Raising Fire

"YAAAAAHOO!" A older Pheonix sparks zoomed through Canterlot Castle, his hourn was glowing and each of his hooves was surrownded by his aura, a speed spell he had recently learned from his mentor. His handsome youthful smile lit up his face as he wizzed past the dumfounded gaurds and into the throne room. He skidded down the length of the room and landed laughing at the foot of Princess Sparkle's throne.

"Moring Pheonix." She glanced over the parchmeant she was reading and smiled motherly at him.

"Moring Princess!" he wasn't always this chirpy in the morning, in fact this was the first morning since he was a foal he had woken up with a smile.

"Morning Sunset!" He sat down next to the PA who was blushing furiosly but didn't look up from her parchmeant. He sat next to her and imitated her in a high pitched giggly voice. "Oh Pheonix, thank you  ever so much for saying good morning to me, for I shall spend the rest of my day trying to find how I can ever come up with a equily amazing how to greet you in the morning." He finished his monlouge by layign drmamticly on the throne room floor, hoof to forehead.

Sunset put down her papers and smiled at him. "Good morning Pheonix Sparks. I will be forever greatful for your morning greetings." The papers positioned themselves directly in from of her body, effectivly forming a barrier around her.

Pheonix mumbled somthing about uptight PAs never letting anypony have any fun while the princess oberved her PA's blush and shy smile, shielded by her paperwork forcefield.

"Pheonix, we have an important lesson today. Meet me in the pracise room." The room at the top of the tower had become their offical practise room, and though Pheonix would never tell anypony, he felt more at home in that room than he had anywhere in his whole life.

"Yes princess, bye Sunset!" He blew the mare a mock kiss whilst she dismantled her paperwork fort.

Twilight watched him go, she had raised him from a young colt and now...now he was almost ready to begin his rule.

She eyed her PA, she was very young for the job. The youngest to have ever gotten in fact, and all those ponies who said she was too young were looking pretty stupid considering how she was also the most sucsessful at the job there had ever been.

"Sunset, do pardon me asking but do you think you may have intrest in Mr Sparks?" Her PA yelped and turned to look at her ruler.

"Um, no, I mean, well, no..but..Princess." She finshed desperatly, realising the sentance made no sense whilst saying it.

"Because, I think it's safe to say that he may in you." She smiled knowingly at the mare. Truly he had never told her of such intrest, But nearly three thousend years of dealing with Canterlot's Elite had taught her a thing or two about body launage. "Ah, well. Must be off the the practise room. See you at lunch, Sunset."

With that her horn glowed and she teleported out of sight, leaving the mare gaping.

Miliseconds later she was at the top of Canterlot's highest tower, her student waiting for her and the miniature sun suspened in the east of room, evidently having just risen.

"No practical today Pheonix. I must tell you somthing crucial."

This was the day she'd been waiting for. Today she'd tell him that he was goin got be Equestia's futer ruler. She ws going to tell him, not give him wings then tell him that he ws destined, leaving him with a sense of crushing pressure.

No, she was going to do it differently. Calmly and controled so that he knew what was going on, how he must choose a sucsessor then disolve and become part of Equestira itself.

They sat, Twilight talked and Pheonix listened, his expression unreadable as his futer was explaned to him.

When he wanted to, Pheonix could very convincingly look like he felt somthing on the outside whilst either mulling it over or feeling the exact oposite. His parents never had a hope of seeing what he really felt, not that they cared as long as he got the grades and made the family look good.

Twilight herslef somtimes had trouble seeing what he really felt, the only pony in the world who could consistantly see under his mask was Sunset.

When he was told that he would become an alicorn and the futer monarche of Equestria, he immdeianlty split himself into the mask and his feelings.

They mask beamed and said, "Awesome!"

His feelings fought back tears and said, "Sunset.."

Unlucky for him, this was one of the rare times when Twilight was able to see how he really felt, and not just the mask.

Her suspitons that she hadn't really believed were true became confirmed.

It was then that she realised what she had done to Sunset, they could never be together if he was going to live forever. It would tear him apart just as it had with her and her friends.

Her smile was slightly tearful as she explained to him the basics of ruling a kingdom, immortality was cruel but she had to trust he would be strong and he wouldn't let it tear him apart.