A Secret's Revengeby WayofthepenChaptersChapter 1: Cold Winters NightChapter 2: Everwinter BadlandsChapter 3: Relaxed BeginningsChapter 5: SanctuaryChapter 6: Split PersonalityChapter 4: Monster WithinChapter 6.5: Heros ReturnChapter 1: Cold Winters NightIron Fire had wrestled the covers over him to get into a comfortable position, winning after a few seconds. Skyward Flame couldn't help but laugh at his sons endeavors. Once Fire was settled, he looked at his father. "Dad, when are you going to Ponyville again?" His father let out a sigh. "Sooner than we had hoped. We're running low on lamp oil and food. Why do you ask?" His father cocked his head at his son. Fire's eyes shifted away, as if ashamed to even be asking the question. His eyes lit up as he answered his father. "I...I wanted to see the town. I've been locked up here with nothing but my window for all my life. No one even knows I exist!" His father let out another sigh. "Your not exactly a normal pony, Fire. You're a race that hasn't had a birth in a long, long time. If anypony got word that there was another alicorn, they might take you away." His father gained a frown. "Dad, you weren't from Equestria though! What's the difference?" He was almost shouting. "The difference is I am a pegasus, and your the same race as the princesses. One of which, saved my life. And don't you raise your voice with me!" His father was shouting now. Fire rolled over, no longer facing his dad. "I have no friends...You have mom, Rainbow Dash, and all those other ponies...I can't even do anything from up here but practice my magic..." His father just stood there, deep in thought. "Fine...Wear your cloak and make sure your hood is so tight it wont come even if you fly. I understand how you feel completely." Fire rolled over and leaped from his bed, hugging his dad. "Man, when I was his age I didn't way this much!" Flame thought as they fell to the ground, laughing. "Get some sleep, we leave tomorrow." He tucked his son in his bed again. "I love you, dad." His dad said the same thing and turned the light out, leaving him to dreams of what the town is like. Fire sat upright, both yawning and stretching. He got out of bed and opened his closet door, looking for his cloak. "Where did dad even get me this?" He said as he lifted the cloak from the closet with his magic. He wrapped it around his neck and put his large wings through their holes. "Fire, you almost ready?" A voice said from behind him, startling him as he lifted his hood. "Don't do that to me! I'm ready, anyhow." He tightened his hood, to ensure it wont fall back. His father just stood there laughing. "Your mother packed your breakfast. You can eat it on the way." The two made their way downstairs to the lobby. The room was semi-large with tables spread out. Some tables were empty and some had one or two ponies sitting at them. "Midnight, we're going into town now." He hollered as he got to the front door. "Be careful! Winter is very cold, even in Ponyville!" Flame laughed as he went towards the family carriage. He was about to help his son up when Fire leaped into the air with his wings, landing in the back. Flame shook his head, and got in the drivers area. "Alright guys, we're going to Ponyville." He said to the stallions driving the carriage, who all nodded their heads and made their way to town. Ponyville, even in the winter, was bustling with life. Fire's wings were beating with all the excitement he was holding in. His father turned his head around and smiled. "I'm surprised you even stayed in the cart for two hours. We're going to stop outside an old friend's house, you can stay with her." Fire sat there in the back thinking of every pony that he could mean in this town. Soon after, they stopped at a library. Flame jumped down and trotted to the door. Before he could even knock, a purple unicorn was there along with a white pegasus. "Dash told us you were coming, and had a strange passenger this time. Who's that?" The pegasus looked over Flames shoulder. "He's family from the Everwinter Badlands. Can you watch him for me, Mateo?" The pegasus nodded. Flame turned around and motioned for Fire to come, which he did using his wings. "His name is Iron Fire. I'll be back in an hour maybe, lots of shops and we've been getting lucky with money." Flame took his leave of the three and went to go shopping. "Ok, so who are you really?" Mateo said shutting the door. Iron Fire looked at him blankly. "What he said is true, I'm family." Mateo looked down on him in an uncomfortable way. "We know that he has no family besides his wife." The purple unicorn said to Fire. Fire sighed, knowing he will get in trouble for this. "I'm Skyward Flame's son." Both ponies gave him shocked looks. "For how long?" The purple one asked. "Fourteen years. I live in the secret attic room, doing nothing but studying..." Fire lowered his head as he took a seat at the table. "Why would you be a secret? More importantly, why wouldn't he tell me?" Mateo was thinking aloud. "Excuse my husband. My name is Twilight Sparkle." She shot Fire a smile, which he didn't return. "What do you do for fun?" She asked him, still trying to be cheerful. "All I ever do is read..." He said to her in a low, saddened tone. "Hmm...Have you ever flown?" He shook his head. "Your kidding, right?" He shook his head again. "You're lucky Rainbow Dash isn't here, or else you'd be falling off a cliff right now." He looked at her funny. "How did you think your father learned to fly?" Fire sat there, imagining his dad falling off a cliff and then flying all over the sky. "Here, let me get you some books. I have quite the collection." She said laughing. She brought him a pile of books, which he dove straight in to. After two hours of reading, he finished almost every book in the library. Twilight just watched him as Mateo was flying around the house, finding more and more challenging books. "I've never seen a pony read so much in so little time...Except for my husband..." Twilight said staring as Fire finished another book. "When you have nothing but books, you learn to read very quickly." He said as he slid the book to her. Suddenly, a rainbow pegasus rushed in. "Twilight, Mateo, something bad's happened!" The three of them quickly turned to her. "Who's...Nevermind. Flame just told me something very bad happened at home, and gave me this letter to give to you both." She handed the letter to Mateo, who read it aloud. "Mateo, no doubt Fire has told you who he is. You, Twilight, and Dash are my closest friends, so I am entrusting you with my secret. By the time you get this, I've either gotten there and am long gone or dead. I'm sorry to not tell you this in person, but my family is in danger. I hope you understand. -Skyward Flame" Dash, Twilight, and Mateo all looked towards Fire, who had stepped down from the booth. "If that's what he wants..." He said as he flipped his hood down, revealing his horn. The three stared at him, amazed. "Your..." Twilight said, nearly speechless. "An alicorn...It doesn't matter now..." He said lowering his head down. "The princess needs to be notified of this right away!" Twilight shouted out, only to be stopped by Mateo. "It's going to have to be what he wants." Dash was the only one who hadn't said anything, obviously stuck in shock. Fire closed his eyes for a second, then something hit him. "I've got to get home!" He galloped out of the library and into the street, flapping his wings until he took off. He knew the way home, but he just hoped he could make it in time. When he reached the inn, it looked normal from the outside, but when he entered it was far from. Tables flipped and destroyed. Bodies of dead guests who decided to defend the inn were littered everywhere. A sickening feeling filled his stomach. He managed to hold it back while he went to his parents room. He slowly opened the door, and stepped inside. He threw up at the sight of his mother mutilated on her own bed. "She should have come with us..." He cried out, only thinking of ways he could have spared her from this. He heard hoof-steps from behind and quickly turned, tears still in his eyes. "Celestia...Are you alright?" Rainbow Dash had followed him to the inn, and tears filled her eyes too. Fire opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out were cries of misery. She leaned over to comfort him. "Come on, lets get you back to Ponyville....I'm so sorry..." She said as the two made their way back to Twilights. At this point, he didn't care who saw him in his entirety. All he wanted is to be rid of his home, and find out who killed his mother, and hopefully not his father. Chapter 2: Everwinter BadlandsWhen the two reached Ponyville, they trotted through the streets. Fire couldn't get the horrible picture of his dead mother out of his mind. He cried openly, drawing more attention to him. "Hey, it's gonna be alright." Dash whispered to him, trying to cheer him up. He looked at her with his red eyes, then back at his hooves. All around, ponies were staring at him in awe, amazed that another alicorn existed. "Can't you see he needs space?" Shouted Rainbow Dash. As she shouted that, some people dispersed, but most stayed still. When they reached the library, a crowd had followed him. Dash slammed the door and shut all the blinds. "You're back! What's wrong?" Twilight asked to him in a semi-cheerful voice. Dash shook her head at Twilight. "Oh...That's where he went..." Mateo said from above. Fire went upstairs to the balcony, and just laid there, crying. "Where was my dad...Why didn't he save her..." These were the thoughts that wouldn't stop running across his brain. "Everything I knew...Gone..." He put his hooves over his face and cried. Mateo came up to comfort him. "I know how you feel." He said, putting a forearm around him. "Do you? My own mother was...How could you know what this feels like!" Fire shouted at Mateo. Mateo sighed, "I know how it feels because we all thought Nightmare Moon killed your dad. I was torn up. You're not alone." He said trying to make him at least tell what he saw. "I am alone..." Fire said, looking up at Mateo. It had been four days from the night where his mother was murdered, along with every innocent life at the Inn. Twilight had sent her letter to Celestia informing her of the new alicorn. She had her reply within minutes, saying to bring him to her castle in Canterlot. They were gathering their items when Fire spoke for the first time. "I'm going to Celestia, aren't I..." He said it in a low, yet excited voice. Twilight smiled at him and nodded, happy that he finally spoke. "There is a chariot outside for us. I'm sure you'll be fine." He lifted his hood and threw his bags onto his back. They boarded the chariot and left for Canterlot. Fire had never seen anything but the snowy road outside of his inn, but the sight of the castle brought his mood up. Royal guards could be seen outside of every entrance, wearing their signature golden armor. They landed right outside the main entrances doors. They moved hastily to the throne room. Both princesses sat at the other end of the room, looking down at both Twilight and Fire. "What you say is true then, my student. There has been another alicorn born to our world. Twilight wouldn't tell me anything besides what you are." Fire looked up at Celestia, then to Luna. "I am the son of Skyward Flame. I have been for the last fourteen years in secret." Luna looked at him closely. "That is not all of the story." Fire went to speak, but closed his mouth and his eyes. "His mother and the guests at his inn were murdered." The princesses looked at each other with horrified expressions. "Thank you for bringing him here. We will take over, since an alicorn at a young age can be a lot of trouble." Celestia said, thinking back to what happened with her younger sister. Twilight looked back at Fire, who still had his eyes closed. "They'll take good care of you." He opened his eyes and looked to her. "It's not that. I just miss my dad..." She wrapped her forearms around him, and took her leave. As soon as she had left the room, Fire spoke up. "You know more than you let on, too." The princesses looked at him. "How did you know?" He gained a glare. "No matter how straight a face may be, the truth will always remain in their eyes." Luna could have sworn she had heard that before. "You will learn what we know tomorrow. Luna, can you take him to his quarters?" Luna nodded, and motioned him to follow. After a few minutes of wondering, she led him to his room. It was much similar to hers, but the room was more bare. "Thank you..." He said to her as he went to the balcony. She gave him a sad look, and left. He scanned the sky as the sun set, hoping to see a trace of his father. When nothing could be seen, he went to his bed. A note was placed on the nightstand. "Fire, I am sorry of what happened to your mother. Don't look for me, or else you could end up like her. Stay with the princesses, Luna has always known you existed. You can tell her anything. -Dad" He laid down in the bed, staring at the ceiling. He was too tired to think. He had woken up in the middle of the night, his mind wouldn't let him forget his mothers death. He walked to the balcony and unlatched the doors, stepping out and breathing the crisp, cool winter air. When he