It was late in the evening as a colt with a deep burnt orange coat and a messy crimson mane sat starring out his window of a train as the snow coated mountain's. He gave a small sigh as he looked back over himself to past his single blue flame cutie mark to the letter that had gotten him on this train to begin with. Sighing again he light his horn and pulled the letter over to himself as he began reading it once more.
'Dear Mr. Ember,
We regret to inform you of the death of you elder sister, Miss Frost bite. Your presence has been requested for both the funeral and the reading of miss Bites last will and testimony. Again we are vary sorry for you loss.
Sincerely Scribe, mayor of Snowtcliff.'
The colt let out a sigh as he checked his travel saddlebags. Inside was literately everything he owned, some bits, books, a spare scare, an eviction notice for his most resent home, and a small photo book. With a sigh he closed his bag and slid it back under the seat before laying his head on his forlegs and nodding off.
"--SNOWCLIFF TRAIN STATION. WE WILL BE ARIVING AT FROSTCLIFF TRAIN STATION IN 20 MINUTES!" Called the conductors voice threw a magical relay tube startling Ember awake as he fell from his seat onto the floor. He let out a groan and stared at the ceiling. With a sigh Ember stood up before stretching out. he then pulling on his thick coat, scarf, and travel bag. Looking out his window to see the sun had just set. Once the train got to the station Ember stepped off and looked around. The station was empty save for the clerk and a hooded earth pony with a sign next to him that read. 'Ember.'
Ember trotted over to the pony. "Here for me?"
The hooded colt looked up at him. "You Ember, Frost Bites little brother?"
"Yes, I am."
"I was beginning to think you weren't gunna show... The funeral and reading are tomorrow so you can stay at her place for the night. Come on its not to far." The colt said picking up the sign and trotting off into the town with Ember following as he looked about at the town. Most everything was powdered with snow or patches of ice yet the hole place a sort of calm to it Ember rather liked.
"Nice place,"
His guide gave an odd almost amused snort. "Ya it's... well its quaint.
Ember raised a brow before asking. "So, uh... do you know, H-How'd she go?"
The hooded colts ears went flat as he called back softly. "Work accident..."
"What was her work? Something with ice sculptures?" Ember asked remembering his sisters talent with ice sculpting.
"Ya... there was an accident with a... tool rack broke, dropping some of her heavier and sharper tools on her."
The orange colt cringed. "Why must the innocent die so young?"
After trotting a bit longer the hooded colt stopped them in front of a plane two story house. He pulled out a key and unlocked the door before the two made there way inside. Shutting the door the hooded colt lead Ember threw the entrance hall into the living room where he stacked a few logs in the fireplace. The colt began looking around the fireplace before groining.
"There's no matches here..."
Ember gave a small chuckle as he trotted up to the fireplace with his horn aglow, moments later the logs sparked ablaze slowly filling the room with heat and light. "Now... where's the bedroom? I haven't been able to get any sleep."
His hooded guide smiled as he pointed towards a set of stairs. "Its upstairs, first door on the right. I'd beast be heading home myself, and don't worry I'll come get you in the morning for... Ya know the ceremony." The colt called as he began trotting back for the door before stopping and looking back as he tossed a key Embers way. "Almost forgot here's the key."
"Thanks," Ember called, as he watched the colt leave locking the door for him. the orange colt sighed as he headed upstairs and to his sisters room. It was decorated with reds and grays along with a few picture frames here and there making Ember smile at some of them before he reached the bed. Crawling in and under the quilts he was pleasantly surprised to find it was the one he hade made for her, magically heated by a spell crystal he had made. Turning it on with the tap of a hoof to its power crystal he slowly began to drift off into sleep.
Around midnight Ember was awoke by the sound of a bone chilling howl waking the colt from his dreamless sleep. With a small grunt he stumbled out of bed and over to the window as the howl rang out again. Ember looked out to see a light gray mare with a snow white mane dressed in a elegant black dress trotted along past the ally his window faced. as the mare passed out of view a vary unwelcoming looking shadow began to creep after her sending a chill down Embers spine. With a small gasp he dashed out the room and down the stairs. he ran out the front door and around to the ally before sliding to a stop hallway inside. Standing there no monster aster the well dressed mare but a second mare with a tan coat, braided rusty brown mane, dressed in a soft winter cloak. She stood bowing to the elegantly dress mare who only then looked past her to Ember.
"What do we have here, somepony new." The elegant mare cooed.
Ember took a step back. "Uh... Sorry... I-I thought you where in trouble."
"Well it would seem I'm not, but you look like your freezing out here in nothing but your fur. Brass give him your clock." The elegant mare called flicking a hoof in Embers direction.
