The Last Queen of the Blaze

The shimmering halls of the castle were fairly empty as the group passed through the high open corridors in silence. The sun glinted off the marble floors, and struck the stained glass windows lining the halls. Each of the windows were meticulously crafted, creating images that many residents of Ponyville would recognize. They portrayed triumph over the many evils faced by the Queen and her friends in the past, evils that would have spiraled their universe into chaos had it not been for their bravery.

To Apple Bloom though, it only left her feeling hollow. Walking through the halls, the polygonal visage of her sister kept catching her eye, no matter how much she wished to look away, and no matter how brutally her heart froze every time. The air was tense enough for anypony to quickly realize that something was up, but anypony with a brain knew better than to question Apple Bloom about her feelings at this point.

Sweetie Belle tried to keep herself distracted by glancing out the windows. By now the group had climbed up a fair amount of flights of stairs. The view from that level was definitely pleasant, letting her see the the surrounding city of Canterlot to as far as the downtown district, but it wasn't alleviating any of the awkward emotions she was feeling right now.

Rarity kept her mouth clamped tight as she walked by the stained glass portraits. It was honestly felt strange for her to view her youthful self as merely an afterthought, but it was if Apple Bloom's very presence was causing the gravity of the room itself to collapse down towards her. It was an odd feeling, and though Rarity tried to make sense of it, she only succeeded in convincing herself that silence was currently the best option.

Spike led them into the central audience chamber, where Sweetie Belle could look down from the railing to see a hard-working unicorn with white hair and a teal coat directing the line that grew past the main doors.

Autumn was mostly silent during this walk. One would think she had fallen asleep in Apple Bloom's basket, but lo and behold, she was wide awake, staring with her mouth agape at the ceiling of the castle, partly in awe, partly in confusion.

"Twilight's right through those doors," said Spike, walking right up to the doors to the central chamber. "I guess I needn't mention that whatever it is you need to say, you should make it quick. Life's been pretty hectic around here recently, and-"

"We're not staying any longer than we need to," said Apple Bloom, bluntly. There was a shared glance between Rarity and Sweetie Belle, who kept silent.

Spike gave a small "Ah..." and nod of understanding. "Right then." It seemed like he was on the verge of saying something else, but he thought better of it. Instead, he opened up the doors, revealing the largest room in the castle.

The walls were as high as the surrounding towers, allowing the Sun to pass through the glass dome of a roof and drift all the way down to the floor, illuminating everything on it. Sweetie Belle needed slowed down behind the group to take it all in. Unlike her sister, she had never really been inside the castle much, let alone the main central chamber where the royalty performed their daily duties.

The walls were all carved with the kind visages of Equestria's heroes from past to present. Rarity's was among them. She would later on say that the carving failed to capture all her best, most youthful attributes, but when asked specifically what she meant, she would brush it off as something only she could understand.

Spike was about to round the corner, where Twilight would be sitting on the throne doing her very best not to let Equestria fall apart, when he turned to check on the others. Sweetie and Rarity were already staring behind them.

Apple Bloom was looking on at the smiling visage of her own sister, carved into the wall just above Pinkie's. She gently caressed the cheek with her hoof, staring on at the sculpted wood. Even Autumn seemed to be silent, barely taking notice of the roof now. She was now looking at Apple Bloom, then the bust of Applejack, then back to Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom herself was beginning to get a pounding in her head. A chill began to run up her spine as she read the plaque welded into the wall beneath Applejack's smiling face.

"Applejack (2000 - 2034). Cherished by her friends and loved by her family."

The pounding increased tenfold. She grit her teeth and wobbled unsteadily away from the wall. The world around her began to turn dark, and the familiar voice echoed throughout her depths of her psyche. It was felt like it was happening for the first time all over again.

"Apple Bloom...my dear sister....".

Apple Bloom nearly screamed in agony again, and Rarity was just about ready to step in and help, when she did something unexpected. Quickly putting Autumn and the basket down on the ground, she scrummaged through the bag, not looking up out of fear of what she might see, and pulled out the pills Zecora had given her. She broke open the seal and removed the lid with a POP, poured 3 pills into her hoof, and swallowed them without hesitation.

