Sparkle's Fire

"Mayor Mare," Celestia said to the pony in the elevator with them. "We're going to the project room."

"With her?" The mayor said in disbelief. "Are you sure?"

"Of course," Celestia hummed, staring down at Rainbow Dash with gentle eyes. "She already knows about the Warp Project and the Eclipse. Why not show her what the engine is going to look like, hm?"

"A-alright." The mayor swallowed hard. "I'll inform the researchers as soon as we reach the floor."

"What?" Rainbow looked at Celestia with confusion and concern written on her face. "The 'engine?'"

"Yes," Celestia said with a nod. "I told you that we need the Burnish for a reason, and now I'll get to show you what that reason is. I hope you're as excited as I am! I haven't gotten the opportunity to see a successful test just yet, so I do hope it turns out well."

Rainbow couldn't help but feel scared. Celestia's excitement just... didn't sit right with her. It made her feel sick to her stomach seeing that usually sweet smile be so wide. Her eyes were sparkling as though the sun itself was shining down on her. Rainbow blinked as the doors to the elevator opened into a sleek white laboratory. Ponies in white coats were walking everywhere and talking amongst eachother in low and monotone voices. Mayor Mare exited the elevator, announcing her presence and searching for the researchers she had mentioned talking to.

Celestia tapped Rainbow's shoulder, and motioned with her head for the mare to follow her. The two walked together out of the elevator, and the doors shut tight behind them. They walked down the hall, Rainbow keeping her head low and Celestia holding hers high and prideful. Celestia occasionally moved her wings to pass silent greetings to her fellow ponies. They reached a door at the end of the room, where a scanner was present. Celestia leaned her head down, and opened her eyes wide. The scanner shot out a thin red beam that passed down over her eyes. After a few seconds, the doors opened, and Celestia blinked a few times to ensure she could see again. She walked into the room with Rainbow Dash. Mayor Mare was already waiting for them.

"What is this place?" Rainbow asked Celestia at last.

"This is our main laboratory," Celestia explained as they walked to the window. "Here, we are testing the Prometech pods that are going to act as our engine upon the Eclipse. This is why we need the Burnish; they are going to power these pods."

"What?!" Rainbow's eyes widened and her ears pinned to her head by force. "You're using the Burnish as a fuel source?!"

"Precisely," Celestia stated with no shame. "Now, just watch. Let us see if this works. Activate the warp test!"

"Activating warp test," A pony from beyond the glass said.

Two ponies gathered around a control panel, and a pony inside a glass box waved up at the glass to Celestia. All the ponies beyond the glass were wearing protective yellow suits with blue visors over their faces. Two glass boxes were stationed together on either side of the control panel, and in the center was a metal circle with a pony strapped onto it. Rainbow's eyes widened as she recognized the pony at the center; Saffron Masala, the head chef at the Tasty Treat. She looked dazed, and her coat was much more dull than when Rainbow had seen her last.

"That's Saffron," Rainbow said quietly, putting her hooves up on the glass. "What are you doing to her?"

"Shh," Celestia ordered her to be silent as the test took place.

The circle holding Saffron down began to spin. Her eyes opened wide, and she struggled against her restraints. All at once, the circle reached the maximum speed that it could, and her body was enveloped in flames. Rainbow's body shuddered as she heard the mare scream while she spun. Inside one of the glass boxes, a black triangular shape opened up on the roof. The pony inside jumped to the shape, and was sucked inside. In the other glass box, the same shape opened up, and the pony was spit out as though it was a mouth. They fell to the ground, hitting their head and groaning while they got up.

"Test success!" Celestia squealed with joy and clapped her hooves. "Stop the test, this is wonderful!"

"Test success, shutting down!" One of the ponies beyond the glass exclaimed. They slammed their hoof down on a red button on the control panel, and the metal sheet Saffron was strapped to slowly began to stop spinning. The flames dispersed, and she was left to lay limp again. Her eyes closed, and Rainbow noticed that her hooves were beginning to turn gray, parts breaking off and disappearing into the air.

"She's dying," Rainbow said, covering her mouth with her hoof.

