trim, attempting to locate any pony she knew to latch onto and not get drawn into another fancy pony's long winded story of how they accumulated their fortunes. Having decided to try the outer edges of the Main Hall, mainly the wallflowers, Twilight hoped to find Fluttershy or even perhaps Alex Papyrus there. Instead, Twilight happened upon Pinkie Pie who still seemed to be hard at work trying to keep the party on schedule.

"Let's move it every pony! Go! Go! Go!" Pinkie Pie yelled aloud.

Several Flame Ponies pushing metal carts, carrying an array of baked goods and treats wheeled past Pinkie towards the courtyard. The delicious smell caused quite a few heads to turn in wonder and many a fancy ponies began herding themselves towards the courtyard.

"How's it going Pinkie?" Twilight asked curiously.

"How's it going? How's it going!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed in distress. "It's actually running quite smoothly."

"Well I'm glad to hear that. Have you seen any of the girls?" Twilight asked optimistically glancing around the Main Hall.

"Let see, Rarity arrived at pricelessly four o'clock, while Fluttershy arrived ten minutes later, Rainbow Dash has been here since this morning, and Applejack was last to arrive at five thirty." Pinkie Pie replied, reviewing her chart.

"Well do you know where any of them are at the moment?" Twilight asked, glancing over Pinkie Pie's shoulder to look at her chart; to her surprise it was just a picture of a cupcake.

"Sorry, I can't help you out there, Twilight. I've got my hooves full trying to keep these ponies on their hooves." Pinkie Pie said motioning towards the Flame Ponies till wheeling out trays of treats.

"I guess I'll just keeping looking around and hope I run into a few of them." Twilight said trying to sound optimistic.

"Enjoy the party!" Pinkie Pie said happily, waving goodbye to Twilight.

Twilight turned to leave and nearly ran right into Argo Fleece who stood almost directly behind her.

"Mr. Fleece, excuse me, I didn't see you there." Twilight said quickly.

"Don't mention it." Argo replied, stepping around her.

Twilight watched Argo approach Pinkie Pie, carefully tapping her on the shoulder through his cloak to get her attention.

"Argo! We're nearly done getting the food out to the courtyard, we're keeping to the schedule, and Sparky is still making his rounds through the crowds of fancy ponies. We haven't had any issues with the decorations, accommodations, or even minor burns." Pinkie Pie reported looking down at her slate.

"Pinkie." Argo began, putting his hoof on the slate and lowering it. "I want to apologize."

"Apologize?" Pinkie asked sounding a bit confused.

"I've been horrible to you and your friends. I took every opportunity to berate and chastise you, even when you offered your help for next to nothing." Argo said solemnly.

"That's oka-" Pinkie Pie began but Argo cut her short.

"It's not. It really isn't. You've done an unbelievable kindness to this Kingdom, to our King, and most importantly, to myself; something I didn't deserve." Argo continued. "There isn't any excuse for what I said or did, but I wanted to show my gratitude to you in a way that you'd know best."

Argo cleared his throat, seemingly trying to conjure up the will needed to make this attempt. Twilight found herself leaning in, trying to hear what he was going to say.

"Two ponies walk into a bar, what does one pony do that the other doesn't do?" Argo asked, with a real attempt of sounding whimsical.

"What?" Pinkie Pie asked in awe.

"Duck." Argo said.

Twilight could feel her own stomach turn at how poor Argo's attempt at a joke was but was pleasantly surprised to see Pinkie laughing up a storm. Pinkie Pie's fit of laughter seemed to have Argo starting laugh, even though he did his best to contain it. Twilight thought it best to take her leave and continued on her quest to find some pony to keep her company.

Having continued to scour the edges of the Main Hall, Twilight eventually happened upon Fluttershy and Applejack who were wearing similar gold trimmed cloaks. Surprisingly, Fluttershy and Applejack seemed to be the focal point of several fancy and Flame ponies grouped together with them. Twilight moved in closer to get a sense of what was going on.

"My cousin Rick has held Sweet Apple Acres in high regards ever since he went to Ponyville on holiday, he insists that your Apple Cider is simply divine." A fancy pony remarked to Applejack.

"Well I don't know about that, but we put a lot of effort in providing the very best cider each and every year. You should come on down for yourself and try it the next time it's in season." Applejack replied humbly.

"I have a brother-in-law that has been struggling with the local fauna on his farmland, namely gophers and squirrels. Do you have any recommendations on how to deal with such pesky creatures?" Another fancy pony asked directing it towards Fluttershy.

"I've known squirrels and gophers to be quite friendly; if not misunderstood. Every little animal needs a place to call home, just like any pony. Perhaps he should try to make friends with them, and then I'm sure they can work something out." Fluttershy replied softly.

"Speak to the animals? Of course, a civilized course of action. A grand idea indeed." The fancy pony remarked in surprise.

"Ms. Applejack, upon my arrival I spied a rather quaint grove of grapes growing somewhere out in the fields. Am I correct in assuming that this is your doing?" An aristocratic mare asked curiously.

"No ma'am, that there's the hard work of Mr. Tiff Pitchstone." Applejack stated, turning to Tiff who stood idly beside her.

"I-I-It isn't r-r-really anything-" Tiff mumbled in embarrassment.

"What exactly do you intend to do with your grapes, Mr. Pitchstone?" The aristocratic mare asked curiously.

"Juice." Tiff said meekly, obviously not one for the spotlight.

"How splendid, is there a chance to sample it tonight?" The aristocratic pony asked.

"Mr. Pitchstone is planning to toast King Smolder tonight with the first ever grape juice to be grown, plucked, and stomped here in the Ashen Fields in over two decades." Applejack answered for him.

There was a sudden wave of excitement in every pony's voice in the group at the prospect of tasting such a rare drink.

"I'm sure the young fillies and foals will be excited to partake in that event." A fancy pony remarked.

"Oh, there aren't any foals or fillies here tonight. There's a curfew." Fluttershy replied.

"I dare say I saw at least a foal and a filly darting behind a few pillars and statues tonight." The fancy pony said looking a little puzzled.

"What?" Mr. Tutor asked stepping out from the group of ponies.

"I didn't get a very good look at the two of them but one was colored a rather brilliant shade of licorice." The fancy pony thought back on it.

"Lionel and Licorice?" Fluttershy asked looking surprised.

"Which way did they go?" Mr. Tutor asked quickly, looking none too pleased.

"I believe they were heading towards the courtyard." The fancy pony said pointing it out.

Mr. Tutor left without another word, he didn't seem all that angry but rather annoyed by the news of this.

"Oh my, please excuse me, I should help Mr. Tutor recover the little ones." Fluttershy said, following after Mr. Tutor.

Twilight could tell that Applejack and Fluttershy had their hooves full tonight. Cutting her losses, Twilight moved back into the large mass of ponies conversing in the center area of the Main Hall. Luckily, many ponies were already in conversation with each other, creating several clusters and groupings of ponies, allowing Twilight easy passage. There was a sudden feedback of a speaker that gathered mostly every pony's attention, drawing their gaze to the platform that Smolder had stood upon to give his speech but it was now taken over by a group of ponies with instruments.

"Hey…" The pony said into microphone, giving it a few taps with his hoof to test if it was working. "Good evening every pony, it's nice to be here tonight, nice to be playing for you."

The pony at the microphone adjusted the strap on his shoulder, adjusting the tuners on his guitar.

"My name is Eric and I play the guitar and sing. To my left is my good friend Pete, he's also on guitar and can also sing; believe it or not." Eric said jokingly as Pete nodded. "We have Gordon on the bass, but he's more than capable of playing any instrument; might even have a solo career if things go his way."

"We have Stewart on drums, best drummer in the world and that is indeed a fact." Eric continued as Stewart gave a wave.

"We're the Cream of Clopton. Clopton is my last name by the way, just in case you were wondering. Everything tastes better with cream these days." Eric announced.

Twilight, like many of the other fancy ponies, seemed at a loss to what this pony was saying. In most Royal gatherings there has always been a sort of formal band that played classical pony music but this seemed to be turning into a rock show.

"Before we begin I'd like to thank the Pink One and the King for giving us this chance to play; it means a lot to us." Eric said into the microphone. "Our first song is called 'Forever Pony', it's for any pony trying to be everything and more for that special some pony."

The song began with a rift consisting of the bass and guitar while Pete fronted a synth keyboard. The sound was quite uplifting considering the rather melodramatic pretense Eric had alluded to before. Twilight noticed that many ponies were starting to slowly bounce to the music, surprised by their own interest in it and opted to dance all the same. Deciding to forgo dancing for the moment, it would have been rude to throw down her super cool moves and put every other pony to shame, Twilight cleared the dance floor.

"Twilight!" A voice rang out.

It was rather muffled over the music being played but it was enough to have Twilight look around for the source of her name being called and spied Rarity, Spike and Stitch standing off to the side of the dance floor. Rarity wore a gold trim cloak, while Stitch wore an oversized blue trim and Spike had no need for it.

"Hi Rarity, how is every-" Twilight barely got the words out before Rarity quickly pulled her aside and hushed her.

"You almost ran into Crow and Rose, darling." Rarity hissed to her.

"I did what?" Twilight asked, looking very confused.

"Crow and Rose, Twilight, the young, love stricken ponies who have yet to make their true feelings known to one another." Rarity explained pointing to particular Flame Ponies on the dance floor.

Twilight could see Crow attempting to dance in a very awkward fashion that had him consistently looking down at his own hooves trying not to trip over himself. While Rose, who had a rather lovely dress, seemed to have some serious skill in dancing did her best to help him along, while doing her best not to laugh at his meager performance.

"Can we go try some of the food now, Rarity?" Stitch whined, doing her best not to let the cloak consume her completely.

"How can you think about eating at a time like this? True love is slowly playing out right before our very own eyes and you want a sandwich? For shame, Stitch." Rarity scoffed at her.

"I'd take a pie over stupid love any day." Stitch mumbled struggling to keep the hood from draping over her face.

Twilight noticed Spike standing idly by, doing his best not to seem over protective of Rarity as fancy ponies strolled by attempting to catch the eye Rarity but was met with a glaring dragon instead.

"What have you been up to, Spike?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Well after helping Wingston, I decided that the best place for me to lend a claw was at the new bakery." Spike explained tapping her claws together.

"That's nice of you, what did you help them do?" Twilight asked curiously.

"Well, I taste tested the apple, sampled the scones, tried the bread, reviewed the pies, and checked the cakes." Spike tallied off his jobs on his claws.

"Sounds to me like you ate everything." Twilight remarked, not sounding at all impressed.

"Ruby needed some pony to try her food before selling it to other ponies. I just did my part the only way I knew how." Spike said in his defense crossing his arms.

"Well don't expect me to carry you around if your tummy starts to hurt." Twilight warned him, poking him in his belly.

"I'll have you know I helped keep the shelves stocked with pastries and fueled the ovens with fire when we ran out of wood to burn." Spike said in a matter of fact way.

"How have things been going with you Rar-" Twilight began to ask her but saw that Rarity was no longer standing with them.

Rarity was pulling Stitch by the end of her cloak across the center hall, following Crow and Rose who were moving towards the courtyard. A group of colts started to follow after Rarity as it spurred Spike to run after her.

"See you later, Twilight!" Spark hollered, racing to be the fancy ponies.

Twilight rolled her eyes. Once more left to her own devices, Twilight's list of possible ponies to hang with was growing shorter and shorter. Figuring that Rainbow Dash wouldn't have any desire to hang around fancy ponies all night, Twilight concluded that she might be hanging around outside with some of the Royal Guard ponies. Deciding to head to the courtyard to begin her search of Rainbow Dash, Twilight moved around the edge of the Main Hall to avoid the dancing ponies still partaking in the musical entertainment.

Before reaching the corridors leading to the courtyard, Twilight happened upon some familiar faces, concerning those of Private Nightshade, Private First Class Cosmic, and Specialist Peanut of the Royal Guards of Canterlot. They seemed to be escorting a pony dressed in a cloak with gold trimmings that Twilight couldn't quite put her hoof on but was sure she had seen her somewhere before.

"Hey." Twilight said approaching the group of ponies.

"Twilight Sparkle, what a pleasure it is to meet you again." Cosmic said in a very formal voice, bowing his head to her.

"Cool your jets, hot stuff." Peanut remarked rolling his eyes.

"I'm just being polite." Cosmic snapped at him.

"More like desperate." Nightshade mumbled.

"Hello there, I don't think we've met before." Twilight said to Tea.

"I'm Tea Herbal, a friend of Smolder's." Tea introduced herself.

"Oh! I thought I recognized you, you were there the night we plotted to banish the Mad King." Twilight said, placing her face.

"That's right." Tea said with a smile, nodding.

"So what are you ponies doing here?" Twilight asked curiously.

"We were discussing if we should move to the courtyard to get something to eat and find a good spot to admire the fireworks." Nightshade explained.

"Or, we can stay here and mingle." Cosmic added.

"You're the only pony that's looking for a date." Peanut remarked.

"I'm not looking for a date! I just thought it would be nice to meet some new ponies, make some new friends, that sort of thing." Cosmic said, sounding very defensive.

"Why not split up?" Twilight offered.

"Cosmic insists on having a wingcolt." Tea said, flatly.

"A wingcolt?" Twilight asked looking confused.

"It's a pony who talks about all the amazing things Cosmic has done to hopefully fool some poor unsuspecting mare of how much of a dork he really is." Tea explained.

"Tea! You wound me! My heroics are nothing but the honest truth." Cosmic said, scanning the Main Hall.

"Like how we guard an empty room all day?" Nightshade asked.

"Details, Shades, details. You weren't there but Peanut and I were on the front lines facing off against the Mad King. Even Twilight can support that claim." Cosmic said turning to pat him on the face.

"Well that much is true." Twilight had to agree.

"Excuse me, sirs?" A voice called out, seemingly speaking towards Cosmic, Nightshade, and Peanut's authoritative guard uniforms.

"Yes, how can I-I-I-I-I…" Cosmic began but was suddenly unable to finish his sentence.

Golden Fleece had approached them, wearing a blue trimmed cloak looking as if she had lost something. Cosmic seemed to freeze up on the spot, mouth agape, unable to blink as Goldie stared him unsure of what he was doing.

"What can we do for you, Miss?" Peanut stepped in to assist the awestruck Cosmic.

"Goldie. Well, Golden, but every pony calls me Goldie. I was wondering if any of you ponies have seen my father?" Goldie asked.

"Who's your old colt?" Nightshade asked curiously.

"Argo Fleece." Goldie replied.

"You're Argo Fleece's daughter?" Twilight asked in great surprise.

"I know, big surprise. The thick headed, mean, old Mr. Fleece got married and had a filly." Goldie said amusingly.

"Well we're not really from around here…" Nightshade said slowly looking around the Main Hall.

"I saw him not too long ago." Twilight spoke up.

"You have? That's a relief. Can you tell me where you saw him?" Goldie asked.

"Argo was speaking to Pinkie Pie, she's coordinating the festivities this evening. She and Argo were speaking over there when I last saw them. They might be out in the courtyard by now." Twilight explained, thinking back on it.

"Thank you so much… uh… sweet Celestia, I didn't get any of your pony's names." Goldie said looking rather embarrassed.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle, and this is Tea Herbal." Twilight introduced herself and Tea.

"This is Peanut, and I'm Nightshade, this is our mascot, Cosmic." Nightshade introduced the three of them.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you, thank you so much for all your help." Goldie said with a smile before heading down the corridor towards the courtyard.

Every pony was now looking Cosmic's way. He seemed to be in a sort of trance. Nightshade took the initiative to slap some sense back into him, and he did just that. It wasn't long before Cosmic fought back against Nightshade's slaps, snapping out of his thousand yard stare and quickly glancing around the hall.

"Where is she? Where did she go?" Cosmic asked quickly, almost in a panic.

"She's on her way out to the courtyard." Peanut told him, gesturing to the corridor.

"I'll catch you ponies later, don't leave without me!" Cosmic hollered to them as he took off down the corridor.

Tea and Twilight couldn't help but giggle to themselves while Nightshade and Peanut rolled their eyes.

"I guess Nightshade isn't the only colt who goes to pieces in front of a pretty pony." Peanut remarked glancing at Nightshade.

"I think it's naturally hard for any colt to speak to a mare he genuinely has feelings for." Tea said watching Nightshade give Peanut a cold stare.

"I was meaning to ask if you've seen Rainbow Dash tonight?" Twilight asked.

"We heard some of the other guards talking about the new flyers and Rainbow Dash showing off some of their flying techniques out in the courtyard." Peanut replied.

"Thanks, I'll try looking for her there. I hope you ponies have a great night." Twilight said, excusing herself and making her way down the corridor.

"I hope Cosmic doesn't try to do something embarrassing to impress Ms. Fleece." Tea said, sounding rather worried for him.

"Besides from staring with his mouth open at her? I'm sure that ship has already sailed." Peanut said amusingly.

"Excuse me." A voice spoke up once more.

Peanut, Nightshade and Tea turned to see Gleam Fizzle, wearing a blue cloak, standing before them. Gleam was looking up at Peanut who stood staring back at her. He did not move, nor did he blink, it was safe to say that Peanut had stopped breathing all together. Although, Gleam was still waiting for a response from him or any pony.

"How can we help you?" Nightshade asked, stepping in for Peanut.

"Hi, I was wondering if you would know what the best spot to view the fireworks was at. It's going to be my first time seeing them and I'd like it to be a memorable one." Gleam said, sounding very hopeful.

"Well I can-" Nightshade began.

"It would be an honor and privilege to escort you to such place, Miss?" Peanut cut Nightshade short and stepped forward holding out his hoof to her.

"Gleam. Gleam Fizzle." Gleam said carefully taking his hoof through her cloak.

"Charles Carver, my friends call me Peanut." Peanut introduced himself and led her towards the corridor.

"Why do they call you Peanut?" Gleam asked curiously, smiling at the amusing name.

Nightshade stood wide eyed, as did Tea who simply couldn't believe what they had just witnessed.

"Peanut was smoother than non-chunk peanut butter." Nightshade said in disbelief.

"I'll say." Tea agreed.

Twilight wandered around the courtyard where dozens of ponies were crowding around the tables with food, discussing amongst themselves on what was next to be tried. It wasn't long before Twilight noticed the familiar rainbow streak come stretching across the night sky above the fields, twirling and spiraling in intricate patterns. Although, there was a second streak mimicking the trail that Rainbow Dash had laid out, but this one was made of fire.

"Twilight!" Princess Cadance called out to her from one of the tables in the courtyard.

Twilight could see her, Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna sitting at one of the tables with an assortment of treats cluttering the top. Twilight quickly moved over to their table, unable contain her excitement.

"Good evening, Twilight." Princess Celestia said happily, using her magic to pull out the chair for her to sit down.

"Hello everypony." Twilight said brightly, seating herself down. "I thought that every pony would be busy speaking with the representatives inside."

"There really isn't much to talk about, at least concerning us. Smolder is the one every pony wants to get on good terms with tonight, we're just here for the emotional support." Princess Cadance explained.

"And these apple turnovers." Shining Armor remarked, eating another one whole.

"Has any pony seen Smolder since the crowning?" Twilight asked curiously, helping herself to one of the apple turnovers her brother was raving about.

"We spoke to him briefly before the Coronation, but we haven't seen him after his speech." Princess Luna replied, making short work of her slice of apple pie.

"Did any pony else think Smolder sounded a little depressed during his speech?" Twilight asked, thinking back on it.

"It was to be expected, things concerning his family is a rather tender issue for him right now. Taking up the crown at such a young age is asking a lot of him. Considering that he is very underprepared when compared to Cadance or Sapphire that spent many years studying and putting it to practice." Princess Celestia explained trying some of the custard cream pie.

"We can make ourselves available to him if he finds himself needing a pony to talk to or seek help from." Princess Cadance added.

"He hasn't reached out to any pony in these last few months. It was Wingston who sent us a letter detailing Smolder's exhaustion." Princess Celestia pointed out.

"He must have wanted some time alone to deal with what happened." Twilight mentioned.

"In any case, Smolder has had a very relaxing and trying week all the same." Princess Luna pointed out.

"We were surprised to hear that an Orc was still lurking around in the old mining tunnels here in the Ashen Fields." Princess Cadance commented.

"We all were. Especially the part with the army of Spiders its been accumulating for nearly twenty years." Princess Celestia said.

"The Crystal Empire deals with spiders on rare occasions and I know that Canterlot has only a few more cases then we do every year. We're unfamiliar with how spiders attack in large groups." Shining Armor admitted.

"The Flame Ponies have battled them for years, if the Orc ever does make good on its threat the Flame Ponies will be the ones to orchestrate a defense for us all." Princess Celestia explained.

"Do you think it will come to that? Will the Orc try to destroy the Ashen Fields?" Princess Cadance asked in a serious tone.

"The last time an Orc attacked the Kingdom of Flame Ponies, it changed Scorch and not for the better. The Last Orc was grandstanding and liked to ridicule Scorch for every pony to see. Flaunting his spiders and openly attacked the Kingdom and its roads." Princess Celestia explained sipping some apple juice. "This Orc has chosen to remain hidden, raising a spider army in secret, and has yet to have a single spider show its face."

"So we're dealing with a coward." Princess Luna stated.

"No. Whoever this Orc is, it has been biding its time. For years even. So far it has proven how cunning, secretive, and resourceful it is to remain undetected for so long. It has become an obsession at this point, almost personal for this Orc, and when it decides to unleash its army you can bet it will be for all or nothing." Shining Armor interjected.

"Why would it wait so long to attack? The Ashen Fields was in a horrible state for so long, wouldn't it have had multiple chances to attack during that time rather than waiting until the Kingdom was on the rise?" Twilight asked trying to put things together.

"Perhaps this Orc knew the previous one, the one Scorch defeated many years ago." Princess Cadance suggested.

"That would prove motive, but what sort of Orc would hold a grudge like that for so long?" Shining Armor questioned.

"Perhaps a son." Princess Celestia remarked.

"The reports did claim that the Orc was young and extremely strong. An adolescent Orc would be nearly too old given the time span from then till now." Shining Armor concurred.

"Entertaining the idea that this Orc is the son of the Last Orc, it is clearly outmatched in every possible way. It's clad in iron armor, a poor defense against fire, it has an army of spiders but it faces three kingdoms with armies three times its size. It can't possibly conceive a victory, so why even make the threat in the first place?" Princess Luna asked.

"I posed a similar question to the Summit when the Mad King made it clear he intended to cover all of Equestria in fire. We had strong defenses, our armies outnumbered him ten to one, but every time we met on the battlefield he always seemed so confident that he would win in the end." Princess Celestia said thinking back on it.

"He must have had an idea or a plan." Twilight said.

"Whatever it was, it never came to light. We banished him before he could do anymore harm and that was the end of it." Princess Celestia explained.

"Perhaps the Orc has a similar plan. One that gives him confidence that he will win." Princess Luna remarked.

"I shudder to think of what that might me." Princess Cadance said looking uneasy.

A sudden explosion from above drew the eyes of every pony in the courtyard as Rainbow Dash had performed her Sonic Rain Boom for all to see. There was a roaring applause at the sight of it, there were smiles on every ponies face. Even the Orc that sat upon the North tower admiring the view from his perch, clutching the Spider Queen's fang and rolling the gold coin between his fingers.

Chapter 29: Kingly Gifts

Rainbow Dash dipped low to the ground, her reentry was met with the excited cheers for her performance by the Flame Pony pegasi she had overseen this week and the Royal Guards that were interested in seeing what all the hype was about. Rainbow's breathing was elevated, wanting to show off to everypony, and ending it on the Sonic Rainboom seemed like the best way to do so. The Flame Pony pegasi showered her with compliments, nearly beside themselves of how easy Rainbow Dash had made it seem to do such complicated maneuvers; wondering exactly how the Rainboom worked. Moments later, Ray Horizon swooped down, out of breath and stumbling on all fours attempting to keep herself up right.

"You were keeping pace pretty well up there." Rainbow Dash complimented her.

"I… lost… you… on the… thingy…" Ray said between sharp breaths.

Nearly falling over, she was caught by Solar Wind, who had come to her aid as soon as she landed.

"The triple loop to the double barrel roll nose dive is not easy to execute, let alone keep a formation." Rainbow Dash replied, understanding what the 'thingy' meant.

Ray was catching her breath when she realized who it was that was holding her upright. Solar's stoic expression did little to excite any pony, but having his arms around Ray caused her mane to plume in embarrassment. With her wings still numb from her excessive flying, her muscles weary from pushing herself to her limits, Ray could do nothing but flush and allow Solar to hold her upright.

"How are you feeling?" Solar asked.

"…fine…" Ray mumbled, refusing to look up at him in fear of letting him see her flushed face.

"I guess even the feistiest ponies can get tired from time to time." Flare Fizzle remarked.

Flare and Wisp Seeker were among the Flame Pony pegasi that had been looking on, dressed in some rather formal clothing, it was clear that they were not on duty and that they had arrived together.

"Maybe you'd like to give it a try, slow poke." Ray retorted.

"I'm quite comfortable down here, thank you." Flare replied.

"What are you ponies wearing?" Rainbow Dash asked with a stifled laugh.

"A suit and dress, hoof made by the ponies over at Stitch Rose Shay, it breathes like Equestrian cotton." Wisp remarked, admiring the metal cufflinks on his sleeve.

"We've been given the night off, and thought we'd enjoy ourselves." Flare added.

"I sincerely hope you have been." General Hearth said aloud.

The Flame Pony pegasi that had been crowding around parted quickly for General Hearth who approached them looking rather amused. Every soldier, guard, pegasi pony stood at attention at his presence but General Hearth waved it off.

"Did you catch the show, General?" Rainbow Dash asked, sounding very excited and a wee bit hopeful.

"I wasn't around for the beginning, but I did see the rather spectacular finish." General Hearth replied, obviously referencing the Sonic Rain Boom.

General Hearth nodded to the ponies present, conveying his hellos, when he spotted his granddaughter in the arms of colt. Ray noticed her grandfather looking at her with puzzled face; she quickly squirmed away from Solar who remained unfazed by it.

"Come to enjoy the festivities, sir?" Flare asked curiously.

"I've been asked to sit with Lord Smolder at the King's table this evening." General Hearth confessed.

General Hearth removed his polished silver helmet, his ceremonial armor had been pulled from storage for this occasion but it seemed so much newer than him. The sleek sheen, the undented metal, the straight lines only enhanced how old General Hearth really was. There was wrinkles in his face, his hide was weathered from years of battles, a few old scars that could only be seen when the light hit them just right, and his stern but tired eyes revealed much about his life.

"That's cool." Rainbow Dash replied.

Suddenly Private First Class Cosmic pushed passed Rainbow Dash, quickly scanning the courtyard for any signs of his special some pony.

"Hey! Watch it, bub!" Rainbow Dash said, shaking her hoof at him.

Cosmic was desperately bolting from one corner of the courtyard to the next trying to locate her. With his heart pounding, not only for his anxious feelings, but the amount of running he was doing, it never crossed Cosmic's mind on what he was going to say to her when he did find her. Deciding that a higher vantage point would provide a better view of the area, Cosmic quickly decided to climb the nearest statue he could to gain some elevation.

"What are you doing?" A voice asked him aloud.

Cosmic was halfway up the statue when he leaned back to see who was speaking to him. Unbeknownst to Cosmic, it was none other than Argo Fleece who seemed rather unhappy with him.

"I'm… looking for some pony." Cosmic said slowly, still hanging from the statue.

"So naturally you decided to climb all over a three hundred year old sculpture of one of our most revered Generals?" Argo questioned his logic.

"I'm sure he'd understand." Cosmic replied sheepishly.

"She." Argo corrected him.

Cosmic looked at the statue a bit more carefully and saw that it was indeed a mare rather than a colt he was hanging from.

"The Flame Ponies were rather progressive, weren't they?" Cosmic mumbled to himself.

"Get down from there!" Argo barked, causing Cosmic to jerk in surprise.

Losing his grip, Cosmic fell from the statue and landed on the ground with a thud. While Argo immediately started to wipe off the hoof marks Cosmic made to the statue with his cloak.

"Dad, you shouldn't scare ponies like that." Goldie said, stepping into Cosmic's upside down view of the world.

In an instant, Cosmic was up off the floor, standing up at attention, and staring intensely at Goldie. Goldie breathed a laugh at Cosmic's stoic posture while Argo eyed him quite concerned.

"Hello again." Goldie said in almost bubbly sort of tone.

"Found your Dad." Cosmic said quickly, his eyes darting towards Argo then back to Goldie.

"I can see that, thank you." Goldie said with a smile.

"You know this monkey?" Argo asked curiously striding up next to her.

"He was one of the Guard Ponies that directed me to you." Goldie replied.

"He's not affiliated with our Royal Guards; he wouldn't have known anything on my whereabouts." Argo stated, sizing Cosmic up.

"He's was trying to be helpful, Dad." Goldie explained, coming to Cosmic's defense.

"Uh huh." Argo said, seemingly peering into Cosmic's soul.

"Dad you're making him nervous." Goldie scolded him, giving him soft shove.

"Good." Argo said flatly.

"Sorry, my Dad has bad habit of trying to intimidate ponies." Goldie said sympathetically to Cosmic.

"No trouble at all, ma'am." Cosmic replied, his voice cracking.

Goldie giggled while Cosmic's face flushed a deep red; causing Argo's mane to spark in sudden realization of what was going on.

"Monkey, I grow thirsty. Bring me and my daughter refreshments and make it snappy." Argo ordered him.

"Dad! You can't just-" Before Goldie could scold him, Cosmic had already bolted off to retrieve the drinks. "You need to learn to be kinder to ponies, Dad."

"You and your mother are blind to the things that are right in front of you." Argo said rolling his eyes.

"Careful, Dad, Mom and I know about your singing." Goldie said, trying to threaten him.

"If you know what's best for you, you'd put that under your saddle and keep it there." Argo warned her back.

Cosmic came rushing back, carrying two stone cups filled with apple juice in his arms. Trying to hide the fact that he was nearly out of breath, Cosmic smiled wide while giving them the drinks; taking small gasps of breath through his clenched teeth.

"My father likes to sing." Goldie said taking a sip of her drink; causing Argo to nearly choke on his.

"Well, my daughter has a thing for colts in uniform." Argo retorted, causing Goldie to spit take her drink all over Cosmic.

Goldie's mane flared, her face burning red hot with embarrassment. General Hearth strolled over to them, getting Argo's attention.

"Argo, Lord Smolder is expecting us." General Hearth said to him.

"Of course, if you two will excuse us." Argo said, following General Hearth to the King's table.

"I. Am. So. Sorry." Goldie said each word with such emphasis.

Using the hem of her cloak to carefully wipe away the juice that trickled off Cosmic's face, the warmth of her flames could be lightly felt through the fabric as her fire was still flaring from her embarrassment. Cosmic all the while stood perfectly still, heart racing, unable to comprehend his special some pony touching his face so tenderly.

"Bagaframic." Cosmic said incoherently, face flushing.

"What?" Goldie asked looking at him puzzled.

"Accident! It was an accident!" Cosmic spouted quickly, snapping back to his senses.

"I am really sorry about that, my Dad can be a pretty mean pony at times." Goldie said, her face flushing slightly.

"Yeah, you're a pretty pony- MEAN! He's a pretty mean pony!" Cosmic shouted, realizing his slip.

Goldie looked at him rather awkwardly. Cosmic could feel his face burning, this time it wasn't from his nerves so much as it was from Goldie's hoof slowly heating up his cheek from beneath her cloak.

"Gah!" Cosmic gasped, suddenly reacting to the heat.

"Sweet Celestia! I'm sorry! Here!" Goldie shouted in surprise, throwing the rest of her juice in Cosmic's face.

Cosmic sat there, eyes closed, feeling the juice run down his face. Slowly opening his eyes, he could see Goldie covering her own mouth in utter shock at what she had just done.

"Does this mean I have to get more juice?" Cosmic asked jokingly, feeling his stomach tighten at his lame attempt at a joke.

Cosmic's heart did a summersault when Goldie started laughing at his joke. Taking her cloak once more and beginning to pat him dry.

"We can get it together this time." Goldie said with a smile.

I found myself sitting at the King's Table, at least that's what it was called. It wasn't much anything really. Just an elevated stone table running horizontally across the northern part of the courtyard, my back facing the mountain, while I looked out to all the circular stone tables where the fancy guest ponies sat eating and drinking in their merriment.

It was tradition to have the King's family sitting at this table, so I invited those that I consider family to sit with me. The table held only held five seats, to which I offered to General Hearth, Burning Sand, Wingston, and Argo Fleece; the ponies that I knew best and trusted much of our Kingdom to. I sat at the center, Wingston and General Hearth sat beside me, while Burning Sand and Argo Fleece sat beside them. It was customary to have the leaders and nobles of the other Kingdoms to offer well wishes, support, or alliances to the newly crowned King, but I made it a point to bypass that entirely; yet some felt it necessary to do so anyways.

"Greetings Fire Pony!" Prince Rutherford shouted at me from across the table.

"Hey." I replied, keeping a firm hoof on my utensils as his booming voice seemed to shake everything on the table.

"Yaks respect the destructive nature of Fire Pony's fire!" Prince Rutherford declared stomping his hooves and shaking the table further.

"I appreciate that, Prince Rutherford." I replied, now using my arms to keep the dishes from sliding off.

"Yaks also respect the warmth and beauty that fire can bring!" Prince Rutherford continued, his personal guards stepping forward and placing two records on table before me. "Accept this gift of classical Yak music on behalf of Yakyakistan."

"Classical?" I asked curiously leaning over to look at them.

"Yak music is powerful!" Prince Rutherford shouted fanning my flames back. "Yet also, endearing and melancholy."

"I am very grateful for this, thank you, Prince Rutherford." I replied with a nervous smile.

Prince Rutherford returned to the courtyard as Wingston reached over with his staff to pull the records towards him.

"Flight of the Yakkys and the Moonlight Stampede." Wingston read aloud the titles of the records.

"Are they any good?" I asked curiously.

"Only if you want your ears to bleed." Argo mumbled to me, leaning over past General Hearth.

General Hearth and I tried to keep a straight face, forcing ourselves not to smile or laugh.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stood together, off to the side of the courtyard watching the Queen of Buckingham Palace approach the King's table.

"How could you not think to bring something for Smolder?" Princess Luna hissed to her sister.

"Me? You were the one who's been talking about coming here all week." Princess Celestia whispered back.

"Must we approach the table? Wingston informed us that Smolder did not wish it so." Princess Luna asked curiously.

"I wasn't planning to, but Cadance brought Smolder a prism from the Crystal Empire." Princess Celestia said, sounding rather annoyed.

"Traitor! How could she do something so under hoofed without consulting us?" Princess Luna asked, sounding rather bitter.

"That's what I said! Either no pony brings anything or we all bring something! Now we're going to look like snobby fancy ponies who couldn't be bothered to get the young Flame Pony King a gift." Princess Celestia hissed.

"Perchance we can run to market and find something fit for a King?" Princess Luna asked sounding hopeful.

"All the shops are closed; I only managed to find this." Princess Celestia said.

Using her magic, Princess Celestia retrieved a rather crude looking doll of Smolder, quite possibly a Flim Flam product being sold out in front of the castle.

"What is it?" Princess Luna asked looking rather disgusted with it.

"It's Smolder, what else could it be?" Princess Celestia asked holding it up.

"Is it at least fire proof?" Princess Luna asked curiously.

With a spark from her horn, Princess Celestia set a flame to the doll as it suddenly caught fire and burned away rather quickly. Dropping it to the stone floor, the sisters watched the doll turn to dust in a matter of seconds.

"Do we have a plan B?" Princess Luna asked promptly.

I thanked the Queen for her lovely gift of several boxes of tea leaves, something that Wingston seemed rather happy about; which I was glad because I could not stomach the drink. The gifts I was receiving were few and far between each pony who wanted to congratulate me, so I was rather content with the amount I had been given, as well as grateful for the thought the ponies put into it. Princess Sheva was next to come to the table, with her was a rather familiar face.

"Zecora!" I shouted in surprise, nearly jumping to my hooves.

"I'm glad I came, King of the Wild Flame." Zecora said happily.

"Wild Flame? That is not his name." Princess Sheva said looking puzzled.

"Smolder is his name, Wild Flame means just the same." Zecora explained.

I could see Argo rubbing his temples, I suppose not every pony is amused by the rhymes of a zebra, but I enjoyed it plenty.

"I'm glad to have you here, Zecora." I said.

"Excited are we to see you crowned, an important duty to which you are bound." Princess Sheva said.

"A gift from us who wish you well, a special mixture of soothing gel." Zecora continued, placing a jar of vibrant orange goo upon the table.

"That is a very old Zebra remedy, said to have magical restorative properties." Wingston whispered to me.

"I'm very grateful for this. Thank you." I said picking up the jar, admiring the color.

"Is that what I think it is?" Princess Luna asked in a hushed voice.

"Lady Sheva just gave Smolder a jar of Savanna Sun! That completely blows Cadance's prism out of the water!" Princess Celestia hissed in disbelief.

"All we have is a burned up rag doll." Princess Luna mumbled bitterly.

"Hey! I spent twenty bits on that!" Princess Celestia hissed back.

"You were taken for a fool, sister." Princess Luna said rolling her eyes.

I was surprised to see Princess Sapphire approaching the table, over her shoulder I could see Lord Tundra and Lady Frost standing off to the side beaming with pride. From the slight shade of purple on her cheeks, I could guess that she had not said anything to her parents about the wedding yet.

"Lord Smolder, on behalf of the Ice Ponies and the Kingdom of the Frozen North, I want to congratulate you on your Coronation." Princess Sapphire said in a very dignified tone of voice.

"Thank you… my Lady." I said awkwardly.

"As a token of our goodwill, I'd like to share with you a… spiritual… reading." Princess Sapphire said slowly.

"A what?" I asked looking confused.

"The Ice Ponies are a very spiritual herd, taking solace in nature and the concerning themselves more with the development of oneself and not so much in material objects." Wingston informed me.

"Every Ice Pony is expected to explore the meaning of ones' own identity, namely their cutie mark, and draw from that their talents, purpose, and power. If you are willing, I will perform a reading of your cutie mark, and… enlighten you of things you may not have known." Princess Sapphire said looking none too comfortable about this.

"S-S-Sure." I said, trying to make this go by as quickly as possible for her.

"Very well then, please lean forward." Princess Sapphire said, her face turning a deeper shade of purple.

I did as I was asked, leaning towards her as she leaned in as well. The tip of her horn touched my forehead, a sudden spark of light started to illuminate from her horn as she drew her head back. Closing her eyes, the light swirled down her horn and disappeared at its base. She opened her eyes once more, although they were pure white, as if she had gone into a trance.

"Smolder, Son of Scorch, Son of Phoenix, King of Fire. You are but a flicker, a spark, a faraway star. A heart filled with sorrow and sadness, surrounding itself with love and friendship. For what time will throw upon the Smoldering King, it will only feed his fire; it will consume the darkness, for his flame is meant to endure even when all other lights go out." Princess Sapphire announced in a very monotone voice.

Blinking several times, Princess Sapphire's eyes returned to normal, she seemed rather off balance.

"Are you alright?" I asked, concerned she was going to fall over.

"She'll be alright." Lady Frost said aloud, quickly coming to help Sapphire.

"A spiritual reading is a very intimate gesture, it allows the reader to look into a pony's heart revealing to them things that even they would not know about themselves." Lord Tundra explained also coming to check on Sapphire.

"Will she be alright?" I asked.

"Of course, Sapphire is just out of practice, she'll be her old self after a few minutes." Lady Frost said reassuringly, gingerly holding Sapphire in her arms.

"I'm… grateful to her for willingly sharing that with me." I said.

"We've should have gone first, sister, the gifts seem to only be getting better." Princess Luna said looking rather worried.

"I know, I know! Just try and help me think of something." Princess Celestia said, tapping her hooves against her head; trying to think of something.

I watched Sapphire's parents lead her away, telling her how much of a wonderful job she had done, offering her words of encouragement and love. I couldn't help but smile for her, as awkward as it was to have your parents around; at least they were there for you. I heard hooves approaching the table again; to my surprise it was Princess Celestia and Princess Luna who smiled at me. I couldn't put my hoof on it but they seemed to be acting a little peculiar.

"Hello, Smolder." Princess Celestia and Princess Luna said together.

"Hello." I said, giving them a small wave.

"Princess Luna and I-" Princess Celestia began.

"We were thinking of what to get you for your Coronation." Princess Luna jumped in nervously.

"We wanted it to be something meaningful." Princess Celestia added.

"Something that wouldn't collect dust on a shelf." Princess Luna pointed out.

"After doing some extensive digging-" Princess Celestia began.

"And in no way snooping." Princess Luna interjected.

"We found out something you might be interested in knowing." Princess Celestia stated.

I stared blankly at them, unsure of what they were talking about, as did General Hearth, Argo, Burning Sand and Wingston. Smiling nervously, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna glanced at one another, wondering who should be the pony to tell him.

"We found out when you birthday is." Princess Celestia said.

"It's June twentieth." Princess Luna followed up.

General Hearth raised an eyebrow. Argo looked very perplexed. Burning Sand was counting to himself of what day and month it was. Wingston was also trying to recall if that date was actually correct. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna smiled wide, waiting for my reaction; needless to say I did react.

"Ju-Ju-June…" I stammered.

I never knew my birthday. I could feel myself shaking, my heart was thumping. There was this indescribable feeling of joy I felt swirling inside me. I had a birthday. An exact day, a day which I could call my own, and it had not passed yet.

I suppose it means more to a pony who never knew, to those that will never know what it means to not have one. I've spent every year, on a different day, wondering if that day was the day. Now, finally, I had an answer, and it made me feel so much better knowing for some reason. It was obvious to any pony near me that I was doing my best not to cry, even though the act itself was impossible, and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were doing their best to calm me down.

"We'll have a big party, at Canterlot, to make up for all the missed birthdays." Princess Celestia reassured me.

"We will have pin the tail on the Owlbear, and clowns. The pies to the face will be most enjoyable." Princess Luna added.

"Thank you." I said, with a very sincere smile.

"We are very glad to have you among us, Smolder." Princess Celestia said warmly.

From the North Tower, the Orc was peering through a makeshift spyglass, observing the King's Table and all those that sat there. The spyglass held on each pony, committing their appearance to memory, the Orc's attention eventually fell upon Smolder. Lowering the spyglass, the Orc descended the stairs that led down from the North Tower. In its decrepit state, the North Tower had been closed off to any and every pony until further notice. Having once been the lodgings of the court wizard from days long passed, the tower stood derelict and vastly empty. Focus on more stable parts of the castle took priority over the old North Tower, always viewed to be a part of the castle that would be torn down rather than rebuilt.

Unbeknownst to nearly every pony was a second staircase built into the base of the North Tower that led to the dungeons beneath the castle. Frequented by the wizard ponies of old, as a means to gather rare crystals from the mines more efficiently, to practice their spells and incantations. It was now a means for Gorun to enter Castle Char undetected.

Reaching the landing of the spiraling staircase, Gorun examined the stone door that had not been opened in several decades. Thrusting his shoulder against the stone door in attempt to force it open was met with little progress, having only shaken the old soot that seemed to plaster. Retrieving his mace, Gorun guessed the amount of strength needed to hit the stone door with enough force to jar it open. Clasping his mace with two hands, Gorun struck the stone door near the centered edge, effectively freeing the stone door from its layered soot and breaking large chunks of rock from it. Following it up with a savage kick, the stone door shattered open, spilling large bits of rock into the corridor.

The loud music echoed, only muffled by the helmet he wore. Rolling his shoulders, Gorun started off down the corridor in a leisurely pace. The Spider Queen's fang hung at his side, lightly knocking against his armor, twirling the gold coin in his fingertips.

Chapter 30: Ice Tea

The festivities were coming to a close, the fireworks would mark its end, and it would be just another Saturday. I thanked General Hearth, Argo Fleece, Burning Sand, and Wingston for joining me at the King's Table for the hour or so that was required for any and all ponies who wanted to bring their well wishes or gifts. It came as a surprise to me when each of them wanted to express their own thoughts on my Coronation.

"Lord Smolder, on behalf the Council we would like to present you with a small token of our esteemed gratitude for your services rendered thus far." Burning Sand announced signaling Argo who stepped forward.

"Your father and grandfather continued the tradition of have a metal seal of their cutie mark made to stamp royal decrees. We took the liberty of casting one for you, including taking a few creative liberties as well." Argo informed me, handing it to me.

It was a bit larger than normal coins. The sigil bore a phoenix at the top; the center depicted a raging fire, while the bottom carried my cutie mark. There were two identical colts rearing upright, opposite one another at the left and right side of the coin.

"We thought it appropriate to incorporate the past as well as the future, that through the ashes we will rise again. Never forgetting the where we have come from, or those we have lost along the way." General Hearth explained the significance of the picture.

"Thank you." I said graciously, admiring the seal; moved by their consideration.

General Hearth, Burning Sand, and Argo stepped off the platform of the King's Table pausing for a moment to speak with one another. Argo turned to Burning Sand, looking very guilty and somber.

"I know you have every right to be angry with me, Burnie. There is nothing I can say to change what I've done but I am asking that you join me for a drink; to talk things over." Argo offered him.

"I guess that depends on the drink." Burning Sand replied.

"Twenty year old cherry cider." Argo answered quickly.

"I suppose I can do some forgiving over a few glasses of that." Burning sand said tapping his chin in thought.

"Although I would ask you not to shove me again, I'm not getting around as easily as I used to." Argo added.

"Look who you're talking to." Burning Sand replied with a laugh.

"Would you join us for a drink, Hearth?" Argo offered him.

General Hearth thought about it for a moment, weighing his options. Feeling that the night had gone by with little incident, he nodded in agreement.

"Wingston should be joining us as well; Lord Smolder has requested that he have an escort during this business with the Orc." General Hearth mentioned.

"I've already invited him, no better place for the old bat to be then with those his own age." Argo said agreeing to the idea.

Wingston stayed behind to speak with me in private, I placed the coin within the inside coat pocket; once more reminding myself to thank Rarity and her students for the incredible cloak. I turned to him, doing my best to look proper and confident but his face seemed to be more relaxed and at ease.

"Smolder," Wingston began, strumming his fingers on his staff.

I felt that words wouldn't quite express my appreciation for all that Wingston had done for me, so I opted to hug and embraced him. Unable to fathom what sort of pony I would have turned out to be without Wingston guiding me, raising me, and having him support through all of my choices.

"Thank you, Wingston." I said quietly to him.

"Don't ever change, Smolder." Wingston said, patting me on the shoulder.

Wingston pulled away from me, nudging me aside with his staff. I stepped aside looking puzzled as he limped towards the end of the platform.

"If you'll excuse me I have a very important meeting to attend to." Wingston called back to me.

I watched as Wingston climbed a top General Hearth's back. The four of them threw me a quick salute before making their way through the courtyard back to the castle's Main Hall. Leaving me to fend for myself against the fancy ponies once more, needless to say I was rather envious of the four of them, having such a deep rooted friendship from so many years past, but I felt that I would eventually have something similar when I got to be their age.

Rarity and Spike stood off to the side of the courtyard, while Crow and Rose sat at a table together speaking among each other; seemingly having a wonderful time all around. Stitch was in much better spirits as she found her cloak to be a much useful tool in carrying more sweets then her arms could ever hope to carry.

"Isn't it wonderful, Spike? Two young ponies in blissful romance, not a care in the world?" Rarity asked with a longing sigh.

"Did I miss the part where they confessed to one another?" Spike asked curiously trying to get a better look.

"It wouldn't seem so, but fret not. The night is young and I will be damned if I don't make this happen." Rarity said almost aggressively, pulling on her cloak.

"Doesn't love normally, you know, work itself out on its own?" Spike asked, scratching his head.

"Love can stand to be pushed a little from time to time by an interested third party." Rarity quipped, staring at them intently.

Before Spike could question Rarity's logic, Private Nightshade and Herbal Tea were making their way towards him. Spike quickly sized up Nightshade as a possible threat to his dearest Rarity but saw him with another mare and deemed him harmless.

"Hey little dragon, have you seen Cosmic or Peanut anywhere?" Nightshade asked curiously.

"Who now?" Spike asked looking puzzled.

"Private First Class Cosmic, and Specialist Peanut? Cosmic and I brought you and Ms. Sparkle from Ponyville on a chariot nearly a week ago?" Nightshade asked trying to jog his memory.

"Oh yeah!" Spike said placing his face. "Haven't seen them."

"Rarity, have you seen any Canterlot Guards this evening?" Tea asked curiously.

"Ms. Herbal, you look simply marvelous in that coat." Rarity complimented her, admiring her own handiwork and forgetting the question entirely.

"Well, thank you, it's very comfortable. I love what you done with Smolder's." Tea replied.

"Yes well one of my students did most of the work. I simply lent a hoof here and there. It was necessary to provide Smolder with something elegant and yet formal to impress the fancy ponies and the princess." Rarity remarked, motioning to Rose and Crow at the table over yonder.

"Why would Smolder want to impress Princess Celestia or Princess Luna?" Tea asked curiously.

"Oh no, darling, it's Princess Sapphire, the Ice Pony from the Frozen North." Rarity corrected her.

Tea was suddenly wide eyed, a twitch started to develop in the one of her eyes.

"Princess… Sapphire?" Tea asked slowly.

"Th-Th-There's nothing to concern yourself with, Ms. Herbal, Smolder has been an utmost gentlepony during her stay here. Some pony of Smolder's stature must provide the appropriate courtesy when mingling with other Royal Ponies." Rarity quickly informed her, trying to set the record straight.

"Was that before or after she was found in the King's bedroom?" Stitch asked taking a bite of an apple turnover.

"What!" Tea snapped in shock.

"There is a perfectly reasonable explanation for that!" Rarity assured her, trying to calm her down.

"Was Smolder there?" Nightshade asked in disbelief.

"Mr. Nightshade, you are not helping." Rarity hissed, glaring at him.

"Princess Sapphire came here only to find something that was stolen from the Frozen North, she went to Smolder for help." Spike said, hoping to clear things up.

"Quite right Spike, it was purely business between the two of them." Rarity said, encouraging the idea.

"Then why did she kiss him?" Stitch asked curiously.

"When did she kiss him?" Nightshade asked in surprise.

"When she went up to the table not too long ago." Stitch mentioned, pointing towards the King's Table.

"She did not kiss him! She merely… she… well I couldn't quite see what she did but I can assure you that she did not- Ms. Herbal?" Rarity stopped short, Tea was no longer with them.

"Uh oh." Nightshade mumbled looking around the courtyard.

Princess Sapphire stood near the refreshment table, sampling the apple juice and finding it to be quite enjoyable. It was important to appear trim and proper for all the other fancy ponies, but Sapphire could not help herself when it came to apple juice. It was a rare treat to have apple juice in the Frozen North, for obvious reasons, and having it here for all to enjoy made it all the more tempting for her. Being as discreet as possible, Sapphire would use her magic to pour herself more apple juice between sips to ensure that her cup would never run dry while keeping a weather eye out for any pony that may be watching her. Taking a drink, Sapphire lowered her cup to suddenly see a green earth pony standing before her, giving her one hay of a glare.

"You must be Princess Sapphire." Tea said aloud.

Princess Sapphire jumped at the sound of her voice, quickly trying to choke down her drink without having to do a spit take. Tea Herbal stood unmoving. A glare that would send shivers down any pony's spine; Tea waited for a response. Sapphire cleared her throat, setting down her drink and quickly composing herself.

"Most certainly, it's a pleasure to meet you. May I have the pleasure of your-" Princess Sapphire began.

"Tea. Tea Herbal." Tea cut her short, sounding very cross.

"Do you mean Herbal Tea?" Sapphire asked curiously.

"No!" Tea snapped flushing slightly.

"I beg your pardon; I didn't mean to offend you." Sapphire replied, hoping to salvage this conversation.

"Let's cut the saddle bag and get right to the point." Tea said stepping closer to Sapphire.

"W-W-What do you mean?" Sapphire asked looking very surprised at Tea's behavior.

"Do you have feelings for Smolder?" Tea asked.

"Feelings for Smolder?" Sapphire asked looking puzzled.

Sapphire thought back to her encounters with Smolder these last few days, concerning her breaking and entering into his bedroom, the fight they had over conflicting information, their conversation concerning the arranged marriage, and most recently her spiritual reading of his cutie mark. It seemed to dawn on Sapphire that she was very much unsure of her own feelings concerning Smolder, her interaction at the beginning was forced, which quickly led to necessary, and then rather intimate.

"Well?" Tea asked impatiently, noticing the hue of purple starting to flush across Sapphire's face.

"Smolder is a very… interesting pony." Sapphire said, pausing to find the right word to describe him. "I suppose you could say that I admire Smolder."

Her word choice did not soothe the feelings of Tea in the slightest. It was plain to see that the green earth pony was not at all happy.

"Just how well do you know Smolder?" Tea asked, although it seemed more like a demand.

"I-I met him only a couple of days ago." Sapphire replied nervously.

"Where?" Tea asked almost immediately, sounding a bit more aggressive.

"I don't really see why that would matter-" Sapphire began feeling her face flush once more.

"It wouldn't possibly have been in his bedroom, was it?" Tea asked, trying to sound incriminating.

"I-I-I-I-" Sapphire stammered nervously, wondering if this was some sort of reporter pony about to take this whole ordeal public.

"And what sort of present is a- is a- is a- is a kiss supposed to be?" Tea asked, looking very flustered.

"Kiss? Present?" Sapphire asked in shock, stepping back.

"You kissed him in front of every pony!" Tea snapped flushing furiously.

"I did not!" Sapphire snapped back flushing furiously herself.

"Then-then-then what was all that… nonsense about?" Tea asked, almost shaking from her frustration.

"I… well I… tapped him on the head… with my horn." Sapphire said slowly, realizing how weird that would sound to a normal pony.

Sapphire could see Tea fuming, her face flushed, her breathing sharp and irregular. Seeing as Tea was too flustered to ask another question, Sapphire decided it was time to ask a few of her own.

"S-S-S-So who are you then, eh? Ms. Herbal?" Sapphire asked accusingly.

"Me?" Tea asked surprised by this question.

"I've been here two days and not seen so much as a hint of green. Are you his keeper or something?" Sapphire asked, taking a rather aggressive yet defensive stance to her.

"I'm… I'm!" Tea began, trying to muster up some courage. "I'm… his… nurse."

"His nurse?" Sapphire asked looking puzzled.

"That's not important!" Tea snapped, flushing a deeper shade of green.

"I think it is considering that my actions towards Smolder wouldn't concern a pony of your profession or relation." Sapphire remarked, turning her head in a huff.

"It does if you're a… a… hussy!" Tea barked, trying to find a rather nasty word.

"I beg your pardon!" Sapphire exclaimed, stepping towards Tea; her mane showering snowflakes.

Tea and Sapphire glared at one another. The tension was having the ponies nearby back away having felt their uneasy vibes.

"Oh, Snowflake!" A voice called out cutting through their tension.

Sapphire shuddered at the name. She looked extremely embarrassed, and quickly turned away from Tea.

"Mother! Hi! What can I do for you?" Sapphire asked, in a prerecorded and formal tone.

"Your father and I are speaking with all the other Princesses; you must come and join us, Snowflake." Lady Frost said in a bubbly voice.

"Of course, mother, just a moment while finish my chat with this… loveable pony." Sapphire said through her clenched teeth.

"Quickly now, sweetheart, we want to discuss the wedding." Lady Frost insisted, heading back towards the table.

Sapphire waited until her mother was a good distance away before slumping her shoulders and exhaling loudly. Turning to the stone table, Sapphire let her face drop onto it with a thud and groaned. Tea's mane had been standing on end when the word 'wedding' was spoken, her face a forest green, and her heart shattering in a million pieces. Although seeing Sapphire's reaction to it made Tea rather confused, feeling she was missing something rather important.

"Is… everything alright?" Tea asked slowly.

"No… just… no." Sapphire mumbled in defeat.

"I couldn't help overhearing that you… are getting... married." Tea said with great difficulty.

"To Smolder of all ponies." Sapphire added.

"Oh," Tea managed to gasp, her body seizing up at the news. "Con… Congra…"

"I just want this day to be over." Sapphire mumbled, rubbing her face into the table.

"What?" Tea asked, realizing that Sapphire looked miserable at the idea.

"I'm supposed to marry Smolder…" Sapphire began.

"Yes?" Tea asked leaning in.

Sapphire rolled her head to the side to see Tea staring at her intensely. Raising her head, she looked at Tea with suspicion.

"Who are you? Really?" Sapphire asked, eyeing her.

"Tea Herbal. A nurse pony." Tea replied.

"To Smolder." Sapphire stated, watching her face flush once more.

"I'm… I'm… his…" Tea tried to get the words out.

