Equestria's Pyre

Manehatten: the most metropolitan city in all of Equestria. It was another hectic morning in the 'city that never snoozes.' All sorts of ponies were trotting around, yelling and cursing at each-other to get out of their way.

Pyre entered the city and was immediately greeted by it's hospitality...

"Get 'da buck outah' my way, ya mook!" a stallion spat after he bumped into her, cause her to lose the rocks she was carrying with her magic.

Pyre was barely able to contain her anger, but managed to trot away deeper into the heavily crowded city.

Twilight woke up to the sound of loud trumpeting outside her tent. She checked her clock; it was 7:15 in the morning. Spike slept through the noise, so Twilight decided not to wake him. She went outside to find that everypony was gathering. She saw Fluttershy and Applejack and headed over to talk with them, but Flashpoint stepped in front of her.

"Flashpoint?! What gives?"

"She want to talk with us," he replied.

Flash led Twilight through the murmuring crowd, and to her delightful surprise, Princess Celestia was waiting for her.

The two walked up to the Princess; she was grim, staring at the desolation caused by Pyre. Celestia lowered her head, "So much destruction...," she sighed, then turned to Twilight and Flashpoint, "I wish to speak with you. Twilight, bring your friends; Flashpoint, bring Thermal Vision." She turned away, and continued to gaze at the once, beautiful city. Twilight noticed a tear drop from her mentor's eye.

Flashpoint spoke to Twilight, "Twilight, go and get your friends, also, check on your friend Rainbow Dash. See if she's ready to be removed from her bed, I'm going to find Thermal."

Flash proceeded to find Thermal, as did Twilight with her friends. She didn't have to search long though...

"Hey, Twi!" AJ called out to her with Fluttershy behind, "What's goin' on?"

"Celestia wants to talk with us," Twilight replied, "Flashpoint said we should get Rainbow."

"Um, I don't think the doctors are going to let us," Fluttershy pointed out, "Dash is still very hurt."

"Rainbow deserves ta hear what the Princess has ta say," Applejack blurted.

Twilight nodded, "Applejack's right Fluttershy, and Rainbow's encounter with Pyre will be important to discuss with the Princess."

They went over to the Med. Tent to get Rainbow Dash. When the got there, they saw Shelly over by Rainbow, who was telling the filly of the time she made a sonic rainboom.

"And BOOM!, I broke into the sonic rainboom! And I won the race, and got my cutie mark."

"Wow! You're amazing!" Shelly praised, "Tell me another!"

"Sorry kid, but my friends look like they want to talk with me, maybe later."

"Okay! Bye, Rainbow Dash!" The little filly ran out the Med. Tent.

"Another fan?" Twilight joked.

Dash smiled, "Yeah, so what's up?"

"The Princess's here ta talk with us," Applejack replied.

"We're going to get you out of bed so you can talk to her with us," Fluttershy finished.

"Just be careful, my leg still hurts real bad."

Five minutes later, the four were outside with the Princess, as well as Flashpoint and Thermal Vision. Flash had made sure that they would be alone.

"Thank you for coming," Celestia started, her voice somber, "When you sent me your letter Twilight, I knew that I had to come here in person."

"For what?" Twilight asked.

The Princess sighed, "Timberhill..."

Immediately Flashpoint was at full attention at to what she said next.

"Timberhill is where this all started," Celestia continued, "The fire there..., it wasn't a natural fire..."

"Whad'ya mean, Princess?"

"When the fire died, we sent a team to check for survivors. Officially, there weren't any, but..... we did find one."

Flash's eyes widened, as did everyone elses.

"She was a filly. Her coat was charcoal grey, and her mane was like fire, and her cutie mark was fire. The mare you call Pyre."

They all gasped, except for Flashpoint, who just stood there and listened intently.

"Her real name is Candelle, as she had told us, but she was too unstable..." She sighed, "I had examined her personally, but she knew nothing of what she had done. Because of this and her dangerous power, the council had no choice but to send her out of Equestria to a facility to contain her. I didn't want it that way, but the council had more control on the matter..." Celestia sighed again, "I had no idea she had escaped until the second fire, and your letter Twilight. I pray that we can stop her in time..."

Pyre's anger grew fiercer as she shoved her way through Manehatten. She hated the ponies here, and was more than glad incinerate every single one of them. She shoved her way out of the sidewalk to go into the ally and think. That stallion had caused her to lose the stones she needed to spark. Despite her mastery of flame, she can't create fire, only manipulate it. She needed a new plan...

Pyre hit the wall in anger, and she smelled something, a smell she knew anywhere: smoke. There were a couple ponies smoking back in the ally. She trotted closer in til they noticed her.

"Care to offer a girl a smoke?" Pyre flirtatiously asked.

"Heh, sure thang, girl..." One of them smirked, handing her a cigarette with his magic.

"Could you light it for me~?" She batted her eyelashes, hiding any motives she had.