opened his eyes, he saw Luna at her balcony. She looked over at him, and beckoned him over. He flapped his wings a few times before soaring to her. "You can't sleep either?" He said to her. She nodded in response. "I have to tell you something." She said to him, in a hushed tone. "You know I existed, but you also know I wont stay here long." She looked surprised. "How did you know?" He gave her a quick smile. "My father. You also know that I am going to need equipment." She nodded once more. "You can go to the barracks tomorrow morning. The captain will train you at my request. It will take time." Fire closed his red eyes, and took a deep breath. He opened them, determination filled them now. "I'm ready." For the next six years he trained, finding more and more information about his mother's killers. His dad had left many notes begging him to stay put, but he rejected them all. He was no longer the helpless foal, but a strong willed warrior. His room in the castle had been filled with memories of his friends that he gained through training. Private Nero, Private Flash, and Corporal Tango. He smiled at the picture the four had on graduation. "So, your getting ready to return to the inn?" A voice called from behind. He turned to find a pegasus with purple eyes, black coat, and a blue mane. "Yeah, Nero. I heard they rebuilt it...I want to see if the grave I put is still there." Nero shot him a smile. "Get goin', it will take you less time if you fly since your wings are bigger than any normal pegasus. Good luck." Fire smiled back at his friend, and put his armor on. He put his sword through his sheathe, and then took off. It would take at least twenty minutes to reach the inn at his new flight speed, but he enjoyed the quiet. He landed outside, shaking at how cold it was. He nudged the door open and was amazed at how much bigger it was. "What can I do you for?" Asked a unicorn from behind the counter. "I wanted to know if there is still a grave out back." The innkeeper looked at him funny. "Yeah, it's there. The last owner was buried there. Her husband is still missing, and I heard that they had a child of their own." Fire smiled at the bartender, who again gave him a weird look. "Is there a locked room upstairs?" The bartender nodded. "Show me it." The bartender lead him upstairs, even though he knew the way. He put his head to the door, used a small amount of magic, and it unlocked. He pushed the door aside, and found all his belongings. "How did you? I have been trying to get that open for a long time." Fire turned around. "I lived here, this was my room." The bartender entered, looking around. "Your a little young to be the mare's husband...You're the..." Fire nodded. "I just came to check on things. Keep this place locked...If anyone asks, I was never here." The bartender nodded as Fire locked the door. As he left, something caught his eye. An note was lodged in a tree by a knife. He took the knife out and read the note. "You are walking a dangerous path, my son. I can't promise you that I can help. If you want to find me, look for a old ruin inside the Everwinter Badlands. -Skyward Flame" Fire didn't like the way that the note was written, it gave him an uneasy feeling. He decided to check it out anyway, because if it was his dad, he wanted answers. He spent the past hour flying around the badlands, and the snow storm wasn't helping. He thought he saw something like a building and decided to touch down. He shivered as he walked inside the old building. "Brr...Maybe this is where my father is..." He said lighting his horn to see in the dark. Walking through the endless hallways, he thought he heard a voice. He trotted faster until he reached a main chamber with one lit fire in the middle. He thought he heard a whimper, and started looking around. "Now!" A voice rang out as bars closed all the entrances. From above, three ponies dropped down. "Look here, boys. The legend is true, he did have an alicorn son. Tobias will be pleased." Fire looked at the three ponies. "Who's Tobias? Where's my father!" He shouted out at them, his red eyes beaming at each one of them. "Firstly, Tobias is Shade's brother. Your father and his friend are on his list. Secondly, if we take you, then your father will show up. Third, we enjoy having prisoners, like those over there." The bandit leader pointed a forearm in the direction of a cage. Two ponies and a filly were shivering in the cage. "You really don't know who I am, other than Skyward Flame's son, do you?" The three shook their heads. "Good. Let me give a demonstration..." He pulled the knife from earlier out and let it fly straight into the minion to the left's head. He fell almost instantly, blood flowing from the wound. "He was my brother!" Shouted the other minion. "Get a better line of work then, but you had your chance." Fire took out his sword and readied himself. The minion grabbed his sword and charged at Fire, whom counter charged. The two were in a stalemate, with the leader watching. Fire's horn lit up a shade of red as he launched the other ponies blade into the air. The pony closed his eyes as the blade came down on his neck. The head slid off and rolled around as the body collapsed into a limp form. The leader looked in horror. "That was unfair, even bandits have a code of honor!" Fire lifted the blade from his mouth with magic. "You went beyond honor a long time ago." Fire said as he launched his sword into the bandit leader's throat. Fire walked over to the cage where the family sit in fear. "You'll be fine now." He gave them a smile, but the filly was the one to speak. "T-Thank you..." He looked at the lock, thought for a moment, then turned and kick the lock off. The door slid open slowly as Fire regained his sword from the bandit's neck. "I'll get the gate open and take you home as soon as I find out where he came from." The three nodded, still shaking from a mix of cold and fear. He searched through the leader's bag and found a map of the area. Fire put it into his own bag, and turned to the three ponies. "Take what clothes you can find, it will be a long trot to Ponyville." They spread out and began to search for heavy clothing. After a few minutes they gathered enough clothes to make the trip. The filly came over to him, wanting to ask a question. He leaned down to her level. "Can you carry me please?" He looked at her closely, and saw her legs had been beaten badly. He lifted her up onto his back, and then began their journey home. They spent four hours in the cold of winter to reach Ponyville. Through the entire trek, Fire had to put his wings around the little filly to keep her warm. He heard wings from above as he entered the border of Ponyville. Rainbow Dash had flown next to him and began talking. "Finally decided for a visit? Wait...Why are you covered in blood?!" Fire rolled his eyes at her. "Dash, I will explain it to you later. Take these ponies to the hospital." He placed the filly on Rainbow Dash's back and turned to them all. "If you have any family between here and Canterlot, let me know. I can arrange for them to meet you." The mother looked afraid, but got calm and answered him. "Our eldest son goes by Nero. We last heard from him when he was in training. That was before we were raided." He nodded to her, happy to have an excuse to leave to see him. He outstretched his wings and took off for the castle. He landed on his balcony and walked into his room. As he took off his armor and other equipment, Nero walked in. "Oh, it was you. Thought someone tried sneaking in again. You really have to start closing those doors." He smiled at Fire, but the smile faded. "What's with the blood? Are you hurt?" Fire finished taking off his armor, and trotted to his friend. "It's not my blood, and your family can vouch for that." Nero's purple eyes lit up and his wings twitched. "What did you do?" Fire explained the situation as they were walking down the main stairway. Nero jumped on top of his friend and they fell down the stairs, laughing. When they stopped laughing and stood up, Nero thanked him. "Their in the hospital, I think you sister was hurt pretty bad. Dash should be looking after them until you arrive." Nero asked if he would go with him, and Fire agreed. They began flying to the hospital, when he heard someone call his name. Nero turned around, but Fire told him to keep going. "Up here." The voice came from his balcony, so he flew to his room. "You're a fool, but some say that if you weren't they would most likely be dead." He recognized the voice, and a tear fell down the side of his cheek. "Dad?" A figure inside the room walked forward and hugged him. "Why did you leave me?" His dad smiled and let out a small chuckle. "I never left you. I've always been here, but I know what you plan on doing. I won't help you take out Tobias." Fire looked at his father in disappointment. "Why? He deserves whatever comes to him! He killed mom..." Skyward Flame shook his head. "He's just too strong. I won't aid you in your death, son. You're all that I have." Fire looked away from his father. "You may watch me, but you aren't going to stop me." Flame let out a sigh, and hugged him once more. "I must leave now, but remember. You're never alone." That was the last thing before his father flew out of the room. He watched his father fly off at the speed of light, leaving nothing but a black and red trail. Fire trotted over to his bed and got comfortable. He turned his head to the nightstand on his left, and stared a the picture of his mother. "I'm one step closer to finding your killer, mom. When I find him, I swear to you he wont hurt another pony ever...Ever again..." He said silently as he fell asleep. Chapter 3: Relaxed BeginningsIron Hoof was woken up by a knock on the door. "Huh...C-Come in..." He said trying to wake himself up. "My lord, come with me." It was a royal guard. "Lord? I'm not a noble." The guard just told him to come. Fire shrugged, and followed him. "What's this about?" The guard remained quiet until they stopped in the empty throne room. "Wait here." Fire was about to ask him who he was waiting for, but the guard walked out. He trotted through the room, looking at all the windows that told tales from pictures. The most recent was the defeat of discord, which he admired. He heard the doors open once more, and turned his head. "Fire, I need to ask you something." Nero flew over to him. "Sure, ask away." Fire sent a smile to Nero. "What's your dad like?" Fire looked away from his friend. "He used to be a man of action. He would tell me stories of how he and Rainbow Dash became close friends. It's hard to believe that they didn't end up together." They both laughed. Fire looked into Nero's eyes...They were green. "Wait a second...Who are you?" The pony in front of him laughed as he took off the royal armor. "You took what was ours." Fire looked at him funny. "The three ponies were ours, but you stole them." Fire glared at the imposter. "Yes, I stole who you kidnapped. I'm the bad guy here." The imposter began to take something out of a satchel, when he was flung into the wall next to him. "Thanks for visiting, please don't come again." Fire's horn lit up a bright shade of red as the pony was flung straight into the air, and then slammed to the ground. "Tell Tobias I'm coming for him." The pony trotted his way out of the throne room, and into the dark corridors of the castle. Fire looked back at where he slammed the pony. "Yikes..." He thought aloud, seeing the blood and cracked floor. He looked out of the corner of his eye and saw a baton. "Well, I think I'm going back to bed..." He said aloud as he trotted to his room. When he awoke the next morning, there was another note on his nightstand. He used his magic to bring it close to his face, squinting his eyes to read it. "Fire, I have no new information for you. Tobias is being illusive...Anyway, looks like you got this week off. Enjoy yourself. -Broker" He smiled, putting the note back and fell asleep again. "Wake up, your getting lazier each day." Fire groaned in annoyance. "Come on Nero...Broker has no information to give me this week." Nero rolled his eyes. "So did you hear about what happened in the throne room?" Fire got out of his bed, and went to his mirror. He proceeded to get his mane exactly how he liked it while talking to Nero. "Yeah, I saw it too. How else would somepony's blood end up on the ground? Celestia's going to kill me, isn't she?" They both laughed. "Not this time, they found an injured intruder who tried to pass himself off as me. He's being interrogated by Captain Jude. We found a enchanted baton in the throne room as well. If anyone was hit by it, they would have been instantly knocked out." Fire thought back to when he flung him into the air, he had hardly used a inch of his power. "If that was a small amount of my magic, what would happen if I used all my magic?" He thought to himself, planning on taking more lessons with Luna. "Anyway...Want to hit the pub? I finally have a day off, and I haven't had a good drink in a LONG time." Nero said smiling to his friend. Fire smiled back. "You're buying, Nero." Nero rolled his eyes. "Would you have it any other way?" Fire replied with a no, leaving them both laughing as they flew to town. The two landed outside the bar and made