"Don't you see, Rainbow Dash?" Celestia said, the joy of earlier still in her voice. She put her hoof on Rainbow's back and hummed. "With this test showing success, we can begin to assemble the engine on the Eclipse, and we can finally find a new home. Now that we can travel much further than we ever thought possible, the continuation of the pony race is in our sights. We will no longer have to worry about the threat of our planet being destroyed because of the Burnish's flames. We can live in peace on a new planet. Do you understand now?"

"...I do," Rainbow said, defeatedly. She quickly corrected herself and snapped her head up to glare at Celestia. "But I refuse to accept what you're doing to these poor ponies. I just can't."

Celestia stared down at her. Her eyes were blank, but she kept that smile on her face. She removed her hoof from the mare's back. She moved to stand before her, and her wings positioned themselves off of her back as if she were going to take flight.

"So what do you think we should do?" She asked calmly.

"We need to prevent this disaster!" Rainbow said firmly, stomping her hoof on the ground and spreading her wings wide. "We already know that the Burnish flames are causing the magma to go out of control, so why can't we just stop the magma? There has to be some way to tame it!"

"There isn't," Celestia assured her. "The only way for us to continue living as a species is if we leave this planet. The magma is going to kill us all if we stay. None of our technology is advanced enough to try and 'tame the magma' as you're suggesting, and we don't have time to develop it. The way it seems to be right now, we only have a few months before this planet will be destroyed."

"Then I'll do something about it," Rainbow hissed. "I'll do what you can't. I'll stop the magma, I'll free the Burnish, and I'll make sure that no pony has to die!"

Celestia looked at her in silence. She tilted her head to the side, her eyes falling half lidded. She sighed, turning her head to look out the glass at the test site. Her wings rested against her back again.

"I knew that you would say something like that, Rainbow Dash," She finally said, allowing her smile to fall. "I knew it would happen the very second I showed you what was to come. But I can't have you ruining the things we've already gone to build now."

Rainbow flinched as she felt something cold against the back of her head. She turned her head, eyes wide as she saw a Freeze Force soldier behind her. She let her eyes move to see that the pony was pointing a gun at the back of her head. She whipped around, glaring up at Celestia.

"What are you doing?" She demanded to know.

"Take her away," Celestia said to the soldier, ignoring Rainbow's question. "Make sure that she doesn't get in our way. And when you're done, send out an order to Iron Will to find Twilight Sparkle and the rest of her group. He'll know why we're looking for them."

"Wait!" Rainbow yelled as the soldier used the magic from their horn to lift her into the air. She fought against them furiously. "You can't do this! Celestia! Celestia!!"

Her screams fell on deaf ears as she was carried back the way she came.

"Mayor Mare," Celestia said as she turned to the pony in question.

"Yes ma'am?" The pony said, lifting her head.

"Tell the engineers to begin installing the Prometech pods on board the Eclipse," She ordered. "And I want a report on the magma levels immediately. I fear that with our research, our time has been shortened much further than we think. Tell my sister to start contacting the ponies in the city and the Crystal Empire. Regardless of what the new statistics tell us, I want to ensure that every pony is aware of what is going on before it is too late."

"Yes ma'am," Mayor Mare said firmly. "I will return soon. But, what of Rainbow Dash?"

"Don't worry about her," Celestia snorted, glaring at her reflection in the glass. "We'll send her to Fillydelphia's prisons before we launch the ship, and she'll go down with the rest of the creatures on this cursed planet. I'll make sure of it, personally."

Meanwhile, outside a cavern beyond Whinnyapolis...

"Mayor Mare, give me the report," Tempest Shadow said into her radio, static echoing from it for a few moments before the mare in question responded to her.

"Celestia has issued an order to find and capture Sparkle's Fire," The mayor said through the radio. "Any and all Burnish still in Whinnyapolis should also be discovered as soon as possible, at least that's what I assume she would order as well. Her main focus is on Sparkle's Fire as their leaders are the strongest Burnish on record. Princess Luna has been sent to contact ponies in Whinnyapolis and the Crystal Empire, and I've just put out an order to begin installing the Prometech Pods on the Eclipse."