"Yes lady stardust." The tan mare mumbled as she trotted up to him and rapped her clock around him before he could object wile pulling him closer to the gray mare.
"H-Hey..." He said, startled, before looking up to see the one called Stardust stood with her muzzle inches form his. "Uh... Hi..."
The mare gave a giggle as she began trotting around him. "I've never seen you before... Perhaps you are new in town?"
"I... um I just arrived on the train earlier this evening... I'm here for my sister's... funereal." Ember said looking down at the snowy ground.
"Oh that's so sad... Tell me what was her name?"
"Frost Bite."
Stardust posed for a moment before she continued trotting around him. "I knew her actually... How vary sad she is gone now."
Ember looked up at her. "Y...You knew my sister, really?"
Stardust nodded and giggled as she suddenly slipped past him to where the one called brass was at the ally's entrance. "Perhaps I will get to know you as well..." She cooed as the both trotted out of the ally leaving him alone.
Ember ran after her but when he reached the street she was gone. "Well... That was weird..." He mumbled pulling the cloak tighter around himself before heading back to his sisters home and back into bed falling into a restless sleep.
Author's Note
Edit: so changed the colts name do to a small request by a friend.
Ember awoke late the next morning to the small of eggs and haybacon cooking. He quickly sat up as his mind registered that there had to be somepony else in the house. With shaky hooves he as silently as possible got up form the bed and headed out the rooms door. Slowly he began to creep down the stairs to the living room before slinking down the hall to the kitchen door where he peeked in. Standing at the stove was a gray colt with a longer messy dark purple mane and tail cooking. after a moment the colt turned around as Ember realized it was the hooded earth pony that had guided him to his sisters home last night.
"Hay Ember... Thought I'd come by and make you something to eat before the funeral..." The earth pony called with a small smile.
"How... How did you get in, you gave me the house key last night."
The colt rubbed the back of his head pulling out a key. "Ya see me and your sister where friends... She lent me her spare house key a few years back..."
Ember gave a small sigh. "Could've told me you had another key... I was afraid somepony had broken in."
"Right... sorry I guess I'm still getting use to the fact Frost Bites gone."
"It's alright... so, I never got your name." Ember mumbled.
"its Santé, Santé Mentale." Santé called as he got two plates ready.
Ember gave a small yawned before sitting down at the table just as the gray colt set a plate of scrambled eggs and haybacon in front of Ember and then his own plate before he began to eat.
"Thanks..." Ember called as he began eating. It only took half an hour for the two to quickly finished there meals and put the dishes up before the Santé got his jacket and Ember put on the clock he had gotten from Brass.
"Let's get going... We don't want to be late." Santé called as Ember nodded.
The two made there way to a rather large graveyard just outside the town where a few pony's where gathered around an empty grave and the closed coffin that set next to it. Ember sighed and trotted towards it, tears falling from his eyes. He then knelt down and loosely hugged the coffin and began to crying.
After a few minutes his guide pulled him off to the side gently so the others could say good bye and let the ceremony continue. Standing there Embers eyes roamed around those gather to pay respect to his sister until they fell on a dark pink mare with a charcoal mane standing off to the side with his forhooves propped up on a sharp looking shovel. What coat Embers attention was she had a small smile on her face. As the ceremony came to an end the mare stepped up and lowered the coffin into the grave before she began to filling it wile everyone else left.
Ember however trotted up to her rage boiling inside him. "The hell's wrong with you?"
The mare turned to him and tilted her had. "something wrong colty?" She asked leaning on her shovel again.
"You think my sister's death is something to smile about?"
The mare tilted her head raising a brow. "I smile because ah believe in celebrating ones life at there grave not morning there death." The mare called her small smile never fading.
Ember blinked. "You... Mean your smiling because you are remembering my sisters life?"
The mare smiled wider and nodded. "When your job is to look at the bodies of the dead, fix them up, and put them in the ground you have got to see the up side of things."
"Ah... Right..."
"It's alright, most pony don't understand ether... Well I have work to do and if I'm not mistaken you have a will hear, ah I'm shore Santé will get you there on time." the mare called as she nodded to Embers guide.
Santé gave a small nod to the mare as they walked away from the graveyard. "See you around Folly."
"Folly..." Ember repeated, remembering the names. "She seems interesting..."
"Ya that's Folly for you..." Santé called as they trotted threw town.
Ember chuckled lightly. "So, where is the will being read? What building?"
"Town hall actually..."
"Well, that makes sense..."
Santé nodded as they trotted threw the town the town hall. Trotting in the first thing Ember saw was a massive navy blue menitoress sitting at a small desk tapping on a typewriter. "Hello Santé... who's this?"
"This is Ember, he's here for Frost's will." The colt called as the menitoress stood and slowly moved to tower over Ember. In a flash of movement she picked him up in a bone crushing hug.
