They headed out of the cave as fast as they could. As Phoenix led the group off, Flame had drove back to Crusher's side.
"Crusher…"
"I'm not talking to you." Crusher glared at him before glancing forward.
"…Okay," Flame sighed. "I know that you're upset-"
"Wow, 'upset' is SUCH an understatement." Crusher growled.
"Just... at least let me explain..."
"Fine." Crusher huffed and crossed his tires. "Then explain."
"Alright," Flame sighed and nodded. "Years ago, your mother meant everything to me. I really thought she loved me and cared about me,"
"Did she care about you?" Sparkle asked.
"She acted like she did, that's for sure," Flame darkly chuckled. "She sure had me fooled, acting like her heart wasn't as cold as her magic,"
"Why have a child with her then?" Crusher huffed.
"I... didn't see through her lies until she got pregnant with you. I was able to get her to have you and not abort you. I wanted to have you so bad, but my father told me then I'd be a disgrace to the phoenixes. So... I had to give you up..."
Crusher glanced at him for a while before turning away. Flame sighed once more.
"I swear if I could, I would've kept you, Crusher,"
Crusher still didn't say anything. His silence was still and tense as his breath hitched.
"Dad...?" Blaze asked quietly. "What would have happened if you had been seen as a... disgrace?"
"Well... I would be banished from the village, disowned by my parents, and striped away of my magic. Who knows what they would have done to Crusher." Flame hissed. "I just… couldn't risk it,"
Crusher still didn't say anything, and his silence uncomfortable now.
"Crusher...? I know you're mad at Dad for... all of this, but he's trying to make up for it now," Sparkle whispered as her brothers tried to comfort their father. "Can you at least give him a chance?"
"…fine," Crusher finally spoke but he still refused to look up as he drove by Pickle's side. "Let's just keep going,"
"We're here," Phoenix said as they reached the top of the mountain. "Here we are... the Starlight Forest."
"Ooh!" Sparkle beamed. "Is this where the Rainbow Unity Stone is, Mom??"
"It sure is." Phoenix nodded.
"How are we gonna find it, Mom?" Blaze asked.
"According to legend, it only works with ice dragon and phoenix magic combined. If we all combine our powers, we might be able to make a trail right to it."
"Alright, let's do this," Blaze gave a nod of understanding.
"Fine..." Crusher sighed.
They all gathered up and aimed their tires at the trees ahead. They twirled them, and Pickle gasped as he watched their magic appear.
"Wow..."
Their magic combined together, orange and red flames mixing with icy blue magic as they made a trail in the air, through the trees and heading deep into the forest.
"Wow, it worked!" AJ beamed.
"Now we just need to follow it!" Sparkle beamed.
"Let's just hope no one tries to stop us..." Crusher muttered.
"Who would even?" Pickle asked. "No one knows where we are, right?"
"Let's hope not..."
X
But someone did know where they were-- Daria, the Fairy that caused the feud between the two species.
"GAH!! Those pesky trucks are out to ruin my plan!" Daria said from her makeshift spot on Axle City Tower. "I have to do something to stop them..."
She flicked her magic together and grinned as she created something strong and chaotic. She then blasted it towards the group, creating a whirlwind.
"It's a whirlwind!" Sparkle screamed.
"GAH!" Pickle shrieked. "What do we do?!?"
"Crusher, can you try and freeze it?" AJ asked.
"I can try!"
Crusher held out his tires, twirling it around and aiming it towards the whirlwind. The wind froze a bit, but parts of it still went on twirling and heading towards them.
"I-I can't stop it by myself! Blaze, maybe you and AJ can try your powers on it!"
Blaze and AJ nodded and used their flames and magic to surround the whirlwind in attempt to slow it down. Combined with the precious ice, the whirlwind proceeded to evaporate into the air.
"It's working! Crusher, we need more ice!"
"On it!"
Crusher nodded and blasted the whirlwind with more ice. The ice mixed with flames made the whirlwind evaporate little by little until it finally vanished.
"You did it!" Sparkle smiled.
"Crusher, that was extraordinary!" Phoenix said proudly. "All three of you were amazing!"
"Thanks, Mom!" Blaze exclaimed with a beam.
"Oh, uh... yeah, thanks," Crusher said with a bit of uncertainty.
"Should we keep going?" Pickle asked, holding onto Crusher when realizing his expression.
"Good idea," said Blaze. "I don't know how that whirlwind appeared, but something tells me there will be more where that came from."
They continued along the path, and Flame approached his eldest child with concern.
"You okay, bud? You looked a little... uneasy back there."
Crusher looked at his biological father, then at the ground in shame.
"I um..." He gulped. "My... my mother never treated me right at home, as you would have guessed. And... no female besides Grammy ever said she was proud of me before..."
"Oh… I see," Flame nodded and offered a smile. "I suppose it's something to get used to…"
"Did you... really wanna raise me?" Crusher asked. "Did you really wanna love and keep me safe?"
"Of course I did," Flame gave a nod. "And I still do,"
Crusher looked up at Flame with tear filled eyes, and he quickly tried to wipe them away. "I... I'm sorry I got so mad..."
"It's fine, it's understandable," Flame assured him. "If I was in your position, I'd get mad myself,"
"Is... it okay if... if I call you Dad...?" Crusher hesitantly asked.
Flame was taken back but smiled and nodded. "Of course. It's more than okay,"
Crusher immediately smiled and hugged his father tightly, making Flame hug him tenderly back. The others watched the moment with a smile. Pickle had the widest.
"Awww... Crusher finally gave in!"
"I don't think I've ever seen Dad this happy," Blaze said. "Or seen him smile so wide."
"Come on," Phoenix called. "We have to keep going!"
"Right. Let's go, Dad!" Crusher chirped as he went ahead.
Flame only beamed as he followed, and so did the others. He couldn't believe his luck.
The one child he thought he lost was warming up to him.