their way to the long counter. "So Fire, you ever had any type of alcohol?" Fire shook his head. "Well well, your in for a nasty surprise." Nero said to him, motioning to the bartender that they wanted two drinks. The bartender nodded and slid two brown liquid filled cups their way. Both stopped theirs with a hoof. Nero drank his down within seconds, shaking afterwards. "First shot of the night always gets you." He said to Fire. Fire looked into the glass, and washed it down. "Oh Celestia, that's awful." Fire said to his laughing friend. "You get used to it. It takes away the stress." Fire shrugged, and ordered another round. They went through about four more each before the decided to stay at Nero's place. "You're lucky I'm not too drunk. Who knows what your family would say." Fire said as they neared the house. "Whateversh...Shtop stresshin..." Fire laughed at the way Nero was talking, but stopped after he had fallen asleep standing up. "Great...Drunk and carrying another pony into his own house..." He knocked on the door while using magic to load Nero onto his back. Nero's mother opened the door. "What happened? Is he alright?" Fire looked back at him, then to her. "He's fine, just had too much to drink. Mind if we sleep here?" She nodded, showing him the way to Nero's room. He set him down and followed her back downstairs. "You can sleep on the couch. I'm sorry if its not too comfortable, but we don't have any other beds." Fire shot her a drunken smile as he set himself on the couch. "Don't worry...I think I'm too drunk to care. Thank Celestia I don't get like Nero when I am..." He slowly closed his eyes, and fell asleep. Fire woke up to a filly in his face. "Oh Celestia, my head..." He said putting a hoof on his head. "Nero, I'm going to kill you..." The filly looked at him funny, and then went into the kitchen. He slammed his head back onto the pillow, moaning a little. "Well you're up..." Nero slowly came down the stairs. "No thanks to you...My head feels like I got sliced in two..." Nero laughed, sitting in the chair opposite of Fire. "Why aren't you hurting like me...?" Nero gave Fire a twisted grin. "Because I'm not a first time drinker. One more thing, never go into a bar with Pinkie Pie. Not pretty." Fire rolled his eyes, head still killing him. The filly came back in the room and hugged her brother. "I missed you too." He said laughing as the two fell onto the floor. "Well, I don't plan on getting drunk next time we go to a bar." Fire said slowly getting up. As he was about to exit through the front door, Nero said something that made him stop in his tracks. "While you were gone saving my family, a strange pegasus came to me...He told me what you were really doing. Fire, I don't know if your doing it because you're brave or stupid. Your the only friend I have..." Fire turned to him, seeing his friend look sad while his sister trotted around him. "It's something that I must do, Nero." Nero sighed, rolling onto his stomach. "That's what I was afraid you would say." Fire trotted out and flew back to his bedroom. When he approached his balcony, he saw Luna standing there. "What brings you here?" He said in a friendly tone. She looked at him, with a tear in her eye. "Luna, what's wrong?" She came over and hugged him. "I got a letter...From your father. He told me he is going after Tobias, to save you from what you would become." Fire looked into her sorrowful eyes. "I know where he is going...And I will be there to take down Tobias. Luna, you've been a good friend and mentor." He shot a smile at her, which she returned. "Good luck." She said to him, flying to her own room. Fire walked over to his desk and took out paper, ink, and a quill. He began to write a note. "Nero, I know you will find this first. I'm going to avenge her tonight. He's broken my family, and it's time to repay the favor. If I don't come home, don't blame yourself. You and Luna are the only friends I have ever known, and I'm not one for mushy stuff. Goodbye. -Iron Fire" He set down the quill and got up to put on his armor. After strapping his armor on, he attached his sheathe to his back. "Alright Tobias. I'm going to enjoy watching the blood drip from your head as you did my mother..." Those were the last words he said as he took off. Chapter 5: Sanctuary - - - Iron Fire - - - - "You don't like my gift?" The cracked voice called in the emptiness of the void. Fire look around, still trying to figure out where he was. "This gift is more of a curse. Where am I...Or we...?" He called out, trying to understand what he had gotten himself in to. There was silence, then a short chuckle. "You are inside our mind. I gave you the power of hatred, making us stronger." Fire felt ground below him and scanned the darkness. "Strength for me, or you?" The voice had stopped its maniacal laughter. Another long silence before the demon broke it. "We are each other." It called to him again. Fire thought for a moment. 'I don't get this...One moment I am fighting Tobias, and the next I'm in my own head?' He looked at the square, seeing himself fly back to his room at the castle. "What are you thinking?" He said aloud. - - - Demon Iron Fire - - - - He landed on his balcony and moved quickly to the inside. After surveying the room, he noticed nothing different. When he trotted to his mothers picture, he let a tear drop. "He's dead. You may rest in peace." The cracked voice had said. There was a knock on the door a few minutes later. "Enter." Princess Luna stepped inside, looking around the room. When her eyes rested upon him, fear replaced joy. "Luna..." The demon said, further putting fear in her. "W-Who are you?" The demon closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Fire? You..." Her eyes no longer held fear, but determination. "You're not Fire. I refuse to believe this." He opened his eyes, adjusting to his surroundings. "Luna, you have to get away from him." The voice was Fire's. "I...Can't fight him." His eyes closed once more. "Silly foal..." The demon had returned. Luna gave him an angry look. She turned to the balcony, starting at a slow trot. "What are you planning?" He said as she changed her pace to a full gallop. She leaped from the balcony, flying at amazing speeds to Ponyville. Possessed fire just watched, knowing that she was no match for him. He heard a hoof step behind him, but saw no pony. Trotting to the mirror, he saw an image that made him stop in his tracks. "Silly foal am I?" Fire said to the demon. "Ye§, you are." The demon said to him. "I won't stop resisting you, monster. Nero and Luna will stop you." The demon shed a evil smile to the mirror. "Nero...He is still at that wretched prison..." - - - Nero - - - - His head rung from the cheap shot to the head. 'Well, that hurt. Where's Ruby?' Even his thoughts hurt his mind. "A live one here, Flame." A voice said sounding distant. Nero opened his eyes to a bright light. "I know this one. He's a friend of my son. Private, to your feet." Nero felt a set of hooves pull him to his own. "Where...Where am I?" Nero called out to the blur in front of him. "A compound in the Everwinter Badlands. We need to get home, and fast." Nero's vision cleared, revealing the legendary flier Skyward Flame. "Wait. Has anyone seen a little filly? She has a red coat with blue eyes. She's a pegasus like me." Skyward Flame looked around, and trotted off. Nero had been helping wake and tend to the other prisoners when Flame came back. "Did you find her?" Nero said to him. Flame turned to his side, revealing a sleeping filly on his back. She was wrapped in a bundle of clothes. "I know they have caravans, but the guards could be a problem." Everyone looked at him, most with odd looks. "You have no idea...Do you?" Flame looked at him, concerned. "Idea of what? What do you mean?" Nero was beginning to feel uneasy. "All the guards are dead. Fire killed them...He showed no mercy, and is paying the price." Nero's eyes went wide. He never thought that his friend would do something so cruel. He shook these thoughts from his mind, focusing on his little sister's safety. His royal guard instincts took over. "Alright, listen up! Get everypony clothed properly and board the caravans. As soon as we're all set, follow Flame to Ponyville where all wounds will be treated. Do so orderly, and we can all make it within two or three hours." It took them twenty minutes to load up, and another ten to get them in standard formation. "Flame, take my sister home. Fire has some answers I need." Flame nodded, leading the caravan off. 'I know that he wouldn't do anything Skyward Flame accused him of...I need to find this out for myself.' Was the last thing he thought as he took off for Canterlot. - - - Demon Iron Fire - - - - "Well, you need to learn your place. You are no longer in control." The demon croaked at the mirror. 'Seeing Luna made me be able to take control...What made it so I could take over?' Thought Iron, but then he got an idea. "Well, it's not much of a gift if I cannot be in control." The demon looked confused, as if thinking. His face straightened, the markings faded, and the positions in the mirror were replaced by the other. "I can come out whenever I want, even when you don't want me to. Remember that." The demon said laughing as the figure in the mirror began to resemble the normal Iron Fire. Right as he reverted, a voice called from his door. "Dear Celestia...He was right." Nero had finally arrived. "You...You're not alright. You need either Luna or Celestia's help, Fire." Nero looked at his friend, trotting towards him. "Nero, I do need help. There isn't much I can do though...What he did to Tobias was more than he deserved..." Fire looked back to the mirror, still seeing only himself. He let a sigh of relief as his friend put a forearm around him. 'Your friendship sickens me, Fire.' The demon pronounced from inside his brain. "Uhmm...Let's go to town, I think Luna can help me." They knew Luna would be at Twilight's house. Nero opened the door to find only Luna there with Mateo. The two stepped inside and interrupted whatever conversation they were having. "So, I hear you are a demon." Fire looked into Mateo's eyes. "Yes, but not by choice. Anger, hatred, any feeling against someone caused it." Nero looked over to him, then to Luna. "We need to help him...I don't want Celestia to banish him." Fire turned to his friend, a shocked expression. "What do you mean banish me?" Fire sounded scared. Nero looked at his hooves. "I went to her before you, and unless we can return you to normal....You would be sent to the moon like Luna." All three of them exchanged worried glances. "The demon would see that as a reason to manipulate my mind, making him stronger..." Fire's voice was shaking, showing he was overcome with fear. Mateo took a deep breath and sighed. "We need my wife." They all looked to him, nodding. "She put the elements somewhere that not even Celestia knows about. I told her to keep them in town, so she went to get them. Who knows how long she will be...Fire, I'm sorry." Fire's eyes had started to tear up. 'Pitiful...I am stronger than your puny elements of harmony...But if you want to disobey me, then you shall be punished. The demon started doing things to Fires head. Bringing long forgotten memories of his mothers death, visions of his friends dying, and other horrible things. - - - Nero - - - - He looked over to Fire after hearing a small yelp. "Fire? Fire, say something!" He screamed as his friend fell to the ground, howling in pain. "We have to do something!" Nero was yelling to both Mateo and Luna, but they didn't do anything but watch in horror. Nero grabbed Fire's tail and started dragging him to the hospital. 'Come on buddy, I am not letting you die...Stay with me!' Nero screamed inside his head, determined to break the demons hold on his only friend. Chapter 6: Split PersonalityNero stood by his sedated friend, crying. "You'll be alright....I know you will..." Suddenly, Fire's eyes opened. "How sweet." Nero jumped back at the demons voice. "This body is useless in this state...I can't go anywhere even if I wanted to." Nero was both happy, yet afraid. "He will not be yours, and that's a promise." Nero said with a fierce, determined tone. The demon rolled his eyes as Nero left. "We heard voices, is he awake?" He turned to find Mateo and Luna. "If you feel like questioning the demon, go inside. He can't move or use magic otherwise he would have done something." Nero kept on trotting towards the exit. He heard the sound of wooden wheels rolling on a dirt road and turned to his right. Skyward Flame had finally reached Ponyville after two hours. Nero flew over to the first caravan and began to speak with him. "You're son is in the hospital. Have you seen Twilight?" Flame looked up and shook his head. "What happened to Fire?" Nero explained the situation to him slowly. Flame darted to the hospital leaving his trail of black and red flames. 