"Special somepony?" Sapphire asked curiously.

Tea lowered her head slightly, letting her mane cover part of her face.

"I'm not sure, we just sort of… close." Tea mumbled.

"Well that would explain your shrillness." Sapphire remarked massaging her temple. "Smolder mentioned he was interested in some other pony, but I didn't get a name out of him. Probably for the same reason I kept this arranged marriage under wraps."

"It's an arranged marriage?" Tea asked looking very worried.

"It is… but Smolder refused it." Sapphire said reassuringly, resting her hoof on Tea's shoulder.

"He did?" Tea asked, in both surprise in relief.

"I know right? I was quite surprised myself." Sapphire remarked.

"So I'm guessing you haven't told any pony yet." Tea said putting two and two together.

"There are a lot of political and financial prospects in the union of our Kingdoms. My parents were also the ponies to propose this union, and having to let both my kingdom and parents down isn't something I'm looking forward to." Sapphire explained with a sigh.

"Just because you didn't want to marry some pony?" Tea asked.

"Being a Princess comes with a long list of responsibilities, doing what is best for the kingdom trumps any personal feelings I have over the issue. Smolder was kind enough to reject the arranged marriage so the blame would be placed on his unwillingness, and not my own." Sapphire explained further.

"What if Smolder had said yes?" Tea asked curiously.

"I'm sure he would not have, he was very much set on another pony." Sapphire remarked eyeing her.

"If he had, would you have gone through with it or would you have refused?" Tea asked.

Sapphire thought about it for a moment. She opened her mouth and closed it several times. Her spiritual reading with Smolder, however short it may have been, had revealed much of Smolder's inner feelings to her. The act itself is very intimate; it allows the caster to see a pony for which they truly are. For Sapphire, there was a sense of loneliness about Smolder, regret and sadness that seemed to stay buried deep within him.

"I would say that my feelings have not become romantic towards him." Sapphire began. "But there is a part of me that has grown fond of him. Perhaps, I would have gone through with it, if had I had more time to spend with him."

"Well that's too bad, better get going. Your mom's waiting to hear the tragic news of how Smolder dumped you." Tea said, suddenly pushing Sapphire in the direction her mother had left in.

Sapphire stifled a laugh at Tea's pushing. It was very clear that Tea was not one for competition, at least when concerning her love life. Sapphire started to stride away, but not before thinking of one last thing to say.

"You said that you are a nurse pony, Ms. Herbal?" Sapphire called back to her.

"Yes, I'm studying to become a doctor." Tea called back.

"That takes quite a few years to achieve, does it not?" Sapphire asked curiously.

"Four years, I've just started my first." Tea remarked proudly.

"It appears that I will have more time to spend with Smolder then." Sapphire said cheerfully; enjoying the sudden shock of Tea's flabbergasted face.

Sapphire strode away with a satisfied grin on her face. It slowly began to fade the closer she got to the table that sat every Princess and her parents. The mood of the table seemed light and enjoyable, so Sapphire did her best to bring her smile back up. Having gotten closer to the table, her father, Lord Tundra motioned to her to sit between him and her mother.

"Sapphire, come sit with us, we have your favorite." Lord Tundra announced.

"Apple juice, Snowflake!" Lady Frost said, using her magic to reveal a large ice cold pitcher of the drink.

"Yay…" Sapphire said, feeling very embarrassed.

Sapphire took the seat in between her parents as asked. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, and Shining Armor were also at the table, looking very pleased to see her.

"Hello Sapphire, have you been enjoying this evening?" Princess Celestia asked curiously.

"Yes, Princess Celestia, very much so." Sapphire replied, remembering to smile.

"We saw you preform one of the Spiritual Readings for Smolder earlier." Princess Cadance remarked, looking very interested. "I was wondering if any pony could learn to do it."

"It's actually quite difficult." Sapphire replied. "Only unicorn ponies can perform the act, and it takes many years of meditation and study to us it properly. Without such, you might just swap minds with another pony or something." Sapphire explained.

"I had no idea." Princess Cadance replied looking surprised.

"Sapphire was very skilled at it. Although, her technique began to slip when she started her studies at the Academy, but it is to be expected. She has the mind of an academic, and the heart of a fighter." Lady Frost said lovingly.

"What are you studying at the Northern Academy?" Princess Luna asked.

"My studies were focused on the Void and its effect on Equestria." Sapphire replied.

"I had no idea that the Frozen North had such studies." Princess Celestia remarked.

"It is our smallest area of study, Sapphire believed she could make it into one of our most prominent fields and has made great strides in it." Lord Tundra said proudly.

"I was under the impression the Void was just that, a void." Shining Armor stated.

"That is a widely misunderstood idea." Sapphire replied, there seemed to be excitement in her voice. "The Void, as ponies from Equestria had named it, was actually a separate world that was connected by very old magic. There have been sightings all over Equestria of the Void activity but none as prominent as the ones here in the Ashen Fields."

"So what is it exactly?" Princess Cadance asked.

"I'm going to stop you right there, Snowflake, you know how excited you get when you talk about your work." Lady Frost said, patting her on the shoulder.

"Besides we have more pressing matter to speak of." Lord Tundra chipped in.

"Which is?" Princess Luna asked curiously.

"An arranged marriage between our little Snowflake and Smolder, of course." Lady Frost replied.

Princess Cadance choked on her drink. Shining Armor swallowed half an apple whole, beating on his chest trying to force it down as Sapphire sat flushing furiously in front of every pony.

"An arranged marriage?" Princess Luna asked looking over at Princess Celestia who didn't seem all that surprised.

"Sapphire came to meet with Smolder a few days prior to inquire about a missing artifact and inform him of said union." Lord Tundra explained.

Sapphire could feel her mane showering snowflakes all around her as every pony looked at her in surprise.

"So how did it go dear?" Lady Frost asked excitedly, giving her a little shake.

"He… uh… he…" Sapphire stammered, swallowing hard.

"Yes?" Lord Tundra asked, looking eager to hear her answer as did every other pony.

"He said… no." Sapphire mumbled, feeling her heart beat rapidly.

"No?" Lady Frost asked.

"No." Sapphire replied quietly.

"Yes." Lord Tundra hissed, with an arm pump.

"Charles!" Lady Frost said in shock.

"No colt is good enough for my little Snowflake! Smolder did the right thing saying no, or I would have frozen him solid on the spot." Lord Tundra remarked threateningly.

"You would have done no such thing! It was your family's silly tradition to have this arranged marriage in the first place." Lady Frost insisted.

"Our laws and traditions are sacred to our Kingdom, to simply ignore them goes against everything we stand for." Lord Tundra snapped back.

"Perhaps if you weren't so busy ice sculpting all the time, you could make a few amendments to our laws so something like this doesn't sneak up on us again." Lady Frost said rolling her eyes.

"You always bring up my Ice Sculpting! I have one hobby Martha, one! At the very least you could sit in on one our meetings instead of hiding in the library all day writing your cheesy love novels." Lord Tundra said defensively.

Lady Frost was just about to continue their little spat when she noticed Sapphire staring up at her with wide eyes looking very surprised.

"Sapphire dear, what's wrong?" Lady Frost asked with concern.

"You're not mad?" Sapphire asked.

"With your father?" Lady Frost asked giving him the evil eye.

"With me." Sapphire replied.

"Why would we be mad at you, sweetheart?" Lady Frost asked in surprise.

"I let the whole Kingdom down, all the plans for our Kingdoms becoming one and being the first ever union of ice and fire." Sapphire said looking rather troubled by this.

"Charles! This is what happens when you let Sapphire sit in on your meetings!" Lady Frost snapped at him; watching him recoil from her.

"Sapphire, sweetie, the council needs to make plans for the eventual future. If you had wed Smolder, we would have had everything worked out and planned out for years to come but we also had plans set if the marriage did not take place. There was no need to feel like every pony was counting on you to get married." Lord Tundra explained to her, putting his hoof on her shoulder; leaning in to whisper to her. "Seriously though, I was going to freeze him solid."

"B-B-B-But you two always seemed so excited about the idea." Sapphire stammered looking back and forth at them.

"Your mother told me to." Lord Tundra added quickly.

"Your father and I were against you being arranged to marry any pony, but when we heard about a young Flame Pony Prince who had lost his family, well, it didn't seem like such a bad idea." Lady Frost explained stroking Sapphire's mane. "You're a very loving and caring pony when you want to be Sapphire, strong and independent, at the very least you would have been a pony he could confide in, but you would have also helped him to move on from those he lost."

"But the Kingdom-" Sapphire tried to start but was hushed by her mother.

"The Kingdom is flourishing, dear; you not wedding Smolder will not trouble any of our ponies." Lady Frost said soothingly.

"Except for Penny Pincher, he really wanted to mine these mountains." Lord Tundra added, but got another glare from Lady Frost.

"In fact, since you've done all that has been asked of you by our laws and tradition, you can choose to marry whomever you wish." Lady Frost said.

"Or not." Lord Tundra added again.

"The point is, sweetie, is that you fulfilled your role as Princess to the letter. So now it's time for you to start making your own choices." Lady Frost said warmly.

Sapphire felt a great relief wash over her. She almost felt like laughing. Not realizing that her parents might also be forced to do things they themselves would not be comfortable with.

"Does this mean that Princess Sapphire will not be marrying Smolder?" Princess Celestia asked curiously.

"It would seem so." Lady Frost said with a smile.

Princess Sapphire stared into her apple juice, she could almost see Smolder's face ripple in her cup. He had given her the freedom she wanted, all by declining the arranged marriage, something any other Prince would have most likely accepted in a heartbeat. A part of her wanted to know more about who Smolder really was, to get know him better, and just from those thoughts she found herself smiling over it.

"For now." Sapphire whispered to herself.

Gorun admired the bland color of the castle's interior. It did well to remind him of his dreary underground world. It wasn't long before the corridor ended at another stone door, although this one was more cooperative and slide open without much force.

"Your daughter has grown since the last I saw her." Burning Sand's voice echoed off the walls.

"She was only a filly when you saw her, Burnie." Argo Fleece's voice echoed after.

"Doesn't make my statement any less true." Burning Sand replied with a laugh.

Gorun watched from the end of the corridor, spying three Flame Ponies speaking amongst themselves. Slowly pushing the stone door open, Gorun stepped into the hallway, gripping the fang in his hand.

"Where is Helena? I haven't seen her tonight." General Hearth asked.

"The trip was quite long for her; she's resting in my room." Argo answered, ushering them inside the office.

"I'm sure we'll meet her tomorrow." Burning Sand remarked.

Gorun pushed the stone door open, the metal of his iron armor shifted as he stretched out his limbs.

"So what does everyone think of this?" Wingston asked curiously.

"At least it isn't 'All Ye' Gentle Ponies' repeating for several hours." Argo replied jokingly.

Looking on, Gorun saw the Flame Ponies, and some sort of creature riding atop one of the colts, enter the room closing the stone doors behind them. Gorun set off down the corridor, the music thumping away, Gorun positioned himself in front of the large stone doors where the ponies had entered. Bouncing up and down his toes, psyching himself up, Gorun placed a hard kick between the split of the doors and had them slamming open.

Chapter 31: Morning After

Crowds of reporter ponies were pressed shoulder to shoulder at the Main Entrance of Castle Char, cameras in hooves, notepads and pens at the ready. The Coronation of the new King was met with sudden tragedy as rumors spread of four ponies that had been attacked during last night's festivities. It was unclear to any pony what the actual details were but a good reporter pony doesn't publish a story with getting all the facts. The doors of Castle Char began to slid open, every reporter pony shoved one another out of the way to get out in front of the pack, the merciless flashing of cameras erupted without any sign of stopping. Corporal Hicks, Topaz, and Spinel appeared through the doors. Every pony shouted over one another about the situation that had occurred, asking if there was any truth behind it, who was responsible, and what the condition of the ponies were. There was one reporter pony that was up near the front, his voice seemed to drown out all the rest as he asked his question.

"Rumors have been spreading around the Ashen Fields about an attack carried out by an unknown assailant, seriously injuring four flame ponies. Is any of this true?" The reporter pony asked.

"Three Flame Ponies are currently in hospital for severe trauma, they were found late last night by Royal Guards, but the assailant remains at large." Topaz replied.

"Who were the injured ponies?" Another reporter asked.

"At this time we are not revealing the names of the victims of the attack, but their families have been notified." Topaz continued.

"Does the Royal Guard have any idea of who might have been behind this attack?" A reporter pony asked aloud.

"We have a pretty good idea of who it was." Topaz replied.

"With all the heightened security for the Coronation, some Flame Ponies claim that it was due to threats made earlier in the week by an Orc. Can you confirm this?" The first reporter pony asked.

"The Ashen Fields received a rather ill-conceived threat from an Orc early this week. It most likely that this Orc is behind this attack." Topaz replied as every reporter began writing on the notepads.

"A state of emergency has been declared in the Ashen Fields, guests and visitors are urged to leave as soon as possible for your own safety, until such a time where no pony's life is threatened." Spinel announced.

"What of the injured Flame Ponies? Are they expected to make a full recovery?" A reporter asked, over the dozens of other questions being asked.

"As it stands, we have three Flame Ponies being treated for severe trauma, and one in critical condition." Topaz answered.

"You said that there were only three Flame Ponies." A reporter pointed out.

"There were four victims, three were Flame Ponies, and one was not." Topaz informed them.

Tea Herbal was in the Infirmary, lending a hoof to the undertrained Flame Pony nurses who were unfamiliar with such serious injuries. Having quickly made makeshift gloves from her fire proof cloak, Tea was able to administer her remedies much more quickly. Smolder had given the Flame Pony nurses the jar of Savanna Sun that he had been gifted from Princess Sheva to assist in their recovery. Luckily, Zecora was also lending a hoof in teaching Tea on how to apply and use it effectively.

"These ponies were badly beaten; Savanna Sun should be applied very even." Zecora instructed guiding Tea's hoof over Argo's arm.

"What does Savanna Sun actually do?" Tea asked curiously.

"Lessens the pain, turns broken bones into mere sprains." Zecora informed her.

"How long will it take before it starts to take effect?" Tea asked.

"Younger ponies would be up in a day, no worse for wear, but I'm afraid older ponies don't have it so fair." Zecora said sadly. "It will take a few days at best, for now, all they can do is rest."

"Will some of this work on Wingston?" Tea asked glancing over slab where Wingston lay; quietly rasping to himself.

"Stabbed with a spider's fang he was, using this would give me pause." Zecora replied solemnly.

"Why? Would it not work on a spider bite?" Tea asked.

"Savanna Sun is a remedy for physical ailments; it would have little effect on poison." Princess Sapphire commented, bringing a cast iron tea pot in her hooves.

"What are you doing with that?" Tea asked, eyeing the kettle.

"Flame Ponies have dealt with spiders more often than any other pony in history. They wrote an extensive remedy book concerning all types of poisons of all different types of spiders. I'm going to help brew some for Wingston." Sapphire remarked, using her magic to pull bottles off the shelves and reading each label.

"How will you know what sort of remedy to use?" Tea asked, finishing the last coat of Savanna Sun on Argo's arm.

"The Orc left the fang of a Queen Spider behind, it won't be too difficult to figure out." Sapphire explained, magically holding the fang aloft.

"Is there anything I can do?" Tea asked stepping beside her.

"No, I've got this. You should get some rest; you've been here all night." Sapphire replied.

"Have you seen Smolder?" Tea asked, sounding rather worried.

"He's in a meeting with all the Kingdoms at the moment." Sapphire replied.

"Why aren't you there?" Tea asked curiously.

"We've already had an emergency meeting early this morning between the Crystal Empire, Canterlot, the Frozen North, and the ponies of Ponyville about the attack." Sapphire mentioned.

"And?" Tea asked.

"…I think it's best to leave him alone, he's in a really bad place right now." Sapphire said slowly.

"Why? What happened?" Tea asked, sounding worried.

Sapphire glanced over her shoulder to see if any pony was listening, before leaning over to Tea to whisper.

"When I said 'we' had an emergency meeting, I meant that we had one without Smolder present." Sapphire whispered to her.

"Without Smolder? Why?" Tea asked sounding confused.

"Smolder is emotionally compromised at the moment, and we want to make sure that he won't do anything rash or something he may regret." Sapphire explained.

"Like what?" Tea asked in surprise.

"Smolder is now a King, Ms. Herbal, a very new one at that. His actions will have lasting effects on this Kingdom if they are not thought through and made with the soundest of minds, it will have lasting effects. We're hoping that Smolder will realize his duty and not make this a personal matter." Sapphire said.

"That Orc attacked Wingston; Smolder isn't going to let that go." Tea replied.

"Smolder now has a Council in which to draw ideas and informed decisions from. If he chooses to act on his own accord like his father did, we might lose him." Sapphire said.

"Lose him? You think he'll go mad like his dad?" Tea asked taken aback.

"Hate does terrible things to Flame Ponies, and Flame Ponies have been known to do some very terrible things." Sapphire said remorsefully.

"Smolder isn't like that." Tea said defensively.

"Ms. Herbal, I know you care for him but if history has proven anything it is that Orc's and Flame Ponies don't mix. There will be retribution, war is coming and it may consume him." Sapphire remarked.

"Then I guess we're lucky he's got friends rallying around him and having meetings behind his back." Tea said hotly before starting off towards the exit.

Helena and Golden Fleece stood beside Argo's granite hospital bed, he had several ugly bruises but the Savannah Sun seemed to already reduce much of the swelling. One of his back legs had been wrapped in a special cast, made of plaster and flame resistant cloth that Stitch Rose Shay had spare of, which would leave him bed ridden for several weeks; but the Savannah would shorten that considerably.

"If you think this will make me feel sorry for you, it won't." Helena joked stroking Argo's arm.

"How's every… pony else?" Argo mumbled weakly.

"General Hearth seemed to have gotten the worst of it. Mr. Sand has a concussion, and a few broken ribs. Wingston was poisoned by a spider fang." Goldie told him.

"We have… remedies for…" Argo strained to speak, trying to force himself up.

"Princess Sapphire has already begun working on an antidote for him. You need to lay still and rest." Helena insisted, trying to gently push him back down.

"Do you remember anything that happened, Dad?" Goldie asked.

"It got to Burnie first… Hearth tried to stop him… I tried to help…" Argo mumbled, obviously still in a lot of pain.

"That's enough, Argo. You need to rest." Helena said sternly.

"Helena… you need… to be… my replacement." Argo muttered.

"Argo, I was only your secretary, I've never been a Treasurer before." Helena said solemnly.

"I'll do it." Goldie said promptly.

"This isn't something you can just volunteer for, Goldie. This is-" Helena began.

"I've handled my fair share of accounting in the Frozen North, I'm sure Princess Sapphire will vouch for my competence if Lord Smolder has any doubts." Goldie interrupted, sounding very confident.

Argo slid his hoof over the granite towards Goldie, placing her own hoof over it.

"Ms. Fizzle… will bring you… up to speed." Argo mumbled, already moving ahead with the idea of her replacing him.

"I won't let you down, Dad." Goldie said, gently kissing his hoof.

"Bottom drawer… on the left… of my desk..." Argo said in no more than a whisper before falling asleep once more.

Helena leaned over, kissing Argo on the head. Goldie cleared her throat, doing her best to keep it together; stubborn and strong like her Dad.

"You'll need to inform Lord Smolder of Argo's request, and his recommendation of you taking his place for a time." Helena said encouragingly.

"After I get settled in, I'm sure there's already a lot of work waiting in Dad's office." Goldie replied giving her mom a hug before heading off.

"You know Argo; I thought I learned to hate you over the years. Grow less attached to you, forget about you eventually. Imagine my surprise to see Goldie grow up to have your brilliant mind, your stubborn attitude, and beautiful singing voice." Helena whispered to him with a smile. "Luckily for her, she got my good looks."

Ray Horizon, along with her parents, had come to see General Hearth in hospital. General Hearth was not conscious for any of it, although his daughter and son-in-law spoke to him regardless wishing for his speedy recovery. They were there for hours until her parents thought it best to let him rest until tomorrow, although Ray was adamant about staying by his side, refusing to move until he woke up. It wasn't another hour before General Hearth had begun to stir.

"Granddad?" Ray asked softly, gently holding his hoof.

General Hearth's eyes slowly fluttered open, his eyes focusing on her. He smiled weakly at her.

"Hey." General Hearth mumbled.

"You're going okay, granddad, the green pony said so." Ray said quickly, her voice already breaking from her crying.

"Did I… ever tell you…" General Hearth began weakly.

"Don't strain yourself, granddad, you need to rest." Ray muttered, her voice quivering.

"I always wanted to fly." General Hearth said. "If only to escape this place."

General Hearth's voice was calm, and relaxed. It sounded old, almost feeble, as if he was daydreaming.

"Granddad?" Ray mumbled, looking rather concerned.

"I was the eldest in my family." General Hearth continued, slowly but surely. "We were once a great house, respected amongst all our peers and I was to be a soldier pony by the insistence of my father."

Ray sat quietly listening to him, gently stroking his hoof and letting him take as many pauses as he needed to.

"I trained every day, spent the nights studying, and all to bring honor to our house. I hated every minute of it. I used to dream of flying away. Escaping this life I never wanted. I was arranged to marry a mare from another house, to combine our two families, but I chose Lily BlackWater; the saddle makers daughter."

Ray was now listening very closely to him.

"My father was furious… forbade me from seeing her, from marrying her, but did that and more. I married Lily that year… and we had our first filly that following year." General Hearth said looking very sad.

"I lost her during the Black Winter. I can still remember the look on my daughter's face when I told her. She blamed me for not being there to protect her, I knew she didn't mean it, but it didn't make it any less true." General Hearth continued.

Ray could hear the remorse in his voice, the pain that came with remembering, and how sad he looked while saying it.

"By then I was charged with the defense of the Kingdom… by King Scorch, a great honor to my family after such a great tragedy. I left my daughter alone for days at a time, days I regret giving up, but it was duty to defend every pony from another Black Winter." General Hearth said with sigh.

"Before I knew it, she was to be married… to one of my soldiers, a colt named Temper Horizon and I realized how much time had passed; how little I had spent with her. That was just after King Scorch had felled the Orc, and just before he started to slip madness." General Hearth said through a cough.

Ray could see how difficult it was for her grandfather to admit to this.

"The Mad King eventually burned down and stripped away everything my house once stood for. My father passed away a broken pony, my brothers and sisters fled to the North with their families, and I haven't seen them since." General Hearth said solemnly.

"I obeyed the King's commands in fear of him harming my daughter and her husband, so I led the attacks on Ponyville and the Crystal Empire. Each night I wished for my daughter to grow wings and escape this place. Instead, during all that misery and chaos, I received word that I had become a grandfather, and that the filly had wings."

General Hearth looked up at Ray, a smile so endearing it almost seemed like he was going to cry.

"I called you, our little ray of hope… your mother and father was kind enough to let that be your name." General Hearth said with small smile.

"Granddad." Ray whispered, clutching his hoof tightly.

"I never… wanted you… to be like me…" General Hearth said weakly, eyes slowly coming to a close.

Ray watched as he fell back asleep, his breathing only slightly labored, but resting peacefully nonetheless. Placing her forehead on his hoof, Ray mumbled to herself a promise to her granddad, leaning over and kissing him on the cheek. Taking his helmet from the edge of the granite slab, Ray carried it out, under her arm and headed out of the hospital.

Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, Princess Sheva, Lady Frost, Prince Rutherford, Duke Wellington, Shining Armor, Lord Tundra, Alex Papyrus, Tiff Pitchstone, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Solar Wind, Flare Fizzle, Wisp Seeker and myself were crowded into the throne room; every pony discussing amongst one another about the situation.

"How did this Orc manage to sneak in here anyways?" Rainbow Dash asked sounding annoyed.

"There was a hidden staircase leading to the mines in the old North Tower, it was set to be demolished sometime after the Coronation. No pony thought to look there." Wisp replied; sounding very agitated by this oversight.

"Will they be alright? General Hearth and the others?" Princess Cadance asked, sounding very concerned.

"I spoke with Tea Herbal not too long ago; she said that Argo Fleece and Burning Sand are in no immediate danger. General Hearth and Wingston on the other hoof… they're having a more difficult time treating." Twilight mentioned rather sadly.

"What was the point of this attack?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"It was to send a message, that's what. That Orc is taking jabs at this Kingdom, hard jabs. He's put the Treasurer, the General, the Advisor, and the Ambassador in the hospital. He's effectively weakened the chain of command." Duke Wellington spouted off.

"The Orc declared war on the Ashen Fields, this act of aggression is supposed to instill fear in this Kingdom, and if the Orc has its way we'll be hesitant to retaliate." Flare spoke up.

"In what ways should the Kingdom retaliate? The critters are hiding underground in old tunnels; there ain't no way to find them even if you wanted to." Applejack asked.

"If we don't do anything, it will appear that the Kingdom is fine with an enemy invading our lands and harming our kin." Solar piped up.

"So you'd play right into its hands then? Go to war with the Orc and its spiders?" Princess Luna poised the question every Flame Pony sitting on.

"Wars come about when communication fails, who knows what the future may entail." Princess Sheva remarked.

"You'd try and reason with this Orc?" Shining Armor asked.

"If it would mean sparing the Flame Ponies another war, just as they are starting to get back their hooves, I would push to resolve this peacefully." Rarity said urgently.

"I would see the logic in this way of thinking, but this Orc doesn't seem to be after peaceful resolutions. It has outright attacked the Flame Ponies, built an army and is now poised to see what the Ashen Fields next move will be. War is coming, whether we wish it so or not." Lady Frost informed.

"Yaks ready to stomp ugly spiders into the dirt!" Prince Rutherford declared, stomping his hooves.

"What about the other Flame Ponies, the ones that are just starting to put this sort of thing behind them? They've started their own stores and lives again." Pinkie Pie said with concern.

"Flame Ponies have a deep sense of pride within their culture; they are willing to protect that which they consider important, whether it be their ideals, belongings, friends or family. They will understand the need to make a stand against this threat." Lord Tundra explained.

The conversation continued on, although Princess Celestia had her gaze fixed upon me. She had noticed my eyes starting to droop, the slowness of my breath, and the sudden stillness that had struck my body. She had seen what other had only described to her up to this point, my lapses with past memories.

It felt different this time. I felt myself flying through the darkness, not able to figure out what had triggered my dormant magic. Granted I was barely listening to the conversation taking place, my thoughts were of the Orc, of those in the hospital, the similarities to what my father had to go through, and that's when everything started to go dark again. I felt the darkness come to a crawl, I stood on blackness gazing around for anything to make it present to me.

"Hello?" I asked aloud after a while of standing in completely nothingness.

A split in the darkness before me stretched in thin line. Through this, the head of a fiery colt emerged, stepping through the darkness. Flames wildly leaping from its body, legions of hide missing from its body while flames leaped from them, eyes burning red; my father had come to see me.

"Father?" I asked in disbelief.

"You will die protecting this world." The Mad King echoed.

I stared at this ghost, this memory, at least that's what I chose to see it as. It did not have the malice or the anger of my father, but it retained all its fiery fury.

"If I died protecting my kin, my friends, and the ponies I love… I would not care." I replied to my father.

"Stronger ponies then you have lost their way stepping through the darkness of their hearts." The Mad King's voice echoed again.

"Like you?" I spat, not wanting to lectured by him.

"I am your pain." The Mad King said.

The darkness exploded around us, it was an all too familiar sight. I was back, under the mountains of the Everfree, watching myself blaze in an inferno, attacking the Queen of Spiders mercilessly. I watched this memory of mine, seeing how fierce more roared, remembering how powerful I felt watching the Queen suffer.

"I am your love." The Mad King continued.

The darkness swirled once more, this time revealing to me Tea hugging me at the train station. I watched it silently, feeling my heart ache at the thought of her being hurt.

"The power to save your friends, to save your kingdom, to protect those you love. How far would you go to obtain the power necessary to do so?" The Mad King's voice echoed.

I turned to look at my father, it didn't act like my father would, nor did it speak in ways that I knew him to. I began to slowly realize who I was speaking with.

"Everything I've done, everything I fought for, I did it all for them." I said.

"How far would you go?" The Mad King asked me again.

"I never wanted any of this; I just wanted to save my family!" I shouted staring at the fiery colt before me.

"How far?" The Mad King asked again.

I had mistaken this fiery colt to be my father, this roaring inferno of fire and flame was simply my own fire, my soul staring back at me. Myself questioning the choices I was about to make, and understanding the consequences if I were to choose poorly.

"Smolder?" Princess Celestia voice came drifting in.

I blinked several times, bringing the Throne Room back into focus, every pony looking at me rather strangely. The fiery colt was slowly fading from my sight, its question still echoing in head.

"Did you have another vision, Smolder?" Twilight asked.

"I…" I started to speak, but didn't really know what to say. "I'm going to go be by myself for a while."

"Smolder?" Princess Celestia asked once more with concern, watching me step off my throne and leaving my crown behind.

"This is no time to be feeling guilty about what happened, son. We need to talk this over and come up with a plan to-" Duke Wellington began but I cut him short.

"We'll discuss later." I said firmly, heading towards the corridor.

"You can't just walk away from this." Duke insisted sounding rather cross. "You need to pony-up and face this like a real King would."

"No pony has anything to say to me today!" I shouted angrily slamming my hooves down and flaring my mane.

Every pony jumped at my sudden outburst, Duke Wellington was the most surprised, having believed me to be a gentler soul than my father. Every pony looked at me with concern and worry, no more so then Princess Celestia who had risen from her chair, watching me carefully. I could feel my anger burning inside me, it wasn't for Duke or any of them, it was at myself and guilt felt; for those in hospital paying my failure to protect them. No pony said anything as I turned to leave, I crossed the corridor quickly before leaving the meeting altogether.

"The poor dear." Lady Frost said sympathetically.

"Poor dear?" Duke asked looking surprised.

"This must be terribly hard for him, it isn't his fault but the message is clear: that Orc wanted to hurt Smolder and he went through those he loved to do so. I can't imagine the guilt he must be feeling." Lady Frost explained.

"That doesn't excuse him from shirking his duties as King." Duke mumbled sounding annoyed.

"I think Smolder has the right idea, the crown is not something he's earned, but given to him out of necessity. The choices he is facing are those that can't be answered by any of us, or by the position of being King; he needs to figure out what he would do." Princess Celestia said sitting back down.

"He seemed a bit hot under the collar." Duke mentioned.

"Better that he gets out his anger now before making any rash decisions that he might come to regret or deem unwise." Lord Tundra remarked.

"So what will we do?" Shining Armor asked.

"What do you mean?" Princess Luna asked.

"Well, I for one want to be here to support him on his decision. He needs to know that he has friends that will stand by him now more than ever." Shining Armor said.

"What if we don't agree with his decision?" Duke argued.

"We won't." Shining Armor said confidently.

"How do you know?" Duke asked.

"Because every decision Smolder has ever made was never for himself, it has always been for his ponies or family." Shining Armor said nodding his head. "Because Smolder may have his father's strength, but he has mother's heart; he doesn't have to go any farther than that to make the right choice."

"What is the right choice?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

"To go to war." Princess Celestia stated.

"Well, I hope he takes good long look in the mirror before coming up with any decision." Duke said folding his arms.

Princess Celestia nodded in agreement before suddenly stopping short. She had suddenly realized what was still lurking around in Smolder's room, which just so happened to be a mirror of sorts.

I sat in front of the mirror looking at the small shard still stuck in the twisted metal. I could see a small faint yellow light come into view, Mira's eye no doubt, staring back at me.

"…what…"

"I need your help." I said.

Chapter 32: Coined Memories

The twisted Void Mirror remained silent for a time. I could see the faint glow of her yellow eye still staring up at me. It would periodically disappear from view before coming back to see if I was still there.

"…help you… with what…"

"Friends of mine… were attacked last night. All that was left was a spider's fang, and this gold coin." I said holding up the gold coin in my hoof.

"…so…"

"It has the face of my father, but his face was never minted onto coins. I don't where the Orc got this, and I need you to help find out where this came from." I explained to her.

"…how…"

"You invaded my mind once before to show me visions of the past. I need you do it again, show me where this coin has been." I told her.

"…it will hurt…"

"It doesn't matter." I mumbled, already having put through the ringer.

I watched the twisted metal of the mirror start to jerk violently, etching out towards me, a flat end of metal barb striking the coin and lifting it from my hoof. I felt the metal start to vine its way up my arms, digging itself beneath my skin, as the coin was raised high over my head. I grit my teeth through the pain; watching the coin come striking down on to my head and watching the world around me go swirling away.

"The amount of gold you are asking is simply beyond our means to appropriate, my Lord." Argo's voice started to float in through the darkness.

"Have the Mining Ponies work double shifts, have them digging through the nights if you have to." My father's voice came echoing soon after.

"My Lord even with that amount of mining, we will still be coming in grossly under the amount of gold you've requested." Argo insisted.

"Find me the gold, Mr. Fleece, or I will find another who can." My father's voice grew nearer.

The world around me swirled back into focus, I could see my father, much older now, tall like Celestia, but much broader and still looked like a normal colt. His face was sullen, tired looking, on the last thin line of patience. Argo was years younger, his face wasn't so hard and unfeeling, but he still looked very much determined.

"Right away, my Lord." Argo replied hurrying off.

There was a sudden shake of the earth, causing every pony, even my father to falter at its quake. As soon as it had come, the shaking had stopped, and most every pony continued on their way; save for my father who look turned very grim.

"Another demolition in the mines?" Wingston's voice came echoing.

"I have no time to trade words with you, Wingston; I'll be in my chambers." My father said already strolling away from him.

"The Queen is looking for you, my Lord. She's worried about you." Wingston called after him.

"Tell her I am not to be disturbed." My father said aloud, climbing the stairs.

I followed him up the stairs, watching him stride past Royal Guard Ponies who saluted him without falter or fail. Stepping into the Royal Chambers I headed after him, the doors slammed shut as I watched my father's tall, powerful, and regal stride come undone. Dropping to his knees, tearing the crown from his head, tossing it aside while he wrestled with his an unseen entity attacking his head.

"You can do this, you can do this." My father whispered to himself.

A second quake shook the castle, while my father slowly rose to his hooves once more looking towards the mountain. With his magic he drew a cloak from the wall hanger, draping himself, snatching a gold coin from the edge of a desk and threw open the windows. With a graceful stride my father leapt into the air, flying high into the sky above Castle Char, disappearing into the clouds above.

The world started to disappear around me, darkness surrounded me once more, yet the light of my father's fire suddenly came into view. His mane being the only part not cloaked by his robe, strolling silently through the darkness, he stopped short, looking out into the blackness. My father tossed the gold coin in front of him, which struck more gold coins piled beneath him.

"I'm doing everything I can! It's going to take time!" My father shouted into the blackness.

"*Time Is What I Have Given You King!"* A mass in the darkness cried, its breath nearly tearing the cloak from my father.

"A week is not enough!" My father shouted back.

"*Centuries I Have Slept Only To Find That Your Kin Have Chased My Dragons From These Lands! You Will Pay For Your Disobedience With Gold Or Your Lives!"* The mass roared nearly toppling my father over.

"I will get you the gold you seek, I just need more time!" My father insisted.

The mass in the darkness moved, a sudden glow of light began etching the creatures features, a blast of fire unlike anything I had ever seen came like a flood over my father. Bathing him flames. I could see now the mountain sized dragon resting in the darkness, my father no more than a bauble to it. The flames subsided with a snort from the massive dragon, my father tried to defend himself with his wings, his body was a bright cherry red rather than his coal black hide. I watched my father wince in pain, dropping to his knees, trying desperately to return to his normal temperature.

"*Do Not Forget That Your Power Comes From My Own Flame! I Gave You Ponies Life To Serve Me! Now Bring Me My Gold Or I Will Wipe Out Your Pathetic Kingdom!*"The Great Dragon Char roared.

I watched my father struggle to his hooves, the anger in his eyes, having to bow his head at this dragon. The world started to fade once more, my father fading away before slowly coming back into view.

My father was now sitting at the Summit, the leaders of Equestria seated around the large circular oak table looking rather distressed at my father who seemed to be very unhappy. Duke Wellington was addressing the Summit, in his hooves he held a rather long parchment, reading it off like a list for all to hear.

"Your army is three times the size of your citizens, you've issued more patrols, closed off your borders without substantial reason, and have been gathering gold by the wagon for purposes you have refused to mention." Duke Wellington said aloud. "Shall I continue?"

"Must you?" Scorch hissed at him.

"You've refused to reestablish a functioning Council, refused mandatory meetings we have held, your excessive mining has been felt as far as the Crystal Empire, and you have just recently burned over half of the Dark Marsh." Duke Wellington continued.

"What business is it of yours what I do with my Kingdom?" Scorch snapped at him.

"Hundreds, if not thousands of animals have had to relocate from the Dark Marsh. It was deemed neutral territory for Timber Wolves, Owl Bears, and Spiders to live without interference of any pony." Princess Celestia explained.

"It did not stop them from marching into my lands and attacking my Kingdom." Scorch replied.

"The war is over Scorch, the spiders have all but been rarely seen in your Kingdom. There is no reason to continue this Military State you've placed in the Ashen Fields." Princess Celestia insisted.

"I'm doing what is best for my kin; I would thank you to leave any and all future concerns with my rule to my Advisor." Scorch stated, getting up from his stone chair and turning to leave.

There was an upstart of arguments that swept the table, leaders and representatives making their voices heard of their displeasure in Scorch's words.

"I am the King!" Scorch bellowed whipping around; his fire blazing.

I watched the Summit begin to fade; the frightened silence that followed was met with darkness. The world spun back into view with my father, sitting by himself at the window looking at the mountain in the distance. Another quake came, this time pieces of the mountain started to crack, loose boulders came crashing down the side, and grimaced in anger.

"You can't do this, you know you can't." I watched my father mumble to himself.

"I can do whatever I want, I am the King." My father's voice was more shrill and angry now.

"The villages to the north will understand that they are in danger if you just tell them." Scorch muttered.

"The must remain a secret, it's my problem, I'll handle it!" Scorch snapped at himself.

"The dragon is every pony's problem, you're not strong enough to handle this on your own, and you need to tell some pony." Scorch whispered to himself.

"I need to dig deeper, I felt it, the power, this anger, just a little more! I can feel it surging!" Scorch hissed at himself.

"No power is worth this, you're losing yourself to hate you can't come back from. You've pushed just about every pony away to get this far, you can still turn back, you can plead with the Summit to-"

"Flame Ponies do not plead!" My father cut himself off, his eyes burning red. "I bowed to an Orc, bowed to a Dragon, pleading both times for peace! No more! Never again!"

A knock came from the door.

"Come!" My father shouted in anger.

A much younger looking General Hearth stepped into the room, his helmet under his arm and bowing low to my father.

"We've… taken the villages to the North, my Lord. The ponies there have been sent away." General Hearth said hesitantly.

"Burn it." My father ordered.

"…yes… my Lord." General Hearth said slowly, looking very troubled.

"General." My father said aloud before Hearth reached the door.

"My Lord?" General Hearth asked quickly, turning and bowing his head once more.

"You do not hold any ill feelings for me burning your father's house to the ground?" My father asked curiously.

I watched General Hearth wince at this, he seemed to struggle to speak, his mane flaring in his own anger; almost like he was going to lash out at my father.

"They went against the crown and… were traitors, my Lord." General Hearth said through clenched teeth.

"Good. Now burn those villages." My father said.

The world started to fade, my father rose from his hooves aging a while he walked. He walked a length of darkness once more. He was adorned with his armor; face shallow, eyes burning like a Mad King, the ground beneath him was nothing gold coins piled high and in droves. It seemed like years had passed for my father, the Great Dragon Char nuzzled its snout in the sea of gold.

"Char!" My father's voice boomed with same anger and madness I had come to know.

"*I Did Not Call For You!"* The Great Dragon Char roared.

My father's horn began to glow. The magic my father was summoning caused the gold coins around him to levitate. A blast of golden light fired from my father's horn, striking Char in the head, restricting its movements. Rearing back, Char's massive claws scratched at its own face, desperately trying to free itself as my father magically slammed Char's head into the sea of gold.

"Who am I?" My father shouted throwing his head to the right.

In a similar motion Char's head came slamming against the side of the rock face, shaking the whole mountain. Unable to speak, Char tried to claw the magic from his face once more, but only to have my father savagely force Char to slam its head against the rock face again.

"Who! Am! I!" My father shouted each word magically slamming Char against the gold it so greedily horded.

There came a loud moan from the Great Dragon Char, my father's magic faded, his burning red eyes stared menacingly at the massive dragon before him.

"*You… Are… The King.*" Char said in agony.

"From this day forth, no pony will ever question it! Even now, Celestia has been defying me for far too long. With you, I will cover all of Equestria in fire. No pony will ever question my power ever again." Scorch said glaring menacingly at Char. "You remain down here until I have need of you."

My father's horn erupted with golden light; I watched the Great Dragon Char's eyes roll up into the back of its head before falling unconscious. I watched the world suddenly begin to tear, hundreds of shadows came slicing through the world. I could see the Great Dragon Char being swarmed by spiders, the missing obelisk protruding from its back, and the Iron Clad Orc picking up a coin from the ground below. I watched the world sputter in flashes of light; I could feel the darkness fading before I felt myself being thrown across the darkness.

I found myself in Argo's office, I looked around to see Argo and Burning Sand slumped onto the floor. I heard a chain slice through the air; I turned to see it wrapping itself tightly around General Hearth's throat. General Hearth reared back as Gorun fought against his struggling. The chain was wrapped so tightly that General Hearth could barely breathe, let alone spit fire. Lifting his leg, Gorun wrapped the chain around his boot and stomped hard against it causing General Hearth to come lurching forward falling hard to the floor. Gorun leapt forward, the Queen Spider's fang coming down hard into General Hearth's neck, causing him to seize up and slump over.

I could feel my heart beginning to race; I knew what this was and what was happening. I watched Wingston take hold of his staff, struggling to stand on his claws as Gorun took his time unraveling his chain from General Hearth. Wingston stood at the ready; his staff poised to defend himself.

"I was not aware the Flame Ponies had their own mascot." Gorun said aloud glancing at Wingston as he wrapped the chain back around his arm.

Gorun stepped towards Wingston, reaching down to take hold of him but was pleasantly surprised to see Wingston knock his hand away with a quick swipe of his staff.

"Do you really plan of fighting me?" Gorun asked, sounding very amused at the notion.

"If I must." Wingston replied, his staff still pointed at the Orc.

Reaching to his side, Gorun retrieved a large metal mace, palming it in one hand and admiring its size. Gorun swung it with such force that it broke the head off Wingston's staff, effectively causing him to let go of it as it splintered across the floor. Wingston staggered back from the blow, falling onto the ground and struggling to get up once more.

"So what are you to Smolder?" Gorun asked curiously kneeling before him.

Wingston started to crawl back from him, but Gorun reached out and took hold of the front of his cloak. Lifting him into the air with ease and speaking to him face to face.

"Would he be angry to see you like the others?" Gorun asked, motioning to the others ponies lying defeated on the floor.

Wingston's long fingers gripped the Orc's metal gauntlet, struggling helplessly against his hold.

"Would he be devastated?" Gorun asked lifting the fang to Wingston's face.

Wingston swatted the fang away from his face, being met with the amused laughter of the Orc.

"I like to think it would cause him a great deal of pain to find your broken little body." Gorun said.

Wingston spat in his face, which removed the Orc's smile very quickly.

"It will give me a great deal of joy to see you beg for your life, just like the last Orc that incurred the King's wrath." Wingston said.

I watched the Orc raise the fang in his hand, I felt myself move charging the Orc, believing that this was something I could prevent. Like a ghost I passed through the Orc, unable to touch him, I turned to see Wingston lying on the floor and the Orc standing over him. Tossing the fang aside the Orc gathered up the cloaks the ponies were all wearing, bundling them up and tucking them under his arm. I watch him head towards the door, turning for only a moment to flick the gold coin into the room before disappearing into the corridor. I could feel my anger rising, my flames leaping out, I screamed but no sound came out but it didn't matter, the world was fading away to that lonely darkness. I slammed my hoof repeatedly onto the ground, trying to vent some of my anger.

"…bummer…"

I perked up; looking around to see what had spoken to me. I could see something moving in the darkness, two yellow eyes faintly glowing, looking my way; it was Mira, or at least how she wanted to me to see her.

"I'm going to hurt him! I'm going to make that Orc pay!" I said, shaking with anger.

"…sure you will…"

"I mean it! I'll burn him! I'll make him suffer!" I shouted at her.

"…no you won't…"

"I hate him! I hate him!" I shouted at her through the darkness. "You'll see! I will make him pay for what he's done! I am the-"

"Smolder?" Wingston's voice came from behind me; effectively cutting me off.

I whipped around to see Wingston standing behind me. He was wearing his old grey rags that he had worn before I had given him his new cloak. He stared at me with great concern, sympathetically, waiting for me to reply.

"Th-Th-Th-They stole my rock." I head a very familiar voice behind me.

I stepped aside, looking behind me to see a very small me sitting alone in my room old room; crying without any tears. I watched Wingston cross the room to me, sitting beside me, we were nearly the same height. He carefully stroked my mane with his wrapped up wing, trying to comfort me.

"Wick and Pyre stole your rock again, didn't they?" Wingston asked.

"I-I-I hate them." I saw the young me mumble.

"No you don't." Wingston said.

"Y-Y-Y-Yes I d-d-do." I saw myself stutter.

"Do you want to hurt them?" Wingston asked, watching the little Smolder look his way. "Do you want to make them cry, and make them feel like you do now?"

I watched the small Smolder start to calm down, still sniffling and trying to catch his breath without coughing. Eventually, I saw myself shake my head no.

"You just want to protect what's yours, don't you? Make your brothers think twice before picking on you?" Wingston asked.

The little Smolder shook his head yes.

"If you want, I can teach you to breathe fire. So you can protect what matters most to you." Wingston offered, watching the little Smolder's face light up.

"Can you really teach me to breathe fire?" The little Smolder asked excitedly, getting to his hooves.

"Yes, I can, but you have to promise you'll do exactly what I say." Wingston warned.

"Yes! Yes! I promise!" The little Smolder shouted in delight.

"Alright then, the first thing you need to know is the first breath." Wingston started to explain, the little Smolder sitting down in front him listening closely. "Your first breath should always be to talk things over."

"Talk?" The little Smolder asked in surprise.

"The second breath should be used to try and end things peacefully." Wingston continued, holding up two long fingers to help visualize the number.

"What about the fire?" The little Smolder asked, only to get a quick smack on the head from Wingston's staff.

"I hope that when you're facing some pony you don't like, you'll try to talk things over, and if it doesn't work, try again. Because the third breath will hurt whoever you're speaking to. It's about using a power more effective than fire or any sort of weapon. It's the power to reach a pony." Wingston explained to him.

I watched the small Smolder nod his head in agreement. Wingston patting him on the head to show him a little praise.

"Now let's burn something." Wingston said in an amused tone.

I watched this memory of mine fade into the darkness, Wingston pointing at my ugly curtains and me doing my best to throw even a small fizzle of a flame at them. Feeling a strong sadness in the pit my stomach, I sat quietly thinking about how many times Wingston would have hit me for the things I had said today, for the things I said I was going to do. I thought about what he would say to me right now if he wasn't in hospital, unable to wake.

"…stupid flame pony…"

I looked up to see the yellow eyes once more in the darkness, staring at me. I felt myself smile, knowing she was in my mind and could hear my own thoughts; that's exactly what any pony would have said to me.

"Mira." I said aloud.

"…what…"

"Thank you." I said in the calmest voice I've all day.

"…you owe me…"

I watched the darkness begin to swirl, Mira was severing her connection with me. I suddenly realized I had more to ask her.

"Mira! Wait!" I shouted, hoping I catch her before she fell silent like usual.

"...what…"

"The obelisks, what were they meant for?" I asked.

"…it was a way… for the King… to visit us…"

"Could it be opened again?" I asked, watching the darkness continue to slip away.

"…only if you have… two…"

My Royal Chamber came back into view, the mirror was back to its twisted self, the gold coin lay at my hooves and yellow eye in the shard was gone.

"…and a stupid King…"

I nodded in understanding. Getting to my hooves I scooped up the coin, tossing it onto the table with the letters my mother wrote and stood at the windows looking out at the mountain. It was just like my father, knowing a threat that he felt he alone should face, not knowing it would drive him to madness trying to protect every pony and end up being the threat himself.

There came a knock at my door. I turned to see who it was; it was Tea poking her head in. I didn't think anything would make my heart feel any lighter, but I was wrong the second I saw her step in. She seemed very surprised at how big the room was, and how empty.

"Every pony said not to disturb you, that you just needed some alone time but…" Tea began, looking a bit nervous about her being there.

I glanced at my cloak from yesterday, lying on the floor near my slab of granite; I felt a sudden pulse from my forehead as it suddenly leapt towards me; like magic. I caught it, rather surprised as I had merely thought about going to get it and having it come to me. Tea also seemed surprised by this but continued to speak.

"I don't think it's the best for you, especially you, to be alone for too long. You need some pony to talk to, even if you don't think you need one and I just want you to know that I want to be that pony you can talk to and… and…" Tea started to trail off as I came striding up to her; rather heroically tossing my cloak on.

"I'm okay, Tea." I said quietly to her.

I carefully pulled Tea in for a hug. I think I surprised her with this as she turned a very dark shade of green and when she tried to speak she only let out a small squeak which embarrassed her even further. I pulled away from my hug, smiling at her; she smiled back but did her best to hide it behind her mane.

"Tea, I want you to go home." I said, gently putting my hoof on her shoulder. "I don't want you anywhere near this place while this Orc is around."

"Smolder, I want to be here, I can take time off from school and-" Tea was cut short by a second hug from me.

"Please Tea, I can't imagine what I'd do if you got hurt." I whispered to her.

I could feel Tea's arms squeezing me tightly. She eventually nodded her head on my shoulder, agreeing with me. Stepping away and throwing her mane to one side and looking like she was about to pout.

"You're not just trying to get me to leave so you can be alone with Princess Sapphire, are you?" Tea asked curiously.

"What?" I asked in surprise, feeling like some pony had just slugged me.

"Just… um… be careful, Smolder. Every time I see you, you're about to do something dangerous. So don't do anything reckless." Tea said, pulling a few strands of her mane behind her ear.

"You still have that lantern, don't you?" I asked curiously.

"Of course." Tea said quickly.

"Then I'll be there when you get home." I said reassuringly.

I could see Tea trying her best to not to roll her eyes at me. I escorted to from the Royal Chamber, down the corridor where Princess Sapphire was just starting to make her way down.

"Smolder, I was coming to tell you that I've administered the anti-venom to Wingston and it seems to be taking effect." Sapphire said encouragingly.

"I'm glad to hear it." I said feeling a small wave relief wash over me. "I have something to tell you as well."

"What's that?" Sapphire asked curiously.

"I've found your missing obelisk." I said, watching Sapphire's interest perk up.

"You have? Where is it?" Sapphire asked quickly.

"The Orc has it. He used it to weaken the Great Dragon Char; I believe he plans on using it against us." I said in a sort of urgent tone.

"Dragon!" Sapphire and Tea shouted in disbelief.

Chapter 33: Making Plans

The doors of the Throne Room slid open. Much to my surprise, every pony I had left earlier was still present. What had felt like several hours viewing the past with the Mira must have been just minutes in actuality. Which made all of their surprised looks more understandable; seeing as my sudden storm out was met with me returning almost immediately after. Princess Sapphire and Tea joined me in entering the Throne Room, Tea was very much nervous about being around such important ponies but Sapphire was kind enough to chaperone her.

"Smolder? We weren't expecting you to be back so quickly." Lady Frost mentioned looking quite surprised.

"Had enough time to cool off?" The Duke asked folding his arms.

"There is an old Flame Pony legend that spoke of the Great Dragon Char breathing life into the ponies trapped in volcanic glass after the catastrophic blast of the volcano countless years ago." I announced, ignoring the Duke for now. "Some ponies believe it to be a myth, while other ponies believe it to be true."

"There isn't any record of our beginnings that span back any further then the Exile of the Dragons. All the Flame Ponies had before Lord Smoke was word of mouth. The Great Dragon Char story was only substantiated by Castle Char itself, having not only its name but old stone carvings of the dragon chiseled into some of its stones." Alex Papyrus added.

"What has that got to do with anything?" The Duke asked.

"The Orc has found the Great Dragon Char deep within the mountain and is planning on using it against us." I replied, picking up the crown off the throne and putting it back on my head.

There was an awkward silence that hung in the room. There was mostly baffled looks, but Princess Celestia, Lady Frost, and Lord Tundra wore very serious looks.

"My Lord, the Great Dragon Char, if it had every existed, was said to have tunneled deep into the core of Equestria to drink from its magma pools for the rest of eternity." Alex said looking very unconvinced.

"I have seen it. The Orc used the stolen Obelisk from the North to pierce the dragon's hide and infect it with cave spider venom. I have to conclude that the attack by this Orc was not random but a means to weaken our Kingdom to leave us unprepared for the frenzy this dragon is about to unleash." I said climbing up onto the throne.

"How big a dragon are we talking about here?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"The Great Dragon Char was said to be as large as mountains, fangs as hard as diamond, claws as big as boulders, and a wingspan that could stretch for miles." Alex replied looking very worried.

"Giant lizards don't scare Yaks!" Prince Rutherford declared.

"It's fire was said to burn so hot that it its breath alone could melt stone." Alex added.

"Yaks are moderately concerned!" Prince Rutherford declared.

"Where did you see this, Smolder?" Princess Celestia asked.

"My magic showed me a memory of my father's past." I replied.

"So the King's having visions now?" The Duke asked looking unconvinced.

"Smolder's been having these episodes all week, Princess Sapphire says it's his dormant magic reacting to certain items or pictures he comes in contact with." Twilight Sparkle explained.

"What did you come in contact with this time?" Princess Luna asked curiously.

"It was the gold coin left in Mr. Fleece's office by the Orc. It bore the picture of my father, a coin not used in our treasury." I stated.

"The Orc left a gold coin hoping that you'd figure out his master plan?" The Duke asked still not convinced.

"I believe he was trying to taunt me. Believing that no pony knew the secret my father kept that drove him to madness." I replied perking even the Duke's interest.

"What secret?" Fluttershy asked in a hushed tone.

"The Great Dragon Char threatened to destroy the Ashen Fields during the reign of my father out of revenge for the uprising the Flame Ponies had against its fellow dragons. My father made a deal with Char, promising it a wealth of gold to sate it's appetite for revenge with greed. With the fear of the dragon going back on its word, my father kept the armies of the Ashen Fields at the ready, and sought to solve this problem himself without the aid of friends… or family." I explained.

"So he burned the Dark Marsh, attacked the settlements up North, and terrorized his own Kingdom out of the goodness of his heart?" The Duke asked sarcastically.

"My father was powerless to stop the Great Dragon Char, forced to bow to the Dragon's will, I cannot condone his actions, but I know that, in his own way, was trying to protect every pony. Only his anger and hate for the dragon consumed him; feeding his fire." I continued.

"Making him stronger." Princess Celestia said thinking about it.

"He let his anger and hate dig too deep, he lost himself in search of a power capable of handling the dragon. By the time my father was able to overpower the Great Dragon Char on his own, he was already consumed by madness and planned to use the dragon himself against Equestria." I said.

"Leading to the war." Lady Frost said.

"That doesn't excuse your father of any of his wrongs doings." The Duke mentioned.

"My father made several mistakes in his life. The most costly one was not turning to his friends and allies when he had the chance." I explained looking at every pony. "I don't plan on making the same."

I could see some smiles from several ponies, realizing that I wasn't going to be turning any pony away. The Duke even smiled himself, nodding at the decision I had come to.

"So what do need from us, King?" The Duke asked.

Alex Papyrus and Twilight Sparkle were searching through old stone chests down in the dungeon. Twilight was carefully flipping through old stone slates, while Alex Papyrus was quickly glancing over each one before moving on to the next slate. An hour prior to their searching, Smolder had asked Alex if there were any old slates that depicted the design of his father's old armor, or the armor itself for that matter. Alex had informed him that the armor was lost to the Void along with his father, but the plans for it were most likely still in their keep. Having been asked to find it, Alex sought the help of Twilight in searching for it.

"Alex!" Twilight shouted.

"What? Did you find the slate?" Alex asked in surprise.

"Did you know that the Ashen Fields used to have hot springs? Primarily for visiting ponies to relax and rest after their trips?" Twilight asked sounding very excited about this bit of trivia.

"Twilight, we're supposed to be looking for that schematic." Alex implored her, rummaging through yet another chest.

"Right, sorry, I just can't believe some of the things that are just sitting down here waiting to be rediscovered." Twilight said apologetically, picking up another slate.