"Good," The unicorn mare laughed. "We're finally getting somewhere. We're out on the main road currently exiting city borders, we've detected strong Burnish signals from the mountains and we are heading there now. Will report back once all Burnish have been captured."

"We'll be waiting patiently," The mayor said before terminating the signal.

"Did you catch all that, boss?" Tempest said, turning to the driver's seat where Iron Will was situated.

"Iron Will would've caught those ponies without an order anyways!" The minotaur laughed, flexing his arm and using his other hand to steer the vehicle.

"We're going to be leaving soon," Tempest sighed, rolling her head over her shoulders. "Let's try to be quick. What are we going to do with Twilight Sparkle when we get her?"

"Princess Celestia will decide," Iron Will said. "Iron Will is bound and determined to catch her red-hoofed!"

"Yeah, you've been saying that for days," Tempest groaned, burying her face in her hooves. "Sometimes I wish you'd stop being so obsessed with her and focus a little more on your job. We're coming up to a break in the forest anyways. What's your plan for us catching these punks?"

"Easy," Iron Will laughed, hitting the steering wheel with one of his fists. "When they know you're there, you can scare! Iron Will says you ponies frighten them outside, and Iron Will will catch them as they run!"

"You think all of them are cowards?" Tempest snorted. "Well, you might be right. But Twilight isn't a little bitch from what I know. Tell you what, we can focus on scaring out all the cowards, and I'll make a team to fight with Twilight and her little posse. How's that sound?"

"No need!" Iron Will said confidently. "Iron Will has a plan for those ponies."

"Whatever you say, Mister Boss Man," Tempest relaxed in her seat with a sigh.

The vehicles turned into the break in the woods. Their wheels weren't exactly built to run off the road, but they pushed on anyways. This was their duty, and they wouldn't back down just from driving on the ground instead of the asphalt. It was difficult to dodge around few of the trees, and some were even hit by the other vehicles, but they would fall soon. Tempest jumped as one of the trees did fall behind them, hitting hard against the mountain.

"Fuck," She cursed under her breath. "Some idiot knocked a tree down. They have to know we're here now."

"Good! Scare them out!" Iron Will cackled as he pulled the vehicle to a stop close by what seemed to be the entrance to a tunnel. "When the ponies come through here, Iron Will will take them down!"

"Riiight..." Tempest got up, and pushed open the door to the vehicle. "Well, I'm heading inside. You have fun sitting out here and freezing the poor things. I'm going to find Twilight Sparkle."

"Wait," Iron Will stopped Tempest before she could leave.

"What is it now?" She hissed as she turned to him.

"Take this," Iron Will handed her a capsule. She took it in her hoof, using a brief spark of magic to examine it.

"What the hell is this?" She questioned him with a raised brow.

"Celestia calls it an Absolute Zero Bullet," Iron Will explained. "It's designed specially to paralyze whatever it comes into contact with. Use it on Twilight, and aim for the heart."

"Interesting..." Tempest hummed. "Could you tell me anymore by any chance?"

"Iron Will has got just the thing you need!" Iron Will opened a panel on the dashboard of the vehicle, and lifted out a clip loaded full of Absolute Zero Bullets. Within the clip was a small sheet of paper. He handed the clip to Tempest. She opened it, and pulled out the piece of paper, reading off what it wrote.

'Absolute Zero Bullets were developed by the Royal Guard after the first recorded attack on Celestia's Sunlit Tower. These bullets are specially designed for Freeze Force personnel. Absolute Zero Bullets work by absorbing the affected individual's body heat in order to create a prison of ice. These bullets are only to be used in an emergency situation. Do not aim bullets toward self for fear of termination by Princess Celestia or death during ice imprisonment.'

Underneath the explanation was a blueprint describing how the Absolute Zero Bullets were manufactured. A diagram showcased what would happen when an individual was hit with one. Tempest almost felt sick looking at this report, but a smile was still on her face. These bullets were not something that could be easily messed around with.

"Interesting," Tempest laughed. "I'll be sure to use one of these things on Twilight, don't you worry boss."

