Sparkle's Fire

"But why?!" Rainbow snapped, flapping her wings and carrying herself into the air. "Why is this happening?!"

"I can explain if you'd be quiet for a moment to let me," Cadance said with a sigh. "And unfortunately it goes along with some of Celestia's ideals. The Burnish are causing the magma in the core to overload."

"Excuse me?" Twilight hissed.

"Don't get upset," Cadance said, waving her hoof and making her computerized expression as gentle as she could. "It isn't for a bad reason that I agree with her, but it is because of her that it becomes a bad reason. What she's doing to the Burnish is causing the magma to overflow, and that's why the world is going to end."

"How?" Rainbow demanded to know as she landed on the ground again. "How are the Burnish the reason that this is happening?"

"Because of what lingers in the center of our planet," Cadance continued. The horn on her head ignited, and the screen began to change to display what she was explaining. "The Promare in the core, that is why the Burnish are responsible for this destruction."

"Promare?" Twilight tilted her head.

"These little creatures are responsible for the flames that you possess, Twilight," Cadance looked to the mare with a hum as the screen changed. It showcased a diagram of the Earth, its center dyed a bright pink, just like the flames Twilight had often been seen wielding in battle. "What you have been seen using are not real flames, in truth. These flames are simply the byproduct of the energy these living creatures are creating. It is that energy that pushes you to burn and gives you life. The reason that you are responsible for the disasters that are spouting up now is because of the over-usage of these 'flames,' and the pain Celestia is bringing to the Burnish she has detained."

"What?" Pinkie flicked her ears, trying to get a good grasp of the situation at hoof.

"The Promare can feel your pain," Cadance said, hitting the screen behind her with her hoof and changing the screen again with her magic. "As they feel your pain, they get hotter and hotter, they're heating up the magma like boiling water. When it can't handle it anymore, it bursts from the Earth's surface and spreads out as lava. The more pain they experience, the stronger these feelings get. The more Promare the feel pain, the more destruction they are going to bring with them. Celestia is causing the world's destruction because she is instigating this event; the planet is going to die only because Celestia continues hurting the Burnish, the only ponies that the Promare trust with their abilities."

"But the Promare do not come from this world," Cadance continued, changing the diagram again. "They are beings from another universe. When the Great World Blaze occurred 30 years ago, what really happened was that time split, and connected these universes. The center of our planet was replaced with a Promare core instead of our own, enabling very few of us to harness these flames and wield them willingly. Because of this other dimensional link, my research has proven that time warps are possible... but the way they are being used comes at a cost that we've already discussed."

"It will destroy our planet," Twilight stated, her wings fluttering as discomfort spread through her body.

"Precisely," Cadance let the magic stop flowing from her horn, and the room went dark again. "The Promare will continue to spiral out of control and continue their path of destruction unless they are stopped, that is why I brought you here. Twilight Sparkle, and Rainbow Dash. I have a simple favor to ask of you; I want to ask that the both of you stop Princess Celestia, and save our planet from destruction."

"Us?" Rainbow's eyes widened with shock. "You want us to stop her? Why?"

"Well, you are the only ponies that have discovered my lab," Cadance laughed and covered her mouth, her body temporarily glitching out. "A Burnish, and a firefighter... it is good luck that you ended up here."

"You were relying on luck to make us show up?" Twilight raised an eyebrow. "Well, that's stupid."

"Maybe, but luck was on my side," Cadance hummed, swishing her tail behind her. "Now that you both are here, you can use my greatest invention, complete with my finalized version of the Prometech pod. And I can assure you, Twilight Sparkle, that you will feel no pain."

"Eh?" Twilight blinked in surprise.

"Come with me, we don't have much time left." Cadance didn't wait for the ponies to respond to her before she began racing down a hallway.

"I'll get my aircraft!" Pinkie shouted after them, running in the opposite direction, back to the elevator they had come down here in.

"What did you mean by that, Cadance?" Twilight asked as they ran. "What is this 'invention' you're taking us to?"

"It is a mech that I created in the time after my death," Cadance explained. "I knew there had to be a way to stop Celestia, and so I pushed on to make something that would ensure her defeat. I was never able to use it because I am only one pony, and not a living pony at that. I need two live ponies to power the machine; a Burnish to make it run, and a living pony to pilot it. You both dropping here was absolutely good luck, and you'll get to use it to the fullest extend to stop that tyrant!"

Cadance slammed her hooves down on a button in the floor, and a large metal door opened up ahead of them. Twilight and Rainbow shielded their eyes as light poured into the room. Cadance lead them up a staircase, and at the very top was another control panel.

"You both," Cadance pointed to them, then to a panel in the wall. "There is a Prometech pod and a control panel there. Twilight, you must get in that pod so that you can power the device with your flames. Rainbow Dash, you will be the pilot behind the control panel. Go, now!"