'Alright, now I need to find Twilight. She should be back by tonight or tomorrow morning...' Thought Nero leading everypony to their homes. - - - Flame - - - - He trotted into the room. "So, looks like you have to answer my questions." The demon once more rolled his pure red eyes. "How did you manifest yourself inside him?" Flame took a seat across from the bed. "I have always been inside him. Ever since his mother was killed, I grew. I have you to thank, though. For if you didn't leave him alone I would not exist." Flame just sat there as the demon grew a smile. "Poor thing, you thought you were protecting him." He started laughing at him, causing his own anger to build up. Before Flame knew what he was doing, he hit the demon in his face. "You think that hurts? The only one who will be hurting is him." The demon smirked, unmoving. Flame was about to hit him again when Mateo walked in, accompanied by Twilight and the others with the elements. "Stand back, this should stop him." Twilight said as Flame backed away. The demon closed his eyes. 'Now I get it...You can't be destroyed by the elements...Don't think you will get away with this. Fire said to the demon inside his head. "Well, it took you long enough to figure out my plan." He said aloud as he was blasted by the elements of harmony. - - - Iron Fire - - - - His eyes opened slowly, no longer pure red. His markings faded away, revealing his grey coat. "Ouch!" He yelled aloud as his face suddenly started feeling like he had been hit with a sword. He remembered seeing what the demon saw, which had been his father hitting him. Everyone looked so happy, except for Fire. "What's wrong son?" His father asked in a cheerful manner. "Look..." His tone was low, and scared. They all turned to see the demon standing right next to him. "I thank you, Twilight. Now, I will take my leave of you all." He said flying out of the window. They all looked to Fire, who sighed. "There is only one thing I do regret..." Nero, Flame, and Luna all closed in on him as he motioned them to come closer. "I regret causing the upcoming event on you..." He said to them, confused expressions. "What do you mean?" Asked Nero, following Fire's gaze out the window. "He thought that I couldn't read his mind as he couldn't read mine. I could, and know what he is planning. Nero, he's going to take your sister. Luna, he's going after Celestia. Dad...He already took from you." Flame shared shocked expressions with everyone in the room. "He didn't take anything from me, though." Fire gave him a faint smile, before falling unconscious. A doctor pushed through the check his vitals. "He is weak, but stable. If Twilight hadn't come when she did, he would have died upon impact of the elements. He will regain his strength, but it will take time." Nero bolted out of the room along with Luna. "Think he's already ahead of us?" Nero shouted to her. "I don't know, let's pray not." She said as she took off. - - - Nero - - - - He rammed his home's door and bolted upstairs. He pushed open his sister's bedroom door. "Too late." Said the demon as he grabbed the filly and teleported away. He growled in frustration as he ran back outside his house, taking off for Canterlot. 'I need to get to Celestia before he does! Reach her first, Luna. Please do...' Thought Nero beating his wings as hard as he could. - - - Luna - - - - She ran through the main chamber, the many hallways, even the mess hall to finally come upon her sisters room. She opened the door, happy to see her sister staring out the balcony. "Sister, you need to get someplace safe. He is coming for you." Celestia turned to her, showing a saddened look. "It seems we arrived at the same time, Nightmare." The demon trotted inside. "That is no longer my name." Luna called out to him, stomping a hoof to the ground. "That's supposed to scare me? You're joking." He laughed at her, filling her with more anger. She calmed herself down as she saw Nero creeping up on the demon. "Give me my sister!" He shouted attempting to tackle the demon. He turned around and bucked Nero in the head, sending him flying into the back wall. He slowly got up, ignoring his pain. "That...All you got...?" He said weakly. The demon smiled, lifting Nero into the air with his magic. "No, but this is only a fraction of it." Called the demon. Nero had been flung through the bedroom wall and into the hallway. He collided with a mirror and fell to his stomach. "You..." Was all Luna could say to the smiling demon. "I am stronger than you, Luna. Celestia has been...Overthrown." Said the demon, laughing once more. "Sister, run." Luna was about to protest when her sister screamed it again, sending fear through her body. The fear was what made her run, fear of her sister being hurt...Or worse... She had picked up Nero and ran for her life. She hadn't even realized where she was or where she was going until she stopped outside of the hospital. She stepped in and a nurse looked up at her. "Oh, Princess Luna. Back so soon? Oh my! What happened to him?!" The nurse galloped over and called for a stretcher. Two more nurses appeared with a stretcher and loaded Nero onto it. Luna followed the nurses to Fire's room, where the loaded him on to the extra bed. Flame had never left his son's side. "What happened? Are you alright?" Flame had been asleep waiting for his son to recover enough to speak. Luna was shaking, and so was her voice when she spoke. "He tried to stop him from taking Celestia, but ended up getting bucked in the face and thrown through a wall." Flame looked over at the two sleeping ponies. "You know what we have to do, don't you..." She nodded to him. "Then you know where he is heading?" She thought for a second. "No, but we know who does." They both turned their heads to Fire, still knocked out. 'So much has happened...And they think I am too weak to hear them...Sad.' Thought Fire. 'He will pay, but I can't go on like this....Must...Sleep... His mind stopped thinking and drifted to sleep. For the first time in a long time, his nightmares no longer existed. Chapter 4: Monster WithinNero after bar He was playing with his little filly sister for a few minutes when he heard a knock on the door. When he opened the door, a hooded earth pony stood before him. "What are you-!" Was all Nero could say before getting hit in the side of the face by a baton. He turned to see his filly sister screaming, running away. The scene of another pony chasing her was the last thing he saw before being dragged away. Before he blacked out, he was tossed in the back of a caravan filled with other ponies. - - - Iron Fire - - - - The crisp air of the blizzard was ripping at his core. Fire didn't know how long he would make it if he didn't sneak inside the compound soon. He saw a strange caravan leave Ponyville and decided to tag along, but something about this caravan gave him the creeps. When it went inside, he got a good look at the gate. The compound itself wasn't very big, but the walls had been built to sustain even a stampede of Manticores. He got a close look at the area above the gate, and saw only one guard. At this point, he didn't care if he was found or not. All that mattered was killing Tobias and finding his dad. He swooped down and landed under the blizzard's embrace. The pony turned around to find an angry red-eyed alicorn. "Well shi-" Said the pony being flung to the side, down to the front of the gate. He turned at the sound of laughter, only to find a group of ponies sitting beside a campfire. "Hmm...This should be fun..." He said aloud, an insane smile growing on his face. His horn lit a bright green as the flames of the campfire exploded, setting the group ablaze. He let out a small chuckle at the sight, but remembered why he came in the first place. He dropped down below and started trotting around. After a few minutes of trotting, he found the main hall. Nudging the door open, he found it almost completely empty, but one pony standing in the room. After entering, he could see blood splattered all the walls, and bodies littered the tables. "Someone's been at work, making my job easier." The figure turned around, and took a step closer to Fire. "Yes...Another come to fall. Wait..." The figure said stopping, scanning over Fire. "No, not your time yet. Your future tells a tale of great struggle, alicorn. Tobias is in the prison, having his 'fun'." The figure said, trotting away. Fire both honored and despised the pony, but with Tobias, his mind changed quickly. Fire took a deep breath, shivering as he pushed open the prison door. It actually was just a tunnel leading to a cracked door. As he began to make his descent, screams were heard. He galloped through the door, and through about four hallways reaching the main cell block. Many ponies lay in cages, both bruised and bleeding. They all looked at him, some having hope in their eyes, and others fear. He trotted slowly to the source of the screaming. Fire rammed the door so hard that it flew straight into the only guard at the other end of the room. "Well, looks like we will have to wait." A low, harsh voice said. "Come to die, my boy?" He said turning to Fire. "I'm going to enjoy killing you slowly. Very...Very...Slowly." Fire said as his insane smile returned. Tobias leaned over the table next to him and retrieved his sword. "A fair warning...I don't play fair." Fire said, drawing his own sword. The two charged at each other, both having rage filling their entire beings. Fire slid under Tobias, aiming for his forelegs. Tobias leaped into the air, kicking Fire in his head. He staggered, but not for long as he was rushed by Tobias. Fire's horn lit a dark shade of red as the sword in Tobias's mouth flew into the air, stopping him mid-charge. "You can't kill me. I'm untouchable." Screamed Tobias as the blade rammed into his back, forcing him to topple over. Fire put his own blade on the table, trotting over to Tobias. "I have waited...A long time for this...You're a monster, destroying anything in it's way. I am no longer an foal, I am the victor. I am your end." Fire smiled larger, hearing a voice inside him. "Yes...Let the rage take you. It is power, young pony. Take it." The voice called to him, beckoned him. He put a hoof on the sword lodged into Tobias's back, adding weight to it. He screamed as the blade sent more and more blood from his body. His eyes were pleading for mercy to Fire, but he was disturbed by what he saw. "You are no more, wretch." A cracked voice said emerging from Fire's mouth. - - - Skyward Flame - - - - He galloped past the flaming bodies, the dismembered remains, the ponies in their cells, and finally stopped outside the door to the back room. All he heard was screaming and a voice that sent chills all over his body. When he stepped inside, he could never have been prepared for what was happening to his son. - - - Iron Fire - - - - He opened his eyes, seeing nothing but darkness. "Where...Where am I?" Fire said, twirling around. He saw light emerging from a square, showing the events that he just witnessed. "Is it not beautiful? The art of murder?" The disturbed voice called out to him. Fire searched around, seeing nothing. "No, I just wanted him dead. I never wanted him to suffer like me." The voice laughed at Fire's remark. "You are nothing. I shall make you strong. After all...I am you." "What is happening to you?" Flame exclaimed as his son was being surrounded by tornado shielded in flames. When the tornado subsided, a figure similar to Nightmare Moon appeared. His son's mark, his son's colors, but it wasn't him. "Father...You shouldn't have come here. I will take my leave now." That was the last thing the possessed Fire said before blasting a hole in the side of the room. The blizzard made the perfect cover for his escape, leaving his father in utter shock. His son had become a monster. Chapter 6.5: Heros ReturnFlame had said goodbye to Luna no less than an hour ago when he had heard another pony make their way into the room. He looked up to see a pony shrouded by a black cloak. The stallion crept in and walked over to Fire. "What are you doing in here?" "He's quite the fighter, isn't he? Having held a demon inside him for so long, only to be bed ridden." The pony spoke without even turning his head. Flame got up and trotted to his son. "How did you know? And who exactly are you?" Flame looked from his son to the strange pony, getting a feeling like he knew him. The stallion pulled his hood off, revealing that he had a horn, black coat, dark blue mane, and deep blue eyes. "I know more than you think, since my disappearance quite some time ago. As to who I am, I am Shadow Flare." Flame just stood there in confusion. "Why have you come here?" Flame said in a more relaxed tone. He didn't think his son could even meet someone who had been said to be just a legend. "This is why." Shadow moved closer to Iron Fire and put his horn against Fire's head. A black aura spread from Shadow to Fire as he started moving. When Shadow pulled back, he slowly trotted his way out. He stopped at the door and turned to Flame. "He will wake, but he will still be weak. He will need help from his kind, and I don't mean Luna. You'll see." Shadow trotted off, leaving the room as it once was. Flame moved back to his chair and sat down. This pony said that there were others...'I thought they were all dead but for the two princesses and my son...There are more, but where could they be?' Thoughts like these plagued his mind, but the answer was not going to reveal itself so easily. He would have to wait for it, and that is what made him even more edgy. He just prayed that they would come to him, instead of him having to look for them.