"We can document these finding later, this is the first Royal task the King has given me and I'm already an hour behind." Alex said almost frantically.

"It's only been an hour. What were you planning to do, just magically conjure up the slate in an instant?" Twilight asked sarcastically.

"Do you have a spell for that?" Alex asked curiously, if not seriously.

"No." Twilight said flatly.

"The search continues." Alex said with his head in a stone box.

Twilight rolled her eyes. Looking down at the slate in her hooves, a charcoal drawing depicted a hot air balloon being solely powered by a Flame Pony's fire.

"Alex, did you know that Flame Ponies used to fly hot air balloons? With their own fire?" Twilight asked excitedly holding it up to him, already forgetting Alex's request.

"Twilight!" Alex shouted in disbelief.

"Sorry, sorry!" Twilight mumbled, almost pouting.

Twilight picked up the next tablet in the stack. To Twilight's delight, it was none other than the schematics Alex had been so desperately searching for. Remembering Alex's rather rude tone about her awesome discoveries, Twilight decided to deliver this personally to Smolder and rob Alex of his desire to make a good first impression. Quietly getting to her hooves, Twilight started heading towards the door, doing her best to not draw any attention to herself.

"Twilight, have you checked any of these chests ye-Twilight? Twilight?" Alex asked, having looked over towards where he thought she was sitting and looking around the room for her.

Having spied her very near the threshold of the door, he saw a slate under her arm and raised a brow curiously at her.

"What's that?" Alex asked accusingly.

"This? Oh nothing, just… uh… hot air balloon." Twilight said looking very guilty.

"Where are you going? That's the slate isn't it?" Alex asked, pointing his hoof at her; seeing right through her fibs.

"I'm going to tell Smolder I found it all by myself, and you couldn't be bothered to look!" Twilight shouted teasingly, sprinting out into the corridor.

"You wouldn't dare! Twilight? Twilight!" Alex shouted nervously, chasing after her.

Rarity was slowly knocking her head against the counter of Stitch Rose Shay. Stitch watched with concern. She knew Rarity was upset over the failed confession between Crow and Rose due to the unexpected Orc attack, cutting the evening short, but didn't quite know how to lighten her spirits.

"There's always next time." Stitch said trying to put on a convincing smile.

"I simply despise that Orc, ruining so many lives in a single night." Rarity mumbled, sounding extremely depressed.

A small chime above the door rang. Rose had entered the shop, stopping short after witnessing Rarity slowly knock her head against the counter again and again. Glancing at Stitch at what might be the cause; Stitch shrugged her shoulders feigning ignorance, which had Rose approaching Rarity herself to speak with her.

"Rarity?" Rose asked looking awkwardly at her.

"Yes, dear?" Rarity asked, letting her face just lay upon the counter.

"Shouldn't we be doing whatever the King asked you to do?" Rose asked curiously.

"I already did it dear, he asked me to send Crow to him. That was it." Rarity mumbled.

"That's it? Just Crow?" Rose asked looking puzzled.

"I'm afraid so." Rarity replied sadly.

"What's wrong with you?" Rose asked, unable to figure out why her mood was so depressed.

Before Rarity could come up with an excuse the small chime above the door rang once more drawing all their attention. It was Crow returning from Castle Char with a slate under his arm.

"Hello Crow darling, what have you got there?" Rarity asked, greeting him and motioning towards the slate.

"The King c-c-c-called for m-m-m-me, he said that w-w-we needed to d-d-de-de-" Crow struggled to get that word out.

"Date?" Stitch offered aloud.

"No." Crow replied quickly.

"Design?" Rose offered her own word.

"Yes! De-de-design him n-n-n-new armor." Crow stammered placing an old slate on the counter for Rarity and all to see.

"This looks more like schematics then an actual fashion design, dear." Rarity said looking quite puzzled by it.

"The K-K-K-King said he n-n-n-needed… our help." Crow said trying to sound confident.

"This schematic is for a rather tall and broad pony, this is way too big for our pint sized King." Rose remarked looking at it more closely.

"He n-n-n-needs it for the b-b-ba-battle against the… Orc." Crow stammered.

"So he just needs us to make some adjustments to the design so some other pony can make it, right?" Stitch asked curiously.

"Right." Crow said with a nod.

"Well it wouldn't be all that hard, considering that we already have his measurements. We could improve some of the armor placing to allow better movement, a lot of these designs are years old; we could make this almost a hundred times better." Rose remarked, already scratching out a few designs of her own.

"Anything to keep Smolder safe; let's try to get this off to the proper ponies as soon as possible." Rarity said clapping her hooves together.

"I'll research some of the metal the Metal Forge ponies have readily available; maybe we can make it lighter without making it too much weaker." Rose said, giving herself a task.

"If we're going to use lighter metal I'll try to incorporate some of our fire resistant material to it, to keep the armor from melting away." Stitch said excitedly.

"I guess that leaves you with the design then Crow." Rarity said with a smile.

"I was h-h-h-hoping you could… do that, R-R-Rarity." Crow said slowly.

"Me?" Rarity asked looking a bit surprised.

"Lord Sm-Sm-Smolder asked me to de-de-de…design… som-something... sp-sp-specific." Crow managed to get the words out. "Be-Besides, you know him b-b-better than any of us."

"Well, I have spent more time with him…" Rarity muttered.

This was something that Smolder was going to wear into battle; it needed to be perfect in both its design and protection. Rarity had never design anything that was going to be used in such an event, and felt that this was just out of her realm to accomplish. Glancing up, Rarity saw Crow smiling encouragingly at her. Rarity smiled back, knowing how far each of her students had come since meeting them and how uncomfortable a lot of it was for them; especially Crow.

"It will be magnificent." Rarity said confidently, taking the slate in her arms.

Pinkie Pie was bouncing down the Main Hall, heading towards Argo Fleece's office. Having been asked by Smolder to siphon what was left of the unused fireworks and make more; except this time with a bigger boom. She was told to speak with Ms. Gleam Fizzle, Argo's secretary for a slate citing her permission to gather the necessary ingredients from the Flame Ponies who sold them and be compensated by the Kingdom. Bounding through the door, Ms. Gleam looked rather busy trying to organize several stacks of thin looking slates, while Specialist Peanut was assisting her by filing the ones she had finished.

"Good morning!" Pinkie Pie said cheerfully.

"Hi, Pinkie." Gleam said with a tired smile, looking up briefly from the slate in her hoof.

"You look really busy today." Pinkie Pie remarked, looking very surprised by the workload.

"It's been really busy this morning, several requests for press passes, a bunch of complaints from some ponies named Flim and Flam, notices of damaged property, litter, reports coming in, reports coming out, and it's payday." Gleam said just touching on the issues she was currently dealing with.

"You get paid on a Saturday?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"We were supposed to get paid yesterday but with the Coronation going on, every pony was okay with moving it up a day and getting some overtime." Gleam explained.

Peanut came up next to her, taking a pile of slates from her desk and heading back to the cabinets lined against the wall.

"You got your own secretary too?" Pinkie Pie asked curiously.

"What? No, this is Charles, he was kind enough to offer me some help." Gleam mumbled, flushing slightly.

"You can call me Peanut." Peanut said aloud, filing the slates.

"I love peanuts!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"Was there something I could help you with Pinkie?" Gleam asked curiously, taking another slate.

"Yes! King Sparky said that I need a special little slate that said I could make all the fireworks I wanted and that the castle would pay for it. It's like a dream come true." Pinkie Pie said starry eyed.

"I'm sure Ms. Fleece will be able to help you with that, you can go right in." Gleam said, pointing her to the door down the corridor.

"Ms. Fleece?" Pinkie Pie asked looking surprised.

"Argo's daughter Goldie has offered to help out while her Dad's in hospital." Gleam said, sounding sympathetic.

"How is he doing?" Pinkie Pie asked, sounding rather sad.

"She says he's doing better but he'll be laid up for a few weeks." Gleam replied.

Pinkie Pie walked down the corridor, the door was ajar. Peeking in, Pinkie Pie could see Goldie sitting behind his desk, sobbing quietly to herself. Pinkie's want to console her was being beaten out by her not wanting to surprise her, stepping in place, Pinkie quickly knocked on the door.

"Goldie? Can I come in?" Pinkie Pie asked, hearing a small scuffle from inside and a sharp sniff.

"Yes! Please come in." Goldie said out loud, trying to pretend like she was busy.

Pinkie Pie stepped in, all smiles, seeing Goldie holding a slate in her hoof and biting her bottom lip. Looking up, Goldie did her best to smile back and put the slate down.

"What can I do for you, Pinkie?" Goldie asked, her voice still trembling a bit.

"King Sparky said I needed a slate to gather up some stuff to make fireworks." Pinkie Pie said.

"Yeah, sure, no problem." Goldie said quickly, taking a clean slate and started to write on it with charcoal; sniffling while she wrote.

"You okay?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Dad's got this… um…" Goldie mumbled, reaching for a drawer. "Picture of… us…"

Goldie retrieved a very polished piece of volcanic rock, holding it out to Pinkie Pie; she took it and saw a thin sheet of crystal lying atop it. In the center was an old photograph of a very young Argo and Helena, coddling a small filly.

"The drawer was locked, took forever to find the key." Goldie muttered, beginning to write again. "He wanted me to see it."

"He's smiling in this picture!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, pointing at it.

"Yeah! I know, right?" Goldie remarked with a sudden laugh.

"Mom always used to talk to poorly of him, whenever I asked about him she'd say 'he was dork' or 'the single most thick headed pony you'd ever meet', but sometimes when she was sad or lonely, she'd say something nice about him." Goldie mumbled, sniffling again.

"Like what?" Pinkie Pie asked, setting down the picture on the desk.

"She'd say something like 'your Dad used to write me love letters' or 'your Dad used to sing to you to help you fall asleep.' Just things like that." Goldie said, taking an iron seal from the drawer and holding in her hoof so it heated up.

"Your Dad's going to be okay though, right?" Pinkie Pie asked nervously.

"Yeah, he's got mom with him now and he's got me too." Goldie said with a smile, pressing the iron seal against the slate with a hiss.

"One royal decree, all set and ready to go." Goldie said sliding it to Pinkie.

"Hey, you're not too shabby at this. You don't even roll your eyes when I ask for stuff either." Pinkie Pie remarked taking the slate.

"I could yell at you if you'd like." Goldie said jokingly.

"No thanks! I got to get these fireworks ready!" Pinkie Pie said giving her a wave heading towards the door.

The door swung in, just missing Pinkie Pie as Private First Class Cosmic came stumbling in holding a tray of drinks and snacks. Flushing slightly at the sight of Pinkie Pie, Cosmic tried to straighten up and look presentable as a Royal Guard of Canterlot.

"Ms. Uh… Fleece said she was hungry, so I went and got her something." Cosmic said, trying to explain himself.

"Whatever you say, Romeo. " Pinkie Pie remarked passing him by, watching him turn very red.

I stood at the Main Doors of Castle Char, saying goodbye to Princess Sheva, Duke Wellington, and Prince Rutherford. The cloaks used during the Coronation were meant to be kept by the guests at its end, to ensure that any future encounter with a Flame Pony would be less of a hassle. Although Prince Rutherford still referred to it as a blanket.

"I wish there was more that we could do, instead of just leaving things to you." Princess Sheva lamented her agreement of returning home.

"Canterlot and the Crystal Empire will be more than enough to handle this Orc and its dragon." I reassured her.

"Yaks regret not bringing more Yaks!" Prince Rutherford declared loudly.

"There's nothing to be done about it, we've all had our say and it's time to let the King handle things his way." The Duke said, sort of finalizing every pony's thought on the matter.

"Best of luck to you, young King, a speedy recovery I hope the Savannah Sun will bring." Princess Sheva said nodding her head to me.

"Yak's will want to hear story of how Fire Pony stomped the small ugly Orc!" Prince Rutherford declared jabbing me in the arm for luck.

"Of course and thank you." I said.

The Main Doors of Castle Char slid open. Reporter ponies had been moved back from the front of Castle Char considerably to allow the chariots to move in and pick up their passengers. Princess Sheva was first to board her chariot, the reporter ponies calling to her asking for a statement but she gave none. Prince Rutherford's chariot came next, and when asked to give a statement Prince Rutherford screamed 'I enjoyed my stay' so loud that it blew the notepads out of several reporter ponies hooves.

"You know I'll deny it if you ever breathe a word of this to any pony, but I admired your father; before he went mad." The Duke said to me watching his chariot roll up.

"Really?" I asked in surprise.

"When his own ponies lost faith in his ability to rule, your father took it as a sign to better himself. Never blamed any pony, never complained about the struggles, he just buckled down and did what had to be done. He effectively dismantled his Kingdom, built it back up, and all during a war with the Last Orc." The Duke explained to me. "There weren't too many good things your father left behind, but I consider you to be the best of it."

"Thank you, Duke." I said with a smile.

"All the best, kid." Duke said giving me a pat on the shoulder before heading towards his chariot.

The Main Doors of Castle Char began to slide close while I watched the Duke laugh out loud at reporter ponies try to get a statement out of him. The doors closed and I stood thinking about my father. Wondering what life would have been like if he had asked for help sooner against the dragon. Imagining a green Ashen Field, my mother and father happily ruling side by side, and my brothers being the ones having to deal with important ponies while being coaxed into arranged marriages. I felt my heart waver at the thought of them, closing my eyes and trying to remember their faces. Silhouettes were all I could manage, flames flickering, but no other details.

"Smolder?" Princess Sapphire voice came from behind me.

I turned to see her looking at me carefully, probably wondering if I was having another vision.

"What's up?" I asked.

"My parents have decided to stay and support you in this fight in any way they can." Sapphire said with a reassuring smile.

"Sapphire I can't-" I started to politely refuse their offer but Sapphire interrupted me.

"I'm also staying so before you start trying to convince them to leave you'll have start with me. In case you're wondering, I won't." Sapphire said promptly and definitively.

"I guess being King doesn't matter?" I asked jokingly.

"Not when you're talking with other Kings and Queens and a Princess who wants her Obelisk back." Sapphire remarked.

"Speaking of which, are Rainbow Dash's recruits in the Throne Room yet?" I asked curiously.

"They are indeed, just like you requested." Sapphire said nodding her head.

"I need to stop by Argo's office and find the information pertaining to their skills and abilities. It's a bit soon but we need a Leader for the Royal Air Force, and it has to be today." I mentioned strolling towards Argo's Office with Sapphire by my side.

"How long have they been training?" Sapphire asked curiously.

"About a week." I replied.

"A week?" Sapphire asked, not looking at all sold on the idea.

"Believe me, Rainbow Dash is one hay of coach." I said remembering the training regime I was under leading up to my race with Hotshot McFlash.

Entering the doors I was delighted to see Cosmic and Peanut on the other side, but was surprised to see them working. Ms. Fizzle was hard at work while Ms. Fleece was giving her instructions, all heads turned towards Sapphire and myself as we entered.

"Hey, Smolder." Cosmic said with a wave.

"Hey guys." I said striding up to the desk.

"Your Royal Ponies get paid way more than we do." Cosmic mentioned.

"What?" I asked looking confused.

"Here." Goldie said passing a stack of slates to Cosmic who nearly collapsed under the weight. "Go file these." She seemed rather nervous as she turned to face me.

"Lord Smolder, I'm Golden Fleece, Argo's daughter, we haven't had a chance to meet yet but I just want to say that what you're doing an amazing job helping the Ashen Fields get back on its hooves." Goldie said shaking my hoof.

"Thanks?" I asked looking a bit confused at this sudden compliment.

"We're here to get the reports on the recruits eligible for Leader of the Royal Air Force." Sapphire said to Gleam behind the counter.

"You're going to pick a leader today?" Gleam exclaimed in shock.

Every pony looked her way as her mane flared, looking extremely embarrassed by her outburst.

"Ms. Fizzle has an older sister who is one of the candidates for the position." I mentioned to Sapphire.

"Just one moment, Lord Smolder, I remember going over that slate in my office." Goldie remarked hurrying off to go get it.

"Your office?" I asked curiously.

"I-I-I mean my father's office, of course, I was just using it, and uh… yeah… um… one sec." Goldie mumbled looking slightly embarrassed.

"Goldie self-appointed herself as the new Treasurer, is taking over for her Dad until he's well enough to come back." Cosmic mentioned to me, leaning over the counter in a hush voice.

"She's almost as good as Mr. Fleece, but she didn't ask you for permission yet, so she's trying to make a good impression." Gleam added in a whisper.

"I like her initiative." Sapphire remarked.

Goldie came back, carrying a slate with her and looking slightly flustered.

"Lord Smolder, I know I've only just arrived and we've only just met but I've had years of experience doing-" Goldie began to make her case.

"Ms. Fleece, would you accompany me and Princess Sapphire to the Throne Room, seeing as you are already familiar with the material as it is?" I asked, cutting her off.

"O-O-Of course! Let me just get the slate you'll need when you address the Soldier and Royal Ponies later today about the battle tomorrow." Goldie said hurrying off to get another slate.

"How did she know about the battle?" I asked looking surprised.

"Nightshade came by to tell us." Peanut remarked.

"Well how did this Nightshade know?" Sapphire asked curiously.

"Because Shining Armor told him." Cosmic replied.

"Why would Nightshade tell Ms. Fleece?" I asked still not putting two and two together.

"Shining Armor told Nightshade, Nightshade told Charles, Charles told Cosmic and to impress Goldie Cosmic told her." Gleam explained, while I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Wait, who's Charles?" I asked.

"I'm Charles." Peanut said.

"Your name is Charles? Then what's Cosmic's name?" I asked in disbelief.

"Don't you dare Peanut!" Cosmic shouted pointing his hoof at him.

"Well, why did you tell Goldie?" I asked.

"I was- I didn't- she just- I wouldn't-" Cosmic stammered looking very guilty.

Luckily, Goldie raced back from her office holding the slates in her arms. Nodding her ready to get going, I looked accusingly at Cosmic who started to flush in front of her. Deciding to let it go for now I motioned for Goldie to follow as Sapphire and I headed towards the door.

"His name is Bob!" Peanut shouted to me, with a loud gasp of betrayal from Cosmic.

"Ha!" Shouted in a laugh as I walked through the door.

Chapter 34: Hearth & Home

Rainbow Dash stood with Wisp Seeker, Flare Fizzle, Solar Wind, and Ray Horizon who had remained within the Throne Room at the request of King Smolder. There wasn't much mystery to what this little meeting was to be about, with the looming threat of war with the Orc it was necessary to appoint a leader to the new Academy; that had yet to be built or named.

There was an uneasy tension in the room, mostly stemming from General Hearth's hospitalization. Aside from Rainbow Dash, the Flame Pony Pegasi all trained under his tutelage, always deferred to him for all troubles in the Kingdom, and in their own personal ways considered him family. Ray's seemingly endless energy, coupled with her grand standing, is what every pony was used to, but seeing her so stoic was very unnerving.

"How's the General?" Wisp asked after a while, his voice almost sympathetic.

"Resting." Ray said quietly.

"How are you doing?" Flare followed up with a question of her own.

"I'm fine." Ray mumbled; her grandfather's helmet still under her arm.

Flare nudged Solar in the rib. Solar glanced at Flare to see her motioning to him to say something to Ray. Solar looked over at Ray, then back to Flare who glared at him, he then looked up at Wisp and Rainbow Dash who nodded in agreement for him to say something. Closing his eyes, Solar took a deep breath, gently tapping her hoof. Ray looked over at him from the corner of her eyes, Solar simply nodded to her. Ray nodded back. Solar looked quite satisfied with what he did and went back to waiting patiently.

Wisp had to hold Flare back from hitting Solar for that pathetic attempt to reach out to her, but fortunately the doors to the Throne Room slid open causing every pony to compose themselves. Princess Sapphire, Golden Fleece, and Smolder strolled in.

"How's it going, Matchstick?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Eh." I said, waving my hoof side to side, having no strong feelings one way or the other.

"Are these the candidates for the Leader for the Royal Air Force?" Goldie asked curiously, holding the slates in her arms.

"All except for me, I'm just their coach." Rainbow Dash replied.

"We haven't a lot of time so I'm just going to skip the formalities and get right to it." I said addressing the pegasi ponies. "War is coming and I need to know who is the most qualified to lead the Flame Pony Pegasi into a fight."

"I have gone over the reports made by Rainbow Dash during her training sessions, as well as the reports each of you turned in during your encounter with the Orc in the mines. General Hearth had also included his own thoughts on the matter a few days prior." Goldie informed them, handing Princess Sapphire the slate, looked at it briefly before passing it on to Smolder.

"I still feel like it's too soon to make this sort of decision." Rainbow Dash said regrettably.

"But a decision will have to be made. There needs to be a leader the Flame Pony Pegasi can rally around, that they can respect and trust during this coming fight." Sapphire said, trying to encourage this to move forward.

"Flare should be the Leader." Ray spoke up.

Rainbow Dash, Flare, Wisp and Solar all looked her way in surprise. Not a few days ago she was clamoring on about wanting to be the leader, and now she's just giving it away.

"I agree." Solar added looking back at Smolder nodding in agreement.

"Ms. Fizzle did test high in battle assessments and was put in charge of the mission to apprehend the Mystery Pony." Goldie remarked.

"B-B-But we didn't apprehend the Mystery Pony." Flare stammered quickly being overwhelmed by her sudden nomination.

"It ultimately turned out to be Sapphire anyways, and she turned herself in; no worries." I remarked.

Flare could feel her face starting to flush, her heart beating rather nervously as he mane started to spark. She was already being nominated by two of her teammates already and knew Wisp didn't want the job to begin with.

"She isn't the fastest flyer we got, but she's going to be the one we need if this Royal Air Force is ever getting off the ground." Wisp said confidently.

"Rainbow?" I asked, looking her way to see if she supported this.

"If every pony hear is willing to follow Flare into a fight, then I'm sure as hay willing to stand behind her too." Rainbow Dash replied.

"Ms. Fizzle." I said authoritatively, watching her step out from the line to meet me. "Do you accept this nomination of being the Ashen Field's Royal Air Force Leader?"

"Y-Yes." Flare stated nervously.

"Do you swear to uphold this title with all the makings of a competent leader, to serve the Ashen Fields, remain loyal to your comrades, and be an example for all young cadets to follow?" I asked.

"I swear." Flare said proudly.

"When this trouble with the Orc is over, we will have a proper ceremony to usher you in, but for now I hope that this will suffice." I said holding my hoof out to her, which Flare took immediately and shook it.

Flare stepped back into line, hearing Wisp whisper congratulations, Rainbow Dash whispering good job, getting a nod from Solar, and even receiving a small smile from Ray.

"There was one more thing I need to ask, of you in particular, Mr. Seeker." I began, my tone of voice becoming a bit more serious.

"My Lord?" Wisp asked curiously.

"Some of you might already know about the Obelisk positioned out in the fields. Turns out that there is a second one that the Orc has in the mines, these two Obelisks will be crucial in our fight against the Orc and the Great Dragon Char." I started to explain.

"Hold up." Wisp said looking confused. "Great Dragon Char? Like the one from the stories? You weren't just making that up?"

"No. I wasn't just making that up." I said in a very serious tone. "The Orc used the Obelisk to spear the Great Dragon Char and poison it with spider venom. It stands to reason that once it has had a powerful enough dose, it will turn feral and rampage across Equestria." I continued much to the shocked faces of every pony in the room.

"The Great Dragon Char was said to be as large as the mountains, how are we supposed to fight something of that scale?" Flare asked in disbelief.

"If the Obelisk can pierce it once, then it can pierce it again. The current Obelisk is unmovable at the moment, acquiring the second one will allow us a second chance to immobilize the dragon much in the same way that the Orc did originally." Sapphire explained.

"That is why I am asking you, Mr. Seeker, to assemble a team of your choosing to retrieve this Obelisk once the fighting begins." I said.

Wisp glanced over at Flare who did not seem at all excited about this idea, but he gave her a wink; which only made her more flustered.

"My team will be ready before morning, my Lord." Wisp said confidently.

"A large part of this plan to win this battle rides on you retrieving this Obelisk, Mr. Seeker, you cannot fail this task." Sapphire warned.

"Just leave some spiders for me when I back with that big pointy rock." Wisp said amusingly.

"Tomorrow I will draw the Orc and its army of spiders out of hiding. That will be your chance to enter the mines and find the Obelisk." I said watching Wisp nod in agreement.

"So we're really going up against some giant mythical dragon tomorrow?" Flare asked in disbelief.

"I've already discussed this with Princesses and our allies. I about to go outside and address the Royal Guards and Soldier Ponies in greater detail about the battle we will face tomorrow." I explained, being passed another slate from Goldie who had the information all ready to go.

"I'll do it." Ray spoke up once more.

I glanced over at her. Ray's face was stoic, but I've seen that face before; just in my own reflection. It was a face trying to mascaraed grief and pain, something that only ponies who have felt this way could understand. I spied General Hearth's helmet under her arm, and I could relate to the feelings she carried concerning her family.

"You're much too young to take on the responsibilities General Hearth had, Ms. Horizon." Sapphire said apologetically.

"I can do it." Ray said again, sounding more determined this time.

"I'm sure you mean well but-" Sapphire began again.

"Please." Ray mumbled, voice shaking, seemingly moments away from crying.

Sapphire was taken aback by this, unsure if it was something she had said, looking very concerned for her. Solar was glancing at her, eyes full of concern, not having ever heard her sound so vulnerable before.

"The Royal and Soldier Ponies are gathering just outside." I said striding my way over to her, holding the slate out.

Ray swallowed hard. Doing her best to keep it together, Ray took the slate from me and nodded in understanding.

"Have each battalion ready to move out by first light. Your grandfather had things running smoothly and effectively; I expect no less from you." I said in a serious tone.

"Understood." Ray said, with the strongest voice she could muster.

"You're dismissed. Good luck." I said giving them one last nod.

Every pony threw me a salute before filing out of the Throne Room. I strolled over to the throne, deciding to take a quick breather before going to visit Wingston and the other ponies in hospital. Sapphire and Goldie followed me; both looking like they had something to say. Sapphire spoke up first.

"Was it wise giving such an important command to such a young pony?" Sapphire asked curiously.

"She's the granddaughter of General Hearth; I believe Lord Smolder is banking on this fact to sway sympathy from the Solider Ponies and rally behind her." Goldie remarked.

"Is this true?" Sapphire asked looking somewhat impressed.

"Actually, I felt sorry for her." I admitted.

"That's why you chose her?" Sapphire asked.

"I know from experience that having ones family threatened can push you to do things you'd never thought possible. I believe Ms. Horizon's heart is in the right place, her motives are clear, and she has her friends there to support her." I explained.

"It's still a rather thin reason to give her such a position." Sapphire remarked.

"It will only be temporary, until General Hearth's condition improves. Ms. Horizon will most likely lead the Soldier Ponies into battle, giving out commands on the fly while Ms. Fizzle will be orchestrating the defense from the back." Goldie explained.

"Your insight seems wasted as a Treasurer, Ms. Fleece." Sapphire complimented her.

"On the contrary, I think making informed decisions of where a Kingdom's revenue is invested is quite the challenge." Goldie replied.

"In either case, I very grateful that you stepped in for your father; I am also sorry." I said to her sympathetically.

"I-I-It's I who should be thanking y-you, my Lord. Offering your Savannah Sun to my father was very gracious of you." Goldie said, looking very flustered.

"Argo is like family." I said. "We take care of our own."

"Thank you, my Lord, and thank you for letting me step in for my father as well." Goldie said still flustered.

"It's Smolder." I corrected her.

"O-O-Of course! Smolder." Goldie said nodding her head nervously. "I should get back to my office-father's office! I need to finish getting caught up with all the work."

Goldie excused herself, bowing several times before quickly heading out down the stretch of corridor leading to the Main Hall. Sapphire turned to me, still looking like she wanted to talk.

"What?" I asked curiously.

"My mother and father told me that you intended to pierce the dragon with the Obelisk, like the Orc did, to immobilize it. Thus rendering it ineffective in the fight." Sapphire remarked.

"Yeah." I replied.

"Just how do you plan to do that?" Sapphire asked curiously.

"What do you mean?" I asked looking a bit confused.

"The Obelisk is considerably heavy, you made no mention of how you plan to propel this Obelisk through the air and strike the dragon." Sapphire commented, poking holes in my plan.

The truth of the matter was that I didn't intend to use the Obelisk in that fashion. I only said that to make the need for the Obelisk sound important, but in reality I planned to use it as it was originally intended. I was going to open the portal to the Void.

"My plan revolves around Princess Celestia, Luna, and Cadance to use their magic to propel the Obelisk at the dragon. Seeing as I don't have a horn yet." I replied; trying to direct the conversation away from the obelisk by rubbing my forehead.

"Your magic will emerge when it needs to." Sapphire remarked sympathetically.

"It seems to do so even without the horn; it keeps giving me visions and picking up my clothes." I remarked.

"Clothes?" Sapphire asked looking puzzled.

"My cloak, it flew over to me when I thought about picking it up off the floor earlier." I mentioned.

"Interesting." Sapphire remarked, stepping up the throne and examining my head. "While it is not uncommon for children of Alicorns to be late bloomers, it is rather strange to see magic happening without the horn."

"Was the thing you did at the party last night magic?" I asked curiously, remembering how close she got to me that night as well.

"It's more of a direct link to a pony's soul. Many Ice Ponies can perform similar rituals that do not require a horn. Last night I merely described your cutie mark to you." Sapphire explained still eyeing my forehead.

"Yeah, what did that mean by the way?" I asked curiously.

"What did what mean?" Sapphire asked stepping away from me.

"What you said, last night, about my cutie mark." I clarified.

"I told you what your cutie mark was." Sapphire said once more.

"Yeah but what did it mean." I emphasized.

"I don't know." Sapphire said with a shrug.

"What?" I asked in surprise.

"I only said what your cutie mark echoed. I wasn't very good at interpreting the meaning of it." Sapphire said quickly, revealing an area of her studies she was struggling with.

"Alright." I said rolling my eyes and getting off my throne. "I'm going to hospital to see Wingston and the others."

"We have a meeting with Princess Cadance and Shining Armor in five minutes." Sapphire reminded me.

"I… I knew that." I said suddenly realizing it. "I was going to go visit Wingston after."

"After our meeting with Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, we are to meet with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna." Sapphire informed me.

"Right… I guess I'll see them tonight." I mumbled.

"I'll remind you to do so." Sapphire said comfortingly.

Rainbow Dash, Wisp, Flare, Solar, and Ray waited until they were out of the Throne Room to start speaking their minds. Flare was the first to start.

"I… uh… really don't know what to say." Flare mumbled turning to all of them. "I'd be lying if I didn't say I wanted this but… now that I do… I hope… I don't let any of you down."

"You're going to do great, Flare; you've got almost as much brains as Twilight." Rainbow Dash said encouragingly.

"We all kind of knew you'd get the job anyways, I mean, none of us passed that test." Wisp said jokingly.

"I did." Solar mentioned.

"Well most of us." Wisp said looking annoyed.

"Me too." Ray mentioned.

"Alright! Okay, so I wasn't going to be the Leader! Jeez!" Wisp said in frustration.

"You just watch yourself when you're down there in those mines, you got that?" Flare warned him, getting right up in his face and glaring at him.

"I've got some colts in mind for this, you have nothing to worry about, Flare Bear." Wisp said, trying to calm her down.

Much to the surprise of every pony, Flare kissed him, which sent Wisp's mane flaring; flushing furiously. Flare pulled away, her face slightly flushed as well.

"I need to go address the rest of our flyers about tomorrow. Rainbow Dash, would you come to help me get them ready?" Flare asked.

"Are we not going to talk about what just happened?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"No." Flare replied quickly.

"Then I guess we should get those recruits in tip top shape before tomorrow then." Rainbow Dash said following Flare down the steps.

Flare stopped in front of Ray who did her best to put on a smile for her. Even though Ray had been gunning for Leader position for the Academy since the beginning of the week, to have been nominated by her before any other pony made Flare quite touched. Without much warning Flare hugged Ray, feeling Ray resting her head on her shoulder, leaning into the hug as well.

"Thank you." Flare whispered to her.

"Don't… mention it." Ray whispered back.

Flare drew back slowly, smiling at Ray and giving her a pat on the shoulder. Flare started off down the steps as Rainbow Dash paused in front of Ray as well.

"I'll be around, if you need some pony to talk to." Rainbow Dash said to her.

"Yeah." Ray said, nodding her head in agreement.

Flare and Rainbow Dash descended the staircase while Wisp seemed to be recovering from his kiss. Shaking his head several times and checking his pulse, he glanced at Solar and Ray looking very confused.

"Did she just kiss me?" Wisp asked, looking dumbfounded.

"Yes." Solar replied.

"In front of you ponies?" Wisp asked in surprise.

"Mhm." Ray nodded her head.

"I guess this means it's serious between us." Wisp muttered looking very surprised now.

"Congratulations." Solar replied.

"Oh haystacks. If I die down there in the mines, Flare will kill me for sure." Wisp mumbled grimly.

"Uh…" Ray had to think about what he just said.

"I need to get going on this, I need to meet up with a few colts and see if they'd be willing to help me." Wisp said taking off as well.

Wisp also paused in front of Ray, who tried to look tough in front of him, but Wisp causally placed his hoof on her head; shifting it from side to side.

"If any pony gives you any guff, just let me know." Wisp said to her.

Removing his hoof, Ray didn't seem annoyed by his gesture, in fact, gave him a jab in the arm which made Wisp smile. Solar and Ray watched Wisp descend the stairs and cross the Main Hall before their awkward silence was all that was left. Ray's emotions were all over the place, having been trying to bottle them all up to put on a brave face for every pony made it very tiring for her; and she still had to address all the troops outside.

"I… I guess I shoulder get going too." Ray mumbled, taking a few quick glances at Solar.

"Okay then." Solar said in his monotone voice.

Ray started to down the first step, reached the second step before looking back at Solar who remained seated in his stoic and expressionless face. Ray adjusted the helmet under her arm and glanced over the slate in her other hoof.

"I'm not doing this for me, you know." Ray said glancing back at him.

"Okay." Solar said.

"I knew Flare was the best pony for the Leader position and me being a big whiney filly wasn't going to change that." Ray continued taking a step back up the steps.

"Of course." Solar replied.

"I know that I was literally asking the King to let me take over for my grandfather, but I have a really good reason for it." Ray insisted, stepping back up in the landing.

"A good reason." Solar said in agreement.

"I know it didn't seem like it, but I grew up with all the stories of how amazing my grandfather was, and how fearless he was in battle. It's the reason I wanted to be a leader so badly, I wanted him to be proud of me!" Ray said looking a bit flustered.

"Understandable." Solar said.

"But he never wanted me to a soldier pony! He was afraid for me! He's lying in that hospital, beaten to an inch of his life and he's still worried about me! He never ever thinks of himself! He's always worried about every pony else!" Ray shouted, her mane flaring and her voice starting to break.

Solar didn't say anything at this point.

"I just… I just…" Ray whimpered, dropping the helmet from under her arm and tossing the slate aside.

Solar got up, made his way over to Ray and pulled her in close to him; comforting her by stroking her mane while she quietly cried into his shoulder.

"My Mother used to say," Solar said to her. "A hearth is in every home to make a pony feel safe, to feel warm, and to scare away the darkness. Isn't it nice that ours walks around on four legs?"

Ray chocked a laugh, caught off guard by that anecdote.

"One day, a Mom will be telling her filly something similar about you." Solar continued. "Something like, ponies have a hard time finding hope, isn't it nice that ours is just on the horizon?"

"That was… really corny, Solar." Ray mumbled into his shoulder.

"Really corny." Solar replied, holding up the General Hearth's helmet to her.

Sniffling, Ray stepped back, rubbing her nose and taking the helmet from him. Picking up the slate, Ray took a deep breath, finding it easy to smile at Solar who remained stoic as usual.

"I don't know why you put up with me, but I don't deserve to have a friend like you." Ray said sounding appreciative.

"Ready?" Solar asked, motioning to the Main Doors of Castle Char.

"Yeah, let's do this." Ray replied, putting on the helmet.

Wisp had only one colt in mind to take on this mission, he was still debating on who his second choice would be, but he was hoping his first choice would pull through. Walking for a time down the Narrows, Wisp came to a stop at a stone hut, and knocked on the door. The door slightly moved, Wisp looked at it curiously as it slightly moved again, opening a bit further, and two little hooves appeared at the bottom trying his best to open the heavy stone door. Carefully pressing his hoof against the door, Wisp helped the little foal along.

"Who is it?" Lionel asked, almost out of breath.

"I'm Wisp Seeker; I'm a friend of Ember's." Wisp replied.

"Ember! There's a spider at the door!" Lionel shouted disappearing into the hut.

"Spider?" Another voice asked in a squeak.

Wisp raised an eyebrow. It was a mare's voice, which didn't add up to for Wisp. The door opened all the way revealing Mr. Tutor. A smile quickly came across his face upon seeing Wisp.

"Hey! Wisp! You old mule you!" Tutor said excitedly, jabbing him in the arm.

"Ember, you're not fat!" Wisp replied pointing at his stomach. "I thought all that teaching would put you out of shape."

"I have Lionel to thank for that." Tutor remarked inviting him inside. "I can't leave the foal alone for more than a minute before he's off getting himself in trouble."

"That's Lionel?" Wisp asked in shock.

"Big, isn't he?" Tutor asked with a proud smile.

"I remember when he was just the size of a loaf of bread." Wisp remarked.

"Come, come. We're in the parlor." Tutor said ushering him towards the room.

"We? You have company?" Wisp asked nudging Tutor in ribs suggestively.

"I-It's just Ms. Fluttershy, she came to help teach the students about the animals outside the Ashen Fields at the King's request." Tutor said flushing slightly.

"Is she staying here at his request too?" Wisp asked with a smile.

"F-For the time being, until this matter with the Orc is settled." Tutor remarked entering the parlor.

Wisp could see the mare named Fluttershy, cowering behind the granite sofa, carefully peeking out from the corner; Lionel sat the end amused with himself.

"It wasn't a spider, Fluttershy." Tutor announced. "This is Wisp Seeker, Soldier Pony, and an old friend of mine."

"Thank goodness," Fluttershy said softly, slowly stepping out from behind the sofa. "I was worried that the battle had already started."

Wisp was very taken by the soft and gentle nature Fluttershy was displaying. Wisp had a soft spot for creatures that couldn't defend themselves and were preyed upon by bigger and meaner animals. It was one of the reasons he became a Soldier Pony.

"Lionel, say hello to Mr. Seeker." Tutor said.

"Hello." Lionel said half-heartedly.

"He's got the same attitude as his Dad." Wisp mumbled to Tutor.

"You knew my Dad?" Lionel asked in surprise, jumping to his hooves.

"Mr. Seeker used to be on the same squad your father and I were on." Tutor explained to him.

"Did my Dad like to go on adventures? Did he ever beat up a dragon? Does he hate roots like I do? Did he know what a cupcake was?" Lionel started firing off questions to him.

"Lionel! Mr. Seeker didn't come here to answer all your-" Ember began.

"You mean Ember never told you how your Dad saved his life from the amorous dragon of the Dark Marsh Swamp?" Wisp asked, his eyes getting wide, and a smile etching across his face.

"We have a swamp?" Lionel asked in excitement.

"Dragon?" Fluttershy asked quietly, sitting back on the sofa.

"No! There was no swamp and there was no dragon! Your father made up that story!" Tutor insisted, turning red and his mane starting to flare.

"We were patrolling the Dark Marsh late one night, many years ago, when we heard strange noises coming from the swamp." Wisp started to weave his tale to them, much to the agony of Tutor.

Tutor had listen to the age old story once more, having to relive every painful detail of his short lived, one-sided, and love affair with a lonely dragon. Essentially, all Tutor did was free the dragon from some vines she trapped herself in, but his good deed ended up making the dragon smitten with him and kidnapping him on the spot. Tutor had his face in his hooves for most the story, while Lionel and Fluttershy listened attentively.

"So your Dad comes up with this crazy idea to buy Ember back from the dragon with the giant ruby he found while exploring the old ruins of a forgotten Diamond Dog mine and luckily for Ember it worked. I've never seen Ember be dumped so fast and recover so quickly." Wisp said, finishing his story.

"I never knew dragons had weddings." Fluttershy remarked with interest.

"So my Dad not only crashed a wedding, fought off a horde of spiders, found lost treasure, and saved Ember, but he also invented the cupcake?" Lionel asked; eyes so wide with excitement that they almost seemed to shimmer.

"Your father was the most interesting pony in all of Equestria." Wisp said.

"Wisp, tell me you came over here for some other reason than to bring up embarrassing stories from the past?" Tutor asked hopefully.

"I did." Tutor said, sounding a bit more serious. "I need your help."

"With what?" Tutor asked, eyeing him curiously.

"Lord Smolder has asked me to gather a team to retrieve something called an obelisk, from the Orc, down in the mines." Wisp explained. "You were the first pony I thought of."

"Orc?" Lionel asked, looking suddenly concerned.

"What's so important about this obelisk?" Tutor asked.

"The King is planning on using it to stop the Great Dragon Char from destroying all of us." Wisp said bluntly.

"The Great Dragon Char? The one from the old pony tales?" Tutor asked in disbelief.

"It's true." Fluttershy said, nodding in agreement.

"Dragon?" Lionel asked sounding even more concerned.

"How are we supposed to even get close to it?" Tutor asked.

"Lord Smolder is planning to draw out the Orc and its spiders from the mines, giving us the time to searching for it, find it, and get it back to him as soon as possible. There might be some cave spiders lagging behind but it isn't anything we haven't dealt with before. Everything is riding on that obelisk." Wisp explained.

"Have you spoken to any pony else about this?" Tutor asked.

"I came to you first, I was thinking about Tiff, but I think he might be more trouble than he's worth." Wisp confessed.

"Tiff was a solid Soldier Pony, he might be farming these days but he's still got it." Tutor insisted.

"So you'll help me?" Wisp asked.

"No!" Lionel shouted.

Wisp looked over at Lionel who was looking very angry. Fluttershy was trying to calm him down, whispering to him, but he wasn't listening.

"Lionel, this is important." Tutor started to explain to him.

"You're important!" Lionel shouted back.

"Every pony is important." Tutor said sternly, trying not to match Lionel's volume. "We all have to do our part, if the King needs ponies to get this done, then I'm willing to lend a hoof."

"Let him do it!" Lionel shouted again, starting to shake from his own anger.

"Lionel!" Tutor said crossly.

"I need you!" Lionel shouted.

Tutor was taken aback by this; there was an awkward silence in the room. Before any pony could say a word Lionel quickly ran out of the parlor, charging up the stairs and to his room.

"Oh my." Fluttershy said softly, getting to her hooves and following after Lionel.

"I'm… sorry Ember, I forgot that you were… taking care of him. I shouldn't have asked you to help." Wisp said, shaking his head disappointingly at himself.

"I'll do it." Tutor said firmly.

"Look, Ember, you got Lionel to look after now and I can't promise that this is going be a walk in the park." Wisp replied.

"Jade was carrying Lionel when that dragon took me. Reggie was going to be a father but he came after me anyways." Tutor said, thinking back on it. "He could have played it safe, but he knew that if he went, he'd get the job done. If I go with you, we're getting the obelisk back."

"You'll need talk to him." Wisp mentioned.

"That's the hard part." Tutor mumbled with a sigh.

Chapter 35: Final Preporations

Ember Tutor showed Wisp Seeker out, promising to meet up with him at the North Tower early the next morning to help retrieve the Obelisk. Tutor heaved a sigh, wondering what he was going to say to Lionel before he climbed the stone steps to the second floor. There he found Fluttershy trying to coax Lionel to come out of his room; it didn't seem to be working.

"Is he still in there?" Tutor asked curiously.

"I think so, he hasn't said anything, but I haven't heard him climb out his window yet." Fluttershy replied.

"Well, I better get in there before he takes off to Licorice's house again." Tutor said reaching for the stone door.

"You're not going to yell at him again, are you?" Fluttershy asked, sounding very worried.

"I didn't yell at him. I was trying to make him understand the importance of this task Lord Smolder has asked-" Tutor began to say defensively.

"Lionel isn't a grown pony yet, he doesn't understand a soldier pony's sense of duty." Fluttershy interrupted him. "All he knows is that he may lose you and that frightens him."

Mr. Tutor didn't have anything to say to her. His hoof hovered at the door. He knew he was never going to replace the father Lionel had lost, but did his best to act fatherly to him nonetheless. Although, it started to sink in that Lionel may have already accepted him for that roll a long time ago.

"I'll… try to keep my voice down." Tutor said slowly, pushing Lionel's door open.

Lionel's room was a mess. Tutor's face scrunched up in annoyance, having told Lionel yesterday to straighten up but was able to quell his disappointment for now. There were half drawn plans for future adventures Lionel had sketched out, check lists filled out from past adventures, a blackboard with his name and Tutor's name written across. Lionel had no tally marks, while Tutor had several; the title read 'Scoreboard'. Tutor could only come to the conclusion that it was meant to depict the times where Lionel attempted to do something and Tutor stopped him.

Lionel had his desk with more slates strewn about, his bed was an elevated slab of granite, and his closet had no door. For reasons Tutor did not want to recount, the closet door was now a pile of dust in the backyard. Looking towards Lionel's lone window, he could see that it was still locked and that Lionel should still be in the room.

It didn't take more than a few seconds to notice a light coming from under the bed. Lionel was laying under his bed, on the stone floor, his back facing the door. Mr. Tutor leaned his head down to get a better look at him.

"Isn't this your 'Thinking Place'?" Tutor asked, trying to break the ice.

"Leave me alone." Lionel mumbled.

"Lionel, I-"

"Mom and Dad did, and you're going to do it too." Lionel mumbled, curling up into a smaller ball.

Tutor rubbed the back of his mane. He wondered how Reggie, Lionel's father, would have handled this. What Reggie would have said or done to have Lionel understand. All that came to mind was Reggie throwing himself into any situation and worry about getting out later.

"Move over, I need some of your 'Thinking Place.'" Tutor said, getting down low and started crawling beneath his bed.

"Wha-No! You can't use my 'Thinking Place'! You're not part of the Explorers and Adventures Club!" Lionel shouted in protest, rolling over to try and block him from entering.

There was a bit of a struggle but Tutor won in the end. Bumping his head only a few times on the granite and watching Lionel roll back over to ignore him. Tutor could see a couple dozen words scribbled in charcoal under the granite slab, some had circles around them, while others were crossed out.

"What's with all the writing?" Tutor asked.

"Important stuff I think about." Lionel mumbled.

Tutor could see the words 'Dark Marsh, Eat Cupcakes, Stop Snoring' among many other words. Tutor had to chuckle at some that read 'Grow Taller, Grow Mustache, Grow Cupcakes'.

"Does Licorice crawl under here with you?" Tutor asked curiously.

"No, she doesn't like small spaces." Lionel replied.

"Then why is her name under here?" Tutor asked curiously, his hoof pointing to the name 'Licorice' written in charcoal under the granite.

This prompted Lionel to viciously attack Tutor, flushing furiously, doing his best to wipe the name away. Tutor laughed while he asked questions about why her name was written under there. Lionel refused to answer any of them, having successfully wiped the name away and immediately went back to his pouting.

"I'm going to go help Wisp retrieve that Obelisk from the mines tomorrow." Tutor said after a while.

Lionel didn't say anything. His mane flickered in his disapproval for him.

"I know you're scared. You think if I go down into those mines I'm never coming back." Tutor continued.

"I'm not scared." Lionel mumbled.

"I've been scared before." Tutor replied.

"You have?" Lionel asked, sounding a bit surprised.

"Oh yeah, like Fluttershy scared." Tutor said watching Lionel roll over to look at him.

"When?" Lionel asked.

"One of my best friends asked me for a favor." Tutor replied.

"To go looking for some stupid rock in a spider infested cave with a big dragon?" Lionel asked.

"No, it was when your Dad asked me to look after you when he was gone." Tutor said glancing over at Lionel.

Lionel got very quiet.

"Your father could have asked any pony, he could have asked General Hearth, Burning Sand, but he asked me. He asked a retired soldier pony to look after the only thing that mattered to him, his son, Lionel Stonehardt." Tutor continued.

Tutor could feel Lionel shifting closer to him, resting his head on his shoulder.

"I won't abandon my friends to venture into those mines alone, but I won't abandon you either, Lionel. If I say I'm coming home, would you believe me?" Tutor asked.

Lionel nodded his head. Tutor could feel Lionel's irregular breathing, knowing he was trying to hold in his crying.

"You Dad was one of the bravest ponies I've ever known, Lionel. I need you to be strong, not only for yourself, but for Fluttershy and Licorice as well." Tutor said to him. "Especially Fluttershy."

Lionel choked a laugh. Tutor rested his chin on top of Lionel's head, trying to offer him some comfort.

"I'm coming back, and I'm going to tell you all about my adventure. Okay, Lionel?" Tutor whispered to him.

"Okay, Dad." Lionel whispered back.

Ray Horizon and Solar Wind stepped out of Castle Char, making their way to the Eastern Fields where many of the Flame Pony Soldiers and Royal Guards were waiting in huddled masses. As Ray and Solar got closer, a few ponies spotted them, getting the attention of other ponies pointing them out. Murmurs began running through the herd, every pony could see the familiar helmet in Ray's arm and some started to fear the worst for the General.

"Who's the mare?"

"That's the General's granddaughter."

"Why does she have the General's helmet?"

"You don't think the General is…"

The questions continued to be mumbled between the ponies. Assumptions were being made but no pony had any answers. As Ray and Solar approached the front of the herd, normally where General Hearth would address his troops, it started to become clear that an announcement was going to be made.

Positioning herself at the would be front center of the herd, Solar whipped his wings straight up, one of many signals used to bring the troops to attention; depending on what type of military pony called for it. The herd of Soldier and Royal Guard ponies dispersed from their herded clumps into organized rows and stood at attention.

Ray placed the helmet on the ground in front of her. Her heart was beating very fast, nerves taking over as she glanced over at Solar who stoically nodded at her. Taking a deep breath, Ray tried to channel her inner Rainbow Dash.

"For those of you who don't know me, I'm Ray Horizon, granddaughter of General Warrick Hearth!" Ray shouted aloud. "First off, General Hearth is expected to make a full recovery."

Every pony suddenly stomped twice before grunting aloud in unison; showing their support to their recovering leader.

"Lord Smolder was personally going to come out here and deliver this news to you, but I asked to do this in his stead." Ray continued holding up the slate in her hoof. "Lord Smolder has also granted me the temporary position of General, in my grandfather's absence."

Several ponies broke their thousand yard stair to glance at her, there were several whispers cutting through the ranks, and some uneasy looks passing between them.

"Last night an Orc infiltrated our Kingdom, attacked General Hearth, Burning Sand, Argo Fleece, and Advisor Wingston right under our noses and taunted us by escaping unseen. This morning a meeting was held by Lord Smolder with Canterlot and the Crystal Empire to determine the threat that this Orc presented." Ray continued, doing her best to remain unfazed by their whispers and looks.

"The Orc is marching with an army of Spiders and the Great Dragon Char at its back." Ray announced getting more confused looks from the ponies. "A dragon said to be as large as the mountains and fire so fierce it can melt stone with its breath alone."

There were now nervous whispers running through the ranks, surprised and confused faces on almost every pony.

"Tomorrow, we will be marching out with Lord Smolder to face this Orc in open combat." Ray announced with many disbelieving faces glancing her way.

"How are we supposed to fight a dragon that big?" A pony's voice spoke up from the back.

Several ponies nodded their concern over this, not liking the idea of facing something so terrifying.

"Does it matter?" Ray asked aloud.

"Of course it matters!" Another pony shouted.

"Then feel free to leave, you can go inform General Hearth that you're quitting. That is if he's conscious at the moment." Ray offered pointing to Castle Char.

There was a lot of uneasy movement in the ranks; a few faces looked rather guilty at the thought of facing General Hearth out of their own cowardice.

"My granddad stood his ground during Black Winter, he stood his ground against the Last Orc's Final Battle, was forced to fight the ponies of the Crystal Empire and Canterlot under the rule of the Mad King, he taught every pony here how to fight the creatures of the Dark Marsh and protect their family and friends." Ray declared, her voice trembling near the end. "For the first time in his life he needs some pony to look after him."

Every pony had grown quiet now. Each pony contemplating their own lives, of how the General had impacted it, and how he had remained strong throughout.

"So I'm asking you, for the pony who's given us so much, will you follow me? To defend him and our home from this stupid Orc?" Ray asked, taking a sharp breath.

It started off slow, a stomp here and there. The stomping grew in volume, every pony in the ranks was striking the ground with one hoof, chanting 'Hearth' over and over again. Ray glanced at Solar who smirked at her, nodding at her once more. Ray nodded back, lifting the helmet and placing it on her head, causing the ponies to stomp and chant louder. Flaring out her wings, Ray drew complete silence from the ponies, their stomping ceased and all eyes were on her.

"Then let's get to it." Ray said.

Wisp Seeker had left Ember Tutor's home in search of Tiff Pitchstone, the other pony in mind for this mission. It took over an hour to track him down, Wisp having thought that Tiff would be farming, searched the fields but had no luck finding him. Luckily though, Wisp happened across several Flame Ponies pulling stone carts full of ceramic jars from Castle Char. After speaking with a few of the cart pullers, Wisp got a lead on Tiff, who was attempting to salvage any crops he could before the battle tomorrow.

"Just tell ol' Big Mac that these here crate hold coffee beans. I don't think he'll know what those are but just tell him Applejack wants them in the barn." Applejack informed a Flame Pony, strapped to a cart ready to move out.

Wisp stepped past the Flame Pony moving the cart full of coffee beans to see Applejack marking a few tallies on her rock slate.

"Hey, you with the hat!" Wisp shouted at Applejack.

"You talking to me?" Applejack asked, with a raised brow.

"Yeah Freckles, I'm looking for a Flame Pony named Tiff Pitchstone, have you heard of him?" Wisp asked, glancing around the Main Hall of Castle Char.

"Freckles?" Applejack asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

"Applejack, we still have several more jars of grape juice to move but these two are the last of the coffee bean boxes picked from the fields." Tiff said aloud, walking up from the dungeon, eyes trained on his rock slate.

"Tiff!" Wisp shouted in excitement.

Tiff jumped at the sound of Wisp's voice, it wasn't the look of fright but almost dread. Trying to slink back into the dungeon, Wisp quickly came up on him and pulled him by the arm into a hug.

"You're looking pretty good for a farmer, Tiff, how's the quiet life treating you?" Wisp asked, patting Tiff on the back.

"Well, you know, it's quiet. Lots of patience and tedious sort of work." Tiff mumbled, with a weak smile.

"Just what the hay is going on?" Applejack asked, approaching the two of them.

"Tiff, what's with Freckles here?" Wisp asked, motioning to Applejack.

"Wisp Seeker, I'd like to introduce you to Ms. Applejack of Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack, this is Wisp Seeker… my old squad mate." Tiff said, introducing the two.

"Squad mate?" Applejack asked curiously.

"Tiff here used to be a Soldier Pony; every Flame Pony spends a year or two learning how to defend oneself against the creatures in the Dark Marsh back in the day. Tiff here used to roll with Squad Seven." Wisp explained.

"Every Squad had four ponies." Tiff explained further. "It was Wisp, Ember, Reggie and I."

"Now run along, Freckles, I got something important to talk to with Tiff here." Wisp said, shooing Applejack away.

"You want to run that by me again, partner?" Applejack asked, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Jeez, Tiff, what is she your special some pony or something?" Wisp asked, whispering behind his hoof.

"N-No, she's just one of Equestria's best apple farmers." Tiff explained, flushing slightly.

"Right, 'apple farmer'," Wisp said, not believing a word of it. "I can see you're busy so I'm just going to lay it out for you, Tiff. Lord Smolder has asked me to get a team together to go down into the mines and retrieve an Obelisk from the lair of Spiders." Wisp said nonchalantly.

"Lair of Spiders?" Tiff asked, face full of dread.

"Obelisk? Spiders? You better start talking sense here, cowboy." Applejack demanded.

Wisp had to blink a few times at Applejack, looking very puzzled.

"Cowboy? Is she calling me fat?" Wisp asked, looking unsure.

"No, she's not." Tiff said, brushing that notion aside. "W-W-Why ask me? Why not Ember?"

"I did, he's already said he's onboard. I sort of wish I hadn't, I forgot he was taking care of Lionel." Wisp replied.

"Lionel? Reggie's kid? Bugger me, how is he?" Tiff asked, suddenly becoming interested in the topic.

"He enormous, looks just like Reggie, he's even got that adventurer spirit." Wisp mentioned.

"I'm sure that's giving Ember a difficult time keeping up with him." Tiff remarked.

"That little foal has got more energy to burn then Reggie ever did. I'll bet my last bit that he ends up discovering some ancient pony civilization before he's sixteen." Wisp said in delight.