The two exchanged no further words as Tempest loaded her pistol with an Absolute Zero Bullet, and signaled to some of the other soldiers. The ponies fell in line behind her as she slid on her helmet, her horn fizzling with magic through the top. She held her gun close to her body as she ran to the tunnel entrance, and slid inside. The other soldiers followed in after her, and the loud sounds of their footsteps surely alerted the other ponies. She heard panic begin to spread inside, the pitter patter of hoofsteps and the sounds of flames igniting.

The ponies were forced to a stop as flames began to fill the tunnel. Tempest grabbed the gun on her back, cocking it before firing ice blocks at the flames to freeze them. They shattered quickly after being frozen, filling the tunnel with quick melting ice. They pushed through, and soon burst through the other side. Few ponies were surrounding the entrance, trying to block them out, but they failed. When the soldiers burst into the cave, they let loose and froze the ponies closest by.

"Everypony out!" Tempest shouted an order.

The Burnish panicked as they pushed past, shooting flames from their hooves to try and attack the soldiers, but they too were stopped and frozen. Ice blocks containing these ponies fell around them, and few ponies escaped past them. Tempest heard cut off screams outside as Iron Will and the other soldiers froze the ponies that managed to escape. Tempest gasped as her group was suddenly thrown off their hooves by a larger flame. Her back hit the wall and pain resonated through her entire body. She got to her hooves after she had fallen to the ground, and glared in the direction of where the attack had come from. A group of 6 ponies were stationed together at the other side, and at the front of the group, Twilight Sparkle stood. She hissed as the group surrounded themselves in flames, jet black crystals wrapping tightly around their bodies and creating the armor that they usually were seen with, all except for one pony.

"How did you find us?!" Twilight demanded through her visor.

"We had some help!" Tempest laughed, bringing up the gun containing the Absolute Zero Bullet. She pointed it at Twilight with a smirk that only her mask hid. She cocked her head in a brief motion, staring into the eyes of one of the mares in the group. A silent order, but a well received one.

"Hold still, Twily," Minuette said, pushing past her and using her magic to drop a block of ice onto the alicorn's back.

Twilight had no time to react before the ice quickly spread. She yelled out as her armor shattered around her, and the cold ice froze her wings. Piercing cold seeped into her skin, making her shiver so hard it hurt. Tempest took this as her opportunity to fire the bullet. Twilight shouted out as the bullet embedded into her skin, right where her heart would be. She collapsed to the ground, ice spreading to freeze two of her legs.

"Twilight!!" Rarity screamed.

"You bastard!" Twinkleshine yelled at Minuette as she ran to take shelter behind Tempest and her group.

"Y-you..." Twilight hissed as she thrashed against the ice. "Y-you lead them to us..!"

"Your little deputy here was the first pony of your group we got to experiment on!" Tempest cackled. "We settled on a little deal; we'd only do experiments on her and spare the other ponies in her cell, and we'd implant a tracker in her just in case she ever got out. Lead us straight to you! That signal is stronger than your fires!"

"Minuette how could you?!" Lemon Hearts cried. The flames that made up her mane were even stronger now, licking angrily at the air.

"And what did you do to Twilight?!" Moon Dancer tried to help the mare up, but Twilight cried out in pain and collapsed again as another one of her legs became encased in ice.

"Absolute Zero Bullets," Tempest explained, pulling out the clip filled with them. "They're designed specially to contain you idiots. With any luck, she'll be dead soon."

"We'll see about that!" Moon Dancer yelled.

She slammed her hooves to the ground, expelling flames from underground and setting fire to the moss around the cave. The force of the explosion flung the Freeze Force soldiers backwards. Moon Dancer and Twinkleshine leapt forth through the flames, expelling more from their hooves and drowning the soldiers in fire. Their flames turned into solid ice in seconds as the ponies underneath fired their guns. The mares landed on top of the ice and bent their legs, ready to escape. The ice shattered and launched them up to the ceiling. They fell back to the ground encased in ice when their brief attack was over.