Chapter 1: Cold Winters NightIron Fire had wrestled the covers over him to get into a comfortable position, winning after a few seconds. Skyward Flame couldn't help but laugh at his sons endeavors. Once Fire was settled, he looked at his father. "Dad, when are you going to Ponyville again?" His father let out a sigh. "Sooner than we had hoped. We're running low on lamp oil and food. Why do you ask?" His father cocked his head at his son. Fire's eyes shifted away, as if ashamed to even be asking the question. His eyes lit up as he answered his father. "I...I wanted to see the town. I've been locked up here with nothing but my window for all my life. No one even knows I exist!" His father let out another sigh. "Your not exactly a normal pony, Fire. You're a race that hasn't had a birth in a long, long time. If anypony got word that there was another alicorn, they might take you away." His father gained a frown. "Dad, you weren't from Equestria though! What's the difference?" He was almost shouting. "The difference is I am a pegasus, and your the same race as the princesses. One of which, saved my life. And don't you raise your voice with me!" His father was shouting now. Fire rolled over, no longer facing his dad. "I have no friends...You have mom, Rainbow Dash, and all those other ponies...I can't even do anything from up here but practice my magic..." His father just stood there, deep in thought. "Fine...Wear your cloak and make sure your hood is so tight it wont come even if you fly. I understand how you feel completely." Fire rolled over and leaped from his bed, hugging his dad. "Man, when I was his age I didn't way this much!" Flame thought as they fell to the ground, laughing. "Get some sleep, we leave tomorrow." He tucked his son in his bed again. "I love you, dad." His dad said the same thing and turned the light out, leaving him to dreams of what the town is like. Fire sat upright, both yawning and stretching. He got out of bed and opened his closet door, looking for his cloak. "Where did dad even get me this?" He said as he lifted the cloak from the closet with his magic. He wrapped it around his neck and put his large wings through their holes. "Fire, you almost ready?" A voice said from behind him, startling him as he lifted his hood. "Don't do that to me! I'm ready, anyhow." He tightened his hood, to ensure it wont fall back. His father just stood there laughing. "Your mother packed your breakfast. You can eat it on the way." The two made their way downstairs to the lobby. The room was semi-large with tables spread out. Some tables were empty and some had one or two ponies sitting at them. "Midnight, we're going into town now." He hollered as he got to the front door. "Be careful! Winter is very cold, even in Ponyville!" Flame laughed as he went towards the family carriage. He was about to help his son up when Fire leaped into the air with his wings, landing in the back. Flame shook his head, and got in the drivers area. "Alright guys, we're going to Ponyville." He said to the stallions driving the carriage, who all nodded their heads and made their way to town. Ponyville, even in the winter, was bustling with life. Fire's wings were beating with all the excitement he was holding in. His father turned his head around and smiled. "I'm surprised you even stayed in the cart for two hours. We're going to stop outside an old friend's house, you can stay with her." Fire sat there in the back thinking of every pony that he could mean in this town. Soon after, they stopped at a library. Flame jumped down and trotted to the door. Before he could even knock, a purple unicorn was there along with a white pegasus. "Dash told us you were coming, and had a strange passenger this time. Who's that?" The pegasus looked over Flames shoulder. "He's family from the Everwinter Badlands. Can you watch him for me, Mateo?" The pegasus nodded. Flame turned around and motioned for Fire to come, which he did using his wings. "His name is Iron Fire. I'll be back in an hour maybe, lots of shops and we've been getting lucky with money." Flame took his leave of the three and went to go shopping. "Ok, so who are you really?" Mateo said shutting the door. Iron Fire looked at him blankly. "What he said is true, I'm family." Mateo looked down on him in an uncomfortable way. "We know that he has no family besides his wife." The purple unicorn said to Fire. Fire sighed, knowing he will get in trouble for this. "I'm Skyward Flame's son." Both ponies gave him shocked looks. "For how long?" The purple one asked. "Fourteen years. I live in the secret attic room, doing nothing but studying..." Fire lowered his head as he took a seat at the table. "Why would you be a secret? More importantly, why wouldn't he tell me?" Mateo was thinking aloud. "Excuse my husband. My name is Twilight Sparkle." She shot Fire a smile, which he didn't return. "What do you do for fun?" She asked him, still trying to be cheerful. "All I ever do is read..." He said to her in a low, saddened tone. "Hmm...Have you ever flown?" He shook his head. "Your kidding, right?" He shook his head again. "You're lucky Rainbow Dash isn't here, or else you'd be falling off a cliff right now." He looked at her funny. "How did you think your father learned to fly?" Fire sat there, imagining his dad falling off a cliff and then flying all over the sky. "Here, let me get you some books. I have quite the collection." She said laughing. She brought him a pile of books, which he dove straight in to. After two hours of reading, he finished almost every book in the library. Twilight just watched him as Mateo was flying around the house, finding more and more challenging books. "I've never seen a pony read so much in so little time...Except for my husband..." Twilight said staring as Fire finished another book. "When you have nothing but books, you learn to read very quickly." He said as he slid the book to her. Suddenly, a rainbow pegasus rushed in. "Twilight, Mateo, something bad's happened!" The three of them quickly turned to her. "Who's...Nevermind. Flame just told me something very bad happened at home, and gave me this letter to give to you both." She handed the letter to Mateo, who read it aloud. "Mateo, no doubt Fire has told you who he is. You, Twilight, and Dash are my closest friends, so I am entrusting you with my secret. By the time you get this, I've either gotten there and am long gone or dead. I'm sorry to not tell you this in person, but my family is in danger. I hope you understand. -Skyward Flame" Dash, Twilight, and Mateo all looked towards Fire, who had stepped down from the booth. "If that's what he wants..." He said as he flipped his hood down, revealing his horn. The three stared at him, amazed. "Your..." Twilight said, nearly speechless. "An alicorn...It doesn't matter now..." He said lowering his head down. "The princess needs to be notified of this right away!" Twilight shouted out, only to be stopped by Mateo. "It's going to have to be what he wants." Dash was the only one who hadn't said anything, obviously stuck in shock. Fire closed his eyes for a second, then something hit him. "I've got to get home!" He galloped out of the library and into the street, flapping his wings until he took off. He knew the way home, but he just hoped he could make it in time. When he reached the inn, it looked normal from the outside, but when he entered it was far from. Tables flipped and destroyed. Bodies of dead guests who decided to defend the inn were littered everywhere. A sickening feeling filled his stomach. He managed to hold it back while he went to his parents room. He slowly opened the door, and stepped inside. He threw up at the sight of his mother mutilated on her own bed. "She should have come with us..." He cried out, only thinking of ways he could have spared her from this. He heard hoof-steps from behind and quickly turned, tears still in his eyes. "Celestia...Are you alright?" Rainbow Dash had followed him to the inn, and tears filled her eyes too. Fire opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out were cries of misery. She leaned over to comfort him. "Come on, lets get you back to Ponyville....I'm so sorry..." She said as the two made their way back to Twilights. At this point, he didn't care who saw him in his entirety. All he wanted is to be rid of his home, and find out who killed his mother, and hopefully not his father.
Chapter 2: Everwinter BadlandsWhen the two reached Ponyville, they trotted through the streets. Fire couldn't get the horrible picture of his dead mother out of his mind. He cried openly, drawing more attention to him. "Hey, it's gonna be alright." Dash whispered to him, trying to cheer him up. He looked at her with his red eyes, then back at his hooves. All around, ponies were staring at him in awe, amazed that another alicorn existed. "Can't you see he needs space?" Shouted Rainbow Dash. As she shouted that, some people dispersed, but most stayed still. When they reached the library, a crowd had followed him. Dash slammed the door and shut all the blinds. "You're back! What's wrong?" Twilight asked to him in a semi-cheerful voice. Dash shook her head at Twilight. "Oh...That's where he went..." Mateo said from above. Fire went upstairs to the balcony, and just laid there, crying. "Where was my dad...Why didn't he save her..." These were the thoughts that wouldn't stop running across his brain. "Everything I knew...Gone..." He put his hooves over his face and cried. Mateo came up to comfort him. "I know how you feel." He said, putting a forearm around him. "Do you? My own mother was...How could you know what this feels like!" Fire shouted at Mateo. Mateo sighed, "I know how it feels because we all thought Nightmare Moon killed your dad. I was torn up. You're not alone." He said trying to make him at least tell what he saw. "I am alone..." Fire said, looking up at Mateo. It had been four days from the night where his mother was murdered, along with every innocent life at the Inn. Twilight had sent her letter to Celestia informing her of the new alicorn. She had her reply within minutes, saying to bring him to her castle in Canterlot. They were gathering their items when Fire spoke for the first time. "I'm going to Celestia, aren't I..." He said it in a low, yet excited voice. Twilight smiled at him and nodded, happy that he finally spoke. "There is a chariot outside for us. I'm sure you'll be fine." He lifted his hood and threw his bags onto his back. They boarded the chariot and left for Canterlot. Fire had never seen anything but the snowy road outside of his inn, but the sight of the castle brought his mood up. Royal guards could be seen outside of every entrance, wearing their signature golden armor. They landed right outside the main entrances doors. They moved hastily to the throne room. Both princesses sat at the other end of the room, looking down at both Twilight and Fire. "What you say is true then, my student. There has been another alicorn born to our world. Twilight wouldn't tell me anything besides what you are." Fire looked up at Celestia, then to Luna. "I am the son of Skyward Flame. I have been for the last fourteen years in secret." Luna looked at him closely. "That is not all of the story." Fire went to speak, but closed his mouth and his eyes. "His mother and the guests at his inn were murdered." The princesses looked at each other with horrified expressions. "Thank you for bringing him here. We will take over, since an alicorn at a young age can be a lot of trouble." Celestia said, thinking back to what happened with her younger sister. Twilight looked back at Fire, who still had his eyes closed. "They'll take good care of you." He opened his eyes and looked to her. "It's not that. I just miss my dad..." She wrapped her forearms around him, and took her leave. As soon as she had left the room, Fire spoke up. "You know more than you let on, too." The princesses looked at him. "How did you know?" He gained a glare. "No matter how straight a face may be, the truth will always remain in their eyes." Luna could have sworn she had heard that before. "You will learn what we know tomorrow. Luna, can you take him to his quarters?" Luna nodded, and motioned him to follow. After a few minutes of wondering, she led him to his room. It was much similar to hers, but the room was more bare. "Thank you..." He said to her as he went to the balcony. She gave him a sad look, and left. He scanned the sky as the sun set, hoping to see a trace of his father. When nothing could be seen, he went to his bed. A note was placed on the nightstand. "Fire, I am sorry of what happened to your mother. Don't look for me, or else you could end up like her. Stay with the princesses, Luna has