"Hey, flames for brains, what this about sending Tiff to help you get an Obelisk?" Applejack interjected, clapping her hooves together to get their attention.

"I've been tasked by Lord Smolder to get it, and I'm bringing together the old Squad to do it. Well, most of it anyways." Wisp said, sounding a bit solemn.

"Most of it?" Applejack asked.

"Our friend Reggie passed away a few years back. Lionel was his foal." Tiff explained, looking a little sad himself.

"Oh, I see." Applejack mumbled, feeling a bit sorry for the two of them.

"I'm confident that the three of us can pull this off, that is, if you're willing to help us Tiff." Wisp said, looking his way.

Tiff looked uneasy, he hadn't been a Soldier Pony for many years, but old Soldier Pony code said not to leave friends behind and that resonated with him.

"Count me in." Tiff said nodding in agreement; Wisp clasped an arm around him again and brought in for another hug.

"Hold your horses, partner; you ain't going down into any Spider Lair without me." Applejack said decisively.

"Applejack, there is no way I would want-" Tiff began to subtly say no thank you to her when Wisp cut in.

"Sorry, Freckles, but if we need a tree kicked, we'll give you a howler. This is for ponies that've actually been in a fight before." Wisp remarked.

"Wisp, Applejack is a-" Tiff attempted to warn him, but was also cut off by Applejack.

"I guess you're right, I can't compare with a big strong colt like yourself." Applejack mumbled, looking very meek.

"You can just go back to Ponyville where you'll be safe while Tiff and-" Wisp was suddenly blown off his hooves by a sudden stone box filled coffee beans striking him in the gut.

Applejack had bucked one of the boxes at him, close range, and stood with a smirk while Tiff watched horrified. The box burst open, showering coffee beans everywhere; Wisp was buried in beans while the stone box flipped over on him. Tiff looked very nervous, knowing that Wisp was not a pony you'd pick a fight with, but then again, Applejack wasn't a pony he wanted to make mad either.

The pile of coffee beans began to stir; the stone box fell to the side as Wisp reemerged from the pile.

"Sweet Celestia! Did you kick that?" Wisp asked in amazement.

"What's it to ya?" Applejack asked.

"That was at least fifty pounds of stupid beans in that box, not to mention that the box itself is about twenty pounds easy." Wisp explained brushing beans off of him.

"So?" Applejack asked again.

"You're not just all bark, and no bite. I take it back, Freckles, welcome to the team." Wisp said striding back over to them.

"Really?" Tiff asked in surprise.

"I can see why you like her Tiff, she doesn't have a fiery mane but she's got a fire brewing on the inside. Make sure you get Tiff to the old North Tower first thing in the morning, Freckles, we'll need all the time we can get to find this Obelisk." Wisp instructed Applejack, ignoring his question.

"It's Applejack." She corrected him.

"I don't like- I mean I do but- I don't- not like…" Tiff stammered, embarrassed once more.

"You don't what now?" Applejack asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I uh- just going to um-" Tiff stammered nervously. "Clean this up."

"Kick a couple of spiders like that tomorrow, Freckles, and we'll be in and out before breakfast." Wisp said, giving them a half-hearted wave before heading off.

Applejack rolled her eyes at him. Glancing over at Wisp who was nearly at the entrance, she couldn't help but feel a little impressed at his fortitude. It's not every pony who can take a hit like that and shrug it off; especially one from her.

I stood outside Castle Char's entrance with Tea Herbal, having requested that she be brought back to Manehatten by carriage rather than the train by Ponyville. The train itself was far from any danger, seeing as it would be heading towards Canterlot, away from the Ashen Fields, but it allowed me some peace of mind knowing she'd get there without any delays or problems. It was my way of making sure Tea didn't change her mind half way home and try to come back; I didn't want her anywhere near the fields.

Shining Armor and Princess Cadance were kind enough to allow Tea the use of their personal carriage, seeing as they too chose to remain in Castle Char in preparation for the battle, and the Crystal Pegasi Ponies that pulled it.

"The Crystal Pegasi ponies know to take you to Manehatten, from there you can direct them to where you're staying." I informed her, walking her to the carriage.

"Eager to get rid of me?" Tea asked curiously.

"Wha-no! I mean, I don't want you here- wait… I don't want you near the fighting-" I said quickly, stumbling over my own words.

"Why not?" Tea asked, leaning in closer to me.

"Because…" I began, feeling my heart start to race.

Aside from Tea's studies, I would have offered her a place to stay right here in the Castle for as long as she wanted, but the very thought of her being in harm's way pained me in such a way I almost felt sick. Tea was wearing her cloak from the party, obviously knowing that it would be sometime before we would see each other again and would most likely want to say goodbye properly.

"You're… important to me." I said, feeling my mane flare. "I don't want see you getting hurt."

"I don't want to see you hurt either." Tea insisted, stepping closer to me; her face hovering very close to mine.

My heart was pounding so fast, there wasn't anything I wouldn't have given to be able to be a normal pony for a few seconds, but the small bursts of fire coming off my mane reminded me of why I couldn't.

"If I do, I know an awesome nurse pony that will take care of me." I said, nervously.

Tea giggled to herself, making my heart dance. I felt her arms come around me and hug me. I didn't hesitate to return this gesture. I could feel her hug tighten considerably, her head pressing into my shoulder, knowing that it would be the last time she could do this for a long while.

"I'm going to miss you, Smolder." Tea whispered to me.

"I'm going to miss you more." I said to her.

Tea clung to me for a while longer, but eventually drew herself away from me. Pulling her mane behind her ear, Tea offered me the best smile she had. I offered her a hoof into the carriage, feeling her hoof slip from mine and feeling the last bit of fear go with her. The placed my hoof on the carriage door as Tea settled in, turning to me for one final goodbye.

"Goodbye, Smolder." Tea said warmly, if not a bit worried.

"Goodbye, Tea." I said with a smile of my own.

I closed the carriage door, prompting the Crystal Pegasi ponies to look back at me for the signal. I nodded to them that she was ready and the pegasi ponies saluted that they understood. The carriage lurched forward before picking up speed; the Crystal Pegasi took to the air and circled off towards Manehatten leaving me to gaze after them.

Princess Sapphire had waited patiently for me by the entrance of Castle Char, giving Tea and I some privacy to say our goodbyes. It was nearly a full ten minutes after the carriage had disappeared from any pony's sight, that Sapphire felt the need to get me out of the main road.

"If you were going to miss her so much, you should have let her stay." Sapphire said aloud to me from the entrance.

"It's too dangerous for her to stay here." I called back looking her way.

"Then quit moping and let's get going already." Sapphire snapped at me, motioning for me to follow her.

I narrowed my eyes at her. Whispering to myself that I wasn't moping, even though in all rights I was, but I wasn't going to admit it to her. I followed Sapphire back into the Main Hall of Castle Char where she patiently waited for me to catch up.

"Pinkie Pie has gathered up all dragon powder she could find, several Pegasi Flame Ponies are assisting her in setting it up at the mountain, as per your request." Sapphire informed me.

"What about Crow and Roman?" I asked, walking the length of the Main Hall with her.

"Ms. Fleece received word that Stitch Rose Shay had transferred all their designs to Roman and his Metallurgist Ponies early this afternoon; he promises to have it ready by morning." Sapphire answered.

We climbed the stairs towards the Throne Room, breaking to the right, heading towards the Royal Chambers. Needless to say, I was very grateful to have Sapphire around. Wingston was normally the bat I turned to when needing updates or advice on things but Sapphire fit that roll rather well. With that being said, I felt she was more suited for my position, leading a Kingdom of ponies the way she carried herself.

"How is the Soldier Ponies handling General Hearth's temporary replacement?" I asked.

"She's integrated herself well into her new position, the Soldier Ponies are aware of their positions in tomorrow's battle. The East Battalion will be led by Shining Armor, while the West Battalion will be led by Ms. Fizzle. Ms. Horizon will be joining us at the front to lead the main charge against the Orc." Sapphire explained to me.

"What about your parents?" I asked.

"They've elected to assist Princess Celestia, Luna and Cadance on handling the Dragon when it chooses to reveal itself." Sapphire commented.

"So where does that leave you?" I asked.

"Protecting you." Sapphire said, nonchalantly.

"Me?" I asked, stopping suddenly, looking rather confused.

"Yes, you." Sapphire replied.

"Why?" I asked.

"Princess Cadance and I spoke earlier today, she seemed very concerned about you." Sapphire began, stopping to turn and face me. "I was rather confused by her concern, until she spoke of the last battle you faced; the one with your father."

She reached out touching my ear with her hoof. I felt my face flush as the ice from her hoof lightly hissed against my flames. I could see a look of sympathy on her face. Feeling her hoof run across the scar of my once torn ear.

"She said, 'I've never seen a pony so broken in both mind and body; only to have his heart shatter at the battles end.'" Sapphire continued, pulling her hoof away. "You are a very… kind pony, Smolder. I do not wish to see you the way Princess Cadance had."

"Well, I don't want to see you getting hurt either." I insisted.

"Then we have each other's backs tomorrow?" Sapphire asked confidently.

I wanted to argue with her, but I felt that I would lose that argument before it started. Along with being a strong leader, I knew first hoof that Sapphire could hold her own in a fight and that there were few other ponies I would choose to have in a tight spot.

"Agreed." I said nodding my head.

Chapter 36: Just Breathe

I was granted a dreamless sleep. There were no bad dreams, no inspirational echoes of the past, just a blankness that soothed my mind for the battle ahead. I awoke before first light crept over the mountains, I felt rested, uneasy, but determined to see this through to the end. I stood staring at the morning for nearly an hour; the blue hue of night was almost spent as it cast the mountain in a dark shadow. A knock came at the door. Roman had come to deliver my armor as promised.

Pauldrons for my shoulders, a chest piece that attached in four separate parts, allowing me more mobility, bracers, and a bulky crest that was saddled to my back with a belly band. The metal was polished, black engravings of vines with flames were strewn about the edges of each armor piece; a small decorative touch of Rarity's no doubt. I expected the armor to be fairly heavy, but knowing the ponies at Stitch Rose Shay, they would have considered the practical use for this and designed it accordingly.

I stood staring at myself through the soft reflection of my windows. Noticing a small circular indented space at the center of my chest piece was the metal seal that had been given to me by General Hearth, Argo, Burning Sand and Wingston. I traced my hoof across it, thinking back on that night, trying not to let myself be consumed with regret. Drawing my attention to the Obsidian Crown resting on my dresser.

My father's armor didn't factor in a helmet, due to his horn, which he felt was protection enough. It was a small oversight, I wasn't too fond of the crown, but I wasn't planning on wearing it during this fight.

"…missing something…"

"I forgot about the helmet." I confessed to the mirror.

"…stupid…"

"If I had my horn I wouldn't really mind it but…" I mumbled, rubbing my forehead.

"…nothing useful… in that big head…"

I narrowed my eyes at the mirror. I took the crown off the dresser, looking it over in my hooves, trying to determine if it was worth bringing. It was basically an antique, an irreplaceable part of our history, and if something were to happen to it would be unthinkable.

"…don't die… okay…"

I glanced over at the mirror.

"…we still… need your… help…"

"When this is all over, I promise I'm going to help you, Mira." I said decisively.

The mirror didn't respond. I wasn't sure if she had left, or if she was thinking of something to say. I approached to mirror to say goodbye, that I would make good on my promise, and tell her not to worry. I could see a faint yellow eye looking up from the shard, I smiled at it.

"…you'll… really… help us…"

"I swore to never turn any pony away that asked for help." I said placing my hoof on the twisted metal. "You've been crying out for help since the beginning, and I intend to answer."

"…how…"

"Leave that to me." I said confidently.

I started to draw my hoof from the mirror but found that I could not. The twisted metal started to etch out across my arm, creeping its way up my neck, but it didn't pierce my hide like I expected it to. The metal drew itself around my head, twisting itself like rope before branching off like antlers. Perched at the center was the shard, acting like a gem in the face of a crown. The remnants of the horrid mirror sizzled in black flames before disappearing completely.

"...a crown... for a King…" Mira's voice echoed in my mind.

I strolled over to my window to see my hazy reflection, trying to get a better look at the sort of crown I had now.

A knock came from the Royal Chamber's door once more to reveal Sapphire stepping in. There was a look of great surprise on her face at the sight of me in my armor, although I dare say she approved of it. Glancing at my head, eyeing it oddly, but seeming to believe it was merely a decorative piece from 'Stitch Rose Shay.'

"You clean up nicely." Sapphire remarked.

"Thanks." I said.

There came another knock at the door, causing Sapphire and I to turn towards it. Ray Horizon stepped in, the helmet at her side, throwing a quick salute.

"Every pony is in place, Lord Smolder." Ray stated.

"Good, thank you, I will be out shortly." I said nodding to her.

Ray nodded back, throwing another salute before disappearing back into the corridor. Sapphire headed towards the door, expecting me to follow, but I lingered.

"What's the matter?" Sapphire asked, glancing back at me.

"I'm going to say goodbye to Wingston first." I said slowly.

"This isn't goodbye, Smolder, we're going to make it back; all of us." Sapphire said encouragingly.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd still like to see him before I go." I said, my voice wavering slightly.

"Of course. I'll meet you in the Courtyard." Sapphire said, nodding her head.

I stood along Wingston's bed side. There were makeshift pillows to ease the pain of having to lie on solid granite that Flame Ponies were accustomed to. Argo Fleece, Burning Sand, and General Hearth were all resting quietly, with Flame Pony nurses doing their best not to make a sound as to stir them. The Infirmary was located near the center of Castle Char, there were no windows to speak of, making it one of the safest places for them to be during this battle. I was told Wingston had yet to regain consciousness, that he was past the worst of it, and it was only a matter of time before he would wake again.

I sat for a long time, not saying anything, trying to beat down my emotions while struggling to say something. I took a deep breath, sniffling, and heaved a sigh trying not to get emotional. Placing my hoof on the edge of the granite, I swallowed hard and smiled.

"You-You said to me once, you said," I started nervously. "No more lies, and no more secrets."

I took a breath.

"Well I want to hurt this Orc, Wingston, I do; I really do. I want to hurt him so badly for what he did to you and our friends. But I need-" I trailed off, lowering my head and taking a breath. "I need you to know that I'm not going to do that. I'm going to do what you taught me, I'm going to speak with him and if I can't reason with him… I'll just have to try again."

I took a few deep breaths to try and calm myself down.

"You were there for me when I had no pony else. You don't know how much that meant to me. How much you still mean to me, and I'm about to do something-" I took a breath, feeling my voice waiver. "Very stupid, you probably wouldn't let me go through with it, but if seeing you like this has taught me anything… it's that family is everything."

I took a minute to collect myself, blinking several times before sighing.

"I can't imagine what sort of pony I'd be if it wasn't for you, Wingston, but I know what sort of pony I am now." I said, trying to smile.

Tapping his bedside, I nodded a few times before reconciling myself to leave.

"I'll be back, Wingston, I promise." I said resolutely.

I headed back towards the Infirmary doors, trying my best to compose myself for every pony waiting outside the Castle. I dare not look back.

"…what sort… of pony… are you…" Mira's voice echoed in my head.

"One that keeps promises." I said to myself.

The doors of Castle Char's Courtyard opened with a groan; two columns of Royal Flame Ponies were lined up along the sides of the door. A single motion the two columns turned inward, standing at attention as I proceeded down the center of them to where Sapphire and Princess Celestia waited for me. Just outside the courtyard, several battalions of Soldier Flame Ponies stood ready, facing the mountain; standing stone faced and battle ready. I could see Princess Celestia eyeing the metal crown I wore, she didn't seem too suspicious about it, residing to the idea that it was merely an artistic liberty the ponies took when designing my armor. Princess Celestia, Sapphire and I strode together to the front line of the battalion where Ray Horizon stood waiting for us.

"Every pony is in position, my Lord." Ray said quickly, throwing a salute, General Hearth's helmet under her arm.

"It's Smolder." I corrected her, patting her on the shoulder as she nodded in understanding.

"So how do you plan to lure the Orc out?" Sapphire asked whispering to me.

"Simple, I'm going to knock." I replied.

At these words, Ray nodded to me. Turning back to Castle Char, Ray flared her wings as to signal Solar Wind who stood in the belfry waiting to ring Hadron's Bell. The large cast iron bell swung from side to side causing the clapper to strike the sides in a slow rhythmic pattern, echoing across the Ashen Fields. Hadron's Bell tolled a few times more; everything was still, causing Sapphire to glance around in confusion as to what was supposed to be happening. From the mountain I could see several dozen Flame Pony Pegasi soaring up into view. The Flame Pony Pegasi raced back towards Castle Char, soaring over every ponies head before landing near the back just as the last toll of the bell rang.

In the distance an explosion could be seen, then another, followed by countless more. The further sequence of explosions could be heard, but not seen. The ground beneath every pony's hooves could feel the effects of the blast, while the rock face of the mountain started to cave in on itself. We had positioned countless barrels around caves openings in the mountain last night. The Flame Pony Pegasi lit the fuses and rolled them in. The thundering boom of the explosives began to diminish; the mountain groaned from the stress of the blasts, several large junks of the mountain had broken away, and crashing down the side of the mountain. A great cloud of dust settled around the mountain, there were some cheers from some of the Soldier Ponies but I searched the dust for signs of movement.

A thin black line started to emerge from the center of the mountain, several more black streaks started to emerge from different parts, and before long half the mountain was covered by a blanket of skittering black shadows that poured out into the fields. It was almost like water, dyed black, rushing across the Ashen Fields with the sound of countless screeches filling the air. Mixed within the tidal wave of spiders were several large masses, Queen Spiders, clearing several yards worth of ground with each enormous step it took. At its center I could see a glint of metal reflecting in the sun, it rode atop a large Queen Spider. In the distance, the spider's screeches could be made out more clearly, the word 'Gorun' was being chanted by every spider.

"That's a lot of spiders." Sapphire remarked.

"The dragon has not yet emerged." Princess Celestia mentioned.

"…obviously…" Mira's voice whispered in my mind; I felt myself smile.

"General." I said aloud.

"My Lord?" Ray replied, stepping forward.

"I'm going to go speak with this Orc; alone." I said, watching the sea of Spiders come to a stop almost a half a mile out.

"Sir!" Ray remarked in protest.

"You're not going out there alone!" Sapphire said, immediately stepping forward.

Princess Celestia stepped up alongside of me, she didn't say anything. I looked up at her, our eyes met, I could feel her looking to see if she could find any ill feelings, any sadness I was trying to mask, but I knew in my heart that I was trying to do the right thing.

"Have every pony remain here, until it is absolutely necessary, is that clear?" I said to Ray who looked almost horrified.

"Say something, Princess Celestia." Sapphire urged her.

"Be careful, Smolder." Princess Celestia said with a nod.

Sapphire was about to interject once more but Princess Celestia placed her hoof on her shoulder to have her accept it. Ray swallowed her own displeasure in it, nodding her head begrudgingly to me. I nodded to them, a silent way of thanking them for their acceptance to my request and began to walk across the field towards this Orc.

"We're just going to let him get far enough away before sending every pony in, right?" Sapphire whispered to Princess Celestia.

"We will wait here, as Smolder requested, until it is absolutely necessary to move in." Princess Celestia replied.

"Why are we letting him do this? He could get hurt or-or-or-or bitten or-or beaten or-or-or-" Sapphire stammered her disapproval.

"Because he's suffered losses that hurt him. Losses he can never hope to get back." Princess Celestia replied. "Why would he want any pony else to experience what he has? Why not settle this with words and spare every pony the pain of losing some pony precious to them?"

Sapphire and Ray were quietly listening to Princess Celestia, their eyes glued to the slowly shrinking Smolder in the distance.

"There isn't any chance the Orc will back down. It's nothing more than a fool's gambit. Why even bother?" Sapphire asked bitterly; desperately wanting to stop him.

"Because some pony, a very long time ago, taught Smolder that talking things over can be more powerful than the fire he wields. I hope that one day that Smolder will finally win a fight without ever having to breathe a single flame, but until that day, he will keep trying." Princess Celestia said.

I stood at the halfway point between our two armies, a barren field of dirt and rock. The Orc had noticed my lone stride across the fields and met me in kind; riding a top a disfigured Queen Spider I knew all too well. The slurred hisses of the Queen Spider came through her chipped fangs, straddled behind her head was the Orc, draped in the cloaks he stole for the Argo, Burning Sand, and General Hearth. With a snap of his metal coated fingers, the Queen Spider lowered herself to allow the Orc to slide off. The weight of the metal crushed the rocks beneath him, his mace hung at his side, slightly exposed between his robe. Lifting his hands to his helmet, the Orc removed it, hooking it onto one of the fangs of the disfigured Queen and smiling at me.

"We finally meet." The Orc spoke holding his arms up and then letting them drop to his sides.

The Orc stepped forward, sizing me up, keeping only a small distance away from me. His metal hand reached to my crown, his index finger tracing the branching metal barbs that etched towards the back of my head. He tapped upon the shard of glass before withdrawing his hand.

"I thought you'd be taller." The Orc remarked raising his hand a few inches over my head to mark the height he believed me to be. "Can't say I'm terribly impressed."

"We don't have to do this." I said cutting straight to the point.

"We don't- did you hear him?" The Orc asked looking at the disfigured Queen Spider in a mocking tone. "We don't have to fight, we could have gone home any time we wanted, imagine that."

I only came up to his stomach, the Orc was much taller than me, but his armor made him slow. He squatted down in front of me, almost face to face with me; there was no smile on his face; only seething hate.

"I'm trying to save you from a fight you can't win." I replied.

"If you came all this way to make peace, you're just wasting everybody's time." The Orc hissed at me.

"I could have dropped the whole mountain on you, buried you alive with the rest of your Spiders, but I thought I'd give you this chance to realize your mistake." I hissed at him.

"Mistake?" The Orc asked curiously.

"When the Spider Queen came to you, did you even think to ask if trying to get to me through the ponies I love, is in any way a good idea?" I asked angrily.

The Orc dragged his hand down his face, tracing his nose, his mouth, before letting his hand drop to his knee. He frowned at me, spitting at my hooves, the hiss of my flames evaporating it an in instant.

"I should have gone for the green one." The Orc said looking over my head towards Castle Char.

I felt my heart jump. My mane flared for a moment, but just enough to let the Orc know he struck a nerve with me.

"You seemed really close with that one." The Orc began, picking his teeth with his finger. "You seemed really close to a lot of those mares actually."

My stomach turned, I felt a fire swirling in my stomach. I could feel my mane starting to flare, but the Orc didn't seem to care.

"Maybe seeing one of their broken bodies would have stirred up some fight in you." The Orc said coldly.

My mane seared with fire, my wings plumed flames, the disfigured Spider Queen staggered back from it. The Orc wasn't fazed by it, standing up, throwing his hand up in disbelief stepping a few paces to the right.

"You've disappointed me, Smolder, you've really disappointed me. I thought that hurting those ponies and that… creature the other night would light a fire under you but it has only made you soft." The Orc said in disgust. "You're a lesser son to a far more fearsome King."

The Orc jabbed a finger upon my forehead, shaking his head in disapproval, most likely for the lack of a horn. My fire flared, the Spider Queen shook in fright but the Orc simply paced in front of me looking so annoyed with me.

"…burn him…" Mira's voice echoed in my head.

"What's the matter little Flame Pony, are you going to cry now? Oh wait, I've forgotten, Flame Ponies can't cry, they just sit there and shake like scared rabbits." The Orc mocked.

"Your words mean nothing to me." I began, taking a step forward. "You want to know why?"

The Orc humored me with a nod.

"I am the son of the Mad King, raised by Wingston of the Dark Marsh, youngest brother to the Twin colts Wick and Pyre. I am Smolder, King of the Ashen Fields, and you are nothing!" I exclaimed to him. "Just one more Orc that needs to be put in its place before history repeats itself and you burn like the last foolish Orc that threatened these fields! You are nothing, your words mean nothing, and before the day is over you shall be nothing!"

Holding out his arm, the Spider Queen leaned over to place the helmet that hung from her tooth into his hand before stepping back slowly; afraid of the fire still raging around me. The Orc slid the helmet back over his head before moving his cloak aside, his hand hovering over the handle of his mace.

"My father wasn't a fool." The Orc hissed at me.

"He was a fool, and you're the fool that follows him." I said.

The Orc made a move for his mace, but I was already on the offensive. A blast of fire surged from my mouth, knocking the Orc back off his feet, sliding a ways away. The fire resistant cloaks were searing with heat, but did well to provide him with extra protection. Rolling over onto one knee, the Orc drew his mace, and charged me.

"...incoming…" Mira's voice popped in my head.

I drew my eyes from the Orc fast enough to see the leg of the Spider Queen come swiping at me. With a quick roll I evaded it, spewing fire her way, her cries of pain cut through the air as the Orc came leaping at me; mace raised high overhead. Spreading out my wings, I gave a hard flap that propelled me away fast enough to avoid his strike. We both turned and charged one another.

"Make ready!" Ray shouted aloud, placing her helmet on her.

There was a sudden shift in the battalion; the Flame Pony Soldiers were set to charge as Ray signaled to the Shining Armor and Flare Fizzle on opposite sides of the field. Princess Celestia soared up into the air, flying off towards the western side of the fields where Lord Tundra, Lady Frost, and the other princesses waited anxiously for the dragon to emerge. Ray got the signals back from Flare and Shining Armor, letting her know they were ready. Ice began to form around Princess Sapphire, creating her own armor from it, and preparing herself to charge.

"Whatever happens, today will be the day that defines us for who we are and what we will become!" Ray shouted to the Soldier Ponies.

The Soldier Ponies shouted in unison to their understanding. The black ocean of spiders began surging, their cries pierced through the air, they had begun their charge. Ray took off in a mad sprint, slowly being overtaken by Sapphire, while the First Battalion charged in behind them. The ground trembled under the many hooves of the Soldier Ponies, the screeches of the Spiders grew louder and louder. It was as if a wave of fire washed over the Ashen Fields from the mass of Soldier Ponies charging towards the ocean of spiders.

"Evil! Cursed! Miserable Flame Pony!" The disfigured Queen cried striking her legs at me.

It was becoming difficult to find any sort of opportunity to attack. The Orc may had been slow but what he lacked in his reach was made up with the Queen's legs. Whenever I leaped to the side to avoid a stomping Spider leg, the Orc's mace would come swinging for my head. Unbeknownst to me the Orc had a metal chain, which whipped through the air, wrapping itself around my neck and forcing me to stand still. I flared my flames, taking hold of the chains with my hooves, trying desperately to burn through them.

"…spider! spider! spider!..." Mira's voice echoed urgently.

The Queen Spider staggered towards me, mouth opening wide to reveal several misaligned fangs, ready to bite me. I began to flare my wings when I felt a sudden rush of wind blow past me, the Queen was knocked back, head reeling, face frozen in a block of ice. The Queen's legs scratched at her own face, trying desperately to remove the ice while flailing about. I could see Sapphire sailing overhead, blasting the spider once more with ice, freezing its legs to the ground. She drove her hooves onto the Queen Spider's head, breaking apart the ice and forcing her to lose balance and topple over; her screams filling the air.

The Orc had been distracted by Sapphire's sudden appearance, I couldn't burn through the chains fast enough and decided to try out the bulky crest that Roman and Crow had helped make. Folding my wings inside the crest, the crest clicked, twisting like a clock, before popping off my back and drawing the Orc's attention. With a slice of my wings I cut the taunt metal chain into several pieces, causing the Orc to stagger back with not half his chain to work with. My wings bore metal blades, designed to cover each feather of my wings, sharped to a lethal point and searing from the heat of my flames. The only drawback was that I could not fly, the weight was too much, but the Orc couldn't fly either.

The armies of Spiders were almost upon us, Ray and the Soldier ponies were just several hoofsteps behind me. Fanning out my wings, the metal blades slicing against one another, I charged the Orc. Without much hesitation the Orc followed suit. Our armies were at our backs, mere seconds from collision, I leapt at the Orc with my wings poised to run him through while the Orc readied his mace to swing. The war with the Orc had finally begun.

Chapter 37: Of Spiders & Ponies

Hadron's tolling bell could be heard and felt at the base of the North Tower. Wisp Seeker, Tiff Pitchstone, Ember Tutor, and Applejack had already begun descending the stairs down into the dungeons. It was the same path the Orc had used to enter Castle Char undetected. Ember and Tiff did not have any armor like Wisp did, it was custom to return a ponies armor after serving; if only to have it melted down and used for the next young pony. Wisp, however, had brought simple metal bracers for Applejack to wear. It provided some protection from glancing spider fangs if she were to buck or stomp any near around their face. Tiff had brought a satchel along with him, once belonging to his father, having filled it with small ceramic jars of dragon powder; impromptu explosives for extreme situations. Ember carried several feet of metal chain to help drag the Obelisk out of the caves.

Wisp was put in charge of assembling the team; therefore, it was natural to have him be the leader. Applejack had no complaints. Her last venture into these mines nearly flattened her like a pancake. Once more Wisp had come to the cliff where he and the others had stopped to search for the Mystery Pony, but it was clear which way they needed to go.

"There's a tunnel up ahead where we first found the Orc. It will be the best place to start looking for this Obelisk." Wisp instructed pointing towards the threshold of the tunnel he spoke of.

Every pony nodded in understanding following Wisp into the tunnel. After sometime every pony came to the large boulder blocking nearly the entire passage way, Wisp instructed them to crawl beneath it, assuring them it wouldn't budge. With some convincing, Wisp had every pony crawl underneath it and set off once more into the large expanse of the cavern where they had come face to face with the Orc and its spiders.

"What in the world…" Tiff mumbled peering over the edge to what seemed to him a bottomless pit.

"There's a bridge just across the way, once we cross it we'll start our search." Wisp explained pointing into the blackness.

"What bridge? Tiff asked straining his eyes.

Spraying a stream of fire from his mouth, Wisp illuminated the broken edge of the bridge in the distance.

"Oh… that one." Tiff mumbled nervously.

Wisp motioned to Ember for the chain, passing it over, Wisp started to let out some slack spooling it out onto the ground.

"I'll carry you ponies over one by one," Wisp said taking a small leap from the edge of the tunnel; flapping his wings to keep him level with him. "Just hold on tight and don't let go."

"You're kidding." Tiff mumbled in disbelief.

"We ain't got time for talking. We got to find this here Obelisk on the double." Applejack remarked, taking hold of the chain and giving it a tug to signal she was ready.

For the second time in the lives of many, Flame Ponies were once more at war with Spiders, once again led by an Orc for indirect deeds that followed the Dragon Uprising led by Lord Smoke. For the second time, flames burned spiders, fangs pierced the hide of ponies, hooves collided with thick shells of the spiders, legs swiped at the burning hides of ponies, and their screams were the same; for both sides.

Flames swept over swarms of spiders. Spiders' webs pulled Flame Ponies deep into the swarm. Explosions of magic echoed across the fields, leaping spiders could be seen making grabs at passing Pegasi Ponies that flew overhead. The Queen Spiders swung their legs, knocking Flame Ponies like marbles across the field, while Pegasi Flame Ponies rained fire down from above to scorch the field in passes. Somewhere in the center of all this chaos, I was facing down the Orc.

The blades of my metal wings sliced through the air, searing red hot, striking the Orc's heavy armor and tearing parts of its cloak to ribbons. My wings gave me reach over the Orc, keeping it from getting too close to swing its mace, but that did not stop it from charging head long, taking several cuts, to deliver blow after blow against my wings.

Crossing my wings I parried a blow from its mace, the weight behind the Orc made it difficult to hold him back as he leaned into his strike trying to force me back.

"Can you hear them, Smolder?" The Orc asked, voice muffled by his helmet.

"…don't listen… to him…" Mira's voice echoed in my head.

I could hear the agonizing cries of the Soldier Ponies around me, mixed with the shrieks of the Spiders; I did my best to tune them out.

"All of their pain, all of their suffering, how many have families are waiting for them to return?" The Orc asked, taking a step forward; forcing me back. "Just think of how many won't be returning at all."

"…hurt him… hurt him now…" Mira's voice echoed once more.

My flames surrounded me, my Flash Step burning fiercely, dropping my wings to the side, feeling the weight of the mace strike the ground. I drove my head into his chest forcing him to stagger back. With a blast of fire I knocked him off his feet, watching him slam hard into the ground.

Several spiders skittered towards me, in the defense of their master, bearing their fangs and raising their front legs up to strike me. I fell the first one with a slice of my wing, while I blasted the second with torrent of fire. Two spiders leaped at me, attempting to drop on top of me. I folded my wings for a second, hearing a noticeable click, then swiped my wing at the two above me. A couple searing feathered blades of my wings came free, much like the feathered icicles Sapphire once used against me, and struck the spiders mid jump; crumpling to the ground next to motionless.

"…not bad…" Mira's voice commented.

Over the burning body, of the spider I dealt with earlier, the Orc mantled over, his mace swinging against the side of my arm and knocking me to the wayside; sliding across the ground. My armor lessened the blow, sparing me from a broken bone, but the pain was immense. I barely got a hoof under me when I saw the Orc already towering above me, ready to strike again.

Flare Fizzle was in the courtyard of Castle Char, several stone tables had been moved together to provide her with room to work. Several stone slates were halfheartedly drawn to depict certain areas of the Ashen Fields while bit of charcoal and stone were being used to visualize divisions. Certain Pegasi Ponies were flying down to speak with the Royal Guard Ponies who adjusted the board accordingly, to depict the areas of battle that were struggling and advancing.

"Shinning Armor's division has successfully routed a swarm of spiders attempting to reach the Dark Marsh." Spinel reported, moving several stones forward and wiping away a few bits of charcoal.

"The fourth squadron reports that the eastern divisions are dealing with a surge of spiders coming up from an unblocked tunnel from the mountain." Topaz reported, adding several more bits of charcoal to the table.

"Reroute the second and third squadron to the area. Blanket the area with fire to allow the Soldier Ponies time to block off the route." Flare instructed, sliding two marked stones towards the Topaz.

"Right away." Topaz replied.

Topaz turned towards the bell tower where Solar Wind stood at the ready, with a combination of flaring his mane and spewing small flames of fire, Topaz communicated the orders to him. Solar proceeded to take hold of the large metal chains, tolling the bell in the appropriate sequence. A herd of Pegasi Pony flying overhead near the center of the field broke off from their attack, heading towards the Eastern parts of the Fields.

Rainbow Dash soared out of the air, dropping down next to Flare, breathing hard but no worse for wear. Being the fastest flyer in the Ashen Fields, Rainbow Dash could survey the battle quickly enough and help out where it was needed. Coming back to deliver reports only when something urgent was needed, and to get an idea how well the battle was going.

"We're going to need a couple of ponies over near the ridge. They got blind-sided by a Queen Spider and have a couple of injured ponies." Rainbow Dash reported.

"Have the north-west battalion direct their efforts to the ridge, but have squadrons one and seven sweep the ridge to help route the Queen." Flare ordered, sliding three marked stones across the table to the ridge.

"Where's Ray?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"She's somewhere in the center with Lord Smolder. The center has been stalemated since the start of the battle." Flare informed her.

Another Pegasi Flame Pony flew down, reporting in to Spinel who made a couple notes on his slate.

"We've got a report of three Queen Spiders moving up towards the center." Spinel reported, placing three large pieces of charcoal on the table.

"We're already stretched thin with our flyers." Flare mumbled. "We can't reroute any without leaving other battalions out flanked."

"What are we going to do?" Rainbow Dash asked, trying to find some battalion or squad available.

"We're going to let Ray handle it." Flare said decisively.

Ray Horizon had fought dozens of Diamond Dogs, and a couple of Spiders, but never to the scale that this was. Blasting spider after spider with fire, Ray was just hoping to have a moment to catch her breath before having to start the process all over again. Where ever she turned, there was a spider fighting a Flame Pony, flames searing overhead, and screeches filling the air. There wasn't any direction, there wasn't time to formulate a plan or try to communicate to each other; there was just fire and fangs.

Ray's wings were useful to stave off Spiders trying to come at her from the sides but it did not stop some from trying to anyways. Every so often Ray would come across a Flame Pony losing its fight to a spider, jumping in to assist the pony before hearing another call out for help. Some ponies Ray came across had been bitten while others were trying to carry keep areas secure for injured ponies to be helped back to the Castle.

Unable to get an idea of where she was, Ray decided to get some height. Leaping into the air, Ray flared her wings, keeping her lifted and sprayed a stream of fire across the ground leaving a sizable amount of fire to impede the march of the spiders.

"General!" A voice seemed to cut through the noise.

Ray glanced down to see at least four or five Soldier Ponies gathered beneath her. Dropping out of the air, Ray landed beside them.

"Where is Lord Smolder?" Ray asked them.

"I haven't seen him, General; we weren't sure where any particular pony was until we saw you." Corporal Hicks informed her.

"Me?" Ray asked curiously.

"You're the only Pegasi Pony sticking close to the ground, General." Replied another Soldier Pony.

This gave Ray an idea. Grabbing Corporal Hicks and the closest Soldier Pony, Ray pulled them close to create a sort of semicircle huddle.

"We're going to stick together and move as a group; picking up any pony able to fight along the way or protecting those that need time to get away." Ray explained to them.

"What if we lose track of each other, General?" Corporal Hicks asked.

"Just follow me and stay close to one another." Ray said stepping back and leaping into the air.

Hovering several feet in the air, the Soldier Ponies were able to follow by her position, watching her stop at times over other Soldier Ponies who were in dire need of help. Using her height, Ray was able to blast spiders from the air, while allowing Corporal Hicks and the other Soldier Ponies to flank the distracted spiders. If a Soldier Pony was able to fight, Corporal Hicks would bring them up to speed, telling the ponies to go where the General was. It wasn't long before the four some odd Soldier Ponies she started with became a battalion of Flame Pony Soldiers. Ray would soar across the field, seeking out ponies in trouble, while her battalion would come storming in after her. Soldier Ponies who had mastered the Flash Step would lead the charge, blazing a trail and routing the spiders away from the area while the rest aided the injured and recruited more.

Hadron's bell began to toll once more. Ray looked around to see what Flare was trying to tell her and figured it out seeing three Queen Spiders crossing the fields. From her their position they had moved considerably to the Western part of the fields, flying a bit higher, Ray could make out better where the Queen Spiders were headed and it was towards Smolder and the Orc. Dropping out of the sky quickly, Ray landed near Corporal Hicks' who noticed her uneasiness.

"What is it, General?" Corporal Hick's asked quickly.

"Three Queen Spiders are making their way to the King. We're not going to let them reach him. Get the battalion to reform the line, we're going to charge straight across the field and intercept those spiders." Ray said decisively.

Princess Sapphire squared off with the disfigured Spider Queen; she could see three more lumbering Spider Queens in the distance, making their way towards the fight. The disfigured Queen hissed loudly at her, Sapphire merely narrowed her eyes at the Queen, waiting for it to make a move. It had reach over Sapphire, with its massive tree trunk like legs, but much like Smolder, Sapphire was faster making her hard to hit.

"Cold Pony! Freezing Pony! Wicked! Putrid Ice!" The disfigured Queen shouted, rearing back, lifting three of the four legs she still had left to strike.

With a hard flap of her wings, Sapphire soared backwards, avoiding the triple strike of the Queen's attack. The disfigured Queen opened its mouth, spraying a thick, rope like webbing from her mouth at her. A flash from Sapphire's horn created a sudden ice wall between her and the webbing, shielding herself from it. The Queen lumbered staggered forward, striking the ice wall with her leg, promoting Sapphire to leap back once more, gracefully landing between several warring Flame Ponies and Spiders. With a whip of her wing, Sapphire froze a Spider in place, sparing a Soldier Pony from a bite, and tossed it far over the Queen's head to hear it shatter behind her.

"Unfeeling! Tempered! Heartless Frost Pony!" The Queen shrieked in anger.

The disfigured Queen staggered forward, swiping at Sapphire once more. Sapphire's horn shone brilliantly for a moment, her wing fanning out connecting with the Queen's leg. The Queen shrieked in agony, staggering away, leaving the other half of her leg beside Sapphire. Sapphire's wings were coated in razor sharp ice, having easily sliced through the Queen's leg without little effort. The Queen nursed her stub a leg, keeping close to her face while she jabbed her other leg at her to stay back.

"Vile Wicked Horrible Ice Pony!" The Queen cried.

Sapphire dashed forward, ducking low under the swipe of the disfigured Queen, and blasting a wave of ice on the ground beneath her. Using the slick ice to slide beneath the Queen, Sapphire whipped her wings back and forth over her head before spinning quickly holding out her wings striking the edges of the Queen legs. Coming to a stop, Sapphire glanced over her shoulder to see the disfigured Queen stagger forward before her legs failed her and fell hard onto her torn up belly.

A group of spiders tried to surround Sapphire, coming to the aid of the Queen, but with a flick of her wings the razor sharp icicles flew like daggers into the spiders around her; watching them slump over with a thud. Walking around the edge of the disfigured Queen, Sapphire could hear the Queen wheezing spitting frays of webbing from her mouth.

"Silent… Heartless… Ice Pony…" The Queen wheezed, watching Sapphire step in front of her.

"Rest now." Sapphire whispered, placing her hoof atop the Queen's head.

Sapphire's ice spread across the Queen, her hairy crushed body suddenly becoming stiff and rigid. The sound of cracking ice could be heard, one of the Queen's legs broke off. The cracks stretched across the rest of her body, before the Queen herself was nothing more than a pile of snow and ice. Sapphire gazed at the pile of snow, already beginning to melt, taking a breath and letting it go slowly. A hoarse growl drew her attention away, eyes scanning the field, Sapphire saw the Orc towering over a knocked down Smolder, striking his mace repeatedly against his wings trying to land a clean hit.

"…fight back… stupid…" Mira's voice echoed in my head.

The Orc had me pinned, having one foot on my chest, and trying desperately to beat his way through my wings. The metal feathered wings were holding up against his attacks, but the parts were beginning to shatter under his relentless attacks; this only provoked him to strike harder. Every now and again, I could feel the Orc lift his foot slightly, only to drive it hard back into my chest, forcing me to choke on breaths. I could feel my strength beginning to slip.

"I'd say this wasn't personal, Smolder, but that wouldn't be true." The Orc mocked.

Raising his mace once more, the Orc could overheard the shrieks of spiders, glancing up for just a moment, the Orc could see flash of blue just inches from him. Being blasted off of Smolder, the Orc tumbled over backwards, digging his free hand into the ground, sliding to a stop. His entire other arm was frozen solid, including his mace, feeling the near burning sensation the ice was on his skin.

I rolled over choking, trying to breathe, glancing around to see what had saved me, and saw Sapphire sprinting past me; charging the Orc. Sapphire's horn flashed once more, her wings gleaming with the razor sharp feathered icicles, swiping them violently at the Orc. The Orc's armor proved to be too thick for the ice, merely shattering against the metal, but nevertheless knocked the Orc to and fro. Back pedaling, the Orc found its footing, side stepping another blast of Sapphire's ice, the Orc swung his arm around, connecting with an unsuspecting Spider and shattering the ice from his arm. With the backhanded swing, the Orc was now the offensive, his mace colliding with the thick ice armor Sapphire wore. It knocked her sideways, undamaged, but off balanced.

"Foolish po-" The Orc didn't have a chance to finish his taunt.

"…shut him up…" Mira's voice echoed in my head.

I blasted the Orc in the back with a surge of fire, and the force was great enough to have him turn around. I was already charging him whipping my wings again, throwing the searing feathered blades at him. The Orc managed to deflect two with a swing of mace, but three found their way into his arm and shoulder. Sapphire leaped back at the Orc, striking him with her hooves in the back of the leg, forcing him to take a knee, I took a leap, driving my hoof across his helmet. The Orc took a swing at Sapphire with his mace, she ducked it; blasting his arm with ice once more. The Orc tried to stand but I bucked him in the chest and forced him back down. The Orc swung his free hand, releasing the wrapped chain towards me, coiling itself around my neck. Sapphire swiped her wing, slicing the chain in two before spinning around and striking the Orc across the head with the other. The Orc staggered back, dazed from the hit, Sapphire and I charged the Orc together.

Sapphire brought her hooves down on the Orc's frozen arm, shattering the ice and effectively forcing the Orc the drop his mace. I drove my forelegs against his chest making him double over. Sapphire whipped around bucking him in the face, the Orc staggering back, clutching the front of his helmet; the metal had buckled inward. I picked up the mace with my wings, tossing it towards Sapphire who caught with her magic and flung it straight into the Orc's chest; leveling him flat onto the ground.

Clutching his chest, the Orc was slow to rise, taking hold of his helmet, tearing it from his face. There was a thin trail of green liquid dribbling from his lips, most likely from the hit Sapphire gave him.

"You're beaten, Orc. Surrender and your life will be spared." Sapphire declared.

I glanced over at Sapphire in surprise, I didn't really picture myself saying those exact words but I thought I would be me to be the one to sound cool.

"Beaten, I hardly think so." The Orc groaned getting back onto his feet. "You didn't really believe I'd risk this whole fight on a fist fight with you?"

"We know all about your dragon, Orc." Sapphire declared once more.

What was shocking is that the Orc did not seem surprised by this but just smiled wickedly at us.

"Do you know what Dragons covet, Ice Pony?" The Orc asked curiously.

"Dragons are known to-" Sapphire began.

"Gold. Lots and lots of gold." The Orc interrupted.

"Your point being?" Sapphire asked, coldly.

"A dragon's love of gold runs deep, it's almost primal, it's in their nature to covet it; their greed runs very deep." The Orc explained.

The ground moved so violently that it seemed to shake all of Equestria. It seemed like every pony, every spider, everything in the world froze for that moment, all but the Orc that laughed quietly to himself.

"There is one thing you never do to a dragon…" The Orc said.

The earth beneath me trembled, making it difficult to stand. The windows of Castle Char began to crack, the North Tower swayed, threatening to collapse, and Hadron's bell tolled awkwardly from the shaking. Reaching down the Orc picked up his mace, raising it high over his head in triumph, he smiled from ear to ear; unfazed by the shaking.

"You never steal a dragon's gold!" The Orc shouted in declaration.

The mountain seemed to implode, caving in on, seeming to be swallowed by the earth itself. Large splits in the earth etched out from the base of the mountain, consuming countless spiders.

"From the ashes of your bodies, I will rebuild this world!" The Orc cried.

The mountain was all but gone, before it started to reemerge from the earth. A sudden claw came crashing through the rocks, slamming itself onto the ground, effectively collapsing the North Tower and breaking Hadron's Bell from its perch from the sheer quaking alone. I couldn't fathom how big it was, being miles away it seemed it could reach me with its claws. The broken mountain fell away, revealing the Great Dragon Char's head, its scales were so black it seemed to void of any color; like staring into the blackness of space. Its eyes burned an orange that seemed to be just fire burning its skull. It had several greyish horns on its head stretching back toward its tail, the bony frill of its skull had more horns then I could count. Its tail broke free from the earth whipping through the air. I could hear it displacing the air, cleaving the eastern mountains over their peaks.

The Great Dragon Char shook itself from the remains of the mountain, exposing its immense leathery wings that clung to its body. Flaring out its wings, the expanse of it was so immense it created hurricane like winds throwing ponies and spiders alike across the fields. It seemed to stretch all the way to Canterlot and to the Crystal Empire. Sniffing the air the Dragon's eyes turned to Castle Char, fire spewing from its nose.

"…the coin…" Mira's voice whispered to me.

I realized that the Orc wasn't simply mocking me by leaving the coin. That the coin wasn't a stroke of luck, discovering the dragon meant nothing, the Orc couldn't control it anyways so why would it come stick around to fight. It was planted there to ensure that the dragon would come for it.

Opening is jaws the Great Dragon Char roared creating a shock wave so powerful that it shattered the mountains closest to it.

Chapter 38: Lair of Spiders

The underground mines rumbled from the battle taking place above, Wisp, Tiff, Ember and Applejack crossed the old stone bridge in the deep darkness. Their fiery manes provided ample lighting to the bridge they walked across but could not illuminate anything in the dark void around them. With a sudden rumble from up above, streams of dirt trailed down from the high ceiling above, flashing for a moment in their light before disappearing once more into darkness.

Wisp began to increase his pace across the bridge, the thundering up above seemed to bother him. It bothered every pony, the importance of the mission was unquestionable, but they have been relatively safe while their friends up above were in for the fight of their lives.

"Why would any pony build such an immense bridge underground?" Ember asked after a while.

"This old stone bridge was built primarily for carts to move gems and gold underground to the mountain. It was used by the first Flame Ponies to honor the Great Dragon Char with gold." Wisp replied.

"It must have taken years to build this." Tiff mentioned, gawking at the sheer size and length of it.

"How much further until we reach the mountain?" Applejack asked.

No sooner had Applejack posed the question, Wisp's fire illuminated several large pillars lining the wall of the cliff face before them. The bridge brought itself up to dual iron doors that were thickly covered with spider webbing. One iron door was ajar, offering the smallest of openings. Wisp approached the webbing, swiping his hoof across the metal door to clear it, revealing engravings of Flame Ponies kneeling. With the blast of fire Wisp burned the rest of the webbing from the door, the fire burned through it quickly, dropping the webbing like a stage curtain. The iron door depicted the Great Dragon Char reared back; its scales decorated with gems and its eyes bore two gold coins.

"Are… we… going to find a dragon in there?" Tiff asked slowly.

"We're here to find the Obelisk, but keep your wits about you. Spiders I can deal with, but I'd not like to take my chances in waking the dragon." Wisp replied, pulling the iron door open some more.

The groan of the metal echoed throughout the cave, Wisp was first to enter followed by Ember. Tiff and Applejack followed in after. Beyond the doors it was a world of webs and forgotten history. The walls were lined with etchings, statues, abandoned stone carts that still bore some coins in its bed. Wisp blazed a trail along the ground, burning the webbing away, walking down the forgotten hall with his team following close behind him.

"Mr. Papyrus would be beside himself if he happened upon this." Ember mentioned.

The hall offered several stone doors, covered with thick webbing, but Wisp seemed to pass each one without much care. More than once did Applejack attempt to reach a stone door, hoping a glance on the other side but the webs proved too difficult. Tiff had to burn the webs away from Applejack's hooves every now and again, there seemed to be no place to step with getting ones hooves covered in it.

"What are we looking for, partner?" Applejack asked aloud, wondering how much more wandering they were going to be doing.

"Signs of recent activity, the webbing here is rather old, which means that the Obelisk must be further in the mountain." Wisp reported.

With that, Applejack started to keep an eye out for something that looked like it had been moved or disturbed recently. It was rather easy; the thick layer of dirt, grime, dust, ash, and soot seemed to cake everything around them. It wasn't until Ember pointed out some streaks on the wall that had cleared some dirt did Wisp consider taking a closer look. The webbing was unusually thick around this particular door, with the help of both Tiff and Ember, they were able to burn the webbing away quickly to reveal an open door underneath it.

"Spider's don't get stuck in their own web. It allows them to pass through it without much trouble." Tiff mentioned to Applejack.

Within the room every pony could see a collapsed wall that had caved in, an exposed tunnel that led deeper underground; once more webbing caked everything. Wisp took a moment to clear a majority of the webs with his fire before approaching the tunnel to inspect it more closely. Motioning every pony to be quiet, Wisp strained to listen, placing his ear very close to the tunnel. Faint voices could be heard in the distance.

"I don't 'ave any idea whys Gorun done left us down 'ere." A spider's voice echoed.

"We're supposed to be protecting that large pointy thing." Said another spider.

"You mean the dragon poker?" Asked another.

"It ain't a dragon poker." Replied a spider.

"Well that's what Gorun did wit it." Replied the spider.

Wisp lowered himself into the tunnel, making a motion with his hooves to keep quiet and lowered himself down. Tiff leaned over the edge, peering down into the tunnel to see Wisp carefully bracing himself down the steep decline. The tunnel lacked any sort of webbing, but it had unsure footing that made Wisp's decent slow and steady. Tiff started his decent down into the tunnel, Ember volunteered to go next, while Applejack waited her turn; not wanting to slip and run into any of them.

"I'm so 'ungry I can't even feel me legs." A spider groaned.

"You can have all you can eat once the Gorun is done beating them ponies." Said another spider.

Wisp was near the edge of the tunnel, the slope nearly finished but his hoof met with a wet patch that had him slipping. Tiff attempted to catch Wisp before he fell, taking holding his wing but found Wisp to be too heavy. Reaching out behind him to grab onto something, Tiff took hold of the chain wrapped around Ember and had him falling with them as well.

The three Flame Ponies tumbled out of the tunnel, landing on stone floor with a thud, piled atop one another at the legs of three spiders.

"What's this then?" A spider asked.

"The battle was a lot closer then I was expecting it to be." Remarked the other.

"We've got intruders!" Shouted the last spider; smacking the other two in the face with its front legs.

Applejack overheard the spider yell intruder, tipping her hat a bit forward; she jumped into the tunnel and began sliding down the slope. The sounds of a struggle echoed up through the tunnel as she reached the landing. Dropping out from the tunnel, Applejack was poised ready for a fight when she saw three unconscious spiders all piled up atop one another with Ember binding them together with some of his chain.

The room seemed to be part of the structure upstairs, although due to the tunnel, it was a much faster route then taking the intended way. It seemed like a storage area, tons of empty stone boxes, with several smashed clay pots strewn about. There were to paths leading to both the left and the right, but the left was effectively caved in while the right showed some promise.

"Flawless." Wisp said nodding at Tiff and Ember for a job well done.

"Flawless?" Applejack asked unconvinced.

"Don't sweat the details, Snappleback." Wisp said nonchalantly.

"Did you at least ask one of them spiders where to find the Obelisk?" Applejack asked.

A light seemed to turn on inside Tiff's, Ember's and Wisp's heads. They glanced at each other, then at the spiders, then back at each other.

"We should get going." Wisp said clearing his throat and pointing towards the right path.

Rolling her eyes, Applejack followed, leaving the unconscious and bound spiders behind. The path led them down a staircase, their flames bouncing from the walls and throwing their shadows. Nearing the landing of the staircase Wisp motioned to Applejack to come up to the front with him. Applejack did as asked.

"Just peek your head around the corner and see what's there. We'll hang back so our flames don't draw any attention." Wisp whispered to her.

Applejack nodded in agreement. Taking the steps carefully, doing her best to remain as silent as possible, she reached the corner of the land where the staircase led out into the next room. Removing her hat, slowly turning the corner, Applejack stole a peek at to what was on the inside.

Strewn about were immense cobwebs stretching out over a vast expanse, a dozen or so spiders were crawling their way across, sliding down into the dark, and adding more webs. It very much seemed to be the lair of spiders, but the bulk of the nest seemed to be up above in the battle. With not much light to work with, Applejack strained her eyes to make out anything else in the darkness. After a minute, her eyes began to adjust to the darkness, noticing several spiders clustered together near what seemed to be the center of the pit.

"When do you suppose the dragon is going to wake up?" A spider asked.

"Normally a pony will frenzy for about an hour, if you bite'em real good. Nearly all of us bit the dragon two day ago, seems like it be waking up any time now." Replied a spider.

"So why are we still hanging around here?" Asked another spider.

"Gorun left one of the Queens down here, just in case things take a turn for the worse with this here dragon. We're just here to keep her safe." Said the spider.

Applejack was just about to leave when she saw a familiar glow of green, gleaming in the darkness. The Obelisk rested upon its side, on the other side of the pit near the edge; caked by web. Withdrawing from the corner, Applejack made her way back to let the others know.

"We've found the Obelisk, partners." Applejack whispered.

"Really, Applejack? Is it close by?" Tiff asked in surprise.

"There's mighty wide pit with a whole mess of spider webs mucking it up, at least a dozen or so spiders and a sleeping dragon somewhere down below I reckon, but if we can get passed all that I say we got a good chance of getting the Obelisk out of here." Applejack replied, returning her hat to her head.

"So what are we going to do?" Ember asked looking over at Wisp who seemed to be scratching his chin for an idea.

The cluster of spiders began to climb their way across their webbing, stepping onto the ledge of the pit near the staircase.

"Hey! Legs!" A spider shouted towards the staircase; obviously speaking to one of the unconscious spiders upstairs. "How's it looking up there?"

The sound of several hissing fuses could be heard coming around the corner. Small circular bottles of ceramic, plugged with fuses, rolled towards the spiders grinding against the uneven ground. Several spiders crowded around the noise, pushing one another aside to look at what it was.

"What is it?" Asked a spider.

"Can we eats it?" Asked another.

"It hisses like us, but it don't gots any legs." Said another.

The hissing fuses popped for a second, followed by a forceful explosion. Blasting the crowding spiders clear off their legs, sending them slamming against walls, burning others, and tossing some back into the immense pit. From around the corner Wisp, Tiff, Ember, and Applejack stormed. The confusion bought them time, blasting their fire at the surprised spiders and forcing them to scatter back into the shadows.