She nearly choked on them, but after they went down, the chaos in her mind subsided. It wasn't instant, but it was fast. The voices stopped, and Apple Bloom was only now realizing how bad her head had felt now that her headache was gone. A sigh of relief escaped her lips, and she barely notices the shocked expressions of the others there.

Glancing over her shoulder, away from the carving of Applejack, she cleared her throat and said simply, "Are we going or what?"

She picked up the basket and entered the chamber ahead of the others, who were still trying to process what in Tartarus just happened. Spike, who had no clue where those pills came from, was the most concerned.

"Long story, don't ask," said Sweetie Belle as she and Rarity trotted past the doors. Spike shook his head. He had already made a mental note years ago to avoid any attempt to question the activities of his companions, lest he get roped up in more trouble than preferable.

______________________________________________________________________________

Twilight's chamber was just as exquisite as the rest of the castle, except the entire upper floor was surrounded by glass windows, letting the sun shine in all it's glory to illuminate the room brightly. From where they had entered the room, the group could finally see where the line lead to. Just a few meters ahead, past the line of ponies that trailed out another large set of doors and all the way out of the castle's entrance, was Twilight herself, slender and majestic as always (though Apple Bloom chalked that up to the sun just shining in the perfect spot). An elderly stallion, enclothed with a tuxedo and monocle, seemed to be very loudly voicing his displeasures, going on and on about "business" and "proposals".

Twilight glanced away from the conversation, seeing Spike and the others. She brightened up slightly upon seeing Rarity, but it fell into a look of slight discomfort as her eyes set upon Apple Bloom. The poor earth pony felt her face grow flush as Twilight laid eyes on her, turning her head ever so slightly away to avoid direct eye contact.

"Hello? Your highness?" said the stallion, in a gruff sort of voice. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

Rarity waved at Twilight with an eager face, and Sweetie did the same, much more shyly. Spike made his way up to the princess' side, and whispered into her hear. She had to stoop down a tiny bit to listen, but after doing so, she glanced over at Apple Bloom, then the basket, then nodded in understanding.

Turning her attention back to the stallion, she said, "Your profits will be fine. I doubt Yakyakistan will willingly target just your shares just to spite us. They currently have their own crisis going on, so we must aid them in any way to maintain relations."

"But-" said the stallion, but Twilight held up her hoof.

"Enough," she said. "We must let the situation first settle down before rushing into things. 'Haste makes waste', as they say. Now, there are other matters I must attend to."

The stallion grumbled, then sighed, and sulked away out of the room. The guards at the entrance to the chamber closed the door behind him, and the other ponies were all escorted out gently, until only Twilight, Apple Bloom, Rarity, Sweetie, and Spike remained in the room.

"....so.... I like what you've done with the place," Sweetie Belle chuckled nervously. Rarity rolled her eyes at her sister's attempt to alleviate the tension.

Twilight took no notice of this. She was too focused on Apple Bloom's intense spiteful aura that filled the room. If she was scared, which was unlikely, she showed no sign of it. She cleared her throat.

"Welcome, Apple Bloom. I pray you are well."

"I'm well enough," said Apple Bloom rather sharply. Autumn fussed slightly, making a sound as what could only be described as a baby's yawn. Twilight glanced at the foal, and her eyes remained steady.

"I am to understand that you have something you wish to ask about," said Twilight. Her voice remained steadfast.

Apple Bloom, without breaking eye contact with the princess, nodded silently. She slowly brought the basket to the steps leading up to the throne. Twilight made her way down the steps, carefully, approaching the foal.

Rarity and Sweetie and Spike stood off to the side, waiting with baited breath. Using her magic, Twilight gingerly began to lift the foal up out of the basket. Autumn seemed neither scared nor confused as she began rising, giggling happily and hugging herself. Apple Bloom flinched at Twilight's actions, and suppressed the urge to reach out and grab her child.

"My child...?" thought Apple Bloom. "I really am going bucking crazy."

"Facinating," said Twilight. She was walking around the child in a circular motion, taking note of the crooked horn, the scales, and the strange color of mane. "Where did you encounter such a thing?"