always known you existed. You can tell her anything. -Dad" He laid down in the bed, staring at the ceiling. He was too tired to think. He had woken up in the middle of the night, his mind wouldn't let him forget his mothers death. He walked to the balcony and unlatched the doors, stepping out and breathing the crisp, cool winter air. When he opened his eyes, he saw Luna at her balcony. She looked over at him, and beckoned him over. He flapped his wings a few times before soaring to her. "You can't sleep either?" He said to her. She nodded in response. "I have to tell you something." She said to him, in a hushed tone. "You know I existed, but you also know I wont stay here long." She looked surprised. "How did you know?" He gave her a quick smile. "My father. You also know that I am going to need equipment." She nodded once more. "You can go to the barracks tomorrow morning. The captain will train you at my request. It will take time." Fire closed his red eyes, and took a deep breath. He opened them, determination filled them now. "I'm ready." For the next six years he trained, finding more and more information about his mother's killers. His dad had left many notes begging him to stay put, but he rejected them all. He was no longer the helpless foal, but a strong willed warrior. His room in the castle had been filled with memories of his friends that he gained through training. Private Nero, Private Flash, and Corporal Tango. He smiled at the picture the four had on graduation. "So, your getting ready to return to the inn?" A voice called from behind. He turned to find a pegasus with purple eyes, black coat, and a blue mane. "Yeah, Nero. I heard they rebuilt it...I want to see if the grave I put is still there." Nero shot him a smile. "Get goin', it will take you less time if you fly since your wings are bigger than any normal pegasus. Good luck." Fire smiled back at his friend, and put his armor on. He put his sword through his sheathe, and then took off. It would take at least twenty minutes to reach the inn at his new flight speed, but he enjoyed the quiet. He landed outside, shaking at how cold it was. He nudged the door open and was amazed at how much bigger it was. "What can I do you for?" Asked a unicorn from behind the counter. "I wanted to know if there is still a grave out back." The innkeeper looked at him funny. "Yeah, it's there. The last owner was buried there. Her husband is still missing, and I heard that they had a child of their own." Fire smiled at the bartender, who again gave him a weird look. "Is there a locked room upstairs?" The bartender nodded. "Show me it." The bartender lead him upstairs, even though he knew the way. He put his head to the door, used a small amount of magic, and it unlocked. He pushed the door aside, and found all his belongings. "How did you? I have been trying to get that open for a long time." Fire turned around. "I lived here, this was my room." The bartender entered, looking around. "Your a little young to be the mare's husband...You're the..." Fire nodded. "I just came to check on things. Keep this place locked...If anyone asks, I was never here." The bartender nodded as Fire locked the door. As he left, something caught his eye. An note was lodged in a tree by a knife. He took the knife out and read the note. "You are walking a dangerous path, my son. I can't promise you that I can help. If you want to find me, look for a old ruin inside the Everwinter Badlands. -Skyward Flame" Fire didn't like the way that the note was written, it gave him an uneasy feeling. He decided to check it out anyway, because if it was his dad, he wanted answers. He spent the past hour flying around the badlands, and the snow storm wasn't helping. He thought he saw something like a building and decided to touch down. He shivered as he walked inside the old building. "Brr...Maybe this is where my father is..." He said lighting his horn to see in the dark. Walking through the endless hallways, he thought he heard a voice. He trotted faster until he reached a main chamber with one lit fire in the middle. He thought he heard a whimper, and started looking around. "Now!" A voice rang out as bars closed all the entrances. From above, three ponies dropped down. "Look here, boys. The legend is true, he did have an alicorn son. Tobias will be pleased." Fire looked at the three ponies. "Who's Tobias? Where's my father!" He shouted out at them, his red eyes beaming at each one of them. "Firstly, Tobias is Shade's brother. Your father and his friend are on his list. Secondly, if we take you, then your father will show up. Third, we enjoy having prisoners, like those over there." The bandit leader pointed a forearm in the direction of a cage. Two ponies and a filly were shivering in the cage. "You really don't know who I am, other than Skyward Flame's son, do you?" The three shook their heads. "Good. Let me give a demonstration..." He pulled the knife from earlier out and let it fly straight into the minion to the left's head. He fell almost instantly, blood flowing from the wound. "He was my brother!" Shouted the other minion. "Get a better line of work then, but you had your chance." Fire took out his sword and readied himself. The minion grabbed his sword and charged at Fire, whom counter charged. The two were in a stalemate, with the leader watching. Fire's horn lit up a shade of red as he launched the other ponies blade into the air. The pony closed his eyes as the blade came down on his neck. The head slid off and rolled around as the body collapsed into a limp form. The leader looked in horror. "That was unfair, even bandits have a code of honor!" Fire lifted the blade from his mouth with magic. "You went beyond honor a long time ago." Fire said as he launched his sword into the bandit leader's throat. Fire walked over to the cage where the family sit in fear. "You'll be fine now." He gave them a smile, but the filly was the one to speak. "T-Thank you..." He looked at the lock, thought for a moment, then turned and kick the lock off. The door slid open slowly as Fire regained his sword from the bandit's neck. "I'll get the gate open and take you home as soon as I find out where he came from." The three nodded, still shaking from a mix of cold and fear. He searched through the leader's bag and found a map of the area. Fire put it into his own bag, and turned to the three ponies. "Take what clothes you can find, it will be a long trot to Ponyville." They spread out and began to search for heavy clothing. After a few minutes they gathered enough clothes to make the trip. The filly came over to him, wanting to ask a question. He leaned down to her level. "Can you carry me please?" He looked at her closely, and saw her legs had been beaten badly. He lifted her up onto his back, and then began their journey home. They spent four hours in the cold of winter to reach Ponyville. Through the entire trek, Fire had to put his wings around the little filly to keep her warm. He heard wings from above as he entered the border of Ponyville. Rainbow Dash had flown next to him and began talking. "Finally decided for a visit? Wait...Why are you covered in blood?!" Fire rolled his eyes at her. "Dash, I will explain it to you later. Take these ponies to the hospital." He placed the filly on Rainbow Dash's back and turned to them all. "If you have any family between here and Canterlot, let me know. I can arrange for them to meet you." The mother looked afraid, but got calm and answered him. "Our eldest son goes by Nero. We last heard from him when he was in training. That was before we were raided." He nodded to her, happy to have an excuse to leave to see him. He outstretched his wings and took off for the castle. He landed on his balcony and walked into his room. As he took off his armor and other equipment, Nero walked in. "Oh, it was you. Thought someone tried sneaking in again. You really have to start closing those doors." He smiled at Fire, but the smile faded. "What's with the blood? Are you hurt?" Fire finished taking off his armor, and trotted to his friend. "It's not my blood, and your family can vouch for that." Nero's purple eyes lit up and his wings twitched. "What did you do?" Fire explained the situation as they were walking down the main stairway. Nero jumped on top of his friend and they fell down the stairs, laughing. When they stopped laughing and stood up, Nero thanked him. "Their in the hospital, I think you sister was hurt pretty bad. Dash should be looking after them until you arrive." Nero asked if he would go with him, and Fire agreed. They began flying to the hospital, when he heard someone call his name. Nero turned around, but Fire told him to keep going. "Up here." The voice came from his balcony, so he flew to his room. "You're a fool, but some say that if you weren't they would most likely be dead." He recognized the voice, and a tear fell down the side of his cheek. "Dad?" A figure inside the room walked forward and hugged him. "Why did you leave me?" His dad smiled and let out a small chuckle. "I never left you. I've always been here, but I know what you plan on doing. I won't help you take out Tobias." Fire looked at his father in disappointment. "Why? He deserves whatever comes to him! He killed mom..." Skyward Flame shook his head. "He's just too strong. I won't aid you in your death, son. You're all that I have." Fire looked away from his father. "You may watch me, but you aren't going to stop me." Flame let out a sigh, and hugged him once more. "I must leave now, but remember. You're never alone." That was the last thing before his father flew out of the room. He watched his father fly off at the speed of light, leaving nothing but a black and red trail. Fire trotted over to his bed and got comfortable. He turned his head to the nightstand on his left, and stared a the picture of his mother. "I'm one step closer to finding your killer, mom. When I find him, I swear to you he wont hurt another pony ever...Ever again..." He said silently as he fell asleep.
Chapter 3: Relaxed BeginningsIron Hoof was woken up by a knock on the door. "Huh...C-Come in..." He said trying to wake himself up. "My lord, come with me." It was a royal guard. "Lord? I'm not a noble." The guard just told him to come. Fire shrugged, and followed him. "What's this about?" The guard remained quiet until they stopped in the empty throne room. "Wait here." Fire was about to ask him who he was waiting for, but the guard walked out. He trotted through the room, looking at all the windows that told tales from pictures. The most recent was the defeat of discord, which he admired. He heard the doors open once more, and turned his head. "Fire, I need to ask you something." Nero flew over to him. "Sure, ask away." Fire sent a smile to Nero. "What's your dad like?" Fire looked away from his friend. "He used to be a man of action. He would tell me stories of how he and Rainbow Dash became close friends. It's hard to believe that they didn't end up together." They both laughed. Fire looked into Nero's eyes...They were green. "Wait a second...Who are you?" The pony in front of him laughed as he took off the royal armor. "You took what was ours." Fire looked at him funny. "The three ponies were ours, but you stole them." Fire glared at the imposter. "Yes, I stole who you kidnapped. I'm the bad guy here." The imposter began to take something out of a satchel, when he was flung into the wall next to him. "Thanks for visiting, please don't come again." Fire's horn lit up a bright shade of red as the pony was flung straight into the air, and then slammed to the ground. "Tell Tobias I'm coming for him." The pony trotted his way out of the throne room, and into the dark corridors of the castle. Fire looked back at where he slammed the pony. "Yikes..." He thought aloud, seeing the blood and cracked floor. He looked out of the corner of his eye and saw a baton. "Well, I think I'm going back to bed..." He said aloud as he trotted to his room. When he awoke the next morning, there was another note on his nightstand. He used his magic to bring it close to his face, squinting his eyes to read it. "Fire, I have no new information for you. Tobias is being illusive...Anyway, looks like you got this week off. Enjoy yourself. -Broker" He smiled, putting the note back and fell asleep again. "Wake up, your getting lazier each day." Fire groaned in annoyance. "Come on Nero...Broker has no information to give me this week." Nero rolled his eyes. "So did you hear about what happened in the throne room?" Fire got out of his bed, and went to his mirror. He proceeded to get his mane exactly how he liked it while talking to Nero. "Yeah, I saw it too. How else would somepony's blood end up on the