Applejack, Tiff, Ember and Wisp galloped around the edge of the pit. Making good use of the time they had before the spiders knew what was going on. The size of the pit was immense, sprinting full tilt only got them half way around the pit before the echoing of screeching spiders could be heard. Spider legs began reaching over the pit. From the caves hidden in the shadows, scratching of spiders became more frequent as they raced around the pit.

"Get to the Obelisk, I'll cover you!" Wisp shouted, detouring from the group to engage the spiders.

Wisp blasted a surge of fire, forcing the spiders to stagger back, and whipped his wings around knocking several spiders trying to flank him. Leaping over a lunging spider, Wisp flared out his wings and soared over their heads. Spewing fire from above, the spiders scattered towards the pit leaping onto their webs to escape from the flames. With nearly twelve or so spiders balancing themselves on the web, the spiders turned to face the flying flame pony together, but saw Wisp already burning through the webbing that kept them aloft. With several snaps the fire burned through the webbing, dropping the spiders into the pit with only their screams to mourn them.

Applejack, Tiff and Ember were nearly out of breath when reaching the Obelisk. Tiff and Ember began burning the webbing holding it in place with their hooves while Applejack kept a look out for spiders.

"How long is this going to take?" Applejack asked, anxious to leave as soon as possible.

"Not long, it's carrying this thing out that's going to slow us down." Ember replied, breathing flames onto the top of the Obelisk.

A screeched had Applejack whipping around, two spiders barreled towards her. Driving her hoof into the face of the first spider, Applejack knocked it out cold before leaping over the unconscious spider to avoid a bite from the other. Bucking the unconscious spider, its body slammed into its partner and sent them both falling over the edge. Several more spiders appeared from the dark corners, quickly moving towards Applejack and the others. Applejack readied herself for another fight but saw a blast of fire come sailing past her. Ember rushed passed her to engage the spiders, doing quite well in holding them back. Applejack glanced over her shoulder to see Tiff still burning the last bits of web off the Obelisk; Ember's chain spooled next to it. Picking up the chain, Applejack took over for Ember and began to loop the chain around the Obelisk.

Ember blasted spider after spider, feeling his old Solider Pony training starting to resurface. His nerves melted away, his breathing became calmer, and his fire burned hotter. Wisp dived in, knocking a few spiders away from Ember and shot fire near the lip of the pit where legs started to reach over the edge. Wisp turned left, Ember turned right, Wisp bucked a kick, Ember spewed fire; they almost looked they were having fun fighting for their lives. Standing flank to flank, Ember and Wisp paused to catch their breath. Dozens of spiders started to creep their way towards them, fangs clicking and voices hissing.

"Do you think we can take them?" Ember asked with a smile.

"We'll be in trouble if one more shows up." Wisp replied, jokingly.

"I almost got it." Tiff mumbled, speaking through breaths of flame.

The Obelisk suddenly spun like a needle in a compass, pulling Tiff off the edge while Applejack had her hooves knocked out from under her. Tiff struggled to get a grip on the smooth Obelisk, doing everything he could from falling into the pit; the Obelisk began pulsing.

"Hang on, Tiff!" Applejack shouted; rolling back onto her hooves and tried pushing the Obelisk back around.

The Obelisk barely moved; the weight of it was considerably heavier than Applejack had previously thought. Having no choice left, Applejack reached out her hoof for Tiff to grab onto.

"Take my hoof, Tiff!" Applejack shouted.

"Are you crazy?" Tiff hollered in surprise, beginning to lose his grip.

"Take my hoof or you're going to fall!" Applejack shouted back urgently.

Tiff was still reluctant to reach out for Applejack's outstretched hoof. He didn't want to burn Applejack, even though she seemed resigned to it, but deep down Tiff would rather fall then to hurt her. Biting the strap of his satchel, Tiff flung the bag towards Applejack who gripped it tightly, Tiff slid off the Obelisk and slammed up against the side of the rock face; holding on by his teeth. Applejack pulled on the bag, quietly asking Celestia to keep the bag from ripping. Several ceramic jars fell out from his pack, bouncing off Tiff's head and lighting themselves off his mane. The falling ceramic jars exploded after a couple of feet, blasting several spiders from the wall and chunks of rock. Tiff was able to scramble his way up the side of the rock face, getting a hoof over the edge and pulling himself over. Lying flat on his stomach, Tiff took several deep breaths.

"Thanks." Tiff gasped to Applejack.

"You could have fallen, Tiff!" Applejack snapped.

"But I didn't." Tiff chuckled.

"Next time just take my darn hoof!" Applejack snapped.

"Next time." Tiff agreed, but not sounding sincere.

"Colts." Applejack mumbled, tossing the satchel at him.

A large tree trunk sized leg reached over the Obelisk, striking between Tiff and Applejack, causing them both to leap back. Several melon sized eyes appeared from the ledge, with sword sized fangs clicking together, the stay at home Queen had come to fight. Applejack retreated back, watching Tiff spray some fire at the Cave Spider Queen. Her legs swung at Tiff, just missing him as Tiff rolled under. Applejack charged at her, ducking under one of her legs but seeing the second one come following after. Leaping onto its leg, Applejack hung on tight as she started to be hurled about.

"Applejack!" Tiff shouted in worry.

Applejack swung around, holding on as tight as she could, while the Queen struggled to shake her loose. Wisp dropped out of the air, landing hard on the back of the Queen, forcing it to slam herself atop the Obelisk. Her legs went limp for a moment, allowing Applejack a chance to roll off, but not before stomping the Queen's head. Getting clear of the Queen, Applejack turned to see Wisp soaring back up into the air while Ember blasted the Queen's face with a surge of fire.

The Queen's shrieks stirred the spiders around her, coming to her defense, while Wisp flew around the edges spraying as much fire as he could to impede them. Tiff stepped in to lend a hoof in spraying fire at the Queen, having her arch back and swiping her legs wildly at the flames. Applejack saw her opening, charging forward once more, the trail of fire from Tiff dissipated leaving the Queen's belly vulnerable. Landing a hard kick, Applejack slammed into the Queen, knocking her off balance and watched as she tumbled over the edge back into the pit.

With a tip of her hat to the beaten Queen, Applejack returned to the Obelisk where Ember and Tiff were already beginning to drag it. Ember and Tiff pulled the two ends of the chain, slowly dragging it around the pit's edge, while Applejack went behind it and bucked the base of it; sending it sliding a few feet at a time. Wisp swooped down every so often, taking hold of the chains wrapped around the Obelisk, lifting with all his might and raised it a few inches off the ground; giving them enough time to pull the Obelisk a few yards. Although, the spiders would come hissing after them time and time again, prompting Wisp to drop the Obelisk and defend his team. Applejack lent a hoof when she could to fight off the spiders, but her kicks to help moved the Obelisk proved to be sorely needed. Eventually, the Obelisk had made its way back to the other side of the pit.

"Stairs… why did it have to be stairs?" Tiff moaned, sounding worn out.

That's when the mountain shook.

Countless spiders were shaken from their walls, falling into the blackness of the pit, while other spiders scurried away. A flash of fire appeared in the darkness below, illuminating the pit, followed by another shake of the mountain. Applejack peered over the edge only to feel a sudden blast of heat come soaring up from the pit below, nearly blowing her hat right off her. The mountain shook once more, this time with such violence that it caused part of the mountain to cave in. Wisp soared over the Obelisk, grasping the chains once more; there was a noticeable frightened look about him as he lifted the Obelisk off the ground once more. Together, they moved the Obelisk into the stairwell when the mountain quaked once more.

Applejack turned to see a claw so massive in size, comparable only to the barn of Sweet Apple Acres, come striking down on the ledge in front of them that it collapsed most of the ground beneath it. The four of them watched the Great Dragon Char climb its way out of the pit, tearing the mountain asunder.

"We've got to move!" Ember shouted, pulling on the chains.

Wisp flapped his wings hard, lurching the Obelisk up the stairs, Applejack near the back pushing at the base while Tiff and Ember pulled the chains with their teeth. Applejack kept mumbling to herself how she would never complain about the applecart back at Sweet Apple Acres from being too heavy to move ever again. At the top of the stairs, the bound Spiders screeched aloud, struggling against one another to move, but failed to do so in any regard. A large part of the room collapsed with rocks and dirt, the room shook violently while parts of the stairs broke away.

"Almost there, just keep it moving!" Wisp shouted, noticeably tired.

The ponies pushed on, moving the Obelisk into the tunnel, having to make the grueling climb back up.

"Applejack, get in the front and help pull. I'll be the anchor." Wisp said dropping beside her.

With a nod, Applejack ruched the front, taking hold of the looped chain Applejack dug her hooves into the dirt and pulled. The Obelisk lurched forward, little by little; whenever it felt to be sliding back Wisp slammed his shoulder into it and stopped it cold. Applejack climbed out of the tunnel, mud caking her hooves, pulling the Obelisk up out of the tunnel; Tiff and Ember soon followed. Wisp shakily climbed out of the hole, resting on the Obelisk for support, breathing heavy; every pony was. A sudden boom shook the room, a blast of dust and dirt flew from the tunnel, collapsing it for good.

"Did we do it?" Tiff asked, weakly.

"I think we did." Applejack replied, wiping her brow.

"No pony hurt?" Ember asked, looking around.

Wisp lifted his arms up weakly to show that he was unharmed, as did Tiff and Applejack.

"Thanks for tagging along with me guys, and you Freckles." Wisp mumbled, looking exhausted.

"Don't thank me yet, we've got to get this Obelisk up to Ash before that dragon causes any more trouble." Applejack replied, adjusting her hat and taking hold of the chain.

Wisp looked over at Tiff in disbelief, almost smiling at Applejack's resolve and strength.

"She says that; a lot." Tiff mumbled, taking hold of the chain.

"You really like strong mares don't you, Tiff?" Ember asked with a smile.

"I-I-I-I-I don't know what-" Tiff stammered, looking embarrassed.

"Just start pushing." Wisp mumbled.

The four ponies dragged the massive Obelisk from the room, down the corridor and out through iron doors. It was a lot less hectic to move the Obelisk without hungry spiders coming at them from all sides but it didn't slow them down knowing how many ponies were in harm's way of the dragon. Half way across the stone bridge, the Obelisk started to pulse more frequently, catching every pony's attention.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Ember asked curiously.

"Just keep pushi-" Wisp began to speak but got clocked with the sudden jolt of the Obelisk.

The Obelisk bounced upon the ground, sliding forward across the stone bridge, turning like a clock and knocking Tiff and Ember off their feet. Applejack leaped over the Obelisk, remembering how the last one up and decided to move on its own.

"Where's it going?" Wisp asked in disbelief.

The Obelisk righted itself, standing straight up on the stone bridge swaying side to side before flying up into the darkness before every pony lost sight of it.

"Is… is it supposed to do that?" Ember asked, glancing at every pony.

Chapter 39: Rise of the Elder Dragon

The Great Dragon Char dug its claws deep into the earth, snapping its jaw, beating its wings violently, gazing at all the spiders and Flame Ponies before it. The spiders scattered from the base of the fallen mountain, plowing themselves into one another, even leaping over Flame Pony lines trying to put as much distance between the dragon and themselves. With a raise of its tail, the Great Dragon Char brought it down hard against a swarm of spiders, effectively decimating the area while the force of strike sent spiders sailing across the field.

A beam of light shot past Char's head, looping itself around its neck before flashing into white chains. A forceful tug wretched Char's head to the side. Roaring in displeasure, Char raised its claws to the chain, gripping it tightly and snapping it in two; canceling out the magic. Princess Celestia conjured yet another beam of light from neighboring mountain top, looping yet another line around its neck. With a second flash the beam transformed around Char's neck into magical chains once more.

"Luna!" Princess Celestia called out.

Princess Luna dropped out of the sky, horn glowing, conjuring a large spike to stake the chain into the mountainside. Char reached for the chain once more, spewing fire into the air in rage, when a second beam of light wrapped itself around Char's arm.

Princess Cadance was near the base of the mountain, her horn magically glowing, while Lady Frost drove her own magical spike into the earth to restrict Char's movements further. Quickly backing up, Princess Cadance and Lady Frost soared back towards Lord Tundra who was preparing his attack.

"You have an opportunity, Lord Tundra." Princess Cadance informed him.

Char thrashed against the chains, his tail whipping through the air, slamming hard into the mountains on the eastern side of the fields.

Lord Tundra was concentrating very hard, his horn flashing brilliantly, creating a small blizzard of frost around him. His wings flared out, increasing the intensity of his minor storm, his eyes beginning to glow a deep blue. Opening his mouth, Lord Tundra fired a beam of frost striking the Great Dragon Char beneath its chest. The ice worked its way up Char's sides, the frost caking its scales before the beam seemed to implode on it forming a mountain sized icicle around Char. Lord Tundra took a few deep breaths, his eyes returning to normal as Lady Frost nudged him with her nose.

"I'm fine, Martha." Lord Tundra said reassuringly; catching his breath.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna took to the sky, attempting to further restrict Char by claiming its tail from a spot on one of the eastern mountains. Char's tail sliced through the air, striking a large portion of ice from its side, while its wings flapped hastily in its struggle to free itself. The winds being thrown from Char's wings made it difficult for Princess Celestia and Luna to remain airborne, forcing them to land with the others.

Clouds of fire spewed from between Char's teeth, his cries sent clouds of fire and smoke into the air. With a roar, Char shot fire from his jaws, turning the ground beneath him into molten rock. The hissing steam of the evaporating ice cut through the air, with a whip of its tail Char had cleaved the chain restricting its neck. Char's fire consumed everything, melting solid rock around him, turning the very ground to lava in its wake. Reaching down, Char bit the chain in two, freeing its arm, before stepping forward onto the field.

Princess Celestia, Princess Cadance, and Princess Luna stood at the ready their horns glowing together to repel the Great Dragon Char. Char reared back its head, the intake of a breath quivered in its throat, the scales of his underbelly began to glow; revealing that fire was soon to follow. Lady Frost's horn flashed, her wings flaring out, forming a thick dome of ice around them.

"Hold fast every pony!" Lady Frost warned.

Char's flames exploded from its mouth consuming the ice dome. Lord Tundra blasted several beams of ice to help keep the structure from melting too quickly while Princess Celestia, Luna, and Cadance provided magical shields to weakening areas. The whole area teemed with hissing steam, thick clouds of mist rose from the dome as it melted away.

The sounds of Char's leathery wings whipping through the air caused sudden hurricane like winds to rush pass them; dispelling the mist. The Princesses magical shield was still holding strong. Char's claws cut through the air, striking down at the shield. The impact of the claws was so great, it shattered the shield, blasting the Princesses away and throwing Char's claws back.

Lord Tundra charged ahead, leaving Lady Frost to shield the others. Whipping his wings methodically at his sides, large chunks of ice began to form around the area. Leaping from one ice chunk to the next, Lord Tundra's blocks of ice grew in size, gaining Char's attention. Lunging forward, Char's body smashed the ice with ease, its massive jaws taking several snaps at Lord Tundra who took the sky to avoid being eaten. Char's eyes followed Lord Tundra, its tail swinging back and forth, waiting to snap at its prey once more.

"None can contend to the raw power of an Elder Dragon." Gorun declared, watching the spectacle.

Princess Sapphire could see her father flying dangerously close to the dragon's head, attempting to keep its attention while the other members of Royalty were ready to attack once more. There was a pain that stung in her heart seeing her father in harm's way but she did her best to ignore those feelings for now.

"If a simple Orc can get the better of an Elder Dragon, an Alicorn will have little difficulty." Sapphire replied coldly.

I whipped my wings, throwing off what was left of my bladed metal feathers. Sapphire took notice of my sudden panic, unsure of what I was doing.

"What's wrong, Smolder?" Sapphire asked.

"The coin, it's after the gold coin." I said quickly.

I could see Sapphire's eyes grow wide with the realization of it. Looking towards the castle, Sapphire could imagine Char carving a wave of destruction to reach it.

"We need to get the coin out of the castle as quickly as possible." Sapphire said urgently.

"I can get the coi-" I didn't get a chance to finish.

I felt something hard hit me broadside, knocking me off my hooves; the Orc's mace floundering to the ground where I once stood. Sapphire whipped around to see the Orc charging at her, unarmed, but fueled by pure adrenaline. A blast of ice shot from Sapphire's mouth, freezing part of his chest, but failed to repel the Orc entirely. The Orc brought his metal fist down across Sapphire's face, staggering her and then kicked her hard in the chest sending her sprawling. Scooping up its mace, the Orc took a step towards Sapphire but was met with a sudden blast of fire from me. I could feel my ribs throbbing with pain, I couldn't tell if any were broken, but it made it difficult to breath at times.

The Orc protected its head, having it be the only thing exposed to the elements, lifting what was left his torn cloak to shield it. My fire died away rather quickly, I couldn't keep a steady stream of fire the way my side was aching. The Orc didn't hesitate to come at me for another attack. Although, a wall of ice sprang from the ground between me and the Orc, Sapphire once more on her hooves, horn gleaming.

"Do what needs to be done, Smolder. I'll handle the Orc." Sapphire stated.

I could see a noticeable bruise under her eye, but the threat of the dragon tearing Castle Char apart was too high to argue with her now. We had injured ponies being treated inside Castle Char, it was essential to keep it protected, and I would see it kept that way. Finding it difficult to fly, I did my best to power through it, flapping hard, hoping to beat down the pain and soared off towards the castle.

Sapphire watched Smolder take off, silently wishing him luck, when the sound of metal shifting reached her ears. Her horn exploded with light, a small dome of ice formed around her as the mace of the Orc collided with it; shattering part of it. Fanning out her wings, Sapphire leaped into the air to avoid another strike from the Orc, noticing a wave of spiders coming to his aid. Streams of webs flew past her, attempting to drag her back down. Nimbly dodging the shots of web, Sapphire watched the Orc mount a Queen Spider, directing its attention towards her. Sapphire noticed the taunting gesture of the Orc for her to make the first move; her horn began to shine blue once more before accepting his offer.

There was a lull in the fighting between Spiders and Flame Ponies, the emergence of the Great Dragon Char had taken many by surprise. Dozens of Flame Ponies blasted across field were being tended to, while others were caught by the Pegasi Ponies, but the spiders had been thrown into areas in which had little forces; offering them the opportunity to get behind their lines.

Flare Fizzle was scrambling to formulate new strategies, retiring air squadrons four and two from the fighting to deliver messages to other battalions. Without Hadron's Bell, there was no way to communicate their signals to every pony at once.

"Have the western battalion fallback to route the spiders trying to reach the Narrows!" Flare shouted.

Topaz and Spinel were in frenzy, trying to adjust the pieces on the table to reflect the battle on the field. Pegasi Flame Ponies were coming in every few seconds to report things that shifted battalions considerably. The roar of the dragon shook every pony to their core, Flare was entrusting the Royal Families to handle it and focused solely on the spiders. Although, Flare made it a point to have the Pegasi Ponies gauge the length of the tail to ensure that battalion ponies did not get within range of it.

Solar Wind had left his post of the bell tower the moment it began to collapse, having elected himself to assist in bringing information and orders to Soldier Ponies in battle; all the while looking for Ray. Solar eventually came to a landing near Flare who looked at him for his report.

"Shining Armor is bringing his battalion across the field to meet Ray's battalion at the center." Solar reported.

"Ray's battalion?" Flare asked seeming surprised.

"We've had reports of the remaining front line Soldier Ponies of battalion's One and Two reforming with the General Ray over the course of the battle. Her battalion has aided in several fights throughout, and is currently charging towards the center to meet the push of the Spider Queens." Topaz reported, moving several pieces of charcoal around on the table.

"Our Ray?" Flare asked looking surprised.

"Permission to assist the General, Ma'am." Solar requested quickly.

"You're a strong flyer, Solar; I could use you here more." Flare replied.

"Please, Flare." Solar insisted, taking a step closer.

Flare could see Solar's stone expression, softening, a look of worry seemed to forming. A look of worry that Flare felt concerning Wisp, the sense of not knowing if the pony they cared for was alright.

"Take a message to the General; tell her we're shifting the battle closer to Castle Char, as far away from the dragon as possible." Flare stated. "If you happen to get into a fight while delivering this message, I'll know why you're late coming back."

"Understood." Solar said quickly, throwing her a salute before taking off towards the battle.

"We're going to need another Pegasi Pony to cover for-" Flare began but the body of a Flame Pony crashed down hard onto the table before her; it just so happened to be my body.

"…nice landing…" Mira's voice echoed in my head.

"Lord Smolder?" Flare asked aloud in surprise.

The Flame Ponies around me all started to ask about my condition, shouting orders at each other to fetch medical ponies but I wasn't having any of it. I rolled off the table, onto floor, getting onto my hooves and racing off into the castle. I was followed by Topaz who refused to leave my side.

"Lord Smolder! Where are you going?" Topaz shouted after me as I bolted down the corridor to the Main Hall.

Reaching the threshold of the corridor, I saw the Main Hall housing every injured Flame Pony. I saw ponies laying on the ground, groaning from their injuries, some ponies being sedated from the venom of the cave spiders. The nurse ponies were in a none stop scramble to address every injured Flame Pony, doctor ponies were working as fast as possible trying to get to the next pony in pain. I couldn't believe how many ponies were here, how many had gotten hurt already, and I couldn't bear to think of how many were still to come.

"Lord Smolder?" Topaz asked stopping next to me, looking concerned.

"How many are there?" I asked unable to take my eyes off the injured ponies.

"We don't have an accurate count of-" Topaz began.

"How many?" I asked again.

"Our latest report calculated our injured nearing three hundred." Topaz informed me.

"…at least… they were… brave…" Mira's voice echoed in my head.

"They're always brave." I mumbled, feeling such remorse for putting this upon them.

"My Lord?" Topaz asked, not understanding my response.

"Lt. Topaz, follow me." I said, flapping my wings and lifting myself over the banister of the stairs.

I raced up the staircase towards the Royal Chamber, my side was still throbbing. I elected not to slam myself against the stone door to open it. I pushed it hastily open instead. Rushing inside the room towards my dresser I found the coin resting where I had left it. I ignored it for the moment, pulling open one of my drawers to reveal a half empty jar of the Savannah Sun. I tore the cap from the jar, scooping a small amount from the jar and slipped my hoof under my armor to my aching side. I heard Topaz reach the doors of my room.

"Are you injured, my Lord?" Topaz asked, putting two and two together.

"Take the rest of the Savannah Sun to the doctor ponies down stairs." I instructed him, tossing the jar his way.

"If you're injured you should seek a doctor pony's assistance at once, my Lord." Topaz insisted, catching the jar.

"I'll be fine, just get that to the doctor ponies as quickly as you can." I insisted.

Topaz left the room in a hurry. I could already feel the pain lessening, promising myself to thank Princess Sheva and Zecora for their gift. I slammed my hoof atop the gold coin from the top of my dresser and headed back towards the doors.

Gorun's Spider Queen had an unusual trait among her sisters; it had the ability to jump like its children; which caught Sapphire by surprise. Sapphire's decent was met with the Queen leaping at her, slamming into her midair, knocking her to the ground; the Queen landing just several feet away. The Queen quickly skittered towards Sapphire, baring its fangs at her. Unable to fly away in the allotted space between them, Sapphire's horn released a flash of blue moments from being bitten by the Queen. The Queen's fangs bite down on solid ice, chipping several fangs, recoiling form the pain. Sapphire rose to her hooves, having released her natural Ice Pony state, providing herself with thick layers or ice and spikes that jutted from her mane.

"It's disappointing really!" The Orc shouted from atop the Spider Queen. "I had expected Smolder to be the one trying to kill me, instead I have an Ice Pony trying to do it for him! I can't say I'm surprised!"

The Ice Ponies natural state provided her with exceptional armor, but it was bulky and ineffective in a fight. Sapphire elected to keep her thick ice armor for the timing being.

"How sad it is to see him so weak!" The Orc remarked, striking his heel into the side of the Queen's head to make it charge forward.

Sapphire's eyes burned blue, stomping her hoof hard against the ground, dozens of large icicles speared up from the earth. The Queen was impaled several times before coming to an abrupt halt. The Orc lurched forward being thrown from the Queen's back and landing hard to the ground. Lifting himself off the ground, Gorun was hit blast of ice that froze his leg to the ground. Twisting his way towards Sapphire, Gorun was hit once more a blast of ice freezing the entire left side of its body.

"He's the King." Sapphire stated stepping towards the Orc.

Sapphire's horn started to glow, the ice surrounding her body turned to snow. The Orc struggled to break free from the ice, punching at his frozen side, trying to break the frost.

"If you believe him to be so weak or so unremarkable, then you haven't the first idea of who you're dealing with." Sapphire said her voice full of venom.

"He will suffer, you all will suffer." The Orc hissed watching Sapphire's wings start to become coated with razor sharp ice once more.

"He has suffered." Sapphire remarked. "But it will not change him. He has carried himself in ways that only few can understand. Mixing grief and pain into a fiery will, to never let these horrors befall any pony else ever again."

Sapphire's wing was raised to strike, the leg of the dying Queen Spider suddenly stuck Gorun's frozen arm; freeing his mace. Sapphire's wing and the Orc's mace collided, shattering the ice and fracturing her wing. Staggering back, Sapphire stifled her scream, nursing it under her arm while Gorun struck the ice from his legs. Gorun glanced at the nearly dead Queen that had saved him, reaching out to her as if to console her in the spider's last moments. Gorun took hold of an undamaged fang from the Queen's mouth and wretched it viciously from her.

"I should have gone for the blue one." Gorun mumbled to himself, examining the fang before looking Sapphire's way.

The Great Dragon Char had snapped its jaws at the passing of Princess Celestia. The Royal Family soared around Char, attacking it from all different angles, attempting to weaken and restrain it. Lady Frost had attempted to drop a block of ice, half the size of Castle Char upon the dragon, in the hopes of knocking it out cold, but simply angered it further as it shattered upon it's thick hide. Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance did their best in focusing their attacks upon the joints of Char's wings, hoping to lessen its reliance of them. The tail was a constant threat, swinging through the air, displacing the air around it as it passed, making it difficult to avoid. Char opened its mouth to roar in its frustration, the force of its roar knocked every pony away from it. The Princesses were thrown hard into the mountain side, while Lady Frost and Lord Tundra were knocked hard to the ground. Char's head whipped towards Castle Char as if knowing some pony had touched its gold. The Great Dragon Char lowered itself, folding in its wings, tail rolling back slamming the ground.

Then it jumped.

Its four claws struck the earth with such force it seemed to explode the ground beneath it. Landing primarily on the sea of spiders fighting on the fields, several mountains lining the western and eastern walls collapsed from its impact. No pony was left standing on their hooves from its landing, the Pegasi Ponies were knocked out of their from the force created by Char. Deep fissures broke open across the fields, swallowing swarms of spiders, while parts of Castle Char were shaken loose.

The Dragon's jump had surprised every pony, even the Orc, as it was knocked off his legs was being thrown considerably far towards Castle Char. Sapphire was knocked back by the dragon's forceful landing, slamming hard against the back wall of the courtyard and slumping to the ground. The battalions of Flame Ponies struggled to make sense of what had just happened, retreating towards Castle Char, attempting to keep some sort of semblance in their battalions.

"Evacuate every pony from Castle Char!" Flare shouted frantically at every pony in ear shot.

Spinel and Flare abandoned the courtyard to assist with the moving of their injured ponies. The threat of the castle being destroyed by the dragon was very real now. Pegasi Ponies took to the skies, flying down to the closest groups of Soldier Ponies, asking them for assistance in moving the injured to safety.

I was in the corridor when the dragon had landed. Parts of the ceiling had broken loose; stone doors were shaken to pebbles, as I found myself falling hard to the ground. Somehow I felt that the dragon knew I had the coin, which meant I had to get as far away from the castle as possible.

"…get moving…" Mira's voice echoed in my head.

I got to my hooves. The pain in my side was no more than a mild annoyance as I galloped to the end of the hall. I saw Flare, Topaz, and Spinel with several well abled Soldier Ponies attempting to move the injured. I leapt from the top of the stairs, gliding down towards the door leading to the courtyard where I was met with a stream of Soldier Ponies rushing by to help with the injured. Finding some room, I charged through corridor to get to the courtyard where I had little idea what I would do when I got there.

Sapphire was slow to stir. Her vision was coming back into focus, seeing the Great Dragon Char towering over the fields. Beginning to move, she felt a sharp pain in left hoof which caused her to lie back down. Grimacing over the annoyance this posed, Sapphire slowly encased her hoof in ice to act as a temporary cast. Applying some slight pressure to it, it proved to be good enough for her to at least stand with it.

The Great Dragon Char roared, shattering every window in Castle Char, sending shards of glass showering down onto the Soldier Ponies in the courtyard trying to get in to assist with the evacuation. Several bursts of fire impacted the side of Char's head, drawing its attention to battalions of Flames Ponies brave enough to distract it from the castle. The scales beneath it began to glow, warning of the dragon's fire that was to come, the Soldier Ponies started to scatter in all directions to get clear of its wrath. A blast of ice caught Char in the eye, forcing it to recoil in pain, spewing its fire high into the sky as it massive claws scratched at its face trying to wipe away the pain. Turning towards its attacker, Char saw the small ice pony firing another blast of frost his way. Striking the side of its head, Char seemed to take no notice of it as its eyes burned viciously in her direction.

Sapphire watched as the dragon's tail whipped towards her, her horn blazing to form an ice wall to lessen its impact. The tail struck the ice wall, along with most of the courtyard, toppling it like sand as Sapphire threw herself flat on the ground, covering her head; the debris toppling over her.

I had just narrowly avoided the dragon's tail, hiding within the threshold leading out to the courtyard as large stone debris showered the area.

"…uh oh…" Mira's voice remarked in my head.

I watched the Great Dragon Char, rising back, scales once more glowing. My eyes fell to the moving rocks directly in Char's path where Sapphire's started to unbury herself from. I felt my heart sink, my hooves were already moving on their own, mantling over the broken rocks and stone trying to reach her. Char was already seconds from breathing its fire.

"We have to stop it!" I shouted in fear.

"…I'll channel… your magic…" Mira's voice replied in my mind.

I felt the Void Crown tighten around my head. I could feel a power gathering at my forehead. Leaping over Sapphire I charged the Great Dragon Char to intercept its fire before it could reach her. Char dipped its head low, its massive jaws opening wide as an explosion of fire barreled towards me. I lifted my wings in front of me, my forehead surged, while my magic created a barrier before me as the dragon's fire impacted it.

The Great Dragon Char's fire engulfed me, creating a small pocket in which my magic staved off the flames, but just barely. The sheer amount of fire was unbelievable, the heat was unimaginable, and all my effort was just trying to keep it from consuming me.

"…hold it… back…" Mira's voice echoed.

"I'm trying." I groaned, using whatever strength I had to keep the shield intact.

"…if you don't…Sapphire will die…" Mira's voice warned.

"I know." I said feeling the fire beginning to overtake me.

"…so will… all the ponies… inside the castle…" Mira's voice echoed again.

"I know!" I shouted, hearing my magical shield begin to crack.

There wasn't much I could do. I felt myself losing ground, the fire was deafening around me. In a few moments I knew my shield was going to fail, and that I was going to fail every pony.

"…absorb it…like your father…did…" Mira's voice offered.

"I…" I hesitated, unsure if I could even attempt it.

The cracks in my magical shield began to web, it was going to fail and the Dragon's fire was going to consume us.

"Do it!" Mira's voice shouted in urgency.

Throwing out my wings, I felt the fire envelope me, feeling the flames wash over me. I could feel my hide start to blister, and my footing beginning to waver. There was just too much fire, too much heat for me to contain, the Dragon's fire was proving too much for me to handle.

Mira's voice was so far away I could barely hear her anymore, my body was blistering in pain, and I felt myself growing weaker by the second. My eyes began to close. The colors within the dragon's flame were like none I had ever seen before; I almost found them beautiful. Just before my eyes shut, I saw my father standing within the dragon's fire, eyes burning the deep and awful red I had known so we'll; glaring at me.

"Some king." I heard his voice echo.

I felt my forehead surge with pain. I felt my anger rising at these words. Gritting my teeth, I flared out my wings and screamed into the fire. The dragon's fire was pulled inwards, swirling like a tornado around me. I could feel the flames entering through my body. The wind around the fire was howling. I could feel my hide starting crack. I shut my eyes tight from the pain, every inch of my body screamed with fire.

Just as the last of the Dragon's fire entered my body, it created a stillness that hung in the air. Great Dragon Char lifted its head in curiosity at the small burning ball of fire before it.

My wings were burning so fiercely, bits of molten fire dripped from my fiery feathers. My hide was splitting in several places, revealing the raging fire within me. My eyes snapped open, my eyes burning the deep and awful red that my father had carried. Sapphire was back on her hooves, lost for words, feeling the immense heat that flourished off of me.

"Smolder!" Sapphire shouted; voice full of fear.

"I've… never felt power like this before." I whispered to myself in awe.

The Great Dragon Char lunged towards me, its massive jaws opening as it planned to swallow me whole.

Chapter 40: Nothing Grows When It's Dark

My son, I will not be here to council you on the troubles you may face during your life.

You will need to remember that our family has always ruled with wisdom and strength.

Even with our great power, we have always shown restraint in using it against our most fearsome enemies.

For all our wealth and ingenuity our most valued success comes from the trust the ponies of Equestria have given us.

I tell you this, Scorch, for when my reign comes to end.

You shall be King.

The Great Dragon Char's head came to an abrupt stop. Nearly telescoping its neck, forcing it to trip over its own claws, and slamming its wings hard into the ground. Char's body falling over on its side, unable to keep its balance from the awkward position its neck was in. Sapphire drew herself from the rubble, eyes widening with disbelief at the sight.

The tips of the Great Dragon Char's fangs were all around me, its teeth inches from my body, but unable to penetrate an invisible field around me. The center of my forehead was burning a brilliant white, my magic shielding me from the fangs of the dragon.

"…push it… back…" Mira's voice echoed in my head.

With a deft motion of my eyes, the Great Dragon Char's head was thrown backwards, the force so powerful that it clawed at the air trying to save itself from the fall; my forehead was blazing with pain. Slamming hard on its back, the ground shook, breaking open under its immense weight. Its wings beating heavy through the air trying to right itself, roaring in frustration, spouting bursts of fire from its mouth.

Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, Lady Frost and Lord Tundra took advantage of the Dragon's plight. Matting its wings down with ice, large magical chains started wrapping themselves around the tail of the Great Dragon Char. Princess Celestia had broken away from the fight with the dragon to see what had happened.

"…nice…" Mira's voice echoed.

"Smolder?" Sapphire asked behind me.

Turning to look over my shoulder, I watched her recoil from the sight of me. I could see her favoring one of her hooves, her fractured wing bent awkwardly against her side. Fire jumped from every part of my body, my anger rising, feeling the flames flare violently. From the corner of my eye, I could see the Orc staggering to its feet, clutching its head from being thrown by the dragon's forceful landing. The eyes of the Orc met mine. There was a look of confusion about its face, until it recognized what it was looking at.

"…get him…" Mira's voice echoed in my head.

My forehead pained me, a streak of fire lashed out from my mane lassoing the Orc by the arm. The Orc struggled against the flames, swiping at the fire to free itself, but my magic could not be undone. With a turn of my head, the lasso of flames pulled the Orc from its feet, throwing him through the air until slamming hard against the ground several yards away.

"…good… you can… stop…" Mira's voice echoed in my head.

Hordes of spiders swarmed towards me, in the defense of their master. My fire was mounting, raging like an inferno, I drew my eyes towards the legions of spiders that were still battling across the fields. Raising my wings, I felt my forehead begin to sear with pain again. With a single beat of my wings I sent a wave of fire screaming out like a pulse across the fields. The fire passed harmlessly over every Flame Pony within a mile of me, but turned every spider they fought to ash. The Soldier Ponies were taken aback by the sudden fiery immolation of their enemy. The horde of spiders that stood between the Orc and I froze in terror at the sight.

"You're in my way, and I can tell you that is not a safe place to stand!" I shouted at the spiders blocking my way; my voice now mixed with the roar of my flames.

"…you can… stop now… Smolder…" Mira's voice echoed once more.

The hordes of spiders scattered before me, racing towards the western and eastern parts of the fields, doing their best to avoid coming close to the Soldier Ponies. I could see the Orc slow to move, trying to lift itself back onto its feet. I got not but a step forward when Princess Celestia soared down out of the air beside Sapphire, looking extremely worried if not frightened by my appearance.

"Smolder! Smolder, listen to me! You've protected Sapphire; you've done it, now stop!" Princess Celestia shouted at me over the howling of my flames.

"This ends before any pony else gets hurt!" I shouted, my voice mixing with the screams of my fire.

"Smolder you can't control it! It's going to consume you!" Princess Celestia shouted.

Raising my hoof, I drove it hard into the ground. My forehead burning. Pillars of rock jutted out from the earth, striking the Orc from beneath, bouncing him from one pillar to the next that sprang up. The Orc hit the ground face first. It was slow to move, digging its fingers into the ground from the pain. The dirt around him started to blow away, a wave of heat swept over the Orc, as I stood towering over him.

I watched the Orc roll over onto its back, its right hand clenched a Queen's fang, swinging at my leg to pierce me. Lifting my hoof, the Orc missed, as I brought it back down onto its arm pinning its hand that held the fang. The hiss of its armor started to fill the air, it was melting beneath my hoof, and I watched the Orc scream in pain striking at my hoof with its free hand.

"I warned you, I gave you a chance, but you wouldn't listen." I said to the Orc driving my hoof down harder.

I felt a bone snap beneath my hoof, the Orc cried out in pain.

"…Smolder… stop…" Mira's voice echoed in my head urgently.

"Now you're going to pay for everything you've done!" I shouted; my fire roaring.

Magical chains sprang up around me, quickly wrapping around my legs, and body. I looked over my shoulder to see Princess Celestia's horn shining brilliantly, restraining me, and pulling me away from the Orc.

"You're going to burn out, Smolder, you have to stop!" Princess Celestia shouted pleadingly.

"I am the King!" I shouted; the center of forehead illuminating.

"…Smolder please… stop…" Mira's voice asked pleadingly.

An explosion of magic emanated from me; shattering the chains trying to subdue me. Princess Celestia stepped back, horn now creating a barrier of magic between her and my flames. I could my forehead thriving. My flames surged around me, strands of fire flared out striking the ground, whipping through the air. My hide started to crack even more, steam hissing from these scars.

The Orc had taken the opportunity to run, attempting to put as much distance between us as possible. It called out to its spiders, unable to convince any to come to him out of fear of what had happened to the ones I had burned. Preparing to fly after the Orc, the ground shook once more drawing my attention to the dragon.

The Great Dragon Char rolled itself over, breaking free from the ice, once more on its claws. Char's wings were flapping aggressively, trying to keep the flying Royal Families away from it. Its tail struggling against the chains, striking at the magical tethers with its claws, and breathing fire at its tail in frustration. Its massive head turned towards the small ball of fire that had knocked it over, clouds of fire escaping the edges of its mouth before roaring aloud once more. Flaring my mane, challenging the Great Dragon Char, an explosion of fire from my mane swept across the fields forcing many to shield themselves from the heat.

I had seen my father control the Great Dragon Char, his power at the time is similar to the power I now had, and I planned on turning the Orc's own weapon against him. The debris, the rocks, the dust, began to levitate around me. My magic seemed to burning a hole through my head, but I chose to ignore it. I had broken the line of the spiders, stopped the march of the Orc, and I was about to claim the dragon as my own.

"Stop it!" Mira's voice shouted inside my head.

I suddenly felt several metal prongs pierce my legs, the Void Crown restricting my movements as the brim of the crown squeezed tighter around my head. The pain was too much for me to handle, shutting my eyes I lost concentration, the force emanating from me dissipated.

"Smolder… Smolder, you have to listen to me." Mira's voice echoed in my head quite clearly.

All the sounds of the battle faded away, the immense roar of my flames disappeared, and I was left in silence. Opening me eyes, I saw nothing but blackness around me. I looked down to see two yellow eyes staring up at me. Mira had pulled me into my mind to speak with me face to face. For the first time I could see Mira clearly, she was twice as tall as Spike, her two small hands were pressed against the sides of my face. Her skin was an olive black, the markings on the Obelisk were drawn over her legs and arms like tattoos; softly pulsing a dim green. Her stardust like hair was long, neon blue, that seemed to trickle through the air like water.

"Let me go!" I shouted angrily at her.

"No! This isn't who you are, Smolder!" Mira's voice echoed trying to reason with me.

"I don't care!" I shouted flaring my mane.

"Liar! You've always cared! Always have and always will!" Mira's voice echoed, slapping me across the face.

I struggled but I was unable to move. I was restrained in both mind and body.

"Can't you see yourself? What you're becoming? What I... nearly turned you into?" Mira's voice questioned me.

I lessened my struggling. The blackness around us melted away, Mira stayed in front of me, the battlefield once more visible. My eyes glanced to the right then to the left, the faces of the Soldier Ponies looked almost terrified of me. Looking over my shoulder I could see the confused and worried looks of both Sapphire and Princess Celestia. It seemed like no pony else could see Mira but me.

"You can't let this power change you." Mira's voice begged me.

"If I burn out, I'll do it defending those I care about." I whispered to her.

"What about your promises?" Mira's voice echoed.

I fell silent once more. Staring into her dim yellow eyes, feeling my stomach tighten at her words.

"You said you knew what sort of pony you were, a pony that kept his promises, or was all that a lie? Are you just another King too afraid to rely on any other pony then himself to see things through?" Mira's voiced asked, sounding upset.

I stopped struggling against the metal prongs of the Void Crown, realizing I had gone too far.

"You need to let go, and be who you've always have been. I'm... going to absorb the dragon's fire that's in your body." Mira's voice said pleadingly, gently stroking the side of my face. "You'll be yourself old self in a moment and it will destroy what's left of this mirror."

"Who am I supposed to be, Mira? I'm supposed to be a King, a soldier pony, this big hero, but it seems like I'm just a mad pony like my father was." I asked solemnly.

"Do I have to keep reminding you?" Mira asked sadly, this time lightly slapping me on the face.

The prongs of the Void Crown suddenly twisted, I cried out in pain, I could feel the fire raging inside me start to diminish; the crown starting to turn red hot. Mira withdrew herself from, stepping back watching me struggle in pain.

"Mira!" I managed to groan out.

"You're not a King, you're not a hero, you're not a soldier, and you're definitely not a mad pony." Mira's voice echoed.

The Void Crown started to crumble away, my flames almost returning to normal; the shard of glass dropping to the ground before me. It was already melting away; I stared at the now ghostly image of Mira seeing the soft glimmer of her yellow eyes start to fade.

"…you're a…stupid… flame pony…"

I felt myself waver on the spot, my own flame burning once more, my hide cracked and blistered. The pain in my head was so overpowering that I no longer felt it, letting myself slump over on the spot. I felt hollow, more exhausted then I had ever been in all my life. I could feel the hoof steps of ponies coming towards me but I didn't have the strength to lift my head to look.

Sapphire and Princess Celestia had rushed to my side. Princess Celestia stood watch for spiders while I felt the cold touch of Sapphire hoof on my face. I could see that I had worried her; I saw Princess Celestia looked concerned for me as well.

"Smolder? Can you hear me, Smolder?" Sapphire asked hurriedly, stroking my face.

"I went... too far." I whispered.

"Why? Why would you do that to yourself?" Sapphire asked in disbelief, almost physically upset.

"I didn't want to lose you." I whispered. "I'm so tired of losing those I care about."

I felt Sapphire's hoof cover my own. I could have sworn I heard her call me a stupid flame pony.

"Smolder needs a doctor pony right away." Princess Celestia said to Sapphire who nodded in agreement.

Sapphire pulled my arm over her shoulder, lifting me off the ground. I could barely walk the way I was. The Castle was not all that far from where we were but it seemed like miles compared to how exhausted I felt.

"I'm sorry." I said as loud as I could hoping Princess Celestia would hear me.

"There is nothing to forgive, Smolder. We put our trust in you to do the right thing." Princess Celestia said reassuringly. "You once told me that you didn't want to be like your father, to feed your flames with your anger, and you proved to me today that you meant it."

The Great Dragon Char reared back, scales glowing underneath it once more, flames escaping between its teeth ready to blast another torrent of fire towards Castle Char. Just as it opened its mouth, an enormous lion paw pinched it closed, effectively forcing Char to choke down its fire.

"That's quite enough fire for one day, if you please." Discord said, keeping a firm grasp on Char's jaws.

Discord was almost the same size of the Great Dragon Char, his voice booming over the fields drawing every pony's attention that had not already seen him. Char reached up to its snout, striking away Discord's paw, snapping at him as Discord stepped back looking flabbergasted.

"Why are you snapping at me? Have you any idea who I am? I am Discord! Master of-" Discord's voice boomed over the fields, only to be halted by Princess Luna buzzing near his ear.

"Discord! What are you doing?" Princess Luna asked him aloud.

"Well, after I was done doing my research of the Void at home, I decided to reupholster my couch with bacon before catching up on my soaps. Then I remembered Princess Celestia telling me to lend a hoof or a paw or a claw, or whatever body part to the battle today." Discord explained to her.

The Great Dragon Char's tail whipped through the air, striking Discord across the face, staggering him, causing Princess Luna to fly away, and watching him fall on the western mountains with a comical squeaky toy noise. Rubbing his face with his paw, Discord looked very much annoyed.

"It's impolite to interrupt someone when they're-" Discord began to scold the dragon when he saw Char leaping at him.

Spreading its wings, covering countless miles in its shadow, Char landed hard onto Discord leveling part of the western mountains. An enormous cloud of dirt billowed up around them. Char's tailing swinging side to side as the Royal Families hovered nearby watching the spectacle. Char was snapping wildly at Discord's head, being restrained by Discord's outstretched arms. Discord seemed to have had lost his patience for the dragon. Tossing Char to the side, leveling the last of the western mountain range. Discord got to his feet holding up his claw and paw to the Great Dragon Char; challenging him to fisticuffs.

"Alright, Smaug, let's see what you got." Discord taunted, bouncing around like a boxer.

The Great Dragon Char slithered towards Discord, trying to bite him, Discord connected a right and a left, then another right, right again, a quick jab, and whipped his own tail around striking Char across the head. Char went down hard onto the ground, while Discord danced around the dragon with boxing gloves magically appearing over his claw and paw, telling it to throw in the towel.

Clawing angrily at the ground, trying to get its claws underneath it, Char roared in anger, spewing clouds of fire from his mouth. Discord was once more holding his enormous boxing gloves up to defend himself when Char bit down hard on his glove. Wrenching its head hard towards the ground, trying to tear Discord's arm from his body, but Discord wasn't about to lose his favorite paw.

"Unfang me you brute!" Discord shouted, striking Char in the side of the neck with his free glove.

Char's tail whipped around, wrapping itself around Discord's neck trying to pull him in the opposite direction; attempting to split him in two. With his face turning blue, Discord suddenly popped like a balloon, showering hundreds of copies of himself onto the back of Char, covering the dragon in mountain of Discord.

The last thing that had been running through Ray's mind was reaching the center of the field before Queen Spiders could reach Lord Smolder, then she noticed the sun had been blotted out entirely by a leaping dragon. When she finally had come to, she was lying beneath several clumps of crushed spiders. Crawling her way out from the pile of spiders, Ray could see no trace of her battalion, Soldier Ponies were running scared, the dragon was fighting with some mismatched creature, and the fields were smashed beyond recognition. Wondering if she had hit her head harder then she had first thought, Ray spotted a familiar figure staggering its way across the fields in its iron armor; the Orc.

It seemed to be hurting, attempting to get away. Ray decided it wasn't going to have that chance. Testing her wings to ensure that they were up to the task, Ray leapt into the air to pursue the Orc. Her height gave her a better view of just how far away the Orc's spiders had retreated, aside from upturned boulders littering the field; the Orc was alone for the most part. Diving out of the air, her hooves outstretched, Ray collided into the back of the Orc knocking him flat. Doing a flip in the air, Ray landed on her hooves, mane flaring ready to battle. Lifting its head the Orc face turned from fear to relief at the sight of her, having believed it was Smolder that had caught up with him.

"Going somewhere?" Ray asked.

The Orc didn't offer a response. It was favoring its arm, trying to keep it close to his chest while it got to its feet. Ray could see a few spiders from the corner of her eyes, crawling up from the cracks in the ground around her. A spider crawled towards the Orc, holding out its hand the spider spewed some webbing into its palm. Sticking the webbing against the Orc's chest, it placed its smashed arm against it making a makeshift sling. Ray took notice that the mace the Orc once held was no longer on its person.

"Eat her." The Orc mumbled.

Several spiders skittered out from behind boulders, up from cracks, hissing at Ray and baring their fangs. Leaping into the air, Ray hovered above them, spraying her fire down onto those closest to her. Ducking back and forth from webs being shot up at her, some spiders tried climbing the boulders to get a better height to leap at her. All the while, Ray kept an eye on the Orc who was being assisted by his spiders. Ray could see a spider bite the Orc in the arm; it caught her by surprise for the Orc to purposely poison itself. That's when she felt something hard hit her from the back.

Slamming hard to the ground, the world was spinning around her, tearing off her helmet and staggering away trying to get the ringing out of her ears. Glancing up, Ray could make out a Queen Spider atop one of the boulders, having batted her right out of the air. Spiders on the ground were rushing her, forcing Ray to draw her attention away from the Queen to defend herself with breaths of fire. The Queen clicked its fangs together, waiting for a moment in which it felt safe to strike at the Flame Pony, waiting for it to have her back completely turned. Ray turned to blast a spider trying to bite her wing when the Queen finally decided to jump.

"Oh no you don't!" Rainbow Dash cried streaking out of the air.

Slamming hard into the side of the Queen, Rainbow Dash knocked the Queen off course, having her land hard a few feet away from Ray.

"Rainbow Dash!" Ray shouted in surprise mixed with relief.

Dropping down near Ray, Rainbow Dash didn't have any fire to threaten the spiders with but the look on her face was enough to stop a spider in its tracks.

"How's it going, General?" Rainbow Dash asked; keeping her eyes fixed on the spiders in front of her.

"Just thinking how lucky I am to have you looking out for me." Ray replied.

"Don't go getting soft on me now." Rainbow Dash warned.

The Queen Spider screeched loudly, rising to her legs, towering above to the two of them. The spiders beneath her were slowly moving in on the two of them, now that their Queen was there to support them.

"Think we can take her?" Ray asked.

"I've already got it covered." Rainbow Dash replied.

"What do you mean?" Ray asked, sounding confused.

"I was a bit too fast for him, but he should be coming along right… about…" Rainbow Dash trailed off, looking towards the skies.

Solar dropped out of the sky, blasting a surge of fire on the back of the Queen, causing her flail about. Hovering around her, Solar continuously sent blasts of fire at the Queen, forcing her away from Rainbow Dash and Ray.

The spiders started to swarm towards the Queen's aid, forcing Rainbow Dash and Ray to fight them off. Rainbow Dash was quick on her hooves, spiders trying to bite her would see her one second and lose sight of her the next. Stomping, kicking, bucking, and punching her way through spider after spider. A glint of metal had caught Ray's eye, it drew her to the boulder the Queen had once been on, seeing the Orc leaping off the top at an unsuspecting Solar.

"Solar!" Ray shouted in a panic.

Solar turned around, the Orc whipped its arm at Solar, its chain wrapping around Solar's chest. The Orc fell, coming to a hard stop, as all its weight was transferred into Solar, ripping him right out of the air with a painful yell. Ray lost sight of the two of them with the thrashing Queen staggering around.

"Let's move, Rainbow Dash!" Ray shouted, leaping into the air.

Rainbow Dash exploded off the spot after her, soaring just over the Queen trying to see where the Orc and Solar had come down. They spotted Solar struggling against the chain; spiders were trying to take a bite out of him, while the Orc wrangled him back to the ground whenever he tried to fly. Ray dived towards Solar to free him from his chain, while Rainbow Dash targeted the Orc.

Rainbow Dash streaked out of the sky at the Orc, seeing her out of corner of her eye, the Orc swung his injured arm at her striking her to the side of him. Rainbow Dash collided with the ground hard, feeling very dazed from the impact, but not as bad as the Orc who screamed in pain from his arm. The spider that had bit him earlier had numbed the pain in his arm, but only by so much. Having hit Rainbow Dash at the speed she was going probably broke another bone in his arm easily. Getting to her hooves, Rainbow Dash watched the Orc release the chain he was holding to nurse his arm.

"Need a hand?" Rainbow Dash asked with a smirk.

"No," The Orc mumbled. "Just time." The Orc stepped to the right, falling into a crack in the ground.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash shouted; feeling cheated.

Several spiders rushed out of that very same crack towards Rainbow Dash who decided to vent her frustrations out on them.

Ray dropped out of the air, wings flaring with fire, striking the ground hard and spreading her flames all around the area. The explosion of fire set nearly every spider ablaze, forcing them to run into the cracks in the ground or bury themselves in the dirt. Solar was given the chance to untangle himself from the metal chain while Ray kept the few spiders that remained at bay. Ray looked over her should to see if Solar was alright, she saw him nod his response and she nodded back. A large tree trunk sized spider leg dropped down between them; the Queen was blackened from the burned hair and shell from the fire before. Ray leaped into the air to get away from the Queen only to have her shoot a sudden glob of web at her. The webbing stuck to Ray like glue, the weight was too much to keep airborne for long, the Queen's leg swung through the air to bat her down.

Solar flew up towards Ray, slamming into her, and getting caught in the glob of webbing as well, but knocked Ray out of the way from the Queen's leg. Landing hard on the floor together, Ray and Solar struggled to free themselves from web, breathing fire to dry it out as the Queen stomped towards them. Realizing that there wasn't enough time to burn through it, Solar lurched to the side, putting himself in the path of the Queen while shielding Ray.

"What are you doing?" Ray shouted, still struggling to get free.

"Protecting you." Solar replied.

"We're both going to get smashed if we don't get out of this." Ray pointed out to him.

Solar thought for a moment, believing Ray had made strong point. He looked over at her, watching her continue to struggle. Ray looked at him; she could see his stoic face suddenly change to a small smile which made her heart jump in this already tense situation.

"If that's the case," Solar said quietly. "I always wanted to be your special some pony."

"What!" Ray shouted, feeling her mane flare and face burn red hot.

The Queen Spider raised her front legs over them with an ear splitting screech. Ray lowered her head closing her eyes, while Solar did his best to shield her as much as possible.

The ground quaked for a moment, the sound of rocks showering stone was heard, followed by sudden hard thud. Ray and Solar were still tensing their bodies, awaiting the legs of the Queen to strike them, but the blows never came. Slowly opening his eyes, Solar's eyes snapped open in surprise nudging Ray to do the same. Ray opened one eye to something strange, the Obelisk had skewered the Queen from the ground below. Slowly coming to the realization that they were not about to be turned into mashed potato ponies, Solar and Ray tried to figure out what had saved them.

"Isn't that the Obelisk Wisp was looking for?" Ray asked curiously.

Solar nodded in agreement, looking slightly baffled. Ray watched Solar turn her way, the sudden fear of being crushed was now being replaced by her fear of Solar's sudden confession. Her face burning hot, mane flaring something awful, but Solar was once more back to his stoic expression; although Ray knew she would have to say something in regards to his feelings. Leaning over, Ray quickly kissed Solar on the cheek before occupying herself with the glob of webbing that bound them together; refusing to ever look at him again.

Chapter 41: Narrow Encounters

Gorun stumbled through the caves beneath the Ashen Fields. The darkness did little to sooth his pain, the stillness was shaken by the Great Dragon Char fighting with Discord above. Several dozen spiders rushed passed him, catching every other word of their attempts to capture four ponies that had infiltrated their lair. The numbness from the spider's poison eased some of the pain from the Orc's arm, but the poison had worked its way through the rest of its body by this point. Its body was beginning to fail, it would soon have Gorun unable to move at all; this only angered it further. Staggering out into the ledge of the cavern beneath Castle Char, the Orc was approached by several spiders.

"Gorun! Flame Ponies stole the dragon poker and-" A spider spoke quickly.

The Orc struck the spider across the face, watching it reel back towards the edge before kicking it over into the cavern below; listening to it screech all the way down.

"Eat them! Bite them! Feast on them all! Attack the castle from below! Bring me Smolder! I want him alive!" Gorun shouted in anger, watching the spiders flee at his words into the tunnels leading to the dungeons of Char.

Turning to the path leading to the old North Tower, Gorun lurched his way up the steps to enter Castle Char the way he had before. Clawing against the wall, the poison was giving it some mobility in his arm but dulled all its other senses. The tower shook from the battle the dragon was waging in the fields, bringing a small smile to the Orc's pained face.