"Poor colt... so sorry for your loss!" She called nuzzling him.
"Thanks..." Ember wheezed.
She nuzzled him for almost a full four minutes before finally setting him down. "You two go on in... Mayor Scribe is I'm his office.
Ember nodded. "Thanks,"
Trotting in he spotted a brown Pegasus sitting at a desk, a young green dragon standing near the window, and a charcoal colored unicorn with a navy blue mane sitting next to the desk. "Ah Santé and I would guess you are Ember, I'm mayor Scribe." The brown pegasus asked standing up and shacking Embers hoof as the colt nodded and looked at the others who all eyed him, or more so his clock with its bat shaped clasp. He moved to sit in the empty chair. The mayor nodded and coughed into a hoof as he got to his desk picking up the papers on it. "Yes well I'm truly sorry for your loss... Now as I'm shore you don't wish to draw this out so let us get this over with... Alright firstly to Gizmo I leave my workshop." Scribe said looking the dragon and passing him a key.
"To Shard she left this amulet." The mayor called passing a silver heart amulet to the black and blue unicorn.
"to you Ember she left her home, all with in it, as well as everything she had in savings..." The Pegasus called passing Ember a deed and bank statement for 800 bits. Ember smiled weakly and took them wile trying to hold back tears.
The mayor turned form him to Santé and held out two odd looking keys. "She left you these." The gray colt nodded and put the keys into his mane.
Ember watched as he sniffed. "What are those two?"
Santé's ears went back. "Its the key to her self defense tools..."
"Self defense tools?"
"It the wild life around here. There's quite a wolf problem on the edges of town which Frosties home and workshop are on... She felt the need to be prepared." The one called Shard called.
"Wolves?" Asked Ember.
"Yes they have a pack in the woods... We have had a few lives claimed by them unfortunately and no real way to get them to leave." The mayor called.
"Oh... I guess I'd better be careful since I'm living here... now."
"Ah so you will be staying in town?" Scribe asked with a small smile.
Ember nodded as the mayor pulled out some papers. "I'll need you to fill out a few simple forms please."
The colt spent the next half a hour filling out the forms as the unicorn and drake said there goodbyes leaving. Finished the paperwork he passed the papers to the mayor before saying his own goodbyes.
"Mind if I walk you home, one of the self defense tools is in Frost's... Er your place." Santé called leading Ember out the room.
"Kept it close, huh? Unlike her workshop..."
Santé gave a small nod as the two slowly began making there way threw town this time passing straight threw town going threw the market. Ember looked around at all the vendors noting where the general store and food stands where when his eyes trailed along a book store he saw a mare form the night before, Brass. the mares ears seemed to twitch in his direction as she looked at him before looking past him to Santé with a weary look and trotting away.
Ember tilted his head and looked at Santé. "That was weird..."
The gray colt gave a small shrug. The two trotted on soon arrived at the house as Santé unlocked the door with his key. "Go on and get... What ever it is."
The gray colt nodded as he trotted in and up the stairs with Ember followed, his own curiosity about the defensive 'tool' peaked. Santé trotted up into his room and reached under the bed pulling a smaller heavy wooden box out. On it's top was his sister's cutie mark, a smiley face with three icicles hanging down form it like a beard. Ember trotted towards it with a smile as Santé slowly picked up the box and began putting it in his bag.
"Think you, maybe could get me a picture of that box's top? Frosts cutie mark always seemed to cheer me up..." Ember mumbled looking down sadly.
Santé looked at him before signing. "Why don't I leave you the box and just take its contents?"
"You sure, she did leave it to YOU..."
"Ya but your her brother."
Ember smiled. "Thanks..."
Santé took out one of his keys and unlocked the box. He pulled out some papers, a large number of odd brass tubes and lastly some form of hoof mounted weapon with a long slender tune that attached to a rotating cylinder on then end a hoof could hold. As he put it in his bag Ember took the box and eyed the device. "What's that?"
"This is a weapon known as the revolver, there used in mainly in country's like Griffonia, Zebricau, and Prance. It takes a small bit of lead and fires it out the hollow end to meet the flesh and bones of its target." The colt said as he turned the revolver over and snapped it open.
"Sounds dangerous..."
The gray colt nodded slipping six of the brass tubes into the weapon before snapping it shut.
Ember eyed it. "Plan on using that?"
"planning on keeping it close... mine was damaged recently." Santé called.
"For the wolves?"
"ya... I actually live right next to her shop, so wolves are more common for me." Santé called as he put all the rest of the small tubes into a pocket. "Well I guess ill be heading home, see ya around."
Ember gave a small nod before he lead the colt to the front door calling goodbye before shutting the door before turning around and sitting his back against it.