ground? Celestia's going to kill me, isn't she?" They both laughed. "Not this time, they found an injured intruder who tried to pass himself off as me. He's being interrogated by Captain Jude. We found a enchanted baton in the throne room as well. If anyone was hit by it, they would have been instantly knocked out." Fire thought back to when he flung him into the air, he had hardly used a inch of his power. "If that was a small amount of my magic, what would happen if I used all my magic?" He thought to himself, planning on taking more lessons with Luna. "Anyway...Want to hit the pub? I finally have a day off, and I haven't had a good drink in a LONG time." Nero said smiling to his friend. Fire smiled back. "You're buying, Nero." Nero rolled his eyes. "Would you have it any other way?" Fire replied with a no, leaving them both laughing as they flew to town. The two landed outside the bar and made their way to the long counter. "So Fire, you ever had any type of alcohol?" Fire shook his head. "Well well, your in for a nasty surprise." Nero said to him, motioning to the bartender that they wanted two drinks. The bartender nodded and slid two brown liquid filled cups their way. Both stopped theirs with a hoof. Nero drank his down within seconds, shaking afterwards. "First shot of the night always gets you." He said to Fire. Fire looked into the glass, and washed it down. "Oh Celestia, that's awful." Fire said to his laughing friend. "You get used to it. It takes away the stress." Fire shrugged, and ordered another round. They went through about four more each before the decided to stay at Nero's place. "You're lucky I'm not too drunk. Who knows what your family would say." Fire said as they neared the house. "Whateversh...Shtop stresshin..." Fire laughed at the way Nero was talking, but stopped after he had fallen asleep standing up. "Great...Drunk and carrying another pony into his own house..." He knocked on the door while using magic to load Nero onto his back. Nero's mother opened the door. "What happened? Is he alright?" Fire looked back at him, then to her. "He's fine, just had too much to drink. Mind if we sleep here?" She nodded, showing him the way to Nero's room. He set him down and followed her back downstairs. "You can sleep on the couch. I'm sorry if its not too comfortable, but we don't have any other beds." Fire shot her a drunken smile as he set himself on the couch. "Don't worry...I think I'm too drunk to care. Thank Celestia I don't get like Nero when I am..." He slowly closed his eyes, and fell asleep. Fire woke up to a filly in his face. "Oh Celestia, my head..." He said putting a hoof on his head. "Nero, I'm going to kill you..." The filly looked at him funny, and then went into the kitchen. He slammed his head back onto the pillow, moaning a little. "Well you're up..." Nero slowly came down the stairs. "No thanks to you...My head feels like I got sliced in two..." Nero laughed, sitting in the chair opposite of Fire. "Why aren't you hurting like me...?" Nero gave Fire a twisted grin. "Because I'm not a first time drinker. One more thing, never go into a bar with Pinkie Pie. Not pretty." Fire rolled his eyes, head still killing him. The filly came back in the room and hugged her brother. "I missed you too." He said laughing as the two fell onto the floor. "Well, I don't plan on getting drunk next time we go to a bar." Fire said slowly getting up. As he was about to exit through the front door, Nero said something that made him stop in his tracks. "While you were gone saving my family, a strange pegasus came to me...He told me what you were really doing. Fire, I don't know if your doing it because you're brave or stupid. Your the only friend I have..." Fire turned to him, seeing his friend look sad while his sister trotted around him. "It's something that I must do, Nero." Nero sighed, rolling onto his stomach. "That's what I was afraid you would say." Fire trotted out and flew back to his bedroom. When he approached his balcony, he saw Luna standing there. "What brings you here?" He said in a friendly tone. She looked at him, with a tear in her eye. "Luna, what's wrong?" She came over and hugged him. "I got a letter...From your father. He told me he is going after Tobias, to save you from what you would become." Fire looked into her sorrowful eyes. "I know where he is going...And I will be there to take down Tobias. Luna, you've been a good friend and mentor." He shot a smile at her, which she returned. "Good luck." She said to him, flying to her own room. Fire walked over to his desk and took out paper, ink, and a quill. He began to write a note. "Nero, I know you will find this first. I'm going to avenge her tonight. He's broken my family, and it's time to repay the favor. If I don't come home, don't blame yourself. You and Luna are the only friends I have ever known, and I'm not one for mushy stuff. Goodbye. -Iron Fire" He set down the quill and got up to put on his armor. After strapping his armor on, he attached his sheathe to his back. "Alright Tobias. I'm going to enjoy watching the blood drip from your head as you did my mother..." Those were the last words he said as he took off.
Chapter 5: Sanctuary - - - Iron Fire - - - - "You don't like my gift?" The cracked voice called in the emptiness of the void. Fire look around, still trying to figure out where he was. "This gift is more of a curse. Where am I...Or we...?" He called out, trying to understand what he had gotten himself in to. There was silence, then a short chuckle. "You are inside our mind. I gave you the power of hatred, making us stronger." Fire felt ground below him and scanned the darkness. "Strength for me, or you?" The voice had stopped its maniacal laughter. Another long silence before the demon broke it. "We are each other." It called to him again. Fire thought for a moment. 'I don't get this...One moment I am fighting Tobias, and the next I'm in my own head?' He looked at the square, seeing himself fly back to his room at the castle. "What are you thinking?" He said aloud. - - - Demon Iron Fire - - - - He landed on his balcony and moved quickly to the inside. After surveying the room, he noticed nothing different. When he trotted to his mothers picture, he let a tear drop. "He's dead. You may rest in peace." The cracked voice had said. There was a knock on the door a few minutes later. "Enter." Princess Luna stepped inside, looking around the room. When her eyes rested upon him, fear replaced joy. "Luna..." The demon said, further putting fear in her. "W-Who are you?" The demon closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "Fire? You..." Her eyes no longer held fear, but determination. "You're not Fire. I refuse to believe this." He opened his eyes, adjusting to his surroundings. "Luna, you have to get away from him." The voice was Fire's. "I...Can't fight him." His eyes closed once more. "Silly foal..." The demon had returned. Luna gave him an angry look. She turned to the balcony, starting at a slow trot. "What are you planning?" He said as she changed her pace to a full gallop. She leaped from the balcony, flying at amazing speeds to Ponyville. Possessed fire just watched, knowing that she was no match for him. He heard a hoof step behind him, but saw no pony. Trotting to the mirror, he saw an image that made him stop in his tracks. "Silly foal am I?" Fire said to the demon. "Ye§, you are." The demon said to him. "I won't stop resisting you, monster. Nero and Luna will stop you." The demon shed a evil smile to the mirror. "Nero...He is still at that wretched prison..." - - - Nero - - - - His head rung from the cheap shot to the head. 'Well, that hurt. Where's Ruby?' Even his thoughts hurt his mind. "A live one here, Flame." A voice said sounding distant. Nero opened his eyes to a bright light. "I know this one. He's a friend of my son. Private, to your feet." Nero felt a set of hooves pull him to his own. "Where...Where am I?" Nero called out to the blur in front of him. "A compound in the Everwinter Badlands. We need to get home, and fast." Nero's vision cleared, revealing the legendary flier Skyward Flame. "Wait. Has anyone seen a little filly? She has a red coat with blue eyes. She's a pegasus like me." Skyward Flame looked around, and trotted off. Nero had been helping wake and tend to the other prisoners when Flame came back. "Did you find her?" Nero said to him. Flame turned to his side, revealing a sleeping filly on his back. She was wrapped in a bundle of clothes. "I know they have caravans, but the guards could be a problem." Everyone looked at him, most with odd looks. "You have no idea...Do you?" Flame looked at him, concerned. "Idea of what? What do you mean?" Nero was beginning to feel uneasy. "All the guards are dead. Fire killed them...He showed no mercy, and is paying the price." Nero's eyes went wide. He never thought that his friend would do something so cruel. He shook these thoughts from his mind, focusing on his little sister's safety. His royal guard instincts took over. "Alright, listen up! Get everypony clothed properly and board the caravans. As soon as we're all set, follow Flame to Ponyville where all wounds will be treated. Do so orderly, and we can all make it within two or three hours." It took them twenty minutes to load up, and another ten to get them in standard formation. "Flame, take my sister home. Fire has some answers I need." Flame nodded, leading the caravan off. 'I know that he wouldn't do anything Skyward Flame accused him of...I need to find this out for myself.' Was the last thing he thought as he took off for Canterlot. - - - Demon Iron Fire - - - - "Well, you need to learn your place. You are no longer in control." The demon croaked at the mirror. 'Seeing Luna made me be able to take control...What made it so I could take over?' Thought Iron, but then he got an idea. "Well, it's not much of a gift if I cannot be in control." The demon looked confused, as if thinking. His face straightened, the markings faded, and the positions in the mirror were replaced by the other. "I can come out whenever I want, even when you don't want me to. Remember that." The demon said laughing as the figure in the mirror began to resemble the normal Iron Fire. Right as he reverted, a voice called from his door. "Dear Celestia...He was right." Nero had finally arrived. "You...You're not alright. You need either Luna or Celestia's help, Fire." Nero looked at his friend, trotting towards him. "Nero, I do need help. There isn't much I can do though...What he did to Tobias was more than he deserved..." Fire looked back to the mirror, still seeing only himself. He let a sigh of relief as his friend put a forearm around him. 'Your friendship sickens me, Fire.' The demon pronounced from inside his brain. "Uhmm...Let's go to town, I think Luna can help me." They knew Luna would be at Twilight's house. Nero opened the door to find only Luna there with Mateo. The two stepped inside and interrupted whatever conversation they were having. "So, I hear you are a demon." Fire looked into Mateo's eyes. "Yes, but not by choice. Anger, hatred, any feeling against someone caused it." Nero looked over to him, then to Luna. "We need to help him...I don't want Celestia to banish him." Fire turned to his friend, a shocked expression. "What do you mean banish me?" Fire sounded scared. Nero looked at his hooves. "I went to her before you, and unless we can return you to normal....You would be sent to the moon like Luna." All three of them exchanged worried glances. "The demon would see that as a reason to manipulate my mind, making him stronger..." Fire's voice was shaking, showing he was overcome with fear. Mateo took a deep breath and sighed. "We need my wife." They all looked to him, nodding. "She put the elements somewhere that not even Celestia knows about. I told her to keep them in town, so she went to get them. Who knows how long she will be...Fire, I'm sorry." Fire's eyes had started to tear up. 'Pitiful...I am stronger than your puny elements of harmony...But if you want to disobey me, then you shall be punished. The demon started doing things to Fires head. Bringing long forgotten memories of his mothers death, visions of his friends dying, and other horrible things. - - - Nero - - - - He looked over to Fire after hearing a small yelp. "Fire? Fire, say something!" He screamed as his friend fell to the ground, howling in pain. "We have to do something!" Nero was yelling to both Mateo and Luna, but they didn't do anything but watch in horror. Nero grabbed Fire's tail and started dragging him to the hospital. 'Come on buddy, I am not letting you die...Stay with me!' Nero screamed inside his head, determined to break the demons hold on his only friend.