The main entrance of Castle Char was surging with teams of Flame Ponies assisting in the evacuation of the castle. Injured Solider Ponies were being transported to the Narrows; the threat of the Great Dragon Char destroying the castle wasn't being taken lightly. Flare, Topaz, Spinel, were giving out orders to able bodied Soldier Ponies on where certain groups of injured ponies needed to go. Luckily, Twilight Sparkle, Alex Papyrus, and Pinkie Pie were on hoof to assist in clearing the rest of the castle.

Alex was attempting to move several boxes worth of artifacts he deemed to be irreplaceable into more secure rooms in the dungeon. His insistence to preserve what little history the Flame Ponies had left was admirable, but Twilight had to constantly remind him that his own life was also an asset worth saving.

"Alex! You can't take the statue!" Twilight scolded him, watching him attempting to move a seven foot statue through the door.

"It is an important piece of Flame Pony history that must be preserved!" Alex insisted, tugging on it with all his might, trying to get it to budge.

A sudden quake from above rocked the whole dungeon, the statue slumped over, snapping off the head of the statue Alex was holding onto. Staring at the stone pony head in his arms, Alex tossed the head back into the room and ran towards the next room.

"It was a poorly sculpted anyways." Alex stated, trying to devalue the loss.

"Alex it's too dangerous to be down here anymore, we have to get to the Narrows." Twilight insisted, chasing after him.

"Just let me grab a few more things, Ms. Sparkle!" Alex pleaded, sprinting the length of the corridor with Twilight close behind.

Up ahead the mixture of scuffling, flames searing, muffled screeches could be heard echoing off the corridors. The sounds grew in volume as both Alex and Twilight reached the junction. From around the corner Tiff and Applejack came charging through, nearly crashing into Alex who hit the brakes hard. Ember was close behind, spraying a burst of fire back down the corridor they had come from with Wisp backing up beside him.

"Applejack?" Twilight asked, sliding to a stop next to her and Tiff.

"What the hay are you ponies doing down here?" Applejack asked in surprise.

The sounds of screeches echoed through the dungeons with more blasts of fire that Ember and Wisp shot back down the corridor.

"Run!" Wisp shouted to every pony, pointing back the way Alex and Twilight had come.

No pony needed to be told a second time. Twilight led the way with Applejack, Tiff, and Alex in tow. Bringing up the rear was Ember and Wisp who periodically turned around to breathe more fire back down the corridors to impede the swarm of spiders chasing after them. Charging up the stairs, Twilight reappeared in the Main Hall with Applejack and Alex behind her. Tiff had stopped short, staying near the door fumbling in his satchel, while the light of Ember's and Wisp's flames could be seen flashing near the bottom of the stairs.

"Hurry up, Tiff!" Applejack shouted.

Retrieving a small vile of orange flakes from his pack, Tiff lit the small fuse on the vile just as Ember and Wisp leaped out from the dungeon. Tossing the small vile down into the dungeon, Tiff slammed the stone door shut before ducking for cover. Every pony followed suit, getting low to the ground and covering their heads just vicious explosion blew the stone door to pebbles and collapsing the staircase leading into the dungeons; blocking the path.

A thick layer of dust hung around the threshold of the door leading to the dungeon. Twilight put a hoof on Applejack shoulder, wondering if she was alright, as Applejack gave her a few nods that she was. Alex looked completely and utterly depressed at the sight of the dungeon staircase. Wisp and Ember gave each other a high hoof before making their way over to Tiff to give him his own props.

"What the hay was that?" Ember asked curiously, inspecting the cave-in.

"A small bottle of Dragon Powder." Tiff replied.

"Where did you get that?" Applejack asked.

"Roman. You said I couldn't use thermite so I went for the next best thing." Tiff explained, watching Applejack hoof face herself.

Hoof steps were fast approaching. The explosion had drawn eyes from all over the Main Hall but some ponies were finally coming to see what else had gone wrong; or right in this case.

"The explosion came from over here!" Topaz shouted, rushing over to the side of the staircase.

"Who the hay is setting off explosives?" Flare hollered in disbelief, following close behind.

Wisp perked up at the sound of Flare's voice. Stepping out into better view, Wisp saw Flare slow to stop at the sight of him. There was a moment of confusion of seeing Wisp here in the castle, and so soon, but it was all pushed aside when she rushed over and embraced him tightly. Wisp lifted her off the ground, spun around on the spot before setting her back down and caressing her in his arms.

"I'm glad you're safe." Wisp mumbled.

"What about you?" Flare asked quickly, stepping back to get a better look at him.

"We're fine." Wisp replied, looking to every pony for confirmation; every pony nodding their head.

"We were chased out of the mines by a swarm of spiders. We had to collapse the staircase leading to the dungeon." Ember added, motioning to the door.

"How are things up here?" Tiff asked noticing the frantic pace every Soldier Pony was moving at.

"The Great Dragon Char is threatening to attack the castle, we're evacuating every pony, injured or not." Topaz reported.

"Where's the Obelisk?" Flare asked curiously.

"The darn thing flew off without leaving us a forwarding address." Applejack replied, looking none too happy.

"You lost it?" Flare asked accusingly at Wisp.

"The thing is full of magic! What was supposed to do?" Wisp asked in his defense.

"That was our only weapon against the dragon, Wisp!" Flare shouted.

Before they could argue further, Spinel rounded the corner from the corridor leading out into the now destroyed courtyard; looking very concerned.

"Ma'am, we've received reports that spiders are no longer being challenged in key areas. Our pegasi have reported spiders using the cracks within the earth, made by the rampage of the dragon, to crawl behind Flame Pony lines in an attempt reach the Narrows." Spinel reported quickly.

"Blast!" Flare mumbled, stomping her hoof in frustration. "We still need to move the ponies in hospital to the Narrows, but it'll be all for not if the spiders are allowed to swarm over it."

"What can we do to help?" Twilight offered.

"We'll need ponies defending the Narrows from any and all spider attacks. Many Flame Ponies have opened their homes to the injured but it will be difficult for them to provide care and protection if spiders are at their doors." Spinel informed them.

"I'll round up whatever ponies I can, from the Narrows, to help keep the spiders at bay while you continue your evacuation." Ember offered.

"I offer my assistance to help in this endeavor." Topaz stated.

"So will I." Tiff added, stepping up next to Ember.

"I'm coming too." Applejack said, adjusting her hat.

"So are we." Twilight added, pushing Alex forward with her magic.

"Say what now?" Alex asked looking surprised.

"Count me in." Wisp said, slamming his hooves together ready for a fight.

"No, I need you here." Flare stated pulling on his arm.

Wisp looked at Flare, then at every pony, before leaning over to whisper to her.

"I don't think this is a good time for us to be fooling around when there's a war going-" Wisp was cut short by a sudden punch to the arm by Flare.

"That's not what I meant!" Flare snapped, her mane sparking. "I need you to help us carry the ponies in the infirmary out of here."

"Right! Of course! I'm on it!" Wisp said quickly, racing up the stairs to the hospital with Spinel in tow.

"Be careful when moving the General you big oaf!" Flare shouted after him.

Flare shook her head. Although, a small smile did form across her face at the thought of Wisp returning safely. Turning to the rest of the ponies, Flare didn't have much choice but to rely on them for now.

"We don't know how many spiders have gotten behind our lines so watch your flanks out there. Once all the injured ponies are settled, I'll have Soldier Ponies sweep every inch of the Narrows to help you ponies out." Flare stated.

"We'll keep you ponies covered." Ember said confidently leading his group of volunteers across the Main Hall.

From the doors of the Castle Char, the group of ponies trotted out to glance at the surrounding areas of the Narrows. There was no immediate indication of spiders in the Narrows, but it would be foolish to believe that spiders would be so obvious in their attempt to infiltrate.

"Tiff, Applejack, Twilight, and Mr. Papyrus. I would ask you to take the west end of the Narrows and keep it free of spiders. Ember and I will take the eastern end." Topaz insisted turning to them.

"Shouldn't one of us be going with you? Make it an even three on three?" Applejack offered, noticing the uneven groups.

"Shining Armor is routing his battalion back towards the Dark Marsh, we shall join up with him there. You will need every pony you can spare to keep the western areas free of spiders." Topaz informed them.

"If you see any able bodied Flame Pony, don't hesitate to ask for help." Ember instructed them, before sprinting off towards the eastern end with Topaz.

Roman Mason, the Ashen Fields most skilled architect, stood behind the counter of Stitch Rose Shay with several of his rock cutter ponies hovering around him. Rarity, Crow, Stitch and Rose stood off to the side ready to listen to the instructions Roman was about to give.

"Spiders have been sighted at the far end of the Narrows, here." Roman began, tapping his foot on a blueprint of the Narrows; towards the west end. "Lucky for us most of these buildings are shops, which means they are practically empty."

Every stone cutter pony nodded their heads in understanding. Stitch Rose Shay was currently the hub of Roman's and Rarity's counter offensive against the looming threat of spiders. Rarity had refused to leave her seamstresses alone to combat the looming war with the Orc, which caused her seamstresses to refuse leaving Rarity's side in fear of her being in the path of danger. In the end, Roman found four stubborn ponies refusing to evacuate and adopted them into his plans.

"We're going to set up charges here and here. We'll blow the street the moment the spiders are in range, that's when we'll catch them with their fangs down and drive them out of the Narrows." Roman continued, drawing lines with charcoal on his blueprints.

"What of the Queen? How are any of us going to deal with that?" A stone cutter pony asked anxiously.

"You can stay here with the filly if you're not up to it, Barnes." Roman replied, motioning to Stitch.

"Hey!" Stitch shouted sounding insulted.

"Let it go, Stitch." Rose said, putting a firm hoof on her shoulder.

"The Hoot Owl Shift will set the charges just outside the shop across the street. The Day Shift will plant the charges next door in front of the haberdashery. Then every pony will take their marks and wait for our signal." Roman concluded with the nods of his stone cutter ponies.

The stone cutter ponies poured out from the shop, leaving Roman to clear away the stone slates he had laid out on the counter.

"What can we do to help?" Rarity asked curiously.

"Any of you know how to fight?" Roman asked, sounding skeptical.

"Just because I'm a lady doesn't mean I haven't had my fair share of scraps from time to time." Rarity said, sounding quite trim and proper.

Roman didn't look at all impressed by this.

"I have a lot of pins that I can stab spiders with." Stitch offered, holding up two hoofuls of needles.

"Rarity stays here with the filly; Rose you can keep an eye on both of them." Roman concluded; much to Rarity's and Stitch's objection.

Roman ignored the oncoming argument that was sure to follow, heading towards the door when he spied Crow suddenly stepping forward from behind Rose.

"What's your name, kid?" Roman asked, stopping in front of him.

"I'm C-C-Crow." Crow replied.

"You want to help too?" Roman asked.

"Y-Y-Yes, I d-d-do." Crow stammered determinedly.

Roman narrowed his eyes at him, sizing Crow up, looking to see if he really was serious about helping.

"Alright, Crow, you're with me. We're going to the far end of the street to wait for the Queen Spider." Roman said motioning for him to follow.

"The Queen!" Rose shouted in horror, her mane flaring.

Rose took Crow's arm immediately, refusing to let Crow take a single step towards the door. Roman looked rather surprised by her sudden outburst, looking at Crow with confusion.

"I-I-I-I'll b-b-be okay, Rose." Crow stammered, trying to calm her down.

"Like hay you will! If you think that I'm going to let you go anywhere near a Queen Spider then… then… then…" Rose was nearly out of breath speaking so fast.

Crow leaned over, giving Rose a small kiss on the cheek, causing her mane to suddenly poof into a soft flame from the shock. Rose's face burned red hot, stammering gibberish, watching Crow smile softly at her. Rarity had her hooves over her mouth, eyes full of delight, while Stitch kept rolling her eyes and gagging.

"I'll be okay." Crow whispered to her.

Twilight, Applejack, Tiff and Alex took off towards the western part of the Narrows, taking the streets hoping to find some civilian Flame Ponies along the way. Although, many of the Flame Ponies they came across were assisting in opening up their homes to the injured ponies being transferred from the castle. It was difficult to ask any of them come along with them, seeing as if spiders were to get through, there would be need of strong ponies protecting the injured.

Taking the main road of the Narrows, the ponies hurried along the empty shops to create fortification at the end of the path. It wasn't long before their plans started to fall apart as dozens of spiders swarmed over empty shops, breaking in windows, knocking down doors, attempting to find Flame Ponies hiding.

"Hey!" Applejack shouted towards the spiders.

A few dozen spiders stopped what they were doing to look down the road at the four ponies standing there.

"Oi! There's some!" A spider hollered to the others.

The spiders started to swarm into the streets, hissing loudly, baring their fangs, barreling down towards them.

"Oops." Applejack mumbled, covering her mouth.

"I suggest a coordinated reduction of space while discussing a new plan of action." Alex mumbled to the others.

"You mean retreat?" Tiff asked curiously.

"I didn't want to be the pony to say it but yes, retreat." Alex said rather nervously.

"We can't let these spiders get one hairy leg closer to any of those injured ponies!" Twilight declared, her horn glowing a brilliant purple.

"You said it, Twilight." Applejack remarked.

Tiff flared his mane, stepping a few paces out in front of Applejack and Twilight. Alex wasn't built to be a Soldier Pony, confrontation he was used to dealt with arguments and the exchange of opinions; not hoof to fang. Yet, Twilight was no more a scholar then he, and she stood bravely to face these spiders. Stepping out in front of Twilight, Alex stood alongside Tiff, flaring his mane with him ready to fight.

The spiders grew closer, Applejack was ready to defend Twilight while she casted her spells. Tiff and Alex were ready to disperse the swarm the very second the spiders got in range; every pony's heart was racing.

Two explosions shook the street, both originating from the shops around the swarm of spiders. The blasts decimated the spiders, throwing them in the burning buildings, blowing some to pieces, while stunning many others. Dust and smoke billowed into the streets; it became hard to see any pony through the smoke. Twilight, Applejack, Tiff, and Alex were at a loss for what had just transpired, until several groups of Flame Ponies charged in from the alley ways to combat the spiders. The door of Stitch Rose Shay slammed open. Rarity stepped out, a bandana wrapped around her head with charcoal smudges beneath her eyes.

"For Equestria!" Rarity hollered aloud; horn blazing with magic.

There was confusion still coming from the four ponies until several spiders that had escaped the blast by means of taking the rooftops of the shops came leaping down at them. Twilight's magic zapped one spider, making it disappear without a trace, while Alex and Tiff blasted another spider together sending it flying back into the destroyed building. More spiders climbed down the walls, Applejack punching a spider between its eight eyes before bucking it through the neighboring shop window.

"Who threw that spider?" Rarity demanded squinting into the smoke.

"Rarity?" Applejack asked in surprise; recognizing her voice.

"Applejack? Twilight? What in Equestria are you doing here?" Rarity asked in surprise.

A couple of spiders dropped down next to Tiff and Alex, only to regret it immediately as Rose blasted a focused torrent of fire knocking both spiders across the street from the threshold of Stitch Rose Shay.

"What are you doing here, Rarity?" Applejack asked bucking a spider in the face.

"Defending fashion!" Rarity declared, zapping a spider with her magic that strayed too close to Twilight. "And defending my friends from these deplorable spiders."

There was another explosion that shook the street, several yards down the path, marked by the upheaval of several spiders that were thrown into the air. There was a lull in the fight, allowing Twilight and the other ponies to take a breather. Several Flame Ponies stepped through the smoke; some looked slightly familiar to Applejack, realizing that these were the stone cutter ponies that had helped build the dam. A familiar pure black, red flamed, Flame Pony trotted out of the smoke towards the Twilight and the others.

"Roman!" Tiff shouted in delight; rushing over to embrace his friend.

"Well bugger me; I didn't expect to see you fighting Tiff." Roman said in surprise patting him on the shoulder.

"We could say the same for you." Applejack remarked, looking very pleased to see him as well.

"Mr. Roman and I coordinated the defense of this part of the Narrows in the event that spiders were to somehow get through." Rarity explained, stepping outside to hug Applejack and Twilight.

"We rigged the two shops next to Stitch Rose Shay and Wallcarts to blow. We got nervous seeing you ponies suddenly show up." Roman explained further looking at remains of both shops on either side of the street.

"What about the ponies that owned the shops?" Alex asked in surprise.

"It was a tacky haberdashery and a vacant shop. Nothing to cry over, dear." Rarity remarked.

"Rarity was going to blow it up anyways, even if the spiders didn't come." Stitch remarked stepping outside as well.

"That sounds like Rarity." Applejack said, watching Twilight snicker.

"It had to be done, I could not stand to see such bland knickknacks staring at me every time I passed by." Rarity said in her defense.

"Where's Crow?" Rose asked, looking over at Roman.

"We set off the bomb once the Queen stepped into position. After that we set off to join in on the fight and that's when we got separated." Roman stated, looking a bit confused.

The smoke had already cleared. All of the stone cutter Flame Ponies had returned but Crow was no among them. Rose's mane flared anxiously, straining her head around to see if there was any sign of Crow. Roman could see the worried looks on many of their faces, stepping over to his stone cutter ponies to ask them if any had seen the Flame Pony called Crow, but none had an answer.

"Where's Crow?" Stitch asked, nervousness about her voice.

"I'm sure Crow is… is probably taking the long way round." Rarity said quickly, watching Rose pace about.

"Crow, where the hay are you!" Rose shouted very loudly down the street.

There was a silence that followed that made every pony's stomach turn. No more so then Rose who could feel herself start to shake at the idea of Crow having been bested by the spider.

Suddenly, from the remains of the haberdashery, Crow stepped out quickly looking very confused by the urgency in which his name was being called. In his hoof he held a small crystal buttons he had pilfered from the destroyed store.

"W-W-What?" Crow asked, unsure of the collective sigh.

"Run Crow!" Stitch shouted at him.

Confused at her words, Crow turned to see Rose glaring at him just inches away from his face. It startled him so bad that Crow tripped over his own hooves, giving Rose the chance to tower over him further.

"When I call your name you better answer! Stutter or not, you don't leave me standing here thinking you got yourself blown up or eaten! You got that?" Rose shouted at him, while Crow hid behind his hooves.

"Y-Y-Y-Yes, m-m-ma'am." Crow stuttered, not daring to look her in the eye.

Rose stepped back, allowing Crow the chance to get back onto his hooves. He seemed rather shaken by Rose's yelling, even just having set off a bomb, he was more afraid of Rose's temper. With that being said, Crow was equally as surprised to find her suddenly kissing him.

Crow was shaking for a whole different reason now; his heart was racing as every pony smiled approvingly his way. All accept for Rarity who squealed in delight, nearly fainting into Applejack's arms while Stitch attempted to heave. Rose's face turned exactly that, a rose colored red, as Crow stepped back; looking just as flustered. Then Rose punched him in the stomach. Crow doubled over while Rose stormed back inside Stitch Rose Shay, while every other pony back off to give her space.

"Is that what mares do when they get kissed by a colt?" Stitch asked curiously.

"Of course not! That was not how it was supposed to go at-" Rarity said in disbelief before Applejack stepped in.

"Sure, pumpkin." Applejack said with a laugh.

Chapter 42: Rising Fire

The battle that had been unfolding between the Great Elder Dragon Char and Discord, the Master of Chaos, was unlike anything any pony had ever seen before. It was an abstraction of violence turned sideways, two forces vying to be the victor, it would be remembered by historian ponies in years to come as the 'Symphony of Controlled Chaos.' The musician being that of the Elder Dragon, while the conductor was none other than the Master himself, Discord.

The Great Dragon Char hurled a torrent of fire at the mountain sized Discord. Raising his paw, the flames impacted Discord's palm, instantly turning the fire into water before splashing to the ground as steam and grass suddenly springing from the ground. Pointing his free claw to the ground beneath the dragon, Discord drew his claw up conjuring a sudden wild growth of roots that sprang from the ground; wrapping itself tightly around Char. Roaring angrily, the roots did not stop at binding the dragon. Instead they increased in size, beginning to twist itself in a trunk, forming around the dragon. Waving his arms like overly showy magician, Discord guided his enormous tree higher and wider till the Great Dragon Char was completely encased within the trunk of the tree. An explosion of branches, sprouting countless leaves protruded from the top bringing a sudden flash of green to a very grey field.

With his arms crossed across his chest; Discord nodded in his own approval at his handy work. Once more noticing the buzzing near his ear, he glanced over to see Princess Celestia attempting to speak with him nearby.

"Have you contained it, Discord?" Princess Celestia asked apprehensively.

"I would think so. The bark is one hundred times stronger than any known metal to Equestria. It is so restrained that I don't believe it can even blink at this point." Discord replied confidently.

"Perhaps you shoulder have led with this." Princess Celestia remarked in hindsight.

"I believe a thank you is in order." Discord said expectantly; looking at each pony.

Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, Lady Frost and Lord Tundra soared near Discord's head. Discord waved his paw, gently swatting them away, the flapping of their wings being rather annoying to listen to.

"How do you plan to move the tree from the fields, Discord?" Princess Cadance asked curiously; floating near his ear.

"Move?" Discord asked looking surprised at the notion.

"You can't just leave it hear, Discord." Princess Luna remarked.

"Why not? It's an immense improvement to these dull and bland fields." Discord stated, being uncooperative.

The trunk of the massive tree started to turn black, the smell of burning wood started to fill the air. Black smoke began billowing from the trunk of the tree, fire suddenly leaping out from the grooves, the leaves suddenly blazing in a storm of fire.

"Impressive." Discord said with a swell of fascination.

The massive tree began to split down the middle, clouds of black smoke rising into the air. The stress of bending wood echoed across the fields, the Great Dragon Char slowly drawing itself from its wooden tomb; its roar further shaking apart the tree. Half of the tree fell against the ground, breaking the earth beneath it and shaking the very foundations of Castle Char.

"Most impressive." Discord remarked clapping his paw and claw together several times.

"Lady Frost, Lord Tundra, deal with the flames! Discord, no more games!" Princess Celestia commanded, flying higher into the air to put distance between herself and Discord.

"Oh, the games are just beginning." Discord mumbled, interlocking his fingers and cracking his knuckles.

The Great Dragon Char slithered out from the burning tree. Having heated its body to burn itself free of its wooden tomb, the dragon now burned like charcoal, each step blackening the field beneath it. Its eyes burning with fury, growling a deep roar at the sight of Discord, the dragon snapped its jaws challenging him.

"Oh! You want to play? Come on then." Discord said in excitement.

With lunging bite of its jaws, the dragon missed Discord's neck, watching him sidestep away. Discord raised his claw and paw above his head, placing on his hoof, positioning himself in the Crane Kick and gave Char a leaping kick right into his jaw. The dragon rolled over, covering a quarter of the field as it tumbled over. Discord stuck a ninja pose, a black belt magically appearing around his forehead.

"Take that Cobra Commander!" Discord shouted.

A sudden and literal light bulb appeared over Discord's head; lighting up.

"I mean Cobra Kai! Oh what's the use, the moments passed and I blew it." Discord mumbled, dragging his paw down his face.

The dragon whipped its head around, spitting fire Discord's way. Quick to react, Discord opened his own mouth, swallowing the fire and inflating like an enormous balloon. The volley of fire soon dwindled, while Discord straightened up looking grossly overweight. The very sight of Discord resembling that of a giant ball had charge slithering towards him ready to sink its teeth into him. With a hiccup, Discord opened his mouth once more, with the dragon just several hundred meters away, firing a concentrated beam of stuffed animals, office supplies, every pony's left sock, old atrac players, easy bake ovens, newspapers, trading cards, shopping carts, snow globes from all over Equestria, ninety-nine red balloons, a blue box, and of course Celestia's kitchen sink; these were just some of the things that ponies could make out. The regurgitation of infinite junk that Discord was firing at the dragon was just complete… chaos.

The Great Dragon Char shielded itself from the debris using its wing. Discord's inflated body shrunk down to its regular massive size once more, nearly leaving the dragon in a mountain of junk.

"Well that's quite embarrassing. I've been meaning to return those." Discord mumbled sheepishly.

"Discord! I said no more games!" Princess Celestia shouted in her Royal Canterlot voice so that he could hear her.

"Settle down Celestia, I've got this under control." Discord said wave his paw at her.

The Great Dragon Char whipped out its wings, throwing millions of pieces of junk in all directions, roaring in anger. Discord raised his arms from being struck by the flying debris, realizing the mess he had further created, with a quick snap of his claws the all the junk vanished without a trace. Lowering his arms, Discord was pounced by the Dragon once more, slamming him hard onto the ground. Vanishing from beneath the dragon, just as the jaws of Char were about to bite his neck, Discord hovered in the air high above the Ashen Fields looking none too happy.

"Finish this, Discord. Before any further pony gets hurt!" Princess Cadance urged him.

"I wish it were so easy, Elder Dragons were very magical and powerful creatures; every scale of it emits a powerful force of magic. If I were to use my full powers I might end up sending half of Equestria into the Fourth Dimension, it's a very lovely place but I don't think any pony will quite understand it." Discord explained.

Char had finally found its enemy flying high above its head, beginning to beat its wings hard, the dragon rose from the ground slithering into the sky after him. Its massive shadow passing over Ponyville, flying past Canterlot, its roar disturbing the very air around it, the dragon shot another blast of fire towards Discord ready to battle him in the heavens.

Shining Armor's battalion was protecting the Eastern end of the Narrows. Several dozen spiders were fighting with the civilian Flame Ponies attempting to breach their homes, while the Soldier Ponies dealt with the bulk of the swarm just outside the Dark Marsh. It would have seemed that the Eastern end was not fairing all that well but that was until a familiar party cannon went off. Four spiders were thrown off their legs, sprawling across the road covered in confetti as Pinkie Pie rolled out the front door of the bakery armed with her party cannon.

"You may break our windows, smash our doors, but you will never take our cupcakes!" Pinkie Pie cried holding the cord to her party cannon.

"For the custard cream!" Shouted dozens of Flame Ponies spilling out of all the shops and homes from both sides of the street.

Ruby Simmer stepped out from the bakery, in her arms she held several blackened and burned soufflés. Pinkie Pie took one off the top, jamming it into the front of her cannon before ripping the cord hard, firing the soufflé at an unsuspecting spider as it impacted it with the force of a cannonball.

Fluttershy could hear the sound of Pinkie Pie's party cannon all the way from Ember's home. She had volunteered to watch over any and all foals and fillies that had parents fighting in the battle today. Ember's home was halfway between the bakery and the end of the Narrows. The bulk of the fighting was taking place just outside while Fluttershy did her best to console all the young and scared ponies.

Lionel and Licorice were among these young ponies. Licorice was very anxious, almost shaking, but Lionel did his best to comfort her by asking about the homework assignments he had neglected to do. Even with all the fighting going on outside, Lionel didn't seem at all worried, Ember had promised to come back and it reminded him of his promise to look after Fluttershy and Licorice.

"Did any of you ponies also hear that party favor?" Fluttershy asked softly, turning to at least a dozen foals and fillies gathered in the living room.

Several foals and fillies nodded yes.

"That's my good friend Pinkie Pie; she was the pony that brought cupcakes to the Ashen Fields." Fluttershy said softly, the word cupcakes suddenly seemed to ease the tension in the room. "She's going to make all these mean spiders go home and then she'll throw the biggest party for all you ponies when this all over."

Every foal and filly liked the idea of having a party, considering that many enjoyed all of the excitement and ponies that showed up for the coronation a few days ago. Although, the moment was ruined with the sudden shatter of a window as an arm of a spider came crashing through trying to get in. Every foal and filly screamed, Fluttershy was quick to herd them up, directing them towards the hallway; unsure of where to go.

"Ember has a basement! We can hide there!" Lionel shouted rushing into the hallway and pulling on a stone door.

"Okay every pony, everything is going to be alright." Fluttershy said softly, gently flapping her wings and floating over them.

Lionel struggled to open the door, it slid open just enough to have the foals and fillies slip through. The front door started to slide open. The spiders on the other side were ramming it quite hard. Another crash from the living room spelled out that a spider had gotten in. With just Licorice left to go the spider from the living room came barreling into the hallway. Aiming a strike at Fluttershy, the spider missed hitting the stone door closed, leaving not but Lionel, Licorice, and Fluttershy in the hallway. The spider hissed loudly, raising its legs ready to strike again. Lionel and Licorice screamed in fright.

"Now wait just a minute, Mr. Spider!" Fluttershy said sternly.

The spider stepped back in surprise, not expecting to be spoken to like that.

"Have you no shame in scaring poor defenseless ponies? Destroying other pony's property, coming in uninvited, and even tracking mud into this house." Fluttershy scolded him, pointing to the leg prints it left behind.

"I… uh…" The Spider mumbled.

"I don't know where you got the idea that being a big meanie was okay, but you better start changing your attitude and fast or I'll have to give you the stare." Fluttershy said almost threateningly.

"The what?" The Spider asked in confusion.

"The stare!" Fluttershy said loudly, her eyes suddenly becoming focused; staring intensely at it.

The spider quickly started to back away, looking very frightened by Fluttershy. Lionel and Licorice watched in amazement at what Fluttershy was doing to it. The spider backed its way up to the door, trying to shield its eyes from Fluttershy's gaze.

"Now you go home and think about what you've done." Fluttershy said, pointing to the front door.

Nodding its head in acceptance, the spider quickly pulled the door open, much to the surprise of the spiders on the other side as it carefully stepped out and closed the door behind it.

"What's this then?" The spider asked looking at the spider that had just stepped outside.

"I'm going home to reevaluate my life choices." The spider replied, stepping past the rest.

"You'll what?" Asked another spider in confusion.

Lionel and Licorice quickly approached Fluttershy who was taking several deep breaths. It would seem that even the soft spoken Fluttershy could get angry when she wanted to, which only made Lionel and Licorice compliment her further.

"I thought you were going to have that spider stand in the corner!" Lionel said in amazement.

"I thought you were going to make it write a thousand words essay on why it was bad to be mean!" Licorice exclaimed.

"Can you teach me to do the stare?" Lionel asked excitedly.

"Well-" Fluttershy began, finally getting her heart to settle down.

The door suddenly cracked, the spiders had resumed beating against it making all three ponies jump out of their hides. Pieces of the stone door were now crumbling away, Fluttershy looked just as scared as they did, but all it did was remind Lionel of his promise.

"My room!" Lionel shouted, pulling on Licorice's arm.

Fluttershy floated up the stairs while Lionel and Licorice flew up the steps. Reaching the open door of his room, Lionel pulled Licorice in with Fluttershy close behind. Together they pushed against the door, sliding it closed when the sound of the front stone door crumbled away and the hissing of spiders came echoing in. Lionel, Licorice, and Fluttershy quickly ran to find cover under Lionel's elevated granite bed and hid beneath it staring at the door.

"Do you think they'll find us?" Licorice whispered, sounding very frightened.

The sounds of thrashing could be heard from the other side of the door, with the thick walls of stone it was hard to hear how close the spiders actually were.

"We'll be just fine, Licorice, spiders aren't all that bright." Fluttershy whispered encouragingly.

A heavy thud came from just outside the door with several scratches coming from the others side. It was enough to have Licorice squeal in fright while Fluttershy covered her eyes. Lionel wasn't too far away from screaming himself, the scuffling from outside the stone door only intensified making Lionel's heart race in fear. Closing his eyes, Lionel did his best to cancel out the noises coming from beyond the door.

"Lionel!"

Lionel opened his eyes, attempting to stand up from under his bed and banging his head with loud thud from the granite above. Licorice reached over to see if he was okay but Lionel had wormed his way out from under the bed and stood facing the door. There came a loud thud against the door, there was movement from the other side; unnerving scratching continued.

"Lionel! Get back down here!" Licorice hissed at him.

"That was Ember's voice." Lionel said, shaking from fright but adamant on staying his ground. "He's come back, just like he promised."

The stone door swung open, smoke swooped in. The smell of burnt spider filled the room as Ember stepped through; breathing hard and looking panicked. Lionel stared in disbelief at Ember, who in turn stared just as surprised, but overwhelmingly relieved to see him.

"Are you… alright?" Ember asked, try to catch his breath.

Ember watched Lionel slowly walk over to him. Pressing his forehead against Ember's chest sobbing quietly to himself. Surprised by Lionel's affection, Ember carefully stroked the top of his head trying to calm him down.

"I told you I'd be back." Ember said gingerly, noticing Fluttershy and Licorice coming out from under the bed.

There were hoof steps bounding up the stone stairs as Topaz reached the threshold of the door.

"We've cleared the house of spiders, the foals and fillies are safe. Shining Armor's battalion has routed the swarm of spiders and Pinkie Pie's cannon has the spiders running scared through the Narrows." Topaz informed every pony.

"Thank goodness." Fluttershy said with a sigh of relief.

From the North Tower's dungeon entrance spiders were swarming into Castle Char. Following their master's orders, the spiders were in search of Smolder, the Flame Pony they had to take back alive. Although nearly every spiders had no real idea of what the Flame Pony Smolder looked like, it just so happened that spiders were not so good in telling one Flame Pony from another. To make matters worse, the spiders could not find one cinder of a Flame Pony anywhere in the castle.

"Where's all them fire ponies?" A spider asked aloud in confusion; standing at the top of the stairs.

"Did any spider find the one called Smolder?" Another spider asked from the other end of the Main Hall.

"I ain't found spit!" Another spider hollered from the staircase leading to the Infirmary.

Along the edge of the Main Hall the door to Argo Fleece's office was slightly ajar with Private Nightshade, Private First Class Cosmic, and Specialist Peanut huddled together peeking through. When the order was given to flee the castle, Goldie Fleece had stayed behind to safely store dozens of important ledgers, deeds, contracts, loans, and other important slates in metal vaults hidden beneath the floor of the office. This caused Cosmic to stay behind to ensure her safety while assisting her where he could. Not wanting to leave Ms. Fleece to complete this task alone, Gleam stayed behind as well to help organize all the slates worth keeping for her. Peanut, being the gentlepony that he was, offered to help, refusing to leave her, Goldie, and Cosmic to finish this task alone. Nightshade wasn't about to abandon his friends to run to the Narrows but he spent most of his time trying to convince them to leave nonetheless. Unfortunately, when every pony was ready to leave, several dozen spiders now swarmed the Main Hall blocking their only exit to the Narrows.

"We should have left an hour ago." Nightshade whispered.

"Thank you, Captain Hindsight." Cosmic whispered back.

"I wasn't the one trying to impress my new special somepony." Nightshade snapped back.

"Did Goldie say I was her special somepony?" Cosmic asked quickly, looking excited at the idea.

"Of course not! I was being facetious!" Nightshade hissed.

"Don't go making things up like that!" Cosmic snapped back, looking rather disappointed.

"Do you think we can take them? At least hold them off long enough to get Goldie and Gleam out?" Peanut asked, trying to count the number of spiders.

"I wouldn't even want to chance it at this point. We're better of barricading the doors and waiting it out." Cosmic replied, not liking the odds.

"The dragon is supposed to be trying to tear this place apart; we can't stay here any longer." Nightshade remarked.

"So what's the plan?" Gleam asked curiously, strolling up to the three of them.

Peanut, Cosmic, and Nightshade turned around to see Gleam and Goldie ready to throw hooves. Gleam was wearing bracers, a standard issue Soldier Pony chest piece, and a circlet bearing an orange gem at the center. Goldie on the other hoof was already in her Flash Step, consumed in flames, looking expectantly at them; waiting for them to throw open the doors and attack.

"You're not seriously suggesting we try to fight our way out, are you?" Nightshade asked looking surprised by this.

"My sister has been a Soldier Pony for fifteen years; she taught me how to fight before I learned how to read." Gleam remarked, slamming her hooves together eager to fight.

"Avalanches and snow storms are a constant threat to ponies and yaks up north. I've learned to maintain a Flash Step for more than twelve hours. No spider is going to want to get near me." Goldie stated, her flames flourishing around her.

Nightshade looked to Cosmic and Peanut to see what their thoughts on the matter were but wasn't too surprised to see them awe struck for their crushes. A noise from within the Main Hall drew Nightshade's attention, peeking back through the crack in the door, Cosmic and Peanut leaned in to see what it was as well.

Sapphire carried me down the corridor leading from the ruins of the courtyard to the Main Hall, in hopes of finding a doctor pony to look me over. In all honesty, I felt numb all over; my hide felt cold and paper thin. It wasn't just because I leaning on Sapphire for support, it was also due to the amount of fire I had been exposed to; compared to what my body was normally used to. It would take time for my body to adjust between such varying temperatures, but I knew I couldn't let myself wait that long.

"Smolder's been hurt! I need a doctor pony over here right away!" Sapphire shouted, exiting the threshold of the corridor into the Main Hall.

Her voice echoed for a time, drawing every spider in the room to look her way. Sapphire froze on the spot, surprised by the absence of a single Flame Pony, and the sheer number of spiders that were now looking her way. I was just as surprised, even though my face didn't really show it, but I knew we were in trouble.

"Did that pony just say Smolder?" Asked a spider looking unsure.

"No! I-uh- said… boulder! Yes! Boulder!" Sapphire shouted sounding very suspicious.

"Do we eat it or not?" Asked another spider, looking confused.

"We'll eat the blue one and… take the Fire Pony to the master and tell him it's Smolder." Suggested another spider.

There was a sudden upheaval of hissing that seemed to be every spider agreeing to this plan. Sapphire was starting to back up towards the corridor slowly, doing her best not to just drop me to the floor to defend the two of us.

"You got… a plan?" I asked, my head still throbbing.

"I'm working on it." Sapphire whispered to me.

Glancing over her shoulder, Sapphire spied a few more spiders climbing over the side of the staircase to block her from returning to the corridor. Changing direction, Sapphire started to back us into the corner of the Main Hall, trying to keep the spiders in front of us and have the wall at our backs. The spiders were slow to approach, attempting to get every possible angle on us, making sure there was no room for us to run when they decided to attack. I struggled to support myself, trying desperately to ignite my flame further, but my body was not having it. Sapphire started to lower me to the ground, ready to face the horde of spiders on her own.

"Sneak attack!" Nightshade bellowed leaping high over the spider; his wings giving him tremendous lift.

Coming down hard on the nearest spider to Sapphire, Nightshade wrestled the spider hitting it repeatedly in the face. Peanut and Cosmic were just seconds behind, Peanut dropped a spider, effectively flattening it with his immense physic while Cosmic shoulder checked the spider into the wall knocking it out cold. No pony was more surprised or as relieved to see them as me, Sapphire seemed more confused onto what was taking place. Nightshade, Peanut and Cosmic quickly created a perimeter around Sapphire and I; ready to defend us.

"You don't yell sneak attack when you're actually sneaking up to attack, Shades." Cosmic pointed out.

"I couldn't think of a cool action one liner in time." Nightshade replied.

"What is Smolder's condition, your Highness?" Peanut asked respectfully to Sapphire.

"He's hyperextended his muscles, he needs rest and immediate medical care." Sapphire reported.

"It's not that bad, Peanut." I mumbled.

"What the hay happened to you, Smolder?" Cosmic asked looking me over.

"Picked a fight with the dragon, Bob." I answered with a smile; watching Cosmic recoil to his first name.

"How does he know you're first name? I thought we were keeping that a secret?" Nightshade asked looking surprised.

"Peanut spilled the beans after telling him his name was Charles." Cosmic replied looking annoyed.

"Soldiers! Please! We need to focus on the spiders!" Sapphire shouted watching the spiders encroach upon them once more.

"We're just passing the time before the second sneak attack." Nightshade replied.

"Second sneak attack?" Sapphire asked looking puzzled.

"Sneak attack!" Gleam shouted spraying a wide area of spiders with fire.

Their screams threw every spider into a frenzy of confusion. A golden streak bounced from spider to spider, leaving burning hoof prints on their faces and bodies. Goldie's Flash Stepped rivaled the speed of the most veteran Flash Steppers, leaving a trail of fire in her wake while Gleam shot flames wide to disperse the spiders.

"Ms. Fleece and Ms. Fizzle?" Sapphire asked in surprise.

"Who knew that the mares pushing slates all day knew how kick the hay out of spiders." Nightshade commented.

"Yeah." Cosmic and Peanut replied with a loving sigh at the sight of it.

Spiders from all over the castle were rushing from every corridor to seek out the screeches coming from the Main hall. Sapphire flared her mane; her sprained hoof was not going to slow her down in this fight. Dozens more spiders poured in from the shattered windows and corridors.

"This time, I get to save you from some spiders, okay?" Nightshade said looking over his shoulder at me.

"Nightshade's first name is Alonso." Cosmic said bluntly.

"It's better than Bob!" Nightshade shouted in embarrassment.

"No it's not!" Cosmic shouted back.

Peanut knocked Cosmic's and Nightshade's heads together with a thud. It was enough to get their heads back on the task at hoof and engage the spiders. Sapphire iced her way through a couple of spiders to reach Gleam and Goldie, attempting to square up the number while Peanut, Cosmic, and Nightshade battled the spiders near the stairs.

I was able to get to my hooves, my body still aching, the splitting headache still thriving. Not wanting to be left out of this fight I tried to flare my mane but failed to get any fire going. Several spiders leaped from the staircase, landing beside me, I could hear the cries of Cosmic and Nightshade directing the others to my defense. The spider raised its leg, ready to strike, I turned my head bracing myself for the strike feeling my head sear with pain. There was a sudden flash of white light that surrounded me. The stone floor disappeared from under me as I felt myself suddenly falling.

Dropping only a few feet I landed atop my bed of granite, groaning in miserable pain at the sudden jolt to my already aching hooves; I rolled over onto my back. Staring up at the ceiling of my Royal Chambers I began to wonder what had happened to me. If memory served anything, whenever I attempted to do something concerning magic, my forehead would pain me something awful. Without trying to over think it, I came to the conclusion that my magic sensed my fear and reacted accordingly. Most likely, a teleporting spell had sent me to the one place I felt safest; even if it was a couple feet higher from the bed. Rolling over towards the door, I saw something I wasn't expecting. The Orc was slumped against the door of my Royal Chamber.

Chapter 44: The Fall of Char

With Shining Armor taking a breather, Ray Horizon stepped in to direct parts of the battalion of Flame Pony Soldiers to make safe the Narrows while the other part swept the regions of the Dark Marsh for any lingering spiders.

With the dragon having temporarily left the fields to do battle with Discord and the Royal Families in the neighboring region, every pony was able to take a momentary breather while they discussed what their next step should be. Every pony except for Sapphire that seemed to have a thousand yard stare, standing completely frozen. Twilight carefully approached her, ever so lightly tapping her on the shoulder to see if she was okay.

"Is everything alright, Princess?" Twilight asked.

"We have to find Smolder, immediately!" Sapphire suddenly shouted to the rest of the ponies.

Twilight jumped in surprise. There were very surprised and confused looks coming from every pony looking her way, but it was clear that Princess Sapphire looked very distressed about it.

"Don't worry Ice Cube, Smolder can handle himself." Rainbow Dash said trying to ease her worry.

"Actually, Smolder looked pretty messed up when he disappeared." Gleam interjected, sounding concerned.

"If Smolder's hurt we'll need to find him as soon as possible." Shining Armor stated.

"That's not the point! Smolder is going to open a portal to the Void!" Sapphire shouted frantically.

"The Void?" Nightshade asked looking puzzled; noticing the seriousness on every pony's face.

"It's another dimension that sealed away the Mad King; its perpetual darkness." Peanut explained to him.

"It also tried to suck in the rest of Equestria with it." Cosmic added, shivering at the memory of it last time.

"Now wait just a minute, how is Smolder going to open the Void? He doesn't have the Elements of Harmony." Applejack asked, not seeing things add up.

"He doesn't need the Elements of Harmony." Twilight said, magically producing the rubbing she had kept of the etching down in the dungeons.

Every pony crowded around to take a look at the rubbing to see what Twilight was talking about and what Sapphire had figured out.

"The two Obelisks' are like keys to unlocking a portal to the Void." Twilight began, pointing her hoof to the two figures on the rubbing.

"What would Smolder want to open the Void for?" Fluttershy asked sounding nervous.

"Most likely to get rid of that awful dragon. Just like how we got rid of the Mad King." Rarity suggested.

"Well that's good, right?" Nightshade asked, almost wishing he had been here when the Mad King had returned; if only to understand what was going on.

"The portal we used to banish the Mad King was no bigger than a barn door, and that nearly sucked us in with it." Applejack replied.

"The portal Smolder intends to open is bigger than Castle Char." Sapphire said very nervously.

"So that's bad?" Nightshade asked, not knowing what was worst, the dragon or the Void.

"A portal of that size could swallow all of Equestria in a matter of hours." Alex Papyrus remarked.

"Sparky wouldn't risk opening it if it was going to hurt any other pony." Pinkie Pie interjected, trying to smooth things out.

In that moment, a giant rune appeared within the sky, from the rune, flames rained down as the Great Dragon Char emerged eclipsing the sun. Fortunately, the dragon had appeared at the back of the castle, while every pony was near the front. Dropping out of the air like a rock, the Great Dragon Char landed with an earth shattering crash behind Castle Char. The force of its landing shaking the castle's stone doors to pieces, collapsing many walls throughout, and the North Tower crumbled to a heap of old stone.

Every pony laid flat upon the ground, waiting for the shaking to stop. No pony questioned the need to stop the rampage of the dragon; Smolder's plan suddenly seemed to be the most appropriate way to handle it. Except no pony knew where Smolder was.

"Fall back to the Narrows; we have to keep it protected!" Ray shouted aloud.

The battalion of Flame Ponies rushed back towards the Narrows, not sure how they were going to defend against a dragon attack but didn't think to ask questions until it started breathing fire in their direction. Ray, Solar, Wisp, Flare, Tiff, Alex, Gleam, and Goldie ran to the Narrows leaving the other ponies behind, to seek shelter and prepare for a possible final stand.

"We need to get to the Obelisks' before Smolder does!" Sapphire shouted.

"The east side of the fields is clear. I don't think any spiders are going to stick around while the dragon is so close to the castle." Shining Armor informed her.

"We're coming with you." Twilight spoke up, stepping forward towards Sapphire; Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy behind her.

"Cosmic, Peanut, Nightshade and I will stay here and defend the Narrows if the dragon decides to come this way." Shining Armor stated.

The four colts watched Princess Sapphire, Twilight and her friends take off towards the eastern edge of the fields. Shining Armor turned to his three pegasi friends, who were all smiling at him, ready to fight alongside him without having to be asked.

"We might not make it." Shining Armor remarked, while the dragon's roar shook the very air around them.

"We've been in worse spots before." Cosmic replied, sounding tough.

"Like what?" Nightshade asked, looking puzzled at the notion.

"Remember when we accidently switched Princess Celestia's shampoo bottle with your horseshoe polish?" Cosmic reminded him.

There was a visible change in the color of Nightshade's face having suddenly remembered that particular day.

"Doesn't that stain?" Shining Armor asked in disbelief; a smile forming on his face.

"Nightshade had to devise a plan to somehow sneak back into Princess Celestia's dressing room, switch out the bottles, before Princess Celestia took a bath that night." Peanut explained the events leading up after Nightshade's mistake.

"What happened?" Shining Armor asked looking interested to hear what came next.

The sudden bellow of the Dragon caused the four colts to turn towards it to see Char beginning to smash its claws into the back end of the castle. Shining Armor looked back towards the others, knowing that once the dragon was done with the castle, it would surely come for them. Nightshade, Cosmic, and Peanut looked at one another, nodding to each other before stacking their hooves atop one another.

"If we make it through this, I'm asking for extended leave and extra time off." Cosmic stated, trying to sound brave.

"If we make it through this I'll ask Ms. Flare on a date." Peanut stated, hopefully.

"Wait! I want a do over! I want to ask out…" Cosmic said quickly but slowing down near the end of his thought. "…Goldie."

"If we make it, and we will," Shining Armor said confidently, finding courage in his friends and placing his hoof atop theirs. "I personally knight each and every pony here."

"Does that mean we have to work longer hours?" Cosmic asked, sounding hesitant at the idea.

"It means you get a pay increase, and ponies will have to start calling you, Sir." Shining Armor explained. "It also makes you look good in front of the ladies."

"If I make it through this, I'll ask Belle to marry me the moment I get back." Nightshade stated, flushing at his own words.

"You're kidding? Private Can't Talk to Pretty Ponies, is going to propose?" Cosmic asked mouth agape at Nightshade.

"Never going to happen, he'll get cold hooves the second he sees her." Peanut remarked not believing a word of it.

"I'm serious!" Nightshade insisted, still very red in the face.

"If you were serious you would have picked out and bought a gem to propose with." Shining Armor said rolling his eyes.

Nightshade remained very quiet, and very still. Peanut, Cosmic, and Shining Armor stared at him, their eyes slowly widening as they soon realized that Nightshade's silence was in part due to him having actually bought a gem to propose with.

"You've actually gotten a gem?" Shining Armor asked in disbelief.

"Let's just do the on three thing so I can go bury my head in the dirt?" Nightshade remarked, looking extremely embarrassed; trying to bounce his hoof up and down to have them start the chant.

"I want us all to make it out of this so we can all see Nightshade propose to Belle." Shining Armor said changing his mind.

"Night-Belle on three!" Cosmic shouted, having smashed the two names together.

"One, two, three, Night-Belle!" Shining Armor, Cosmic, and Peanut shouted throwing their hooves in the air; all except Nightshade who looked so embarrassed.

The displaced air of the dragon's landing pushed me through the corridor, knocking me off my hooves and sent me rolling several times into the Main Hall. I could hear the groaning of the old castle, having taken so much abuse, but willing to remain standing while I still remained in it; at least for now. Getting to my hooves I could hear the Great Dragon Char's claws tearing at the back of the castle attempting to reach in. The entire castle shook from its aggressive slashes; the top of Castle Char being torn away piece by piece. Wanting to put as much distance between the dragon and myself, I decided to make a run for the main entrance while I still had the chance.

That's when the roof of the castle caved in with the head of Char breaking through the ceiling, snapping wildly, its eyes scanning the room for me; smoke spewing from its nostrils.

I didn't hesitate to run. Fear was driving me now. I raced towards the entrance of Castle Char, paying no mind to the heaps of fallen spiders strewn about the hall. The only other thought that ran through my mind was every pony had gotten away safely; Sapphire would have made sure of that.

The sounds of stone bricks being thrusted against one another filled the hall; the dragon had removed its head from the ceiling, and proceeded with its immense steps to circle to the front of the castle. Each step shook the floor beneath me, making it rather difficult to keep all of my hooves on the ground, the sound of its breaths were snorting in frustration of being unable to reach me. Having nearly reached the entrance, the massive claws of the Great Dragon Char had reached in through the front entrance, attempting to grab hold of me.

Sliding to a stop, digging my hooves hard into the stone, I watched as its claws struck the ground before me; just inches from reaching me. Char's claws dug deep into the ground, stretching its claws as far as it would go, feeling around. I turned back, looking towards the Throne Room at the top of the stairs, having made up my mind quite quickly, and made a desperate run for it.

The smashing of stone echoed across the Main Hall, Char once more thrusting its head through top of the ceiling. I dared not to look back, running as fast as my legs could carry me, pouncing up the staircase towards the throne room. I could feel the sudden swell of heat behind me.

The dragon was preparing to breathe its fire. Knocking through the stone doors of the Throne Room, I looked backed, feeling a pulse emanate from my forehead and watched the stone doors slam shut behind me. The dragon's fire filled the Main Hall, swirling to ever corner of the castle, blowing stone doors off their hinges, slamming against the throne room doors and shattering them with little effort.

Not only could I feel the fire surging behind me, I could see the light of the flames growing intensely in front of me the closer it came. I leaped past the throne, jumping through the already shattered window, only to feel the tail end of the flames throw me several yards further then I was expecting; slamming hard into the dirt.

Rolling over, groaning from the hard fall I took. The Great Dragon Char continued to thrash against the castle, believing that I was still somewhere inside; at least for a time. Looking out over the fields I could see no sign of any pony, yet I saw two Obelisks towering in the distance, spaced about thirty meters apart. I blinked several times in disbelief, hardly believing that my plan had a chance to work.

All that I needed to do was reach the Obelisks in time before the dragon realized where I was. I stole a glance over my shoulder to see if the dragob had noticed my escape, what I saw was the arm of the Great Dragon Char striking the west side of the castle, with its massive claws, rendering the entire west side to rubble, trying to dig its way inside. Covering my head to shield myself from the debris, being pelted by the remnants of the castle, I could feel myself be buried beneath the rubble, and the weight of the stones beginning to mount.

That's when I lifted my hooves to escape from being buried beneath the rubble and a stone struck me in the back of the head. I fell to the ground, the world spinning, and my head slamming against the dirt; debris washing over me.

There wasn't much room to move; clouds of dirt were beginning to settle. From a space between the debris, I could see some sunlight to mark a path for me. The hit from the rogue stone had nearly knocked me out, it did enough to keep me from moving, trying to shake the daze, and keep a level head. I lay underneath the ruins of the castle.

Each moment that passed made it harder to keep awake, looking at the small bit of light coming from the space; numbness being replaced with pain. My mind started to fade, my thoughts beginning to drift away, my vision started to blur, and my eyes began to close. The little light started to take shape, turning into a hazed dim glow, so small and so piercing; the same way Mira had looked at me from the mirror.

"What about your promises?"

Mira's words floated into my head. I could almost see her face, the way she looked at me, how frightened she was. Wondering if I would come to help her, as I had promised, or would I end up ignoring her like Lord Smoke had done so many years ago. I wouldn't know what was waiting for me on the other side, I couldn't let any pony follow me, and put them in danger. This was something I needed to do, something I had promised to do.

"I am the King." I whispered to myself.

My flames plumed under the rubble, grinding my teeth, eyes shut tight, forcing myself to move. Crawling through the stones of my home, choking on my empire of dirt, I dug myself towards the light.

Pressing my hoof against the light, the rocks began to shift, cascading away from me drawing more rocks and dirt from above with it. Almost like water the dirt rolled over my head, suffocating my flames, my fire starting to rise within me attempting to escape. Pressing my wings against the rocks around me, I pulled myself up out of the rubble, feeling the dirt stream off of me; wings beating hard trying to fan the dirt from me. As soon as I felt my flames ignite, the ground beneath me began to spin, I was running towards the light, the sun that beamed down on me.

Turning its head towards the only thing moving in the fields, the Great Dragon Char locked its eyes on the lone Flame Pony racing away from the castle. Turning itself towards the fields, Char roared shaking what few bricks still clung to the west wall of the castle to the ground, before slithering its way after the small Flame Pony.

On the eastern side of the fields, Sapphire, Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Applejack were sprinting opposite the dragon, attempting to reach the Obelisks' first, but keep a large distance from them and the dragon.

"There's Matchstick!" Rainbow Dash shouted out, pointing to the small flame running up the fields.

Sapphire raced harder, cursing her fractured wing, begging for a miracle to keep Smolder away from the Obelisks'. She could see Smolder in the distance, the dragon no more then a couple hundred meters away, coming to a halt in the middle of the fields. Positioned between the two Obelisks', the dragon coming dangerously close to reaching him, and it caused Sapphire to cut inwards and sprint head long towards the Obelisks' risking being noticed by the Great Dragon Char.

The Obelisks' markings began to pulse neon green. My flames seemed to pulse along with it. This seemed familiar to me, as it was from the visions I had of Lord Smoke having opened and closed it. I mimicked Lord Smoke's gesture, spreading out my wings hoping that it would result in something.

My fire was suddenly being pulled from my wings, the obelisks feeding off my flame, causing them to shine dimly. My muscles tightened after feeling the sensation of hundreds of needles being jabbed into me, I could sense that I was going to need more fire to activate them in time. The lumbering stomps of the Great Dragon Char were nearing. I began to dig deep for my flames, letting go of all my restraints, allowing myself to relive every happy moment, every painful memory, facing every hope and desire I knew would end here and now if I failed to do this.

The Obelisks' released a powerful dark green pulse that leveled the upturned earth around the area, and impacting the Great Dragon Char hard enough to stop its approach. I collapsed to the ground. A small flicker of my flames remained, breathing heavily, closing my eyes, feeling my heart beating a hundred times a minute.

A large crack boomed across the fields, a single black orb appeared high above the space between the two Obelisks', the air around it shaking at its presence. The orb had caught the dragon's eye, watching it carefully with new found interest. The orb began to stretch itself vertically, a black line drawing itself in the air while Char roared at it in confusion. For a moment, the black line hung in the air, drawing complete silence. Like a crack of thunder the line jutted open in an instant, creating a massive black portal hovering within the fields; touching the ground and reaching far above Castle Char ever stood. The light from Equestria shown into the portal, revealing a decrepit castle perched precariously upon a jutted cliff; everything else was blanketed in black sand.