"You never learn your lesson!" Minuette cried and covered her face. "There's nothing we can do against the foundation! We're powerless to stop them, can't you see that?! We can run as far as possible, but we'll never get away from them, tracker or no tracker! They'll always find us... we're all going to die!!"

"That's enough out of you," Tempest grumbled, using her other gun to fire a bullet at Minuette and freeze her entirely. "It's funny how the more you panic, the worse you make things."

"G-god damn you..!" Twilight hissed. She cried out again as her last leg was frozen, and she was struggling even more now to move out of this prison. Through her coat, it seemed like her veins were willing to burst.

"I don't think I really explained how these bullets work." Tempest tapped her hoof. "The angrier you get, the worse that ice is going to feel on you. The more heat you expel, the more it will spread. You may as well just give in, Twilight Sparkle. Regardless of how calm or how angry you are, that ice is going to eat you alive. So why don't you let go?"

"Twilight would never!" Lemon Hearts shouted in defiance. "We won't let you take her!"

"No matter what happens, we won't let Twilight die!" Rarity joined Lemon Hearts.

The two ponies stood together, pointed their horns to the ground, and fired into the earth with their magic. A massive wall of flames burst from the ground in front of them, so many that it was almost solid. The Freeze Force Soldiers leapt forward, lifting their hooves and firing ice against the wall of flames. The two mares gasped as they pushed themselves to their limit to keep the wall up. They were outnumbered because of the soldiers, and Tempest being among them, but they refused to give in. Even as sweat dripped down their faces and sizzled against their armor, they pushed on.

"What are you doing?!" Twilight yelled up at them, managing to move her neck. "You need to leave, they'll kill you!!"

"That doesn't matter!" Lemon Hearts shouted. "We might die, but your life is more important!"

"You're our only hope, Twilight!" Rarity yelled at her, lifting a hoof and aiming it at the ceiling. Lemon Hearts followed suit. "Without you, there is no hope, and there is no flame!"

"As long as you're alive, our flames will never burn out!" The ponies yelled together.

They fired the strongest of their magic from their hooves. A large ball of flame collided with the ceiling, and split a massive hole in the side of the mountain. Smoke and debris fell everywhere around them, and the sun shone brightly in the cave. Tempest got wind of what they were planning, and hissed. She channeled as much magic into her horn as she could, and fired with all her might against the barrier of flames. Lemon Hearts and Rarity struggled against the growing ice, but they refused to back down from their current mission. Saving Twilight was their priority.

"Wait-!" Twilight screamed as flames wrapped around her, quickly solidifying into sharp black crystals that pointed at the new skylight.

"It's okay Twilight!" Lemon Hearts assured her.

"Just get out of here, and we'll be fine!" Rarity tried to reassure the mare.

Rarity and Lemon Hearts looked at eachother, and through their masks they could see the pain in eachother's eyes. They knew what they were doing, but they didn't care about the consequences. They let flames build underneath Twilight inside of the black crystals they had created. The slammed their hooves to the ground, and Twilight was shot free from the crystals like a cannon. They heard her screams of protest as she sailed through the sky like a comet. They knew they had done the right thing, and they could give in. Finally, the flame wall they had built shattered, with ice falling into the pond. Their armor shattered, and though they were perpetually shocked in their ice prison, they didn't look afraid. They had already given their lives for something better than them.

"Dammit," Tempest hissed, seeing the flame trail as Twilight sailed through the sky. "Twilight has escaped. Those idiots... Where is she going?"

"Judging by the trajectory, it looks like she's going to Celestia's Inferno," One of her soldiers said.

"The volcano?" Another pony piped up. "Can even the Burnish survive in that place?"

"Who knows," Tempest sighed, taking off her helmet and staring up at the sky. "These ponies... I'm going to put in a report to Celestia about them. We may have all of Twilight's deputies now, but she's still on the run. Celestia is not going to be pleased."

"We'll deal with her fury later," A soldier said. "We should get all these ponies back to HQ. Fuel is fuel."

"Right," Tempest affirmed with a nod. "Every pony, load up the trucks! We need to get all of these ponies back to HQ! The Warp Project is now underway, let's get a move on!"

"Yes General Tempest!"