The ponies didn't question as they ran to the panel in the wall. Twilight flew into the Prometech pod, being shrouded in blue and white light as she made herself comfortable, standing on her hind legs and pressing her hooves to the walls on either side. The metal was cold, but it felt comforting for a change. Rainbow Dash leapt in behind the control panel, sitting down in front of it and staring in surprise at all the buttons and levers ahead of her. She had no idea what any of them did, but she was sure to figure it out. Cadance hit a button on her own control panel, waving to the ponies as they began to ascend out of the ground. Metal boxes contained whatever it was that they were inside of, but those boxes shattered in halves when they finally breached the surface.

When the boxes fell, it revealed what they were inside of; a giant pony mech. Clad in pure white metal, with split sections at the knees of the legs to showcase blue glass chambers. The face of the pony mech was what they were situated in, with Twilight acting in place of the brain and Rainbow Dash in front of the windshield that acted as the eyes.

"Pretty cool, right?" Cadance laughed, her voice echoing over the speakers inside the mech.

"I suppose," Twilight shrugged. "How are we supposed to work this thing?"

"It's quite simple," Cadance hummed. "Twilight, when you use your flames they will be channeled throughout this mech. As long as there are enough flames acting as a power source, this mech can run until they burn out. When you use your flames, you will feel no pain; it's as though you're using them for your own purposes outside. Rainbow Dash, since you are at the control panel, you are in charge of making sure that the mech can run. It can fly, use magic, all those fun sorts of things, as long as Twilight is in there with you."

Twilight hummed, deciding to test for herself if this worked. She shut her eyes, her entire body becoming cloaked in flames that passed through the entire mech. Rainbow watched as the flames spread through the glass chambers, and changed the blue tint to bright pink as they traveled through.

"Wooow..." Rainbow said in awe. "This thing is kinda pretty... I wish the design was a little better though."

"Quit complaining," Twilight rolled her eyes. "We have more important things to worry about than the design."

"Yeah yeah I get it," Rainbow complained as she slammed her hoof down on a red button at the center of the panel.

The mech's windshield lit up bright white, and the wings on its back spread. Its horn glowed as it flapped its wings down toward the ground, and flung itself into the air. Rainbow set her sights on Whinnyapolis, and began flying the mech there. As they flew through the sky, Rainbow took notice of the dark aura around her, and glanced back at Twilight.

"Something tells me you aren't the happiest mare in Whinnyapolis," She said.

"So?" Twilight narrowed her eyes, tensing her shoulders.

"It's fine, you don't need to be so tense," Rainbow laughed. "I know it's a lot to take in. You know, your flames being aliens and all, and hearing what Celestia's doing to the Burnish. I get it, it's nothing that you can accept really easily. But you shouldn't let that get you down, Twily."

"What?" Twilight blinked, her eyes softening at the nickname.

"I'm just saying," Rainbow let a grin come to her face. "We're working together now, and as long as you're with me, you should let your soul burn! Let Celestia know what it is you came here for, and show everypony who exactly they're fucking with! Have a little pride, Twily. That's what all you Burnish want to show off, isn't it?"

"...Yeah," Twilight said after some silence, letting determination fuel the fire in her eyes, and the flames powering their mech. She shut her eyes, and the flames around her hooves burned hotter than ever before. "I'm tired of being down in the dumps. Let's show those bastards what a real blaze can do."

"That's the spirit!" Rainbow laughed, pushing forward on the levers controlling the mech to make it fly even faster.

Though she couldn't feel the wind hitting against the metal, she could just imagine it blowing her hair around, and it felt incredible. She glanced to the side, spying Pinkie's aircraft flying along side them. When they locked eyes, the ponies saluted to eachother. Rainbow couldn't hear it, but she could hear Pinkie laughing as her mane re-inflated. She had barely taken notice to the fact it had been down before, but she was happy to see Pinkie back to normal again. She focused back on their flight pattern, and let her own pride fill up her face. This was going to be the greatest thing she'd ever do in her life, and she'd make everypony remember it when it was all over!

"Do you have any plan for this at all?" Twilight asked as they got closer to the Eclipse.

"Nope!" Rainbow said with a laugh. "We don't have enough time to think about what to do, I think it'd be better for us if we just dive straight in and let fate take its course!"

"You're so stupid, it's baffling," Twilight groaned, rolling her eyes, and staring up ahead. "Whatever, let's hope you've got some sense in you still."

"Hey, I'm still the pilot you know!" Rainbow looked at Twilight upside down, and stuck her tongue out.

"Then shut up and pilot," Twilight stuck her tongue out in retaliation.

Rainbow huffed and pulled her head back down so she could focus on flying. As they approached the Eclipse, she narrowed her eyes seeing panels opening around the base of Celestia's Sunlit Tower. She gasped, realizing what they were opening for. Smoke trailed through the air as projectiles flung at their mech, ice blocks hitting against the metal and freezing in places, only to break off to the ground below. One in particular hit the head of the mech, and sent them sailing into the deck of the ship, head first. Rainbow was flung down onto the ceiling as the impact hit, and Twilight hit her head against the wall.