The Elder Dragon positioned itself, lowering its body, ready to pounce at whatever loomed within. Roaring its challenge, wings raised ready to defend, spitting flames to taunt its unseen opponent. Something massive stirred in the darkness, with Char's eyes scanning the blackness attempting to lock eyes with something.

A black mist started to billow from the edges of the portal, causing Char to shift uncomfortably in place, roaring at the portal in frustration. The scales upon Char's stomach started to glow, fire beginning to build within its belly; preparing to illuminate the dark world. From the darkness a massive storm of black clouds reached out through the portal grasping the Great Dragon Char like a hand clutching a toy. Char struggled against the blackened clouds, shrieking in terror, attempting to free itself. A breath of fire from the Great Dragon Char disappeared within the clouds, seeming to have absorbed it before forcefully dragging Char back towards the portal.

I opened my eyes. The storm raging above me, struggling with Great Dragon Char, feeling the ground quake from the dragon's thrashing. I could do little more than lift myself up at this point, my flames so low that I was sure a strong breeze would extinguish them.

The storm raged overheard, mixed with the frightened cries of the dragon, nearly having pulled it to the entrance of the portal. Char's claws struck the ground beside me, forcing me to slide a few feet closer to the portal, shielding myself with one arm trying to drag myself out of the way of its thrashing. Glancing through the portal I noticed two dim yellow glowing eyes staring back at me through the darkness.

"Mira?" I asked, trying to adjust my eyes to the darkness.

"Smolder! Get out of there!" Sapphire shouted.

I looked away from the Void, seeing Sapphire several yards away, racing towards me with Twilight and the rest; about to brave the wild thrashings of the Great Dragon Char. A swipe of Char's tail struck the ground in front of Twilight and the others, stopping them short, shielding themselves from the explosion of dirt that flew from it. Sapphire was far enough in front for the tail to have struck behind her, nearly knocking her off her stride but refusing to stumble while she raced towards me. My eyes met Sapphire's; her face was full of fright and worry.

"You are the stupidest, most unreasonable, infuriating, half-witted, thick-headed, misguided…" Sapphire did not stop mumbling all the things she believed me to be; none of them good.

Helping me to my hooves once more, Sapphire attempted to drape my arm over her shoulder again but I pulled away; staggering back a few paces. Sapphire took hold of my arm, stopping me from backing up into the Void.

"We have to get out of here!" Sapphire shouted, pulling on my arm, but I refused to budge.

Sapphire stared at me, insisting that I move from the spot by tugging on my arm. I could see how worried she was for me. Clutching my chest piece, I pulled off the metal seal Wingston and the others had given me the night of my Coronation. I took hold of her arm, placing the seal in her hoof; smiling weakly at her.

"Smolder what is-"

I leaned forward, giving her the best hug I could muster, although I felt I was merely leaning up against her for support. The black clouds of the storm started to overtake the Great Dragon Char completely. Its shrieks were soon muffled as the clouds ripped Char off its claws and pulled it closer to the portal.

"Smolder?" Sapphire asked sounding confused.

"I have to keep my promises." I whispered to her; before stepping back.

The Obelisks' flickered for a moment, the edges of the portal wavering. There came a sudden crack of thunder from the storm, millions of terrified cries started to leach from the black clouds. Within the storm clouds the darkness twisted, snapping the bones of Char's legs causing the Great Dragon Char to shriek its last cry before being dragged into the darkness beyond the portal. Sapphire took a step towards me, while I mirrored it with a step back. It was obvious to her what I intended to do.

"Smolder." Sapphire said pleadingly.

The Obelisks' power faded. No longer pulsing its neon green, causing the portal to close inwards, like invisible curtains being draw over it. I stepped back a few more steps, crossing the wavering threshold of the portal; smiling at Sapphire all the while. Over my shoulder, Sapphire caught a glimpse of the two dim yellow eyes watching us from within the darkness.

"I'm leaving the rest to you and the others." I mumbled.

Sapphire watched the edges of the portal close between her and Smolder. A black line drawing itself up above the fields before once more creating the small black orb that faded from sight. Looking down at her hoof, Sapphire gazed at the metal seal in her hoof, watching the it slowly forming frost. Princess Celestia, Lord Tundra, Lady Frost, Princess Cadance and Discord touched down near the other ponies, as Twilight and her friends began to explain what had transpired. Clutching the metal seal tightly in her hoof, a few small snowflakes fell from her eyes.

"Stupid Flame Pony." Sapphire whispered.

Chapter 45: Something To Believe In

In the days that followed Smolder's disappearance, the Ashen Fields were slowly recovering from the battle that had taken place. With Castle Char having been thoroughly decimated from the Great Dragon Char's rampage, it seemed easier to knock down further walls and simply rebuild parts of the castle from the ground up.

The fields themselves were broken open. Ground turned asunder, parts simply glassed over by the dragon's fire. Standing tall in the center of the fields was the two Obelisks' that had saved the Kingdom from the wrath of the Elder Dragon, but had taken their King in the process. Canterlot and the Crystal Empire lent their support in the reconstruction of the Ashen Fields, while the rulers of Equestria had been informed and summoned to discuss the future of the Flame Ponies.

"Attention!" Solar shouted to the battalion of Flame Ponies stationed just outside the Main Entrance of Castle Char.

All in attendance were Royal Guard and Soldier Flame Ponies that had the strength to attend. Although, even some of the injured ponies, still turned up, by the droves to welcome back General Hearth who had finally been cleared by the doctor ponies as being fully recovered; having just been released early this morning.

Stepping out from the entrance of Castle Char, having witnessed all the destruction that had taken place, all of his soldiers that had faced an unspeakable evil, General Hearth couldn't help but be moved by their actions. With his armor rent from the fight with the Orc, General Hearth was out of his uniform, looking much like a civilian pony.

"Troops are ready for inspection, sir!" Solar announced aloud.

General Hearth choked a laugh. Pushing down his feelings, he approached the ranks, unable to keep his smile hidden as he walked down the line. Seeing bruises, scars, casts, and other assortments of injuries, General Hearth whispered those he passed a 'thank you' for their part in the fight.

Stopping short, General Hearth's eyes landed on none other than his granddaughter standing where he normally stood to address his troops. Wearing his helmet, General Hearth stared in disbelief at what he was seeing.

"General Hearth, sir, in light of your absence I was given the opportunity to lead your troops into battle on your behalf." Ray said in a very formal and professional tone. "With your return I relinquish my temporary position, and stand relieved of my duties."

Watching Ray remove his helmet, she held it out to him. The Soldier Ponies all stomped their hooves in unison, chanting 'Ray' several times over in a show of respect to her temporary roll as their General.

Staring down at his helmet, General Hearth lifted his hooves, carefully taking it from her. Ray stepped back, throwing a quick salute as every Soldier Pony stomped their hooves once more to welcome him back, chanting his name.

Stepping towards Ray, General Hearth lifted his helmet and placed it back onto Ray's head; much to her shock and surprise. Letting his hooves slide down the sides of the helmet onto Ray's shoulders, General Hearth smiled at her, short of breath, feeling his emotions boil over.

"It's yours now, General." Hearth said, leaning in to hug her.

Ray hugged her grandfather tightly, unable to speak, overcome with emotion while the Royal Guards and Soldier Ponies began cheering and stomping at the sight. Ray's name was once more being chanted, intermixed with the applause and cheers of every of every pony.

"I'll make you proud, granddad." Ray whispered to him.

"You already have." Hearth replied.

Within the Throne Room of Castle Char, Princess Celestia gathered Duke Wellington, Princess Sheva, Prince Rutherford, Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, Princess Luna, Lord Tundra, Lady Frost, and Princess Sapphire to decide on how the Ashen Fields would carry on. Silence dictated the room, Princess Celestia found it difficult to put into words the loss of Smolder, but the solemn looks every pony wore it was clear that words weren't necessary. Even Duke Wellington, the stubborn old mule, looked dismayed.

"Damn…" Duke Wellington muttered miserably. "Damn stupid foolish Flame Pony pride."

"Yaks miss the Flame King too." Prince Rutherford in a sorrowful tone.

"I-I didn't say I missed the kid. I just said he was a damn fool." Duke replied, refusing to look any pony in the eye.

"We shall all grieve in our own way, but let us finish what we came here to do today." Princess Sheva said comfortingly.

"About how we're going to replace him?" Duke asked accusingly. "Because that's why we're here, instead of trying to figure out a way to get his blasted flank out of there. Can't we open the portal again?"

"The Obelisks' only respond to the flames of the King. It will not open for any pony else." Lord Tundra remarked.

Princess Celestia placed her hoof upon the Duke's shoulder; the Duke took one look at her before folding his arms in a huff and shutting himself up. It wasn't easy for any pony to talk about, especially for Princess Cadance who periodically hid behind Shining Armor's shoulder to cry for minutes at a time before trying to compose herself again.

"With Smolder's…" Princess Celestia paused, choosing her next word carefully. "… absence, we will need to appoint a Steward for the Kingdom of Flame Ponies."

Every pony nodded in agreement, all except for Duke who refused to acknowledge it. Princess Celestia continued on regardless.

"The obvious choice would be Wingston, although I fear that these recent events may be too much for him to handle." Princess Celestia explained.

"How have the ponies recovered from their fight? Many had feared they would not last the night." Princess Sheva asked curiously.

"The Savannah Sun proved to be a lifesaver, not only for those attacked by the Orc, but for several other critically injured Flame Ponies during the fight." Lady Frost answered.

"So what was the final tally for casualties?" Duke asked, almost not wanting to hear the answer.

"Four hundred and twenty-three Flame Ponies." Shining Armor reported.

"How many did you lose?" Duke asked again.

Shining Armor quickly glanced to around the room, noticing the worried and almost braced looks every pony had waiting to hear the news. Shining Armor cleared his throat.

"None." Shining Armor replied.

The Duke perked up his seat, Princess Sheva's eyes widened in surprise, much was the reaction of every other pony. Even Princess Celestia looked quiet bewildered by it.

"Say what you will about Flame Pony pride but as of this morning, even the most critically conditioned ponies are showing signs of improvement. Hundreds of years of dealing with spiders have given the Flame Ponies a stronger tolerance to poison, and those caught the dragons rampage were given Savannah Sun to keep them stable." Shining Armor explained, almost too happy to report. "Some will have some hard times ahead, but every pony lives."

There was almost an immediate lift in every pony's spirit from this news. So much so that Prince Rutherford stomped his hooves in celebration. Princess Celestia sighed in great relief at this news.

"Too stubborn to give up; I'm too old for this." Duke mumbled, noticeable relief coming off his voice.

"In any case, we need to appoint a new Steward to the Kingdom of Flame Ponies. The floor is open to suggestions." Princess Celestia stated, looking to every pony.

With the mood somewhat lightened it was Princess Cadance that spoke up first.

"General Hearth would be a suitable candidate." Princess Cadance suggested.

"The Flame Ponies already hold him in such high respects, if any pony is to replace Smolder, it would be him." Princess Luna added.

"Hearth is old, he can get Flame Ponies back on their hooves but he doesn't have direction to go. We need a pony that's younger, capable of adapting, with good a head on their shoulders, and a knack for politics." Duke remarked.

Lady Frost turned to Sapphire, who was seated between her and Lord Tundra, watching her eye the metal seal Smolder had left for her. Placing her hoof gently on her back, Lady Frost tried to draw her attention from it.

"Sweetheart, how would you feel taking over for Smolder, and ruling in his stead?" Lady Frost asked gently.

Sapphire was roughly the same age as Smolder, although her training would make her a perfect candidate for taking on the responsibilities of a ruler. Having fought side by side with the Flame Ponies during the battle, it would be hard to find any pony not supportive of Sapphire taking over. Although, Sapphire simply shook her head no, looking very vulnerable at the moment. It was clear to every pony that some sort of relationship had formed between the two, and it was still weighing heavily on Sapphire.

"What do you have there, Princess?" Duke asked, referring to the metal coin in Sapphire's hoof.

"Smolder gave it to me." Sapphire said quietly. "Right before he walked into the Void."

The Duke shifted uncomfortably, not realizing the value it held to her.

"Excuse me." Sapphire mumbled, getting to her hooves and heading towards the corridor.

"I should go speak with her." Princess Cadance suggested, getting to her hooves.

"Let her be." Lord Tundra remarked, placing his hoof on Cadance's shoulder. "She'll come to us when she's ready."

"Sapphire always had trouble making friends, such a strong personality; it intimidated a lot of ponies her own age. It's just a shame she found one in Smolder so soon to have it end so quickly." Lady Frost said sadly.

Clearing his throat, the Duke turned the focus away from Sapphire and brought up General Hearth once more.

"The Ashen Fields are in need of repair, a strong foundation, so that it can move forward in time. So for the time being, General Hearth will be our best bet until such a time where we can get his own input on who should succeed him as Steward." Duke explained.

"Agreed." Lord Tundra replied.

Princess Celestia could see several nods of agreement from every other pony at the idea. With a nod herself, Princess Celestia opened her mouth to speak when an explosion of noise filled the Throne Room.

Drilling, jackhammering, buzz saws, hammering, boards of wood being clunked together, and metal rods rang out through the room. Discord suddenly appeared in a construction workers vest and hard hat. With a false mustache and a coffee in his paw, dozens of other Discords were near the ceiling repairing some of the damages. Princess Celestia pursed her lips at the noise and the sight of Discord, knowing that his appearance was intentional.

"Discord!" Princess Celestia shouted over the noise.

Discord raised his claw, silencing the noise in an instant; all the other Discords froze in place waiting for the signal to start again. Turning around, Discord waltzed his way over to Princess Celestia, sipping on his coffee, looking rather uninterested. Leaning against her mane, Discord conjured a clipboard out of thin air, into his claw and started to turn pages with his magic.

"It says here that the meeting was supposed to be wrapped up over twenty minutes ago." Discord said, holding the clipboard in front of her.

"We're running late." Princess Celestia said reading the clipboard.

"Sorry, Princess, I got a schedule to keep." Discord remarked tipping his hard hat to her; the noise starting back up again.

"We're nearly finished!" Princess Celestia shouted over the noise once more.

"Alright fellas, take five." Discord said as the copies of himself disappeared.

With his construction vest and hard hat disappearing, Discord slithered his way beside Celestia, leaning against her shoulder and making himself comfortable.

"I suppose I can just stick around until the meeting is concluded." Discord remarked, polishing his claws.

"Then let's be over with it quickly, it gives me the creeps." The Duke said looking awkwardly at it.

"Yaks agree!" Prince Rutherford declared, sticking out its tongue.

"I'll have you know I helped fight in the battle, went southpaw on the dragon and knocked it out in the first round." Discord remarked throwing a couple of shadow punches. "Isn't that right, Celestia?"

"Yes." Princess Celestia remarked, rolling her eyes.

"How are the repairs coming along, Discord?" Princess Luna asked curiously.

"I've cleared most of the debris from the castle, but that little Roman pony refuses to let me work any of my ideas into the new designs of the castle." Discord replied, looking rather hurt. "I've also replaced the Western Mountain Range; it took several hours and a lot of glue; if any pony cares to know."

"Your help is greatly appreciated, Discord." Princess Celestia said sincerely.

"If you really wanted to help, you could use that magic of yours and bring that kid back here." The Duke remarked.

Discord disappeared and reappeared next to the Duke, leaning on his head with his elbow.

"Believe me, if I could bring back our little Flame Pony I would. Unfortunately, the Void is shrouded in Black Magic, which makes it nearly impossible for me to see anything I'm doing." Discord replied pretending to be blind as his eyes turned grey and stumbling into Princess Celestia as he attempted to walk.

"Could you simply not travel into the Void, and return with Smolder?" Princess Cadance asked hopefully.

"Sadly, I cannot. The amount of concentrated Black Magic in the Void creates a sort of barrier that can only be opened by the Elements of Harmony, or something from the Void itself. Much like those pillars out there." Discord explained, looking sincerely sorry for his inability to ease their grief.

"So there is nothing to be done?" Lady Frost asked sadly.

"What you ponies saw coming from the Void isn't anything we want reaching back into Equestria. Something like that feeds relentlessly on life, and if it was to escape from the Void, in some half-baked rescue attempt for our little Flame Pony. I can promise you that we would be incapable of stopping it." Discord said in a very serious tone.

Every pony looked very solemn by this news. It wasn't Discord's style to give straight answers, but it seemed that he wasn't in a joking mood.

"With the repairs underway," Princess Celestia spoke up, deciding to end things here. "Canterlot and the Crystal Empire will lend whatever support needed to see the Ashen Fields back on its way to being self-sustaining once again. Any further contributions from other kingdoms will be greatly appreciated."

With nods from every pony, the meeting had concluded and almost immediately Discord's noise and repairs were underway.

The Royal Families exited through the corridor, entering the very spacious Main Hall that was deprived of it ceiling and west wall. Although, many Flame Ponies hustling about with repairs did not seem as distraught or disheartened about the loss of their King.

"If every pony would excuse me, I wish to speak to Wingston about what we have discussed during our meeting." Princess Celestia said to every pony.

"Tundra and I will be heading back the Frozen North to recruit some willing Ice Ponies to come and help with repairs here." Lady Frost informed her.

"Until our next meeting." Princess Celestia said, embracing Lady Frost and receiving a bow from Lord Tundra.

"We'll be back in a day or two, hopefully by then Sapphire will be in a mood to talk." Lord Tundra said, looking towards a secluded Sapphire who sat at the bottom of the staircase.

Lord Tundra and Lady Frost leaped into the air, soaring up out of the open roof of Castle Char and headed north back home. Princess Sheva had elected to visit the wounded Flame Ponies in the Narrows to see if any more care could be administered. Prince Rutherford decided to go along to sing several of his native Yak songs to raise the spirits of the wounded. Shining Armor had to stifle a laugh while Princess Cadance hissed at him not to poke fun.

Princess Celestia bid the others goodbye before climbing the stairs to the Royal Bedroom where Wingston was known to be residing in the last few days. Shining Armor and Princess Cadance decided to visit Burning Sand in his home and see how his recovery was going; Princess Cadance had taken the liberty of bringing him a prism from the Crystal Empire as a present. Princess Luna and the Duke decided to see Roman and get an idea of what sort of plans he had for the renovations to the castle.

Meanwhile, Sapphire sat at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the metal seal in her hoof, tracing the markings etched into metal with her free hoof.

"Oh crop!" A voice said in distress.

Sapphire perked up to see and hear the small Flame Pony Stitch tumble down the stairs with a stone box of sewing supplies tumbling after her. Quickly getting to her hooves, Sapphire magically stopped the Flame Pony short of falling further and put her back on her hooves before questioning her.

"Are you alright?" Sapphire asked, looking her over, tracing her hoof along Stitch's face.

"You're Princess Sapphire!" Stitch exclaimed in excitement.

"I am, and who might you be?" Princess Sapphire asked curiously, forcing a smile.

"I'm me. I mean sew. I mean Stitch. I'm Stitch, and I sew." Stitch said, obviously awestruck by her.

"You're one of the Flame Ponies that have decided to become a seamstress." Sapphire remarked, assisting her by magically putting all her supplies back in the box.

"Yes, your highness, I was just measuring Wingston's cloak. Rarity wants to make him one that would fit him better." Stitch replied, simply enthralled by her icy mane.

Magically holding out the box to her, Stitch took it from her and stared wide eyed; smiling all the while.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Sapphire said solemnly.

"No, I think you got everything." Stitch replied, shaking the box.

"No, I meant for the pony you lost." Sapphire explained.

"But my Mom is at home." Stitch remarked looking confused.

"No, I meant for-"

"Rarity!" Stitch shouted in surprise, looking past Sapphire.

Sapphire turned around to see Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie strolling up to them. They all looked just as solemn as Sapphire did concerning the loss of Smolder, although Stitch didn't seem to pick up on it.

"Hello, every pony." Sapphire said, trying to sound cheerful.

"Hi." Every pony replied back in a similar tone.

"Jeez, who died?" Stitch asked sarcastically.

"Stitch! How could you say such a thing? After what happened?" Rarity asked, looking appalled.

"What? What happened?" Stitch asked suddenly feeling like she was going to be in trouble.

"Smolder is gone, Stitch, he isn't coming back." Twilight said sadly.

Every pony shifted uncomfortably at these words, until Stitch let out a sudden raspberry that broke the silence. She looked more annoyed by the way every pony was carrying on about it.

"Smolder's coming back." Stitch said reassuringly.

"No… no he's not dear." Rarity said, trying to break the reality of the situation to her.

"Of course he's coming back." Stitch insisted.

"He's trapped in the Void, Stitch, he can't come back." Twilight remarked, starting to sound skeptical.

Stitch turned around, scanning the area for a Flame Pony she recognized. Spying Wisp Seeker, lugging a rather large block of stone across the Main Hall, she called out to him.

"Hey Wisp! I got the King coming back in a month! What did you put down?" Stitch shouted to him, much to the surprise of Twilight and the others.

"A month? You're thinking to small kid, I've got the King coming back in three!" Wisp shouted back, not at all worried.

"I have him for two weeks!" Shouted another Flame Pony.

"Two months! A week! Six days!" Several other ponies shouted to one another, smiles on all their faces.

Sapphire looked completely at a loss for every Flame Ponies reaction to Smolder's disappearance, as did Twilight and the others. Turning to Stitch, Sapphire put her hooves on her shoulders looking very intensely at her.

"How do you know Smolder is coming back?" Sapphire questioned her.

"It's because when Smolder left the first time, no pony believed that he would come back." Alex Papyrus spoke up, having overhead the bets being called out. "When he did, he brought you ponies and saved us from the Mad King."

"Then he brought you ponies back and you saved us from the Orc, the spiders, and the dragon." Stitch added.

"Smolder trusted us to rebuild what we had lost, trusted you ponies to help us succeed. You and Smolder helped us to believe ourselves again. That's why we're choosing to believe that Smolder is coming back." Alex explained.

"But Alex, the Void is… Smolder can't just…" Twilight began, not seeing any possible way of making that happen.

"Every pony knows that no pony can escape the Void, but the Mad King found a way to do it. I think that every pony here would dare to believe that Smolder is looking for a way to get back home, because Smolder would never stop trying and neither shall we." Alex explained confidently.

Twilight couldn't help but smile. Rarity started to get a bit emotional as every pony else genuinely smiled at his words. Having realized that every Flame Pony was ready to believe in the impossible, that their King would be looking for a way back to them, and that they would be here waiting for him.

"Why?" Sapphire asked aloud looking at the metal seal in her hoof.

Her breathing was irregular, it was clear that she was excited about the metal seal, but couldn't quite figure out why.

"Smolder took the time to give this to me. He said he had to keep his promises, but how could he do that if he was going to be stuck in the Void? His fire is the only thing that can open the portal. He wouldn't have done it without a reason, if he was he's planning on coming back then why would he leave the Kingdom for us to take care of? He must have had days to think about it, he was always talking to that mirror, having visions about the past, so why would he leave and give me this? " Sapphire asked very loudly and quickly, every pony looking strangely at her.

Sapphire's eyes suddenly turned white. A pale blue glow of her magic pulsed from her horn as the seal in her hoof resonated with it.

Almost every pony had seen something similar to this before, but with Smolder whenever he came into certain objects that awakened his dormant magic. Twilight carefully approached her, unsure if she was going to collapse like Smolder did. Without warning, Sapphire's eyes suddenly reappeared, taking a large gasp and staggering back into Twilight's awaiting arms, and Sapphire stared intensely at the metal seal. Unable to contain herself, Sapphire started to gasp in disbelief at the metal seal in her hoof, a smile so wide it was almost crazed.

"I can't believe it! He's very good!" Sapphire shouted, so excited that her hoof shook uncontrollably.

"What? What is it? What did he do?" Rainbow Dash asked, not wanting to be kept in suspense.

"We're going to save him!" Sapphire exclaimed in delight.

Sapphire bolted from the spot, heading towards the Main Entrance of Castle Char, unable to keep her excitement contained, nearly leaping after every stride. Twilight and the other ponies had no hope of catching her, other than Rainbow Dash, as Twilight called out to her.

"What are we supposed to do?" Twilight asked, still at a lost.

"Head to the Frozen North! I will meet you there!" Sapphire shouted, sliding to a stop near the Main Entrance to call back to them.

"Where the hay are you going?" Applejack called out to her.

"I'm going to get Herbal Tea!" Sapphire shouted back, disappearing around the threshold of the door.

"She's going to get a drink?" Fluttershy asked sounding very confused.

"Pardon! Tea Herbal!" Sapphire shouted once more, reappearing in the doorway.

"Why would Sapphire be going to get Tea?" Twilight asked sounding confused.

"Perhaps she just wants to reassure her that Smolder is coming back?" Pinkie Pie offered.

"But how? The Portal won't open without Smolder's fire." Applejack asked.

There was a short pause from every pony. Rarity was first to light up having remembered something very crucial, unable to speak the words. She merely waved her arms at Twilight who suddenly realized what she was trying to say. Fluttershy was next to understand, then Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, causing them all to cheer in joyous celebration; leaving both Stitch and Alex clueless for once.

"Did we miss something?" Alex asked curiously.

"Tea has a lantern with Smolder's fire!" Twilight exclaimed.

Princess Celestia slowly opened the door to the Royal Chambers. Letting herself in, she could see Wingston sitting next to a neat stack of the once discarded pages of the Queen's journal and letters, while the Obsidian Crown resting on the opposite side. The ruins of the dresser, the scorch marks battle littered the room, as well as the hole in the wall offered the room a greater amount of light and breeze. Princess Celestia noticed Wingston running his longer fingers across a solid metal staff. The head was circular, consisting of smaller circles that spun in in different directions, while the staff itself was shaped like a thin root; once more it was twice Wingston's size.

"May I speak with you, Wingston?" Princess Celestia asked courteously.

"Always, my Lady." Wingston replied.

"I'm very sorry for your loss." Princess Celestia began sounding very solemn.

"You don't know what you have until it's gone." Wingston remarked with a sigh.

"There are no words to describe my sorrows for you." Princess Celestia said somberly.

"Queen Sunbeam had given it to me and now it's broken beyond repair." Wingston muttered.

"I can only imagine how hard this must be for- wait what? Broken?" Princess Celestia asked, looking very confused.

"My staff, the Orc broke it with its stupid mace. Smolder had a new one made for me, and I quite like it." Wingston remarked, waving his staff towards her.

"You were speaking of your staff?" Princess Celestia asked in disbelief.

"Of course. What were you referring to?" Wingston asked curiously.

"Smolder!" Princess Celestia snapped.

Clearing her throat, recomposing herself, she tried to match her tone to the seriousness of the issue.

"I came here to express my condolences." Princess Celestia informed him.

"That's very kind of you, my Lady, but Smolder will be coming home; in time." Wingston said, sounding very self-assured.

"How… how do you know?" Princess Celestia asked looking very surprised.

Wingston got to his claws, balancing on his new staff. He turned to Princess Celestia, holding a small rock slate in his fingertips. Taking a few steps towards her, he offered it to her, taking it with her magic while Princess Celestia read the inscription.

I'll be home soon, Dad.

"There are many things I've taught Smolder over the years, but what was inherently his was that need to help any pony; no matter what." Wingston said sounding very calm. "I'm very proud of him for that. Very proud."

Princess Celestia smiled very warmly at Wingston. Returning to his spot, Wingston seated himself once more, staring out through the hole in the wall. Sitting down beside him, looking out, Princess Celestia could see the two Obelisks' standing in the distance.

"Will you continue your tenure as Steward of the Ashen Fields then?" Princess Celestia asked after a while.

"I will be here for the Ashen Fields, until the day comes when my son returns, and then I'll be there for him." Wingston replied softly.

I felt my eyes flutter open. I saw nothing but darkness. I felt a hand gently touch my face. Two yellow eyes knelt down next to me. I could a see smile. The green markings softly glowing on her arms. Her hand gently stroking my face. My eyes began to adjust to the dark; I could see the outline of the castle in the distance, the storm billowing around it.

"Welcome to the Kingdom of Naught." Mira said to me.

*The End*

Chapter 1: Smoldering Point

Private Nightshade stood at the left of the Canterlot's Royal Throne Room door, while Private First Class Cosmic stood to its right. These two Soldier Ponies had been scheduled for Throne Room guard duty for the last three weeks; needless to say it was rather boring. Each held a spear in one hoof and a shield in the other. Their vision focused on a single point in some far off distance that no pony but them could see. The quiet echoes of wind seemed to blow by as neither seemed to move a muscle.

"Yeah, this isn't going to work out." Cosmic muttered dropping the spear to the ground and tossing the shield aside with a thud.

"I'll inform Pony Resources that having a shield and spear does not make the job any cooler." Nightshade sighed also tossing his shield and spear.

"Having to stand guard in front of a door all day is completely bogus." Cosmic muttered stretching his stiff legs.

"Princess Celestia isn't even in there, why are we guarding an empty room for anyways?" Nightshade piled on; rolling his stiff shoulders.

"Instead of giving us some spears and shields, why not a checkerboard or a book to read?" Cosmic asked curiously.

"P.R. says it will distract us from the job." Nightshade explained.

"Like any pony would try to sneak into the Throne Room through these big doors. We've stood here for nearly three weeks and not one pony has so much as asked for directions." Cosmic commented.

"It would be easier putting up some statues of guards just to give the illusion its being watched." Nightshade stated.

"Now there's an idea! We'll bring it up at the next briefing. I'm sure Peanut will back us up on it." Cosmic said, liking the idea.

"Is this the Throne Room?" A voice asked aloud.

Nightshade and Cosmic jumped at the sound of the voice.

"Grab your shield Cosmic! I've got the spear!" Nightshade shouted, hurrying to take up arms once again.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Cosmic demanded, holding out the shield, instead of the spear, to the stranger pony.

"I'm here to deliver a letter." The pony replied.

Cosmic and Nightshade was surprised to see that it was a Flame pony that stood before them; well a ways from them as to not burn the carpet. The Flame Pony was of the grayish variety, his flames bordered on gold, his wings were tucked in close to his sides and his cutie mark was that of a Golden Hat with wings sprouting from it. With him he carried a stone box that hung from his neck by a blackened metal chain. He looked rather nervous to be there.

"You're a Mail Pony then?" Cosmic asked curiously.

"I believe so, sir. This is my first day and my first delivery. Trying not to muck it up on the first go, if you follow me." The Flame Pony said nodding his head.

"I didn't know Flame Ponies had Mail Ponies, they must really be getting on over there." Nightshade said looking surprised.

"Like I said, sir, this is my first day and my first delivery. I have the one letter to deliver and then I'm off the clock." The Flame Pony reiterated.

"Alright, let's have it then." Cosmic said holding out his hoof.

"Sorry sir, I was asked to personally see it delivered to its intended recipient. No go between. If you follow me." The Flame Pony said apologetically, covering the stone box with his hoof.

"Who is it for?" Nightshade asked curiously.

"It would be for the Princess, sir, Princess Celestia, sir." The Flame Pony answered.

"Who's it from?" Cosmic asked curiously.

"I'm not sure sir; I'm just here to deliver it. If I had to guess, it would be from the Royal Adviser, not that it's any of my business to know." The Flame Pony replied.

"Alright then, just stay here with Private Nightshade. I'll go see if I can locate the Princess for you and see if she can come to retrieve her letter." Cosmic said pointing to Nightshade.

"Will do sir, thanks for all your help." The Flame Pony said, grateful for his help.

Cosmic trotted off down the corridor, in the hopes of finding Princess Celestia, wherever she may be, while leaving Nightshade to watch the Flame Pony. The Flame Pony seemed rather taken by the colors and brightness of the castle, taking extra special care to keep himself far away from anything that looked flammable.

"So you came all the way from the Ashen Fields, right?" Nightshade asked.

"That's right, sir." The Flame Pony answered promptly.

"How are things over there?" Nightshade asked.

"Sir?" The Flame Pony asked looking unsure.

"In the Ashen Fields. How is every Flame Pony doing? It's been like three months since the defeat of the Mad King." Nightshade asked again.

"I can't speak for every Flame Pony sir, but King Smolder assures us that our hard work will pay off in time. Every pony is pitching in, rebuilding, and getting used to the idea of being a part of something again." The Flame Pony replied honestly.

"Have you spoken with Smolder?" Nightshade asked, sounding a bit hopeful.

"The King? Oh, no sir. Well, quite briefly. We shared only a few words. The King has become a very busy pony these days. There is always something that needs his attention." The Flame Pony informed him.

Cosmic reappeared from around the corner of the corridor, clearing his throat to draw their attention.

"Here he is, my Ladies." Cosmic announced striding up to them.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna strode up from around the corner. Needless to say, they were looking quite surprised to see a Flame Pony before them.

"It's not every day that we have a Flame Pony in Canterlot." Princess Celestia said amusingly.

"Especially one that is a Mail Pony." Princess Luna added.

The Flame Pony lowered his head to the Princesses in respect, as did Nightshade and Cosmic.

"Princess Celestia, I was told to personally give you this letter. It was noted to be a great importance." The Flame Pony said pulling the blackened chain over his head and placing the stone box in front of her.

"Thank you, Mister?" Princess Celestia asked looking for a name.

"Moist Lipwig, your Majesty." The Flame Pony stated.

"That's a funny name." Nightshade whispered to Cosmic who chuckled under his breath.

Princess Celestia opened the stone box with the use of her magic. Inside sat an envelope that bore her name and was sealed with candle wax. With her magic Princess Celestia opened the letter and read it with Princess Luna casually leaning in to read over her shoulder. A look of worry came over Princess Celestia's face, folding up the letter with her magic before having it magically poof away.

"Mr. Lipwig, I ask that you return to the Ashen Fields and inform Wingston that I will attend to this matter immediately." Princess Celestia stated.

"The Royal Advisor? Of-of course, your majesty." Lipwig stammered looking very surprised.

Bowing his head a few times Lipwig ran off down the hallway, keeping close to the wall to avoid stepping on the carpet, to deliver her message back in the Ashen Fields.

"Is everything alright, sister?" Princess Luna asked sounding concerned.

"I'm afraid not." Princess Celestia said looking rather worried.

Nightshade and Cosmic glanced at one another, wondering if it had something to do with Smolder.

"Private Nightshade, Private First Class Cosmic." Princess Celestia said aloud.

"Yes, my Lady!" Nightshade and Cosmic said together saluting.

"Please take a chariot and fly down to Ponyville and escort Twilight Sparkle back here as soon as possible." Princess Celestia commanded.

"Yes, my Lady!" Nightshade and Cosmic said together throwing their salutes and went racing off to carry out her order.

"What did the letter say, sister?" Princess Luna asked curiously.

"That Smolder is being an even bigger dork then I gave him credit for." Princess Celestia replied; looking a bit annoyed.

Twilight Sparkle and Spike were being led through the halls of Canterlot by Nightshade and Cosmic just a few hours after the Mail Pony from the Ashen Fields had arrived. Nightshade had informed the little dragon that only Twilight's presence was necessary but wouldn't let go of Twilight's leg so they had to take him along as well.

"So do either of you ponies know what this is about?" Twilight asked curiously.

"A Mail Pony from the Ashen Fields came to deliver a letter to Princess Celestia personally." Nightshade replied.

"Shades! You can't just go telling other ponies top secret information like that!" Cosmic scolded him.

"Getting mail is top secret information?" Nightshade asked looking bewildered at the thought.

"Who knows? That's why it's top secret!" Cosmic replied.

"That doesn't make a salt lick of sense! How can something be top secret if we don't know it's a secret?" Nightshade asked looking confused.

"Exactly! That's why I'm a Private First Class and you're just a Private. I've got inside knowledge on things you couldn't even dream of." Cosmic said proudly.

"Like what?" Nightshade asked, not believing a word of it.

"Like where Peanut hides his apple turnovers in the break room." Cosmic stated in a matter of fact tone.

"You know where he keeps them?" Nightshade asked sounding surprised.

"Sorry Private, I've already said too much." Cosmic replied, refusing to go into detail.

"Uh, guys?" Twilight spoke up looking a little left out.

"Oh, sorry Ms. Sparkle." Cosmic said looking sheepish.

"Princess Celestia didn't say what she needed you for, but it was urgent that we get you here as soon as possible." Nightshade explained.

Nightshade and Cosmic led her up to the Throne Room doors but stopped short to face her.

"Ms. Sparkle, if it turns out that letter has something to do with our friend Smolder…" Nightshade began.

"Would you be willing to let us know if he's alright? We haven't seen him for a while now and we're starting to get worried." Cosmic finished the thought.

"I don't see why not." Twilight replied with a smile.

"Thank you, Ms. Sparkle. You're a credit to sparkles everywhere." Cosmic said bowing his head.

"A credit to sparkles everywhere? What sort of nonsense is that?" Nightshade asked looking perplexed.

"It's a compliment." Cosmic stated.

"That was a compliment?" Nightshade asked looking unsure.

"I've been known to pluck at a mare's heart strings every now and again with my carefully woven words of love." Cosmic bragged.

"You couldn't weave a straw hat let alone find a date." Nightshade snapped back.

Cosmic and Nightshade started to bicker among themselves, their voices becoming raised, giving each other a firm shove. Luckily, Twilight and Spike had already entered the Throne Room having the large doors shut behind them.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were speaking to one another in the middle of the Throne Room before noticing Twilight and Spike approaching them.

"I'm glad you came so quickly, Twilight." Princess Celestia said embracing her.

"It's no problem at all, Princess Celestia." Twilight replied hugging her back.

"I'm here too." Spike said looking for a hug.

"It is good to see you, Spike." Princess Celestia said with a smile embracing him as well.

"What did you need to see me about, Princess Celestia?" Twilight asked curiously.

"I have received a letter from Wingston about the things that are going on in the Ashen Fields." Princess Celestia said making the letter appear out of thin air with her magic.

"Is everything alright?" Twilight asked quickly.

"See for yourself." Princess Celestia said handing her the letter.

Twilight took the letter from her and began to read it.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I am writing this letter to you without Smolder knowing. The first few weeks of his rule had been filled with hope and promises of a better life. Since then Smolder has planned to see each and every one of those promises fulfilled with his own two hooves.

If he isn't helping to move large rocks from the fields, he is lending a hoof to plow the earth. Smolder has opted to reform the Council that his father had gotten rid of in years past, but it has only added to the work load. Several Flame Ponies are applying for the positions and several issues arise every day that need his attention.

Smolder isn't sleeping anymore, he is driving himself too hard, and I fear that he will soon collapse from exhaustion.

The Flame Ponies are desperate for guidance and look to him for it. My words are beginning to fall deaf to him with the amount of stress that seems to be piling up on his mind. I would think it best if Smolder could see some familiar faces and help remind him that he is still just a pony.

The needs of the Flame Ponies are things that most ponies would take for granted. Needs and desires that are better suited to ponies that already excel in such areas. I'm asking on behalf of this idiot, that if you can send Ms. Sparkle and her friends to help alleviate some of the burdens facing Smolder, it would help him and the Kingdom tremendously. He is due for some much needed rest and relaxation before the King of Dorks lands himself in the infirmary.

Sincerely,

Wingston

P.S.

Bring the little dragon for back up.

"It sounds like being King isn't all that easy." Twilight remarked looking over the letter once more.

"Why does he need me for back up?" Spike asked curiously.

"I'm not sure." Twilight said giving the letter to Spike.

"What's clear is that Smolder is trying to do too much himself and the Flame Ponies have no other pony to turn to." Princess Luna stated.

"I remember Smolder talking about how they had practically nothing in the Ashen Fields; I can only imagine trying to build everything from scratch." Twilight commented.

"I'm hoping that you and your friends are willing to accept Wingston's request for your aid in dealing with these issues and give the King of Dorks a break." Princess Celestia said with a small smile.

"I'll head back to Ponyville and tell the others. We'll leave as soon as we can." Twilight stated taking the letter from Spike and using her magic to make it disappear.

"Send Smolder our regards." Princess Luna requested with a smile.

"You'll be assisting them soon enough, Luna." Princess Celestia replied to a rather surprised Luna.

"Me, sister?" Princess Luna asked curiously.

"At least in his dreams. I'm sure Smolder will have a few things he'll need your help working out." Princess Celestia informed her.

"Yes, of course. I will make it a priority, I can only imagine the sort of dreams he's had since the incident, but you must make him fall asleep first." Princess Luna informed Twilight.

"That shouldn't be too hard." Spike said slamming his fist into his claws.

"Try to go easy on him." Princess Celestia said petting Spike on the head.

The large doors to the Throne Room slid open. Twilight and Spike walked through the threshold of the doors where they were immediately bombarded by questions from Nightshade and Cosmic.

"What's the story, Ms. Sparkle?" Cosmic asked quickly.

"Is Smolder dead again?" Nightshade asked.

"You can't die twice you moron." Cosmic snapped at him.

"How do you know?" Nightshade asked in his defense.

"Hey!" Twilight shouted aloud getting their attention.

Nightshade and Cosmic jumped to attention throwing her a salute.

"Smolder has just got a lot on his plate right now and needs some help with some of the issues that my friends and I are going to help him handle. There is nothing to be worried about." Twilight informed them.

"Are you sure, Ms. Sparkle?" Cosmic asked looking concerned.

"Positive. The next time either of you have some time off it might be nice to go and visit him. I'm sure it would make him really happy." Twilight suggested walking down the hallway.

"I don't think I have any vacation days saved up." Cosmic said to him.

"I already used all my sick days." Nightshade noted.

"Isn't there a holiday coming up?" Cosmic asked curiously.

"Would we even get the day off?" Nightshade asked.

"Nah, we'd probably have to work then too." Cosmic said scratching his chin.

The Ashen Fields were a buzz with activity. Several hundred Flame Ponies could be seen moving all over the fields. Some clearing rocks, others carving up stones, some tilling the land, others filling in fissures, and several dozen ponies forging metal near Castle Char. Castle Char itself was in rather dire straits, several large holes littered the walls and even whole towers had been pulled off during the sealing of the Mad King. Pegasi Flame Ponies helped set up scaffolding to allow the earth Flame Ponies access to the higher parts of the castle. Every pony lent their support, carrying either rock and mortar to slowly but surely bring the castle back to its former glory.

Wingston had been watching the pegasi ponies fly by the window when another argument started up again. The Council Chamber was filled with no less than twenty Flame Ponies all fighting among themselves on who would fill the position best.

Wingston had placed himself in charge of choosing the candidates for the positions on the Council and then allowing Smolder his pick of the finalists. The herd of Flame Ponies argued and argued while Wingston raised his staff and slammed it hard onto the stone table. Every pony fell silent.

"For the sake of my sanity, I will be seeing each of you in a random order. So that no pony's feelings are hurt for being seen last, I assure you I will give each of you my undivided attention and a fair interview." Wingston said calmly putting his staff back down beside him.

Every Flame Pony fell silent. Wingston could see that they were eager to be a part of this.

"Now pick a number between one and a hundred." Wingston said aloud.

"What?" Several Flame Ponies asked in sudden confusion.

"Seven!" Shouted a pony.

"No, sorry, that wasn't it." Wingston replied.

"Sixty-eight!" Shouted another pony.

"Nope." Wingston replied again.

"Forty-two!" Shouted another.

"That's it! You'll be going first. The rest of you ponies shall wait outside until one of you guesses the next number." Wingston explained shooing them towards the door.

The interview wasn't all that hard, it was based on what position each pony wanted and how well they fit into it. Unfortunately, many of these ponies were young and were aspiring to be teachers, scholars, political figures, bankers, and so on. Most had little to no experience but seeing as it was open call for such positions these were the ponies that wanted it most. These ponies would be representatives of certain areas in both the financial, agricultural, and free market parts of the Ashen Fields. They would voice their concerns here, with the selected members of the Council who would bring their concerns to the King.

Wingston spent the rest of the day going through each pony and hearing their pitch. Wingston chose twelve of the twenty to be considered for the positions offered and made the other eight heads of their respective committees. Having finalized his own records, Wingston excused all the ponies informing them that the King would personally look them over that night.

Wingston limped out of the Council Chamber. Making his way down the corridor that led to a staircase leading to the Main Hall of Castle Char. It took Wingston some time to manage the steps but it wasn't too difficult for him to hop the last few. The Main Hall was filled with chatter amongst several Flame Ponies who were working on the large hole in the wall and the scorch marks on the stone floors. Wingston started to climb the steps to the Throne Room where a meeting was being held.

Barely opening the Throne Toom doors, Wingston could already hear raised voices echoing down the corridor from deeper within. Wingston had walked this corridor in days long passed, to find the Mad King awaiting him in both person and mirror. There was a time where the Mad King wasn't so mad, that his days of a noble and respectable pony made this walk more pleasant. With Smolder as King now, Wingston couldn't help but smile at the possibilities that awaited his friend.

"The mines are our only source of income, without them we cannot trade, sell or buy anything from anywhere." Argo Fleece the Treasurer stated.

"The mines are completely out of the question, not only are they a death trap to any pony that goes below ground but most of the veins dried up years ago. The amount of pony power you are suggesting to reach these potential veins could be put to better use elsewhere." General Hearth, Head of the Flame Pony Army, countered.

"If we do not find an alternate resource to export from the Ashen Fields we will be getting the short end of the stick with many of our allied Kingdoms." Argo Fleece remarked.

"The Volcanic Soil is a very rich fertilizer; it could prove useful to the farmers in our neighboring areas." Tiff Pitchstone of Agriculture suggested.

"There is a limit to how much the mountain can still provide to us, we must have a more secure and reliable resource to sustain us." Argo Fleece replied.

"What about some of the jewels and gold laying around the castle? There are still rooms deep in the dungeon that house some rather old trinkets we could melt down or reuse." Burning Sand the Politician suggested.

"Those are historical artifacts left behind by countless generations of Flame Pony Royalty! What remains down there is our only history and culture we have left. It must be preserved!" Alex Papyrus the Historian interjected.

"We will have no history if we continue to hang on to a past that has brought us nothing but trouble!" Argo Fleece argued.

The sound of Wingston's thudding staff slowly grew louder and louder causing the argument to die down. Wingston entered the Throne room while every pony turned to look at him. There was a few nods to Wingston, a hello here and there, as Wingston hobbled by.

"Sorry for the interruption, I have just gotten through our aspiring candidates to be our senators." Wingston said waving his parchment in the air.

The ponies sat around in a circle, branching outwards from the throne itself. There were raised steps for each pony to sit upon while the throne itself was positioned at the bottom of the circle; elevated to show the dominance the King had over all. Wingston limped straight down the middle of the circle, nodding to them as he walked by. Reaching the throne before looking up at the King with a sympathetic look.

For my eyes had dark rings around them, my mane flickered disobediently. I was a bit thinner from lack of eating and sleeping. Yet, the sight of Wingston made me smile. Wingston climbed onto a smaller chair that sat rested next to mine, especially made for Wingston to be at my side.

"How's it going?" Wingston whispered to me.

"As well as I could have hoped for." I whispered back.

"My King, please, do not let centuries of history and cultural be melted down just to satisfy a quick fix to a problem that is all but resolvable in other ways." Alex Papyrus pleaded to me.

"If we cannot feed our Flame Ponies we will not have much a history to write ourselves!" Agro Fleece spat.

"Unfortunately, it will take some time to have any sort of food growing in these Fields again. Well will need to look elsewhere for food, for the time being." Tiff Pitchstone said apologetically.

General Hearth looked over at me, his face was full of concern at the way I looked but I gave him a wink to let him know I was alright.

"Wingston once said that ponies that don't learn from their past are doomed to repeat it. I believe he took this from a smarter pony but the message is clear. I will not permit the destruction of any items in the castle or in the Ashen Fields that may have historical value." I said aloud.

Agro Fleece made a face of disgust but Alex Papyrus looked quite thankful.

"With that being said, I would like you to make a list of items or trinkets that can be considered to be mere baubles, that have no significant history, and have them sent to Argo so that we may use them for trade. I know the dungeons beneath us link to the old mining tunnels. I will allow Argo to take a team of Flame Ponies to map out and explore the safest routes of travel and mine for any gems that can be acquired safely without any destruction or potential cave-ins." I continued, this time earning a smile from Argo and a nod from Alex.

"The Volcanic Soil should be a fine net to help with trade for now, and have a team of ponies begin collecting as much as you can gather. I will leave the portions we keep in reserve for our own crops up to your judgment, Mr. Pitchstone." I said looking his way and he replied with a nod.

"Burning Sand, I wish you a safe trip and trust the negotiations with the Crystal Kingdom's commerce in your charismatic hooves." I said dismissively as every pony stood up and bowed their head to me before heading towards the corridor.

General Hearth remained behind. Even with a wave of my hoof to send him on his way he politely refused by staring me down. Wingston was also staring at me and I suddenly felt like the least powerful pony in the room.

"When was the last time you slept, Smolder?" General Hearth asked curiously.

"I don't have a clock in my room, so I can't really give you an accurate answer on that." I said trying to dodge the question.

"I put a sundial in your room a week ago." Wingston spoke up.

"Well that answers it." General Hearth said with a shake of his head.

"I've napped here and there." I said in my defense.

"Smolder, you look terrible. You need to just take it easy for a few days." General Hearth insisted.

"I'm fine." I said stepping down off the throne and nearly falling down from my lack of strength.

"You're not fooling any pony." General Hearth said coming to my side and helping me stand.

"I'm fine, I'm serious, look." I said pushing away from General Hearth and managing a few steps without wobbling.

"We still have to go over these candidates, Smolder." Wingston said waving his parchment over his head.

"What he needs is rest." General Hearth corrected him.

"The King says he is fine, than the King is fine." Wingston replied.

"Call me, Smolder." I said walking towards the corridor.

General Hearth had waited until I was out of ear shot before turning to Wingston to give him and ear full.

"Smolder is about to burn out and you're just going to stand by and watch him do it?" General Hearth hissed to him.

"Calm yourself, General. I have taken the liberty of getting him help." Wingston assured him getting up from his chair.

"Help?" General Hearth asked curiously.

"From Princess Celestia and those colorful ponies you met a few months back." Wingston explained.

"The ones that wield the Elements of Harmony?" General Hearth asked in surprise.

"We let Smolder have today and by tomorrow his friends will come offering him help and he won't be able to say no. That's when we chain him to his bed to finally get him some sleep. We'll even spoon feed him if we have to, to make sure he doesn't try and slip away." Wingston said tapping General Hearth on his shoulder, signaling him to kneel down.

"Does Smolder know that you have done this?" General Hearth asked assisting Wingston onto his back.

"Of course not. The King just makes all the speeches, the real brains are the ones still left in this room." Wingston replied.

"I can agree to that." General Hearth said with a chuckle.

"Come tomorrow, Twilight and her friends will have Smolder straightened out. Our King will rest and our guests will be giving out some much needed advice to our struggling Flame Ponies." Wingston said confidently.

Chapter 11: Mystery Guest

Rainbow Week was quickly becoming a household phrase in the Ashen Fields. Many Flame Ponies would use it place of other words, such as 'at least it isn't Rainbow Week' or 'I'm so tired, I feel like I'm partaking in Rainbow Week' and the uses went on. For Rainbow Dash's Rainbow Week had quickly become the most grueling and intense regiment of tasks ever asked of pegasi Flame Ponies, and it still had two days of physical activity left before the two day mental test.

General Hearth was spot on with the ponies he had picked for his consideration for the leader of the Academy. The last three days of her Rainbow Week course had really separated the stronger flyers from the weaker ones but that was alright by Rainbow Dash. It just meant she could give her time more to the ponies that needed it rather than focusing on the ponies that didn't. The weaker flying Flame Ponies were given most of Rainbow Dash's attention, trying to increase their wing speed, and overall confidence in being a part of the Royal Air Force. Rainbow Dash did explain to them that the position of leader pony would not be something they would be able to achieve at their current level but assured them that their mindset was perfect for the position.

With Rainbow Week already halfway through, the promising candidates from day one had all started to show their flaws by day three. Solar Wind kept to himself during many of her training montages, while Flare Fizzle's effort during the obstacle courses were below sub-par. Wisp Seeker had nearly started a fight with every flyer that had got in his way or cut him off during a relay race. Although, the most glaring candidate of all was the wild card, Ray Horizon, the granddaughter of General Hearth and Rainbow Dash's most problematic pony.

On her first day, Ray was a yes pony, whatever Rainbow Dash said Ray would do without question. By the second day, Ray started to ask Rainbow Dash her reasoning behind some of the tasks given to her and Rainbow Dash was patient enough to explain it to her. By the third day, Ray was trying to tell other ponies how to fly, and argued with Rainbow Dash on every task she gave her and any other pony. Needless to say, Rainbow Dash had her hooves full.

Solar, Wisp, Flare and Ray stood at attention in a line next to one another. The rest of the pegasi Flame Ponies were training in the fields behind them, per her instructions, as Rainbow Dash addressed the four Flame Ponies.

"Alright you four, you're all I got to pick from to be the leader of this Academy. If I had to make my choice today, I'd pick that rock over there." Rainbow Dash said pointing to a boulder off to the side.

Ray began to open her mouth to speak but Rainbow Dash already had her hoof raised to her.

"Don't start." Rainbow Dash said sounding annoyed.

"None of you ponies encompass all the necessary skills to be a leader. You're too lazy, too quiet, too aggressive or just a pain in my flank." Rainbow Dash said looking Ray's way.

Ray stuck her tongue out at Rainbow Dash.

"However, you all have important skills that do make for a good leader. Except for Ray." Rainbow Dash added.

"Hey!" Ray shouted.

"Quiet!" Rainbow Dash yelled eyeing her down.

"I've decided to move you four up to the mental test a few days early, you've all proven you're experienced flyers but you're going to need as much time as I can get to make one of you a decent leader." Rainbow Dash explained.

"Are we going to have to work together?" Wisp groaned.

"That's right, Wisp. You're going to have to get along with these ponies or I'll bust your flank all the way back down to a cadet." Rainbow Dash said threateningly glaring at him.

"Who gets to be leader?" Ray asked aloud.

"I'm going to let you four ponies talk it out, if you can't agree on a leader in the next ten minutes I'll just assign you one. Understand?" Rainbow Dash asked looking at each one of them with a steely gaze.

"Yes, ma'am." Every pony except for Ray said aloud.

"Then get to it." Rainbow Dash said rubbing her temples.

"I'm the leader! I called it!" Ray shouted turning to the other ponies.

Wisp leaned over and shoved Ray to the ground with a push before laughing at the idea. Ray got back to her hooves and leapt at Wisp trying to knock him over but she wasn't able to even budge him from his spot. Solar just stood quietly while Flare rolled her eyes at them.

"Please, Celestia… give me strength." Rainbow Dash mumbled covering her face with her hooves.

Wingston and I had spent some time looking around the Kingdom, meeting different ponies, seeing how the restoration was going and coming across Rainbow Dash and her flyers.

"You okay, Rainbow Dash?" I asked curiously strolling up to her.

I watched as Rainbow Dash looked up from behind her hooves to see Wingston and I strolling up to her. I was still sporting my new hat. Rainbow Dash seemed to like it.

"W-What are you wearing, Matchstick?" Rainbow Dash asked trying hard not to laugh.

"It's my hat." I replied looking up at it.

Rainbow Dash exploded into a fit of giggles, I felt my mane flare in embarrassment while Wingston leaned over to me; looking rather pleased with himself.

"That's two no and one yes on the hat, Smolder." Wingston whispered to me.

"There are still plenty of ponies out there." I whispered back not giving in just yet.

"Thanks, Matchstick, I need that." Rainbow Dash said wiping tears from her eyes.

"How are things going?" I asked trying not to sound bitter about my hat.

"First things first, how are you doing sleepy head?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"I feel rested." I said as Wingston nodded in agreement.

"You had all of us worried you know." Rainbow Dash said looking relieved.

"I tend to have that effect on ponies." I replied.

"Well stop it. We can't keep coming to save your sorry flank whenever you get your head stuck in banister or something." Rainbow Dash said somewhat sarcastically.

The fight between Ray and Wisp started to escalate as Wisp effortlessly pushed Ray back down onto the ground. Ray exploded from the spot trying to pull off Wisp's head but he didn't seem to mind.

"What's going on here?" Wingston asked looking amused.

"One of these ponies is going to be your new Academy leader." Rainbow Dash said rolling her eyes.

"Cream of the crop, huh?" I asked with a chuckle.

"Are they ever." Rainbow Dash sighed.

"Let me talk to them." I offered strolling past her.

Wisp looked my way with a raised eye brow. He spied my hat. Pulling Ray off his head, he tossed her to the side and turned to me.

"Nice hat, dork." Wisp said with a laugh.

"Thanks, there's a new store in the Shopping District called Stitch Crow Shay." I replied.

"That still counts as a no on the hat!" Wingston shouted to me.

"Is that Wingston?" Flare asked curiously trying to get a better look.

"He said it was cool!" I shouted back removing my hat.

"It's the King!" Flare shouted surprised.