Bloom snapped. "Her name is Autumn, not a 'thing'." She immediately realized how loud she was, and blushed ever so slightly. She turned her head away in embarrassment, but kept her eyes on the floating laughing foal before them.

"I apologize. I didn't mean-...." Twilight hesitated, not knowing exactly what to say. Instead, she continued her question. "Where did you find Autumn?"

So Apple Bloom told Twilight the whole story. Well, not everything. She left out the parts of her outburst in the square, as well as her stay at Rarity's, and the trip to Zecora's. Upon hearing that the child was left abandoned at the edge of a river in the middle of the forest, Twilight narrowed her eyes.

"Poor thing...lost and alone...." she hushed the foal, who had finally stopped spinning thanks to Twilight catching her with her hoof. "Thank goodness you were there at the time."

"Can you just help identify it? The species, I mean," said Apple Bloom.

Twilight lowered the foal back into the basket. "Of course. I must consult my books." She turned to the others. "You are welcome to join me in the library."

Sweetie Belle realized she had been holding her breath in for the entire conversation. She sighed and said, "Sure, yeah, we'll come."

Rarity and Spike nodded as well. Twilight walked to the door over to the east, opened the doors, and stepped inside. The library was not especially huge, but it was very high. Shelves full of books, taller than even the highest trees on the Apple Farm, reached towards the ceiling. Rows of these towering shelves were aligned parallel to each other, with sunlight from the windows shining between the gaps.

Twilight immediately turned to the left, going all the way to the second shelf from the left, and activated her magic. About seven or eight books from the shelves on both sides floated off where they stood, opened up and drifted towards her. Twilight flipped through the pages, glancing back at Autumn on occasion for reference. Rarity and Sweetie Belle glanced among the books. Sweetie took one off the shelf and peeked inside. The images inside immediately made her turn red as a tomato, and pushed it back with such speed Rarity wondered if Rainbow Dash had been hanging out with her too much. Spike chuckled, and took a different book from the shelf above.

"Twilight, try this one," he said, handing the princess the book. Twilight opened it, flipped quickly through the pages, then shook her head.

"No, no, not this one." She went back to flipping through the other books she already had around her.

Apple Bloom was silent the whole time, trying to distract herself by checking on Autumn every so often. Unfortunately, (or fortunately), Autumn was quiet, and her eyelids were drooping. The laughter from earlier seemed to have tired her out, and the foal turned in it's blanket and fell asleep.

"Doing alright?" Sweetie Belle asked. Apple Bloom glanced up out of her trance. She sighed and looked at the sleeping baby.

"Do you ever think Autumn dreams of her parents?"

Sweetie Belle was taken aback by the sudden uneasy air of the question. The unicorn thought to herself, rubbing her neck nervously.

"Why do you ask?" Sweetie Belle asked after a long pause.

Apple Bloom said nothing in response. She it looked as if she was about to say something that would sound crazy to any pony, and yet she wanted to say it.

Twilight's "Aha!" brought everyone back to the situation. Apple Bloom sighed as she forced herself to rejoin with the princess, who appeared to be lifting one of the thicker books with her magic. The book was open to a page near the end, and had a scratchy drawing of what appeared to be a strange type of pony. The figure was slimmer than most mares Apple Bloom had seen, and yet taller, more elegant, but not nearly as tall as Twilight was now. It's neck was long and curved, wrapped in a white fur coat that gave a soft yet fearsome appearance, almost like a lion. It's tail was thin and long as well, with fur that spread out like the tip of an arrow at the end. The most prominent features was the green scales lining the bridge of the snout, and the crooked horn piercing the sky.

To the right of the drawing was another one. The figure in this one appeared to be the same species as the first, only much more youthful, with eyes filled with naive wonder.

To Apple Bloom, it was practically a grown-up Autumn.

"I think this is it," declared Twilight. "I believe Autumn is what is known as a 'kirin'."

"Kirin..." Apple Bloom repeated the word under her breath. Rarity took the book into her own hooves, reading over the pages. She looked over at Autumn and nodded.

"It checks out, darling. Autumn fits the description here to a T," she said.

Spike and Sweetie looked at each other, then at Apple Bloom to see her reaction. Bloom was mesmerized by the picture, staring at the form. She felt her heart beat faster, as she read the description under the photo.