Chapter 6: Split PersonalityNero stood by his sedated friend, crying. "You'll be alright....I know you will..." Suddenly, Fire's eyes opened. "How sweet." Nero jumped back at the demons voice. "This body is useless in this state...I can't go anywhere even if I wanted to." Nero was both happy, yet afraid. "He will not be yours, and that's a promise." Nero said with a fierce, determined tone. The demon rolled his eyes as Nero left. "We heard voices, is he awake?" He turned to find Mateo and Luna. "If you feel like questioning the demon, go inside. He can't move or use magic otherwise he would have done something." Nero kept on trotting towards the exit. He heard the sound of wooden wheels rolling on a dirt road and turned to his right. Skyward Flame had finally reached Ponyville after two hours. Nero flew over to the first caravan and began to speak with him. "You're son is in the hospital. Have you seen Twilight?" Flame looked up and shook his head. "What happened to Fire?" Nero explained the situation to him slowly. Flame darted to the hospital leaving his trail of black and red flames. 'Alright, now I need to find Twilight. She should be back by tonight or tomorrow morning...' Thought Nero leading everypony to their homes. - - - Flame - - - - He trotted into the room. "So, looks like you have to answer my questions." The demon once more rolled his pure red eyes. "How did you manifest yourself inside him?" Flame took a seat across from the bed. "I have always been inside him. Ever since his mother was killed, I grew. I have you to thank, though. For if you didn't leave him alone I would not exist." Flame just sat there as the demon grew a smile. "Poor thing, you thought you were protecting him." He started laughing at him, causing his own anger to build up. Before Flame knew what he was doing, he hit the demon in his face. "You think that hurts? The only one who will be hurting is him." The demon smirked, unmoving. Flame was about to hit him again when Mateo walked in, accompanied by Twilight and the others with the elements. "Stand back, this should stop him." Twilight said as Flame backed away. The demon closed his eyes. 'Now I get it...You can't be destroyed by the elements...Don't think you will get away with this. Fire said to the demon inside his head. "Well, it took you long enough to figure out my plan." He said aloud as he was blasted by the elements of harmony. - - - Iron Fire - - - - His eyes opened slowly, no longer pure red. His markings faded away, revealing his grey coat. "Ouch!" He yelled aloud as his face suddenly started feeling like he had been hit with a sword. He remembered seeing what the demon saw, which had been his father hitting him. Everyone looked so happy, except for Fire. "What's wrong son?" His father asked in a cheerful manner. "Look..." His tone was low, and scared. They all turned to see the demon standing right next to him. "I thank you, Twilight. Now, I will take my leave of you all." He said flying out of the window. They all looked to Fire, who sighed. "There is only one thing I do regret..." Nero, Flame, and Luna all closed in on him as he motioned them to come closer. "I regret causing the upcoming event on you..." He said to them, confused expressions. "What do you mean?" Asked Nero, following Fire's gaze out the window. "He thought that I couldn't read his mind as he couldn't read mine. I could, and know what he is planning. Nero, he's going to take your sister. Luna, he's going after Celestia. Dad...He already took from you." Flame shared shocked expressions with everyone in the room. "He didn't take anything from me, though." Fire gave him a faint smile, before falling unconscious. A doctor pushed through the check his vitals. "He is weak, but stable. If Twilight hadn't come when she did, he would have died upon impact of the elements. He will regain his strength, but it will take time." Nero bolted out of the room along with Luna. "Think he's already ahead of us?" Nero shouted to her. "I don't know, let's pray not." She said as she took off. - - - Nero - - - - He rammed his home's door and bolted upstairs. He pushed open his sister's bedroom door. "Too late." Said the demon as he grabbed the filly and teleported away. He growled in frustration as he ran back outside his house, taking off for Canterlot. 'I need to get to Celestia before he does! Reach her first, Luna. Please do...' Thought Nero beating his wings as hard as he could. - - - Luna - - - - She ran through the main chamber, the many hallways, even the mess hall to finally come upon her sisters room. She opened the door, happy to see her sister staring out the balcony. "Sister, you need to get someplace safe. He is coming for you." Celestia turned to her, showing a saddened look. "It seems we arrived at the same time, Nightmare." The demon trotted inside. "That is no longer my name." Luna called out to him, stomping a hoof to the ground. "That's supposed to scare me? You're joking." He laughed at her, filling her with more anger. She calmed herself down as she saw Nero creeping up on the demon. "Give me my sister!" He shouted attempting to tackle the demon. He turned around and bucked Nero in the head, sending him flying into the back wall. He slowly got up, ignoring his pain. "That...All you got...?" He said weakly. The demon smiled, lifting Nero into the air with his magic. "No, but this is only a fraction of it." Called the demon. Nero had been flung through the bedroom wall and into the hallway. He collided with a mirror and fell to his stomach. "You..." Was all Luna could say to the smiling demon. "I am stronger than you, Luna. Celestia has been...Overthrown." Said the demon, laughing once more. "Sister, run." Luna was about to protest when her sister screamed it again, sending fear through her body. The fear was what made her run, fear of her sister being hurt...Or worse... She had picked up Nero and ran for her life. She hadn't even realized where she was or where she was going until she stopped outside of the hospital. She stepped in and a nurse looked up at her. "Oh, Princess Luna. Back so soon? Oh my! What happened to him?!" The nurse galloped over and called for a stretcher. Two more nurses appeared with a stretcher and loaded Nero onto it. Luna followed the nurses to Fire's room, where the loaded him on to the extra bed. Flame had never left his son's side. "What happened? Are you alright?" Flame had been asleep waiting for his son to recover enough to speak. Luna was shaking, and so was her voice when she spoke. "He tried to stop him from taking Celestia, but ended up getting bucked in the face and thrown through a wall." Flame looked over at the two sleeping ponies. "You know what we have to do, don't you..." She nodded to him. "Then you know where he is heading?" She thought for a second. "No, but we know who does." They both turned their heads to Fire, still knocked out. 'So much has happened...And they think I am too weak to hear them...Sad.' Thought Fire. 'He will pay, but I can't go on like this....Must...Sleep... His mind stopped thinking and drifted to sleep. For the first time in a long time, his nightmares no longer existed.
Chapter 4: Monster WithinNero after bar He was playing with his little filly sister for a few minutes when he heard a knock on the door. When he opened the door, a hooded earth pony stood before him. "What are you-!" Was all Nero could say before getting hit in the side of the face by a baton. He turned to see his filly sister screaming, running away. The scene of another pony chasing her was the last thing he saw before being dragged away. Before he blacked out, he was tossed in the back of a caravan filled with other ponies. - - - Iron Fire - - - - The crisp air of the blizzard was ripping at his core. Fire didn't know how long he would make it if he didn't sneak inside the compound soon. He saw a strange caravan leave Ponyville and decided to tag along, but something about this caravan gave him the creeps. When it went inside, he got a good look at the gate. The compound itself wasn't very big, but the walls had been built to sustain even a stampede of Manticores. He got a close look at the area above the gate, and saw only one guard. At this point, he didn't care if he was found or not. All that mattered was killing Tobias and finding his dad. He swooped down and landed under the blizzard's embrace. The pony turned around to find an angry red-eyed alicorn. "Well shi-" Said the pony being flung to the side, down to the front of the gate. He turned at the sound of laughter, only to find a group of ponies sitting beside a campfire. "Hmm...This should be fun..." He said aloud, an insane smile growing on his face. His horn lit a bright green as the flames of the campfire exploded, setting the group ablaze. He let out a small chuckle at the sight, but remembered why he came in the first place. He dropped down below and started trotting around. After a few minutes of trotting, he found the main hall. Nudging the door open, he found it almost completely empty, but one pony standing in the room. After entering, he could see blood splattered all the walls, and bodies littered the tables. "Someone's been at work, making my job easier." The figure turned around, and took a step closer to Fire. "Yes...Another come to fall. Wait..." The figure said stopping, scanning over Fire. "No, not your time yet. Your future tells a tale of great struggle, alicorn. Tobias is in the prison, having his 'fun'." The figure said, trotting away. Fire both honored and despised the pony, but with Tobias, his mind changed quickly. Fire took a deep breath, shivering as he pushed open the prison door. It actually was just a tunnel leading to a cracked door. As he began to make his descent, screams were heard. He galloped through the door, and through about four hallways reaching the main cell block. Many ponies lay in cages, both bruised and bleeding. They all looked at him, some having hope in their eyes, and others fear. He trotted slowly to the source of the screaming. Fire rammed the door so hard that it flew straight into the only guard at the other end of the room. "Well, looks like we will have to wait." A low, harsh voice said. "Come to die, my boy?" He said turning to Fire. "I'm going to enjoy killing you slowly. Very...Very...Slowly." Fire said as his insane smile returned. Tobias leaned over the table next to him and retrieved his sword. "A fair warning...I don't play fair." Fire said, drawing his own sword. The two charged at each other, both having rage filling their entire beings. Fire slid under Tobias, aiming for his forelegs. Tobias leaped into the air, kicking Fire in his head. He staggered, but not for long as he was rushed by Tobias. Fire's horn lit a dark shade of red as the sword in Tobias's mouth flew into the air, stopping him mid-charge. "You can't kill me. I'm untouchable." Screamed Tobias as the blade rammed into his back, forcing him to topple over. Fire put his own blade on the table, trotting over to Tobias. "I have waited...A long time for this...You're a monster, destroying anything in it's way. I am no longer an foal, I am the victor. I am your end." Fire smiled larger, hearing a voice inside him. "Yes...Let the rage take you. It is power, young pony. Take it." The voice called to him, beckoned him. He put a hoof on the sword lodged into Tobias's back, adding weight to it. He screamed as the blade sent more and more blood from his body. His eyes were pleading for mercy to Fire, but he was disturbed by what he saw. "You are no more, wretch." A cracked voice said emerging from Fire's mouth. - - - Skyward Flame - - - - He galloped past the flaming bodies, the dismembered remains, the ponies in their cells, and finally stopped outside the door to the back room. All he heard was screaming and a voice that sent chills all over his body. When he stepped inside, he could never have been prepared for what was happening to his son. - - - Iron Fire - - - - He opened his eyes, seeing nothing but darkness. "Where...Where am I?" Fire said, twirling around. He saw light emerging from a square, showing the events that he just witnessed. "Is it not beautiful? The art of murder?" The disturbed voice called out to him. Fire searched around, seeing nothing. "No, I just wanted him dead. I never wanted him to suffer like me." The voice laughed at Fire's remark. "You are nothing. I shall make you strong. After all...I am you." "What is happening to you?" Flame exclaimed as his son was being surrounded by tornado shielded in flames. When the tornado subsided, a figure similar to Nightmare Moon appeared. His son's mark, his son's colors, but it wasn't him. "Father...You shouldn't have come here. I will take my leave now." That was the last thing the possessed Fire said before blasting a hole in the side of the room. The blizzard made the perfect cover for his escape, leaving his father in utter shock. His son had become a monster.
Chapter 6.5: Heros ReturnFlame had said goodbye to Luna no less than an hour ago when he had heard another pony make their way into the room. He looked up to see a pony shrouded by a black cloak. The stallion crept in and walked over to Fire. "What are you doing in here?" "He's quite the fighter, isn't he? Having held a demon inside him for so long, only to be bed ridden." The pony spoke without even turning his head. Flame got up and trotted to his son. "How did you know? And who exactly are you?" Flame looked from his son to the strange pony, getting a feeling like he knew him. The stallion pulled his hood off, revealing that he had a horn, black coat, dark blue mane, and deep blue eyes. "I know more than you think, since my disappearance quite some time ago. As to who I am, I am Shadow Flare." Flame just stood there in confusion. "Why have you come here?" Flame said in a more relaxed tone. He didn't think his son could even meet someone who had been said to be just a legend. "This is why." Shadow moved closer to Iron Fire and put his horn against Fire's head. A black aura spread from Shadow to Fire as he started moving. When Shadow pulled back, he slowly trotted his way out. He stopped at the door and turned to Flame. "He will wake, but he will still be weak. He will need help from his kind, and I don't mean Luna. You'll see." Shadow trotted off, leaving the room as it once was. Flame moved back to his chair and sat down. This pony said that there were others...'I thought they were all dead but for the two princesses and my son...There are more, but where could they be?' Thoughts like these plagued his mind, but the answer was not going to reveal itself so easily. He would have to wait for it, and that is what made him even more edgy. He just prayed that they would come to him, instead of him having to look for them.