The four Flame Ponies immediately fell back in line, straightening up and standing at attention. Although I was turned facing Wingston holding up my hat to him.

"He was being sarcastic! Doesn't count!" Wingston shouted back.

Grumbling at the idea of Wingston being right once more.i turned back to the now nervous Wisp, I held the hat up to him narrowing my eyes.

"You think this hat is cool, right?" I asked him suspiciously.

"Yes, my King." Wisp replied still looking nervous.

"You would wear a hat like this right?" I asked him again.

"Of course, my King." Wisp replied quickly.

I placed the hat on Wisp's head. Just to make an honest pony out of him.

"Hold it for me." I stated.

"Yes, my King." Wisp replied.

"Rainbow Dash is a good friend of mine, but you probably already knew that. What you probably didn't know is that she isn't afraid to tell me the truth about anything and everything; including my hat." I began walking down the line of them.

"It's still silly!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Silence!" I shouted back; feeling my mane flare from embarrassment.

"If Rainbow Dash doesn't feel like any of you ponies are worthy of being the leader of this Academy, then there won't be a leader. I'll just have Argo Fleece leave you ponies memos on what to do." I said watching Ray wince at the thought of it.

"So I expect the same level of respect that you show me, be shown to Rainbow Dash, she was one of the ponies that helped us get our lives back. You owe it to her to put your best hoof forward and prove to her that you're worth it." I said aloud.

Before I was able to get to my big finish, something happened in that moment that had not happened in the Ashen Fields for nearly thirty years. A sudden bellowing tone of a bell echoed throughout the fields drawing every pony's attention to Castle Char. From the North Tower a large cast iron bell swung from side to side causing the clapper to strike the sides in a slow rhythmic pattern. It was known as Hadron's Bell, which only tolled in the event of the King's passing, but such knowledge was known only to the older Flame Ponies that had heard it ring for the Wise King Phoenix many years ago.

"What's that?" Rainbow Dash asked watching the bell swing.

"Something must have happened back at the castle." Wingston stated limping to Smolder in a hurry.

"Wait a minute, what's going on?" Rainbow Dash asked again looking concerned now.

Having ignored Rainbow Dash's question, I helped Wingston onto my back before spreading out my wings and leaping into the air. Wingston and I soared through the air with great haste, heading back to the castle.

"Hey!" Rainbow Dash shouted after us.

Exploding from the spot, Rainbow Dash flew after us towards Castle Char leaving the four ponies alone. Wisp took off the hat, looking confused at what was going on, as did every other pony.

"Should we go after them?" Flare asked looking at the other ponies.

"Hay yeah, we should." Ray said excitedly flaring her wings and taking to the skies.

"What do you think, Mr. Silent Type?" Flare asked glancing at Solar.

Solar stepped forward, spreading out his wings and went soaring after Ray.

"I guess I should go give the King his hat back." Wisp said looking down at the hat in his hoof.

"Alright, let's go then." Flare said with a sigh as the two of them took off.

Wingston and I slicef through the air, banking tightly around the side of Castle Char to reach the front entrance where the large stone doors had been left open. Several Flame Ponies were gathering at the steps, but a few Royal Guard ponies were handling crowd control. We soared over every ponies head into the Main Hall where there seemed to be a commotion happening at the base of the staircase. Dipping low I started into a sprint, touching down to the ground I started to slow up my approach and folded my wings back in. I received an encouraging pat on the shoulder from Wingston on my landing.

"What's happened?" I asked approaching the small group of Royal Guard ponies.

"Lord Smolder, there has been an incident down in the dungeons." Topaz stated stepping forward.

"Is Ms. Sparkle and Mr. Papyrus alright?" Wingston asked sliding down off of my back.

"Ms. Sparkle is unharmed but Mr. Papyrus was attacked by an unknown pony." Spinel stepped forward to explain further.

"They're making it sound worse than it really was." Alex's voice came from behind the Royal Guard ponies.

Stepping around them I saw Mr. Papyrus sitting on the floor being fussed over by a doctor pony while Twilight stood by. It was a relief to see that neither of them had been hurt.

"What happened?" Wingston asked promptly limping forward to Alex.

"Where to begin? Everything seemed to happen so-" Alex was cut short by a sudden knock to the head by Wingston's staff.

"Ms. Sparkle, perhaps you can explain to us what happened?" Wingston asked again turning to Twilight.

"Well, Alex and I were down in the dungeons doing some cataloging of everything down there when we discovered our torches had been snuffed out and our etching had been destroyed." Twilight began.

"Etching?" I asked looking confused.

"Later, please continue." Wingston said waving my question aside.

"We found hoof prints in the remains of the broken stone but that's about the time that Alex saw a pony staring at us from the darkness. A non-Flame Pony." Twilight continued.

"Were you able to make anything out? Anyway we can identify this pony?" Wingston asked curiously looking between the two of them.

"I could barely see the outline of the pony. I was more concerned with the safety of Ms. Sparkle." Alex replied.

"Thanks by the way." Twilight said with a smile.

"Don't mention it." Alex mumbled with a chuckle.

"What happened next?" Wingston asked poking Alex with his staff.

"I convinced Twilight to run for the guards while I stayed behind to make sure that pony did not try to chase after her or attempt to hide somewhere else in the dungeon; we had it cornered in a corridor that led to the mines." Alex explained.

"We think that's how he got down there in the first place." Twilight added.

"So when Twilight took off running I tried to question the pony. I asked it who it was and what it wanted." Alex continued rubbing his face with his hooves.

"What did it say?" I asked.

"The pony didn't say anything at first. It just stood there, but before I could ask it another question it screamed. It wasn't like anything I've ever heard before; it was almost like a roar that was quickly followed by a massive torrent of wind that actually chilled me to the bone. I'm not sure what happened after that, all I remember is everything turning black and I woke up here." Alex said shivering at the thought of it.

"We found Mr. Papyrus unconscious but unharmed. There was no sign of the intruder pony." Spinel stated aloud.

"This is very peculiar." Wingston said looking rather fascinated by the story.

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash shouted flying right out of the air into a hug on Twilight.

"I'm okay, Rainbow Dash." Twilight said reassuringly.

"Of course you're okay; I just haven't seen much of you these last few days. You've been in that dungeon all day and night." Rainbow Dash replied.

"Have you informed General Hearth of this development?" Wingston asked Topaz.

"As soon as we got Ms. Sparkle and Mr. Papyrus to safety, Spinel went to inform General Hearth who suggested ringing Hadron's Bell; claiming it would be the fastest way to get the King here." Topaz answered.

"Very clever. Where is he now?" Wingston asked.

"He took several squads of Royal Guard ponies down into the dungeon to do sweeps of the corridors. We've informed him of the mystery pony's last known sighting and remained here under his orders until Lord Smolder had arrived." Spinel replied.

"What's going on?" Rainbow Dash whispered to Twilight.

"There was a non-Flame Pony down in the dungeon that destroyed an old etching and attacked Mr. Papyrus." Twilight whispered back.

"Whoa." Rainbow Dash said looking excited.

"It's likely that our mystery pony is hiding somewhere in the old mines." Alex said.

"Shall we block off the corridor leading into the mines, my King?" Topaz asked.

"No! Don't do that." Alex interjected.

"Is there a problem?" Wingston asked.

"This pony smashed the etching for a reason; it knows what it meant and wants to keep us from finding out." Alex explained.

"The etching is destroyed, what reason does he have to be hanging around in the mines?" Wingston asked curiously.

"Before our encounter with the mystery pony, Twilight had said she made a rubbing of the etching prior to its destruction. I believe the mystery pony overheard this, and isn't going to leave until that rubbing is gone as well." Alex explained further.

At this point I was feeling out of touch with what was going on, spending three days sleeping put me at a disadvantage of knowing these little details and now some pony is creeping around downstairs breaking our relics.

"Let us find this mystery pony." Ray said aloud from behind me.

Every pony turned to see the four pegasi Flame Ponies standing at attention a few paces away.

"What are you ponies doing here?" Rainbow Dash barked looking surprised.

"We overheard what happened and we want the chance to apprehend this mystery pony." Ray explained excitedly.

"Are you ponies serious? You four couldn't even choose a team leader and you want to go play detective?" Rainbow Dash asked looking unconvinced.

"Hold on a minute, Rainbow Dash. Granted these ponies are still rough around the edges, but each of them have been through General Hearth's training regimen and can handle themselves pretty well." Wingston spoke up jumping on the idea.

"Are you suggesting that we allow them to go searching the mines for this mystery pony?" I asked looking back at Wingston.

"With Rainbow Dash's consent, I believe that this will be a good platform in which to test the necessary skills of what it takes to be a leader." Wingston replied turning to Rainbow Dash.

"I was planning on having them do some team building exercises…" Rainbow Dash mumbled scratching her chin.

Rainbow Dash glanced over at the four pegasi Flame Ponies, even though Ray was just bursting with eagerness, she could see that they were at least eager to try.

"Alright, but I'm putting Flare in charge of all of you." Rainbow Dash declared pointing at her.

"What?" Ray whined looking back and forth at them.

"Thank you, Ma'am." Flare replied nodding her head slightly.

"Just remember that whoever this mystery pony is, he or she could be dangerous so be on your guard. If things get hairy, you ponies pull your flanks out before hay starts hitting the fan, understand?" Rainbow Dash asked eyeing them up.

"Yes, Ma'am." The four Flame Ponies replied; Ray sounded very bitter.

"Topaz, Spinel, if you would be so kind to escort our team of pegasi Flame Ponies to the last know sighting of our mystery pony?" Wingston asked motioning towards the two guards.

"Of course." Topaz replied waving his hoof to the ponies to follow him.

Solar, Ray, and Flare followed the two guard ponies towards the entrance of the dungeon while Wisp approached me instead.

"Your hat, uh, my King." Wisp said handing me back my hat I had left with them.

"Thanks." I said happily taking it from him.

The team of Flame Ponies disappeared down into the dungeons with the Royal Guard ponies and Rainbow Dash tailing them. The doctor pony fussing over Mr. Papyrus had cleared him to be okay. Alex got to his hooves, no worse for wear, but still a little shaken by his ordeal.

"Are you going to be okay, Alex?" Twilight asked sounding worried.

"I will be alright, Twilight. Perhaps I will spend some time above ground for a change and focus on portraits and hats we brought up." Alex replied with a deep breath.

"You found hats?" I asked curiously strolling over.

"You don't need any more hats." Wingston said holding out his staff to block be from approaching Mr. Papyrus.

"Twilight and I made a rather interesting discovery down in the dungeons a few days ago, my Lord. If you have time we would like to present our findings to you." Alex said sounding more and more relaxed.

"That will have to wait; I think we should be focusing on the rubbing you took from the etching you discovered down in the basement, Ms. Sparkle." Wingston interjected putting things back into perspective.

"Of course, I've kept it with all the other rubbings I did of tomes and stone tablets we found down there." Twilight remarked strolling over to a large stack of stone boxes piled up near the wall of the Main Hall.

"Twilight has been a tremendous help with all of the cataloging and research we have been attempting to do down in the dungeons. I do not think there is another pony that is more organized or mindful of the tasks at hand." Alex explained to us as we watched Twilight rummage through the pile.

Twilight returned to us with a folded up piece of parchment, using her magic she started to unfold it.

"It is only a rubbing, the etching itself was much more grand to look at but this is exactly how it looked like before it was destroyed." Twilight explained sounding rather sad at the tragic loss of the original piece.

Twilight held up the rubbing to us, revealing the small markings of flames surrounding a large circle with a castle depicted in its center and large gash like marks protruding from it. Wingston examined it closely, narrowing his eyes trying to get a better look at the smaller details but looked just as confused about it as Alex and Twilight were when they first found it.

"What do you think, Smolder?" Wingston asked.

"My Lord?" Alex asked sounding concerned.

I saw the rubbing one second and the next I was standing at the balcony of the Castle once more. The rift opening up to me, the castle within the darkness outlined in its green hue. I could feel my heart racing, the sounds of terrified cries echoing through the portal. The storm was raging deep inside, consuming the darkness and everything it touched.

"… help us…"

"Smolder!" Wingston shouted striking me his staff against my head.

I recoiled. Blinking rapidly. Looking around unsure of where I was for a moment as I saw Alex, Twilight, Wingston and some Royal Guard ponies looking at me with great concern.

"What?" I asked taking a few short breaths.

"Are you alright?" Wingston asked curiously staring up at me.

"Yeah, of course, why wouldn't I be?" I replied quickly, my heart was beating very fast.

"You had a hundred yard stare, my Lord. You weren't moving or speaking when we called to you." Alex explained.

"I-I-uh…" I muttered putting a hoof to my head trying to make sense of it.

"Maybe you should sit down for a minute." Twilight suggested sounding concerned.

"Food!" I said aloud making every pony look at me in surprise.

"I… haven't had anything to eat in… well I guess three days and I'm just a bit light headed." I said nodding my head.

"Well that explains it." Wingston said having bought what I was selling.

"Should I go find Pinkie Pie and have her bring something from the new bakery?" Twilight offered.

"That would very kind of you, Ms. Sparkle. Thank you." Wingston said taking the rubbing from Twilight as she went to go find Pinkie.

"Mr. Papyrus, after I've had time to eat. I would like to see your presentation, if you have everything ready by then." I said heading towards the stairs.

"Of course, I'll get started on it right away." Alex said bowing his head to me before heading towards the pile of stone boxes.

"Where are you going?" Wingston asked as I started to climb the stairs.

"I think I'm going to go lay down for a while, just in case I pass out before the food gets here." I said waving Wingston off so that he didn't follow me.

"I'll have Pinkie Pie sent up to you with your food, Smolder. Just try to take it easy." Wingston said sounding concerned for me.

"I will, and thank you Wingston. Try to… determine whether or not we have a need to add extra security around the castle." I said feeling my head start to spin.

The world did seem to spin around me, the vision I saw was something I had seen before. In a dream that I had forgotten, but it still made little sense to me. I staggered back to my old room, pressing up against the stone door it slid open and the mirror was the first thing I laid my eyes on. Shutting the stone door behind me I approached the mirror, blinking hard trying to stop the world from spinning.

"What did you… do to me?" I asked squeezing my eyes shut and opening them wide again.

The mirror did not respond.

"What were you trying to show me?" I asked rubbing my temples.

"…the past…"

"Why?" I asked.

"…we need your help…"

"You keep saying that!" I snapped as my mane flared.

"…it's true…"

"Why not ask Wingston or Discord or any pony? Why ask me?" I questioned stepping closer to the mirror.

The mirror was silent once more. My heart was starting to slow down, my head wasn't spinning anymore and I could take deeper breaths.

"...we used... to be... friends…"

"What?" I asked leaning closer.

"…the portal... brought us... together…"

"That's what I saw, a portal, a castle and beings that stood on their hind legs." I said trying to understand.

"…he... closed it…"

"Who did? Who closed it?" I asked sounding interested.

"…Smoke…"

"Smoke? Do you mean Lord Smoke?" I asked feeling my curiosity spike.

"…trapped us... with it…"

"Who? Trapped who? What are you trapped with?" I asked lowering myself down to look at the shard of glass.

"…the Void…"

"You're trapped in the Void, I know." I said.

"…not in… with…"

I stared at the shard of glass. I felt my heart pick up the pace again. None of this made any sense to me but it was clear that this entity in the mirror knew what my dream and that etching was.

"What do you mean?" I asked feeling confused.

"…she said... you would... save us…"

"Who? Who said?" I asked earnestly.

"…the pretty... flame pony…"

"What pretty Flame Pony?" I asked feeling confused.

"…the Queen... of the... Flame Ponies…"

Chapter 25: The Coronation (Part 2)

The train's whistle cut through the air, wheels sliding across the tracks, lurching forward, and the locomotive pulled away from the Ponyville station. Tea stepped down from the platform, my smile never left my face as she stood in front of me giving me a quizzical look.

"What are you doing here?" Tea asked curiously.

"I-I-I-I came to meet you." I stammered.

"I can see that." Tea replied raising a brow.

"A-A-And escort you to the castle." I added, feeling my heart drumming away.

"Isn't that a job for your Royal Guard Ponies?" Tea asked with a laugh.

"I-I-I thought that I'd do it." I replied nervously.

"So why would his Majesty go out his way to come and ingratiate himself on my behalf?" Tea asked teasingly.

Tea leaned closer to me. She was just inches away from my face but I'm sure she could hear how loud my heart was beating; I could feel it all the way down to my hooves. My mane flared under my cloak, I could feel my face burning and my knees shaking.

"I was… the thing… it was… the…" I mumbled unable to find anything to say.

Tea laughed to herself. Brushing her mane from her face and smiling warmly at me.

"I'm touched that you'd come to see me, Smolder. Seeing as you're the King now." Tea said appreciatively.

"I missed you." I said feeling the words slip from my mouth.

Tea's face flushed a slightly darker green. I was pretty sure my face was already lit up like a torch so I couldn't tell if I was getting more anxious or if I was in my flash step.

"I-I-I missed you too, Smolder." Tea said quickly, suddenly finding the edge of the platform very interesting.

"I… like what you did with your mane." I said awkwardly, grasping at anything to alleviate myself from my nerves.

"I let it grow out a bit." Tea replied, pulling on her mane with her hoof.

"It looks cool." I said, already mentally kicking myself.

"Thanks, I like you're… cape?" Tea said, looking at cloak unsure.

"It's what I'm supposed to wear for the ceremony tonight." I said, lifting up my hoof to let Tea see it better.

"Then why are you wearing it now?" Tea asked, suddenly sounding less nervous and more confused.

"Well, I, uh, kind of made up my mind to come get you after already putting it on." I said, watching Tea shake her head in disappointment.

"Aren't you worried it's going to get ruined or dirty by being outside?" Tea asked, almost scolding me.

"Well it, uh, it's, um… fire proof." I said, my heart pounding away.

"Does that make it dirt proof?" Tea asked looking at the hem of my cloak that hung just barely off the ground.

"No, but it's fire… proof." I restated, feeling like my face was going to melt off.

Tea noticed my insistence on it being fire proof, looking rather curious, she reached out her hoof to me cautiously.

"Can I…" Tea began looking at me, her hoof hovering near my shoulder.

"Yeah." I said feeling my voice crack.

Tea's hoof touched my cloaked shoulder, cautiously drawing it back but realizing that she didn't get burned. With a smile, Tea patted me on the shoulder a few times, which only made her smile wider.

"So you can kind of touch ponies now, huh?" Tea asked, amusing herself with patting me on the other shoulder.

"We didn't want any pony accidently running into us by mistake tonight." I mentioned.

I watched Tea's hooves come around my neck, I my heart thumped wildly, I froze on the spot as Tea's came face very close to mine; although her attention was behind me. I felt the hood of my cloak come draping over my head, Tea adjusting it with her hooves to make sure it looked just right. She stepped back with an unsure look as she examined me. My heart took a nose dive after having thought Tea was going to hug me.

"You kind of look like a suspicious pony, with the hood up and all." Tea mentioned.

"It's just for today, Rarity said she'd be willing to make me some more regal looking outfits later on down the road when she had the time but-" I stopped short feeling Tea lean into me.

I felt her hooves on my shoulders, pulling me in closer to her. Her head resting on the side of mine as she hugged me without much reservation, and stood frozen on the spot. It took a few seconds before I lifted up my hoof, draped with my cloak and rested it carefully on Tea's back; giving her a one hoof hug. Although my cloak was rather thick, I'm sure Tea could feel my heart beating relentlessly in my chest.

Tea stepped back, letting her hooves slide down my shoulders which pulled my hood off my head. My expression was a mix of happiness and confusion which made Tea laugh once more; my heart jumped.

"We should get going before we get in trouble." Tea said turning around on the spot.

I'm was fairly certain it was just my imagination but I could of sworn Tea's tail motioned for me to follow her as it whipped in the breeze. Needless to say I didn't need to be told twice as I hurried after her.

Princess Luna was sitting upon the large circular granite within the Royal Chamber with several small piles of parchment surrounding her. Princess Celestia sat at the dresser with two stacks in front of her, a pile for the letters she had read and a pile for the ones she had yet to read.

"Have you had any luck, Luna?" Princess Celestia asked, not looking up from the letter she was currently reading.

Princess Luna did not respond to her. Princess Luna's muffled laughter reached Princess Celestia's ears, prompting her to look over. Princess Luna had one hoof over her mouth while her other hoof held a journal as she tried to silence her laughter.

"What is that? What are you reading?" Princess Celestia questioned her.

"N-Nothing, sister. Continue with your search." Princess Luna insisted, waving her hoof at her while hiding the book behind her back.

"Relinquish that book, Luna!" Princess Celestia demanded; leaping towards her as Princess Luna struggled to keep it away from her.

With her magic, Princess Celestia was able to pry it away from Princess Luna who attempted to snatch it back but was shut down by how tall her sister was as she kept it high over her head.

"Luna, is this Queen Sunbeam's diary?" Princess Celestia asked in a gasp.

"It clearly states 'journal' on the inside cover, sister." Princess Luna replied.

"To invade the personal and private thoughts of a diary is completely unthinkable." Princess Celestia scolded her.

"She mentions you several times." Princess Luna replied still reaching for the journal.

"What page?" Princess Celestia asked quickly, lowering the book down to Luna as they both pressed their heads together to read.

"Page one-hundred and four is where she references your ability to look elegant even when you look like something a diamond dog dragged in." Princess Luna said turning pages with her magic.

"I beg your pardon?" Princess Celestia asked her face flushing.

"I believe it is referring to the assault you led against the spiders following the events of the Black Winter." Princess Luna explained trying to preface the remark.

"Oh, understandable." Princess Celestia replied, no longer scorned.

"Understandable?" Princess Luna questioned her.

"It was rather muddy and grimy in those spider caves. I was covered from head to hoof in dirt when returning the captured Flame Ponies. I see now that it was meant as a compliment rather than a crude remark." Princess Celestia explained.

"She also mentions her jealousy of your cutie mark." Princess Luna informed her turning the page again.

"Of my cutie mark?" Princess Celestia asked looking humbled.

"She writes '…Lady Celestia's cutie mark is so eye catching that it has every colt looking her way…' and proceeds to say '…what sort of pony gets a cutie mark of the sun with the name Celestia… at least I have sun in my name.'" Princess Luna read aloud.

Princess Celestia looked rather surprised, as well as flattered by it.

"I had no idea that Queen Sunbeam admired me in such a way, I always thought that her cutie mark depicting a ray of light was so deep and reassuring." Princess Celestia remarked.

"Unfortunately, it appears that Lady Sunbeam did not write any further into her journal after the Smolder's birth." Princess Luna mentioned revealing several blank pages near the end of the book.

"Smolder's birth?" Princess Celestia asked curiously, using her magic to turn the pages back to the last of the entries.

Princess Celestia's eyes skimmed over the page for a few seconds before she started to read aloud.

"Let me see, let me see '… Scorch refused to see his newly born foal, but I cannot say that I blame him. Neither of us planned for more children after the twins. Although it being an accident, Scorch feels that this foal would cause problems down the line, and told me to send him away. I did not want to bring in another child into these trying times, to have this foal be raised in the madness that is consuming his father…'" Princess Celestia read aloud.

"Smolder… was a mistake?" Princess Luna asked quietly.

"I prefer an unexpected blessing considering the events that ultimately played out." Princess Celestia said reassuringly.

"Does she say anything further?" Princess Luna asked.

"She goes on to mention how far Scorch and she have drifted in the recent years and she... she mentions her choices for godmother!" Princess Celestia said aloud in surprise, her eyes quickly reading.

"What does it say?" Princess Luna asked curiously leaning in to read along.

"She says '…in these unsure times I thought it best to have a pony that this little foal could reach out to and consider family. A godmother he could be left to if Scorch ever sent him away. My first thoughts were of Princess Celestia, Canterlot would prove a suitable place for the foal to live and be educated while under her tutelage and protection. Sadly I fear Scorch has burned any such bridges with Celestia now, having outright attacked her, I feel that such an offer would be met with hostility and suspicion from her…'"Princess Celestia read on.

"The Mad King attacked you?" Princess Luna asked in surprise.

"Scorch had seized land to the North of the Ashen Fields, dislocating several villages and communities. I came here to appeal to him, to demand that he cease his needless aggression but I was met with violence. This was the beginning of the war against the Flame Ponies." Princess Celestia explained.

"So Lady Sunbeam felt that you wouldn't accept her offer after what had happened." Princess Luna commented.

"During the time I would have declined it, I didn't know who I could trust and the battles that followed made me even more distrusting of Flame Ponies." Princess Celestia said sounding rather sad.

"Would you decline it now?" Princess Luna asked curiously.

"If things had been different I would have considered it back then." Princess Celestia replied.

"Does she say anything else?" Princess Luna asked looking back at the book.

"There is only her final entry. It was written several weeks after her last entry'… Scorch continues to call out to me in my dreams. He is in pain. Wingston assures me that it is my grief that has me dreaming of a Scorch that had long since been forgotten; I believe that Scorch… my Scorch is still in there somewhere. Every day I look into the Void Mirror, expecting to see Scorch staring back at me, but all I see is darkness. I've made up my mind to search for him, I won't abandon him to this madness alone, there is good in him I can feel it trying to find its way back. I'm leaving Wick and Pyre in charge, under the supervision of Wingston, and I'm leaving our youngest foal with a name; Smolder.'" Princess Celestia finished reading.

"Lady Sunbeam must have entered the Void shortly after." Princess Luna remarked somberly.

"We know the rest from there." Princess Celestia remarked snapping the book shut with her magic.

"It would seem that Lady Sunbeam did want to ask you to be Smolder's godmother, sister. Only that time and events caused her to withdraw from it." Princess Luna said optimistically.

Princess Celestia looked rather disappointed all the same.

"What is the matter?" Princess Luna asked sounding concerned.

"I feel that I have missed an opportunity, to have had a hoof in helping Smolder grow. I cannot change what has happened but it saddens me to know that I could have done some good for him in the past." Princess Celestia explained.

"You have done a great deal for Smolder when it mattered most to him, sister. You allowed him the opportunity to recede the ban of Flame Ponies, allowed the chance to prove himself to every pony, and stood by him against the return of the Mad King. I feel that you have lived up to your roll as godmother, even if you are not formally so." Princess Luna said reassuringly.

"When did you get to be so wise?" Princess Celestia asked with a smile, narrowing her eyes at her.

"I learn from the best." Princess Luna remarked resting her head against Princess Celestia's shoulder.

Tea and I walked around the outskirts of Ponyville, it was mostly empty from every pony being in the Ashen Fields and it meant that I had more time alone with Tea.

"So ponies have two-hundred and five bones in the body, but are different to every pony. By that I mean Earth Ponies have a stronger bone structure which makes them naturally stronger than any other pony. Unicorn Ponies have a slightly weaker bone structure as they have magic to assist them in most cases, eliminating the need to be very physical. While Pegasi Ponies have the lightest bone structure, and even more bones as they have wings, to help them fly." Tea explained to me.

Upon leaving the train station, I had asked Tea about her studies in becoming a doctor and she pretty much talked the rest of the time.

"Only certain doctor ponies are chosen to learn how to treat Alicorns. With the mixture of a dense but light weight bone structure, magic, and wings, Alicorns are the most interesting ponies to study." Tea said sounding very excited.

"Are you going to be studying Alicorns?" I asked curiously.

"It all depends if I can pass all the tests and what I base my thesis on." Tea replied.

"The cease cist?" I asked looking confused.

"Thesis. It's like a report that I study, write, and present to the professors at the academy. The more interesting it is, the better chance I have of being selected." Tea explained sounding a little nervous.

"What are you going to write about?" I asked.

"Well… I don't know yet, I have another three and a half years to really think about it but the longer I take to choose a topic, the shorter time I have to research it." Tea confessed looking a little disheartened.

My mind immediately started to race for ideas, but nothing came to mind. I knew next to nothing about medicine or anything that was remotely interesting. I shut my eyes tight, trying to think of something really hard when the feeling of Wingston's staff and Sapphire's hoof came floating back to me.

"What about me?" I asked suddenly.

"Well that's very kind of you Smolder, but there are a lot of students who are already applying to the Ashen Fields to study medicine there. Seeing as Flame Ponies are all the rage these days, students are hoping to write the book of Flame Pony medicine in the next few years." Tea explained looking annoyed.

"No I meant me, as in me." I said again, pointing to myself.

"You want me to right a thesis on you?" Tea asked looking confused.

"I'm an Alicorn." I said promptly.

Tea eyed me very closely; she seemed very unconvinced at my statement, looking right at my forehead.

"So I'm guessing your horn is just really small then?" Tea asked sounding sarcastic; I could feel my face burning.

"Well, it's not, well, out yet. It hasn't technically grown sort of speak, or at least it doesn't want to make an appearance." I said quickly touching my forehead.

"Uh huh." Tea said looking unconvinced.

"I have the wings." I added.

My cloak was thrown back, my wings whipped open, spreading them wide for Tea to see as she was very surprised. So surprised that she jumped back in fright at the sudden appearance of them, and stared wide eyed at me.

"When… when did you get… wings?" Tea asked in amazement, stepping closer.

"The same day we overthrew my father and freed the Ashen Fields." I informed her.

I folded my wings back under my cloak; I could see Tea's eyes almost shimmering with the possibility of writing a thesis on a late blooming Alicorn.

"You'd… let me… study you?" Tea asked trying not to sound too excited.

"If it will help you become the doctor pony you want to be, you can study me all you want." I said nervously.

"I mean it would be a series of observations, check-ups, and other sort of invasive things." Tea said sounding concerned but the look on her face was all smiles.

"Like what?" I asked looking a little lost.

"What you eat, how you exercise, how you sleep, where you sleep-" Tea started to list a few things off the top of her head.

"Would you get to stay with me?" I asked, almost blurting it out.

"What?" Tea asked looking a little surprised.

"Would you… get to stay here?" I asked again, finding it hard say it once more.

"Well, I'd probably have to stay for a week or two. Then I'd go back to put all the information together, then come back some other time to see what's changed and what's new I suppose. I guess during the summer would be best as it would be when we're in between terms." Tea replied thinking about it.

"That would be cool." I said, finding myself smiling wide.

"I don't know, Smolder. I don't want to get in the way with all your Kingly duties or have you feel uncomfortable with me using you like some sort of experiment or something." Tea said looking rather unsure of it.

"Well I'm not technically the King yet, but I will be by tonight." I mentioned.

"Are you nervous?" Tea asked curiously.

"I'm only going to be in front of every important pony in all of Equestria tonight, promising not to mess things up and hopefully not sound like a dork when I'm giving the speech I haven't even started yet." I said with hints of sarcasm.

"You haven't started?" Tea asked sounding surprised.

"I've just been really busy… well it's more like distracted with a lot of things lately." I confessed thinking back on everything that had gone on this week.

"Distracted? By what?" Tea asked sounding curiously.

"Some of our Flame Ponies came across an Orc in the old mining tunnels with any army of Spiders who has sworn to wipe all of us out. That was after we had a mystery assassin pony running around, and that was around the time an Obelisk came spearing through our new dam." I explained to her trying to remember what came first.

Tea seemed to be at a loss for words.

"And I was asleep for three days." I added just having remembered that last bit of events.

"You were asleep for three days?" Tea asked in disbelief.

"Apparently an entity from the Void Mirror, that my father had been using, entered my dreams to try and get me to see what my ancestor, Lord Smoke, had done to a race of Void Walkers many years ago. I haven't told any pony that I've been talking to it but she doesn't seem all that bad." I replied.

"She?" Tea asked looking very puzzled.

"I'm not entirely sure who she is, but her name is Mira and she lives in the Void." I explained.

"Aren't you worried your father will try to come back through it?" Tea asked trying to piece together what I had just told her.

"The Void Mirror is broken now; it only has a shard left, which is not big enough for any pony to get through." I said reassuringly.

"So then your father is gone for good, right?" Tea asked trying to get a simple answer from me.

"Yeah, trapped in the Void for all time." I said nodding my head.

"I only know what the Times said in Manehatten." Tea said sounding a little embarrassed.

"Times?" I asked looking confused.

"It's a newspaper. Ponies write about current events from all over Equestria for every pony to read." Tea explained, smiling at the thought of me being unfamiliar with it.

"What did it say?" I asked curiously.

"Well…" Tea began thinking back on it.

"It said that the Mad King had returned, that Princess Celestia and the youngest Prince of the Ashen Fields had succeeded in overthrowing the King, and that Flame Ponies had been forgiven." Tea said, summing it up.

"Is that it?" I asked feeling surprised by the lack of information.

"At the time it wasn't all that important to the rest of Equestria, not until Flame Ponies started traveling outside the Ashen Fields. After that, every pony was looking to make a bit from the resurgence of the Flame Ponies." Tea explained.

"It didn't mention anything about my brothers or Twilight and her friends?" I asked sounding disappointed.

"No, when ponies started to become interested they wanted to know more about where the Flame Ponies were going as a Kingdom rather than where it had come from. Why, what happened?" Tea asked sounding concerned.

"No, no, Twilight and her friends helped out a lot when my father returned. Not to mention the Crystal Empire and Canterlot. They helped protect all the Flame Ponies and sealed my father back into the Void." I explained feeling that they deserved recognition for their assistance.

"What about your brothers?" Tea asked quickly.

"They… um…" I felt my heart wince at the thought of them and swallowed hard.

"…aren't here anymore." I said walking a little faster.

"Smolder?" Tea asked sounding concerned as she walked faster beside me.

"They… uh… came back to… uh… help stop the Mad King and…" I had to pause several times to keep myself from getting worked up.

"…they ended up saving me and… getting lost in the Void with our father." I finished biting my lips and taking a deep breath.

"You've been all by yourself?" Tea asked sounding very sympathetic and concerned.

"I've had Wingston to help me through this." I said reassuringly.

"Who else?" Tea asked quickly.

"Well… there's General Hearth." I said trying to think of another pony I see often.

"And when they're both busy, who are you with then?" Tea asked.

"I'm fine, Tea. I don't need a pony to watch over me all the time." I said reassuringly.

"Because you've accepted it or because you can't?" Tea asked sounding worried.

"I've learned to deal with this and-" I began but Tea wasn't finished.

"When was the last time you talked about your family with some pony?" Tea asked promptly.

"The problems of the Ashen Fields come first before-" I started, but Tea jumped in again.

"Do you miss them?" Tea asked promptly.

"What? Of course I miss them." I replied feeling surprised by her question.

"Does any other pony know that?" Tea asked.

"Wingston does… Princess Celestia does too." I said slowly.

"So no other pony knows you miss your family, and you won't tell any pony because their problems come first?" Tea asked sounding annoyed.

"I have a responsibility to every pony in the Ashen Fields Tea." I said trying to sound confident.

"You're responsible for yourself, Smolder. Sometimes pain can be on the inside, most ponies can't see it unless they've been through it too." Tea said sternly to me.

It was the same thing she said to me my first night at Canterlot.

"Flame Ponies do that flaring thing with their manes when they feel strong emotions, what does it do when you're feeling sad or depressed, Smolder?" Tea questioned me.

"I… I don't know." I said, having never really seen it do anything when I was feeling either of those emotions.

"It's because you're used to feeling like this, Smolder. I bet every Flame Pony is. That's why you need to tell some pony when you're feeling sad, or you're never going to feel better." Tea insisted, putting her hoof on my chest stopping me from walking.

"It's hard talking to ponies I don't really know." I confessed; feeling like it was an excuse.

"You can talk to me, Smolder. I want you to tell me how you're feeling, I want to help you." Tea said sympathetically.

"Tea, I'm…" I felt myself stop short as Tea stared at me. One of those stares that knew I was going to lie, because I wasn't in the mood to talk about it; but this time I wanted to.

"I'm sad because… I'll never get to see my brothers again. I'm sad that my mom… isn't here… anymore." I told her, her hoof still on my chest.

"I'm sad that I'm a dork." I added.

"Why are you sad about that?" Tea asked sounding surprised.

"Because the one thing I really want, the one thing I want a pony to know is that…"

I could feel myself wanting to say a multitude of things, things that if I ever said aloud would probably kill me dead on the spot from embarrassment but Tea looked at me expectantly and I couldn't back down.

"… you're important… to me." I said slowly, feeling my face start flush again.

Tea's face started to turn a dark green, quickly pulling her mane behind her ear and looking away.

"Why am I important… to you?" Tea asked curiously, stealing a glance at me.

"Because… because…" I started and stopped again, feeling my heart pounding, my stomach tightening.

I could feel myself wanting to say it, to tell Tea she was my everypony, my special some pony, that if she'd ask me I'd postpone the whole coronation just to spend the rest of the day together. I wanted to say it so much that I could feel the words slowly slipping through my lips.

"Because I… I like… you. " I said slowly, feeling my heart go spelunking down into my stomach.

Tea flushed furiously at this. Doing her best not to look me in the eye while messing with her mane.

"I've wanted to say it since Canterlot, but it's a selfish thing for a Flame Pony to say when he can't reciprocate physically." I explained looking at my burning hooves.

"You…" Tea mumbled, pulling on her mane and rubbing it between her hooves.

I felt like the fire within me had been pulled out from my body, as if it was slowly floating away and every word Tea spoke was bringing it closer or further away.

"You are a dork." Tea said quickly, throwing her mane over her shoulder and turning her head away from me.

I felt a sudden rock land in the pit of my stomach. I stared vacantly out over the green fields of Ponyville feeling that a strong breeze could knock me right over. Slowly lowering my head, I could feel my heart aching and my smile fading.

"I kind of like you too." I heard Tea whisper in my ear.

I perked up. Tea's face was still very flushed but she seemed to have the warmest smile waiting for me. I smiled back at her, feeling my heart make a strong comeback, dancing in my chest.

"Really?" I asked, hearing my voice crack once more.

"Nope." Tea said with a smile, turning to walk down the dirt path once more.

I stared after her, feeling myself smile, and wondering if Tea had come down with a bad case of the Nopes on our walk together.

Chapter 43: Gorun, The Last Orc

The Main Hall was swarming with spiders attempting to subdue Nightshade, Cosmic, Peanut, Gleam, Goldie, and Sapphire; none were succeeding. Nightshade and Sapphire were standing their ground in defense of Smolder who just happened to no longer be there. No pony was more surprised at Smolder's sudden disappearance then the spider that had attempted to strike him. It checked under its belly, lifted its legs, all in an attempt to find where the Flame Pony had disappeared to. A sudden blast of ice knocked the spider off its legs, freezing it to the wall, as Sapphire quickly approached the spot where Smolder was last seen.

"Where is Smolder?" Sapphire shouted in confusion; glancing around the area.

"I don't know! He just poofed!" Nightshade shouted, bucking a spider in the stomach.

"What do you mean poofed?" Sapphire asked looking confused.

"I'm not a unicorn pony! I don't know how else to put it!" Nightshade shouted back, getting a sudden save from Peanut who kicked a flanking spider away from him.

"Smolder was there one second, poofed, and was gone the next." Cosmic tried to explain further, riding atop a spider while punching it in the face.

"His dormant magic must still be trying to protect him. It must have teleported him somewhere safe." Sapphire said, convinced of the idea.

"Where would it send him?" Goldie asked, sprinting across the Main Hall, striking over twelve spiders in less than five seconds.

"He could literally be anywhere." Sapphire said shaking her head at the idea.

"Well we can't stay here." Peanut chimed in, lifting a half beaten spider and tossing it at two more.

"We'll need to fall back to the Narrows; we can regroup there and figure out what to do next." Gleam suggested, setting several more spiders ablaze.

Not liking the idea of Smolder being alone in his condition, Sapphire had no choice but to comply. Summoning her magic, Sapphire fired a blast of ice towards the main doors of Castle Char, creating a sudden explosion of icicles that fanned out skewering several spiders. With a whip of her wings, the icicles turned to snow providing a direct path to the entrance for the time being.

"Fall back to the Narrows!" Sapphire shouted allowed.

Goldie would have been first to reach the doors with her superior speed, but elected herself every pony's cover while they galloped towards the doors. Sprinting from one spider to the next, Goldie stopped any and every spider that tried to chase after them. Peanut, Cosmic, and Nightshade slammed up against the Main Doors of Castle Char, the giant stone doors slowly began to slide open as Gleam squeezed through to help pull from the outside. Sapphire aimed a spell at the inside of the stone door, the magic impacted the door having it swing open, while Cosmic, Peanut, and Nightshade stumbled out the front. Goldie could see the door having been opened, racing towards the door to meet up with the others, every pony made a break towards the Narrows with the majority of the spiders poured from the entrance of Castle Char to give chase.

"We gots them on the run now!" Shouted the lead spider.

The swarm of spiders got only a couple meters further when they all realized what a mistake each spider had made. From the Narrows, Shining Armor, Flare Fizzle, Ray Horizon, Wisp Seeker, Twilight Sparkle, and every pony else, along with the entirety of the Flame Pony army came charging back towards the castle to aid the fleeing ponies.

"Bugger me!" A spider yelled in fright.

The swarm of spiders stopped short of their charge, attempting to turn back while others simply scattered in different directions in hopes of making an escape. Sapphire, Nightshade, Cosmic, Peanut, Gleam and Goldie slowed their pace, as the Flame Pony army came charging past them to deal with the spiders; they were met with very relieved faces.

There were brief moments of reunions. Gleam nearly toppled Flare with a hug, overwhelmed with joy to see her big sister in one piece. Twilight and Shining Amor shared a hug while Rainbow Dash got several from Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Every pony but Sapphire who had already determined Smolder not to be among them which only furthered her worry.

"Has any pony seen Smolder?" Sapphire asked aloud looking about.

"I was under the impression he would be with you ponies." Shining Armor replied, looking quite worn out from his battle with the spiders.

"He was until he teleported." Cosmic remarked.

"Teleported?" Twilight asked in surprise.

The sun was suddenly eclipsed; the shadow of the Great Dragon Char having passed over them sent a chill down every pony's spine. It drew every pony's attention to the skies above where the Royal Families fought alongside Discord to stop the dragon. Sapphire's thought of Smolder were quickly placed aside, remembering Smolder's suggestion of using the Obelisk against the dragon once more, she quickly approached Wisp to question his mission.

"What of the Obelisk? Were you successful in retrieving it?" Sapphire asked quickly, looking towards Wisp who seemed a bit embarrassed about the question.

"Well… yes and… no…" Wisp mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Explain." Sapphire asked immediately.

"The Obelisk flew away from us the minute we got it clear from the Spider's Lair." Tiff spoke up.

"Just like it did when it got free from the dam." Applejack added.

"If that's the case… logic would dictate that it would be near the other one in the fields." Twilight spoke up thinking about it.

"It is." Solar remarked.

"We were going to get stomped by a Spider Queen when the Obelisk speared her from below." Ray remarked with awkward glances from both Rainbow Dash and Flare.

"If it has positioned itself in the fields, then it is most likely to remain there. It seems as though a magical force keeps the Obelisk's in place once they're there." Alex Papyrus added.

"So what does that mean?" Fluttershy asked looking rather worried.

"It means we'll have to find another way of taking down that dragon!" Rainbow Dash shouted determinedly. "Pinkie Pie! How many cannonballs do you got left?"

"They're technically not cannonballs but burnt soufflés." Ruby mentioned, holding one up.

"We can make more!" Pinkie Pie declared.

With every pony beginning to throw out alternative solutions to how to rid the Ashen Fields of the Great Dragon Char, Sapphire was so engrossed with her own thoughts it drowned them all out. Almost like echoes, Sapphire was trying to piece together exactly how spearing the dragon was supposed to work. It wasn't too much of stretch, considering that she could spear a spider with an icicle, the idea was just on a much larger scale. With Smolder missing, the Obelisks standing tall in the fields, a sudden light seemed to turn on inside Sapphire's head that made her heart skip a beat.

"He wouldn't dare." Sapphire whispered to herself; the etching of the portal she had smashed flashing through her mind. "No pony would be that stupid as to…"

The thought occurred to her that Smolder was, in fact, stupid enough to try and open the portal to the Void.

From my slab of granite I stared at the Orc sitting against my door. It seemed rather calm; it made no sudden moves, but looked a little surprised to see me. The Orc breathed slowly, as if resting, it seemed almost amused by my appearance, probably glad that I was not capable of standing or fighting at the moment. A few silent moments passed between us, the Orc refused to move, as did I, but it was very clear why he was here.

"Are you here to kill me?" I asked with a groan.

I watched as the Orc slowly raised his hands up, as to mime that I had caught him red handed, before letting his arms drop to the floor. I could see that he was in no shape to fight, more or less, move at this point.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" The Orc asked amusingly.

"That tired, already?" I asked, with a halfhearted laugh.

"Spider poison; numbs the pain, and everything else." The Orc replied with half a smile.

Barely lifting its arm up, the Orc showed my two spider bites.

"What's the other bite?" I asked curiously.

"The second is Cave Spider venom. It won't be long until its poison throws me into a mad frenzy." The Orc said looking pleased with himself. "It was difficult getting back here."

"The North Tower?" I asked, thinking of how the Orc snuck in.

"North Tower." The Orc agreed, nodding its head.

It was unusual to be having any sort of conversation with the Orc after everything that had transpired up to this point, but the battle had taken its toll on both of us. We rested in silence for a few minutes. Every second that passed brought the Orc closer to having the poison start burning through its veins; assuring his trump card of overpowering me. Sounds of the battle with the Great Dragon Char drew both of our gazes to the shattered windows of the room.

"I was unaware that you had your own dragon to combat my own." The Orc spoke up, as if to make small talk.

I glanced over at the Orc, determining that the dragon he spoke of was Discord. I was honestly quite surprised myself that Discord showed up at all, a part of me knew I would have to formally thank him and the other part of me knew Discord was probably looking forward to it.

"How did you find the Great Dragon Char?" I asked curiously after a while.

"Your father." The Orc replied with a scoff.

"You met my father?" I asked in surprise.

"Only once." The Orc answered coldly. "He brought the charred body of my late father to the mountain to bury him."

The Orc chuckled to itself, closing its eyes and letting his head drop back against the wall.

"I don't think he expected to find the son of the Last Orc waiting anxiously for his father to return." The Orc continued shaking its head. "I'll never forget that look of guilt on his face, knowing that he had taken a young boy's father away from him."

I watched the as the Orc smiled to himself, staring off, thinking back on that day.

"My father was to name me when he returned from that battle. A name means everything to an Orc." The Orc said quietly. "When your father found me, he offered me two words. Do you know what they were?"

I shook my head no as the Orc looked my way.

"Go, run." The Orc answered. "He let me go. I hid in mountains, afraid for my life. Days went by before the King entered the caves of the mountain, calling to me, promising to help. I think he sought to take me in, promising that I would not be held accountable for the sins of my father. His searching eventually led to the discovery of the dragon."

The Orc trailed off, a cruel smiling forming on its face listening to the roars of the dragon outside.

"He tried to help you?" I asked in disbelief.

"So he claims. His mistake was letting me live and he sought to correct it." The Orc replied.

"It wasn't a mistake, he showed you mercy. He tried to help you." I insisted.

"He did, in a way. He named me. A name I carved into my heart, a promise to myself and my father. That I would never run from this fight, that I would see the Kingdom of Char suffer for what it did to our kin." The Orc said somberly.

I could tell that the Orc had no intention of changing its mind, that the moment it had some sort of feeling its body that it would attack me outright.

"You let yourself be consumed by the darkness." I said after a while.

"I lived underground, of course there was darkness." The Orc laughed at the idea.

"But you had the opportunity to turn away from it. You could have done things differently, you could have been something else entirely, and you didn't have to let yourself be consumed by this." I stated sounding surprised.

"Is it so hard to believe that I let myself grow to hate you? To let myself feel this pain, let it rage inside, to seek revenge for my father? Would you have not done the same for yours?" The Orc asked curiously.

"I would have done anything for my father." I said angrily, my fire starting to flare.

"So you understand why I have done all this?" The Orc asked.

"I understand that you allowed yourself to become what you are. You let hate and anger dictate your life, never once considering that your father might have been wrong." I said forcing myself to stand.

"That is a bold statement coming from the son of the Mad King." The Orc said coldly, its hands balling into fists.

There was a fire starting to rage inside me once more. The Orc clawed at the wall, rising to its feet, deep black veins pulsing from his arm up to its head. The venom was taking its effect, I could see the anger turning to rage in the Orc's eyes, teething grinding against each other. Somehow I knew that this would be our last fight.

Discord cut through the air like a ribbon, dodging several swipes of the Great Dragon Char's massive claws. The sheer size of the Elder Dragon would have any pony believing that it would be slow, especially as it was flying through the air, although it would continue to surprise. Much like a snake slithering upon the sand, the Great Dragon Char, propelled itself through the skies effortlessly. Its massive wings brought it immense lift, and throwing clouds to the other side of Equestria. The Royal Families were firing magical spells, blasts of ice, doing everything they could to impede the dragon, but it only seemed to infuriate it. Char's shadow casted entire pony settlements into brief moments of darkness, its roar shaking snow from neighboring mountain tops, and scaring any wildlife back into their homes. Many ponies would later claim to have felt the winds thrown by the dragon's immense wings, some would even claim to feel the heat of the dragon's fire from as far as Manehatten; one thing was for certain, no pony would ever forget such a sight.

With a blast of fire from the Great Dragon Char, Discord wormed his way around it as the blast continued on, striking an empty meadow on the outskirts of Ponyville. The land was scorched beyond recognition, leaving several areas glassed, while others still burned; the rest was blackened.

"We have to keep it within the fields, Discord!" Princess Celestia shouted in her Royal Canterlot voice.

"What do you want me to do? Ask it kindly to not spit fire anywhere outside those dreary fields?" Discord questioned her sarcastically.

The Great Dragon Char lunged through the air at Discord, its jaws ready to bite him in two. Discord dodged the dragon gracefully, only to realize that the Dragon did not turn back to fight. Char had missed its target, but had seen the ponies in Ponyville shriek at the sight of its approach. The underside of its scales began to glow once more, fire beginning to surge to its throat, about to bathe Ponyville in an ocean of fire.

"Discord!" Princess Celestia shouted in terror.

Stretching out his arms, Discord traced his fingers around in the air in front him quickly, drawing magical incantations before him. With a quick snap of his claws, Discord appeared above Ponyville, his magical runes still hanging in the air before him, shaping that of an eye, the Great Dragon Char just seconds away from breathing its fire. Slamming his claw and paw together, Discord raised his arms at the dragon, the ruins widening to cover all of Ponyville; creating a magical circle above it.

"By the Eye of Agamotto!" Discord yelled aloud.

The Elder Dragon's jaws erupted flames, disappearing within the ruins conjured by Discord, before the Great Dragon Char itself flew through the ruins vanishing from sight. With a sudden clap of his claw and paw, the ruins disappeared, and Ponyville was spared of dragon's fire. Wiping his brow from such an exhaustive endeavor, Discord leaned upon on the houses in Ponyville to fan himself. The Royal Families soared down to Discord in utter amazement and confusion.

"That was incredible." Lord Tundra remarked, not seeing a single cinder of fire anywhere in Ponyville.

"Yes, but where is the dragon?" Princess Cadance asked looking towards Discord.

"I really haven't the faintest idea, I simply moved him someplace else." Discord remarked, magically producing a towel to wipe the beads of sweat from his brow.

"Where?" Princess Luna asked urgently.

"When it reappears, I'll let you know." Discord replied.

The Orc charged me, its iron clad armor striking hard against the stone floor; its cry echoed from the walls. I summoned some of the fire raging inside me, blasting it at the Orc, who in turn just charged through it taking the brunt of it without fear. I watched as its fist broke through the flames, striking me across the face. I felt a kick connect to my chest, the Orc grasping me by the head and arm, tossing me across the room; smashing into my dresser.

Pages of my mother's journal scattered about, there was a sudden fear that jumped in my heart at the sound of the papers rustling, but was stomped out by the Orc's heavy metal shoes charging my way. Pushing hard against the ground I leapt up into the air, my wings opening wide, providing me some height to the Orc. To my surprise the Orc, mantled up a top my dresser before kicking off the wall to make a grab at me. Clutching my back hoof, the Orc ripped me out of the air, slamming to the ground.

I was dazed, my body hurt all over, I struggled to keep my fire burning as fierce as it was; unwilling to give up. The Orc was soon upon me, its iron hands gripping my throat tightly, squeezing with all its might. I struggled to against its grip, striking at its arms, trying to loosen its grip but the Orc's fingers tightened further. The metal of his gauntlets were beginning to turn red, the sound of his own skin searing beneath his arm hissed, its wild eyes staring into mine.

"For a while there, I really believed you were going to kill me. I could see that rage blazing from you. You truly are your father's son." The Orc hissed, trying to squeeze the life from me. "You'll be dead soon, remembered as the Failed King. In your final moments you'll be plagued with the knowledge that you were too weak to stop me, to protect those that you professed to love, and the many that will have suffered from your failure. In the end, you were a disappointment just like your father." The Orc rasped; saliva spewing from his mouth.

"I may… have been born the Mad King's son… but he was never… my father." I wheezed.

Gorun grunted in confusion, applying more pressure to my throat, trying to squeeze the last breath from me. My flames started to thrive, roaring back to life, emanating from my body, setting the Orc's hands ablaze. I pressed my hooves against his chest, the Orc's grip lessening, my Flash Step consuming me.

"My father taught me to never eat rocks." I stated, kicking off the Orc; an explosion of fire throwing Gorun back.

Gorun was thrown back against the wall, smashing down on the dresser, effectively destroying it as the Obsidian Crown knocked against the stone floor; the rest of my mother's pages being thrown about. Rising to my hooves I felt more fore head begin to burn, a felt the surge of my dormant magic being concentrated, flaring my wings out I reared back. Gorun was on its knees, its hands blackened from my flames, lifting its gaze to me with such hate seething from its eyes.

"Now get out of my Kingdom!" I shouted to the Orc.

I let loose a blast of fire that burned so fiercely that it bathed the interior of the walls with golden light. The barreling inferno raced towards Gorun, who in turn raised its arms to shield itself from the blast. From the fire, Gorun could make out a shape beginning to form within the flames; a blazing phoenix soaring towards him. The fiery image of the phoenix slammed into Gorun, knocking it back, sending it sailing through the wall of Royal Chamber. The fiery magic of the phoenix clawing at the Orc within the inferno of my fire, the flames soon dissipated allowing Gorun fall to the ground into the dirt and rubble below.

The crackling of flames could be heard coming from Gorun, its head blackened by fire. Armor red, searing with heat, faint hisses of the Orc's skin being branded by its armor, and yet it struggled to stand. Gripping its fingers tightly, suppressing the pain, the Orc touched the tender and sizzling blackened flesh of its face. Gorun looked towards the castle to see me slowly gliding my way towards it; eyes blazing yellow. Gorun found it difficult to move its legs, the metal of his armor already beginning to cool, fusing itself together.

Gorun looked up at me, its face disfigured, one eye burned shut, wracked with pain and armor rent. Raising its arms out to its sides, the Orc offered itself to me, awaiting the finishing blow that would end its suffering. My flames swirled around me, crackling as I landed a few meters away from him. I paused, staring down the Orc; then I allowed my flames to die away.

"What's the matter? Finish it." The Orc hissed poisonously.

"No…" I whispered shaking my head.

"Come on then! Do it! Do it! Just do it!" The Orc shouted angrily, striking his arm against his chest challenging me.

"I refuse." I said defiantly.

"Coward!" The Orc shouted, staggering forward; nearly falling over.

I stood silently shaking my head no. The Orc grinded its teeth, breathing hard, possibly in remarkable pain, but refused to show even the slightest bit of it.

"I like to think that you and I were the same in some ways, Gorun." I said sadly, watching the Orc shake with anger. "Both having to grow up in such dark and lonely places."

Gorun said nothing. His eyes glaring hatefully at me while spat whatever saliva he could gather at me, falling short; mixing its green blood with the dirt.

"In ways, I pity you, and the life you chose to make for yourself." I said remorsefully.

Gorun snorted in anger, breathing hard, lurching forward, lifting his arm and pointing at me while his free arm hugged his waist, nearly doubled over in pain.

"Save your pity and your mercy! For I am the Last Orc and I will never have need of it!" Gorun shouted.

I stood ready to face off against the Orc once more, but that is when the sky began to grow dark. A shadow quickly started forming around us. Our eyes drew towards the sky, the Great Dragon Char diving in low from above, fire billowing from its mouth. I didn't waste a second in leaping into the air flying back to the threshold of Castle Char to get clear of the dragon's fire. I looked back to see Gorun staring up at the Great Dragon Char, its dragon fire let loose on the ground below. In its last moments, I saw the Orc known as Gorun look my way. Lifting one of its arms and pointing towards me; mouthing something I could not understand. Letting it's arm drop to its side, I could have sworn I saw the Orc smile as it was suddenly consumed in the inferno of the dragon's fire. The Ashen Fields having witnessed the passing of the Last Orc for one final time.