"The Kirin are an ancient species, born from the earth and infused with the fiery elements that lie beneath the crust. Their origin is unknown, as is how they vanished over time. Some argue genetic defection, or perhaps feudal war. These are merely speculation, and no evidence can confirm any prevailing theory. Regardless, the Kirin were known for their mastery over fire, each one of them capable of generating and manipulating enough of it to burn entire forests to the ground. Very little is confirmed about this species. Must be investigated further."

Twilight looked at the silent earth pony and closed the book. "If Autumn truly is a Kirin, this implies that the species is beginning to repopulate. If I could just-"

"Absolutely NOT!" said Apple Bloom. "I'm not letting you run studies on MY BUCKING AUTUMN!" She nearly screamed the last bit, but remembered that Autumn was still trying to sleep. Thankfully, the foal only rolled the other way in her sleep, snoozing just as peacefully as ever.

Rarity and Sweetie Belle covered their mouths with their hooves, and Spike raised his eyebrow at this seemingly random outburst. Twilight widened her eyes as well, but she closed her eyes and sighed, remaining composed.

"Apple Bloom, please just listen-"

"Oooooh, sure!" said Apple Bloom, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Just take her, why don't you? Just like you take everything else! Not on my BUCKING watch! You're not gonna lay another HOOF on her! You hear me? I don't care if you're a princess!"

The headache returned, and the room around them darkened. Apple Bloom's yellow fur began to dull slightly again, her pupils starting to dilate. She couldn't see anything else but Twilight.

"Damn her, that Twilight....I'll tear out her throat if she tries anything...."

The voices returned. Or rather, voice. The whispering, the pounding, everything in her head grew louder. Her sister's image flashed across her eyes, and she swore she could see her sister's youthful form glaring at her... and smiling.

"There it is....that's what I wanted to see..." said the form.

"Bloom!"

Apple Bloom snapped back to reality. The darkness was gone, and the headache was fading again. Sweetie Belle was gently gripping her friend's shoulders, breathing heavily. Her expression was one of pure terror and concern. Rarity had approached the two, but once Apple Bloom had calmed down, she told herself to let them have this moment.

Twilight was still there, disturbed by these events. She waited until Apple Bloom looked up at her. She noticed her eyes were slightly shiny with tears, but her growl signaled she was trying not to let them flow. Twilight took a deep breath, and continued.

"I was going to say that until Autumn's own kind comes to look for her, if they ever do, she should remain under your care," Twilight said.

Apple Bloom's mind blanked. She felt a mixture of embarrassment and relief wash over her, and her face flushed beet red. She could only let out a small, "O-oh..."

Spike stifled a chuckle, but shrunk away at Twilight's unamused glare. Twilight glanced back at Apple Bloom.

"Look, Apple Bloom, I'm..." She began. But she couldn't finish that thought. What could she possibly say that could comfort her? She forced herself to go with what her heart said.

"I understand if you have some reservations about me. I swear, I would never bring harm to you and Autumn. And I promise to aid you in any way you feel necessary. You need only ask."

She placed her hoof on Apple Bloom's shoulder, who brushed it away after a short pause.

Apple Bloom glanced up one more time, into Twilight's eyes. She stared hard into those soft, gleaming whites, and swallowed hard.

"...Okay," she said. "I will. Eventually."

Before Twilight could get out another word, Apple Bloom had already turned around to leave. She picked up the basket carrying Autumn, and trotted briskly past Spike, who attempted to say his goodbyes but got no response from Apple Bloom.

She stopped at the door. Rarity and Sweetie Belle were following her, and glanced back at Twilight. The princess, pulled the two over to the side, and leaned down to whisper.

"Look after Apple Bloom, will you? I fear she's hiding more than she's letting on."

Rarity nodded. "Of course, darling," she said.

"You can count on us," Sweetie Belle agreed. "Thanks for all your help, Princess Twilight."

Twilight smiled and nodded. She watched as the three ponies opened the doors and began making their way out of the castle. If she had looked for a bit longer, she might have caught a glimpse of Apple Bloom looking back at her, just as the doors closed.