"You idiot, what are you doing?!" Twilight hissed. "What did I just tell you?"

"My bad," Rainbow groaned as she sat up. "I really just can't get into the zone with this thing..."

"What the hell does that mean?" Twilight glared daggers down at the mare.

"I mean, have you seen this thing's design..?" Rainbow pointed to a diagram that appeared on the control panel. "How am I supposed to do my job in this?"

"I come here to help you pilot this stupid thing, and this is the shit I'm getting?" Twilight grumbled. "Fine, let me make it more 'appealing' for you, your Majesty."

She shut her eyes tight, concentrating all her energy to even the outside of the mech. Flames burst around the mech's hooves, and quickly fell over the metal like waves of water. Rainbow heard alarms beginning to go off inside of the ship, but she ignored them as she watched the mech begin to change around them. Black crystals made from the flames solidified against every leg, wrapping around them like snakes catching prey. The flames burst from around the mech's wings, destroying the metal, but in turn replacing them with massive raven wings; Rainbow recognized these wings as being the same kind that Twilight had grown herself when she began her destruction of Whinnyapolis. Nice touch, she thought with a chuckle. She forced the mech out of the ground, and let it land on its hooves as a sharp, glowing blue horn emerged from where a metal horn had previously been on the mech's head, and flames burst around the windshield to frame it.

"Celestia!" Rainbow called out through the mech up to the tower. "Your reign of terror is over, this is where it all ends! You better be prepared, because even your huge spaceship is no match for the Twilight Rainboom!"

"The what now?" Twilight raised a brow, staring down at Rainbow Dash.

"Well, Cadance didn't give this thing a name," Rainbow laughed as she turned to the mare. "I figured I might as well name it myself! Just feel grateful that I named it after you, Twily."

Twilight rolled her eyes, feeling her cheeks heat up with blush. Well, at least she appreciated the gesture. Unfortunately though, they had more important things to focus on than Rainbow's stupid naming system.

"Rainbow-!" Twilight looked back and yelled out in surprise to the mare for her to focus.

Rainbow looked back just in time to catch a missile that had been sailing for them. She grabbed it between the mech's hooves, holding it tight before flying into the air using its newfound wings, and throwing the missile onto the ship. She covered her eyes as the missile exploded on the ship's deck, making it rock back and forth. A huge crater was created where the missile struck. Rainbow outstretched one of the mech's back legs, and sailed down toward the crater, kicking into it with all the strength the mech had. The kick broke through the surface of the deck, sending shards of metal into the makeshift city below. Rainbow forced the mech's hooves to pull against the hole they had made, trying to push it wide open to fit inside.

"We need to find where they're keeping the Burnish!" Rainbow said to Twilight.

"We'll just have to dig through!" Twilight yelled back, cloaking her body once more in flames to power the mech. "Hold on, everypony, we're going to save you!"

"Twilight, Rainbow!" Pinkie shouted, her voice echoing inside the mech's main room. "Look up, the ship is trying to warp!"

Rainbow turned the mech's head up, just to see a massive black rectangle in the sky. It looked big enough just to fit the entire Eclipse. She recognized what it was; that was their warp portal. She had seen a smaller version of it inside Celestia's lab before she was arrested. She hissed, pulling her focus away from the hole in the deck, and racing with the mech to Celestia's Sunlit Tower.

"Celestia, where are the Burnish?!" She yelled, bringing the mech's hooves up and slamming them down around the tower's base repeatedly, punching into the metal with all its might. "Tell us now!!"

The tower was wobbling as Rainbow forced the onslaught. She was determined to either bring this tower down, or force an answer out of the Princess in exchange for it to keep standing. Either way, she wasn't ready to give up her attack just yet. She flapped the mech's wings, forcing it to fly backwards before she slammed forth, ramming the mech's hooves against the tower base. She heard the metal creaking, ready to collapse at any given moment.

"Rainbow, be careful!" Twilight hissed. "If that thing falls, it could crush us! And there are innocent ponies in there; we can't risk their lives!"

"Ugh..!" Rainbow growled, forcing herself to stop attacking the mech.

"Guys, look up!" Pinkie warned the ponies.

Rainbow made the mech look up so they could see. From the top of Celestia's Sunlit Tower, one of the outlooks was beginning to fall. Rainbow gasped, slamming the mech's wings down and making them fly backwards as it came crashing down, slamming into the deck of the ship. The impact of the outlook made a massive hole in the ship, more than big enough for Rainbow and Twilight's mech to fit through. They leapt in after it, and landed inside the makeshift city. They stood back as the outlook began to change, revealing itself as its own personal pony mech.

"You..!" Celestia hissed from within as the mech formed. Bright white metal towered over their black crystals, and almost filled the entire street space they were occupying. "You both need to stop interfering with things you know nothing about! This is my city, and my spaceship... and I'm not about to have you both destroying it!!"