"Heh, sure..." Another stallion came up and lit it for the ashen mare.

She took the cigarette with her magic and inhaled it.

With a flare of her eyes and a sadistic smile she exhaled, flames spewing from her mouth and quickly engulfed the stallions. They ran out of the ally burning and screaming, causing everypony to look at the ally. Pyre stood there, and inhaled on the cigarette again...

Flashpoint was silent. He hadn't spoken at all during Celestia's story. His eyes were burning the cold hatred that one who craves revenge has. After a good minute he finally spoke up.

"Why? Why did you keep this from ME!?" He shouted at the Princess.

"Because I knew the course of action you would take..." Celestia responded with sadness in her voice, "The one you are thinking of taking now. Revenge won't help anything or anypony, Flashpoint.."

Flash turned away.

"The other reason," she continued, "is I didn't know how ponies would react to this.. Somepony's talent being fire and destruction... I couldn't bring myself to admit it..." The Princess went silent.

Suddenly, an alarm went out throughout the camp. Sky Blaze appeared, "Cheif! Distress call from Manehatten!"

"No!" Celestia gasped, "Flashpoint! Get your unit over there!"

Flashpoint raced to the chariots, a dark smile in his heart.

"Twilight! Go with him! Make sure Flashpoint doesn't do anything he will regret! I'll see you there!" Celestia launched into the sky and flew as fast as she could towards Manehatten.

Twilight raced to try to get to Flash's chariot, but it took off before she could get on.

"Hop on mine!" It was Thermal Vision, offering Twilight a ride with him. She quickly got on, and the pegasi on the chariot took off.

Pyre danced as she spat flames from her mouth, delighting in the ear-piercing screams of the burning ponies. The city rapidly caught on fire, and even those in their homes weren't safe. She took much pleasure from killing these ponies especially, for they were rude, inconsiderate, and cared nothing for the plight of others. Pyre was so entranced in her manic glee, that she started to sing...

"Burn, burn, burn it down~
With all the searing steam~
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily~
Fire is all I dream!~"

The wailing of the ponies echo throughout as she sang, adding to her delight. She wanted to make short work of Manehatten and then move on to Las Pegasus. She would not rest until all of Equestria is cinders and ash, and then, the rest of the world would feel the scorch of her flames. Everything will burn!

"CANDELLE!!

Pyre froze, and the fire with her. She hadn't been called by her real name for years.... She turned around and saw the graceful form of Celestia land by her.

"Celestia... hehehe...., it's been so long since anypony has called me that," Pyre giggled, "I am Pyre now... and soon... Equestria shall become one as well!"

"Candelle....stop."

Pyre giggled manically, "Why would I stop? I'm so happy! Why are you trying to take Fire from me!?" The flames grew again as her voice raised; she was preparing to attack.

"Candelle!" Celestia cried out, "I don't want to hurt you..."

"Then this will be all the more fun!" Pyre laughed. She shot several streams of fire at the Princess, who managed to create a shield in time.

"Candelle! Stop!" Celestia shouted, pushing forward against Pyre's blasts.

Pyre just kept on laughing as she bombarded Celestia with stream after stream of hot searing flame.

"Please, Candelle!" the Princess pleaded again, "Think of what you're doing!"

"I've thought about doing this ever since you locked me away fourteen years ago!!!" Pyre screamed, releasing an insanely powerful wave of fire at Celestia. The Princess was unable to block it and her magical shield shattered and she fell back. Celestia looked up at Pyre who was levitating in the flames, a sick and twisted smile on her face.

"The Sun will set, now and forever!" she cackled as created a huge burning sphere of pure fire.

"Goodbye Celestia-ahhhh!"

Flashpoint had jumped out of his chariot and tackled Pyre before she could launch her attack, knocking her unconscious. The great fiery sphere dissipated and the fire calmed around her. Flashpoint got back up to his hooves, and approached Pyre's unconscious form. His eyes burned, not just from the heat, but from pure anger and rage.

"Flashpoint," Celestia called to him, getting up, "Stand aside."

"Why!?" He spat, "So you can just lock her away just so she can break out again! No, she needs to be put to death for her crimes against Equestria!"

"I will be the judge of that!" Celestia stepped in front of Flashpoint, "What's important now is the safety of the ponies here!"

As she said that, multiple Firepony chariots arrive and proceeded to secure the city. Twilight and Thermal Vision ran over to them.

"What happened?" Twilight asked, seeing Celestia staggering and Pyre unconscious.

"I encountered her and tried to get her to see reason," Celestia sighed, "but she had overpowered my magic. It's because of Flashpoint that I'm still alive..."

Flashpoint looked away, still bitter toward the Princess, "Perhaps somepony else needs to see reason..."

He went off without a word to help put out the fire, leaving the Princess, Twilight, and Thermal to the comatose body of Pyre...