Chapters The Elements: Book 1 Fire
As Black Flame awoke in his bedroom with a groan due to the sunlight gleaming down on his black mane and parts of his red muzzle. "Nuhnn..."
He walked into his small bathroom and took a shower. He had a fairly small house, but he still struggled with the bills. He had two bedrooms. He didn't own a television or a fancy bed; it was only a small twin bed set. His closet had a few clothes and some muddy old boots. There was one bathroom, a small kitchen that he used also as a dining room, and a tiny living area where he kept the books he wrote and sold to other ponies, but his main income was his own little store where he sold herbs and vegetables from his garden. He had a fair pricing system arranged for the customers he served.
He went into his kitchen and got himself some cereal. As he ate, he read the daily newspaper. The usual: Robbery on 38th and Trotting Road, a murder every now and then, and every once and a while, he would have read about a protest against the new king, King Trotfall. Whenever that wasn't the case though, it was a rather cheery town.
Once he finished eating, he went outside and opened up his little stand (he didn't have enough to own a proper shop, so he sold on his front lawn in a booth instead) and pulled up a sign. He was having a sale on hay. Soon, a brown earth pony came up to him.
"May I please have some herbs? she asked Flame. When the herbs had been placed on the counter top of the booth she replied with "Here," and she passed him the money she owed him. She trotted off with her flat mane blowing in the wind.
"Come again soon!" Black Flame advertised swiftly before the mare left sight.
It wasn't long before a few other ponies came along. He was almost out of stock when he put up a closed sign so he could have the rest of the day to tend to his garden. He harvested some carrots and flowers and returned to his small shop to see if he could sell them off right away. He sold to three more customers and left to water his cabbage. He returned to find seven more ponies (three unicorns, two earth ponies and two pegasi to be exact) waiting in line. He tended them and planted some brand new plants before harvesting some spinach and a pumpkin.
Finally he resolved to stay at his booth having finished tending to his garden. While he was sitting on his stool, he saw groups of ponies coming over to buy. He had two more customers before 7:27 p.m. and he had to close down. When 7:30 p.m. came around, he carried his leftovers (there weren't many) to a wheelbarrow and closed his door as he entered his house. He went to his small bedroom and sat his flank down on the bed.
"Wow, that was.... a great day, actually! One of my best. I wonder why on a Wednesday I've been so busy," he pondered to himself.
He was quite tired from his day, so at 8:00 p.m. after his "soup in a can", he went to bed.
His dream was rather strange. He dreamed he had two sisters and a brother and that his mom was sitting on a throne, looking very regal as she ordered somepony to do horrible things for her. She wore a diamond crown with a blue sapphire on it and wore a yellow dress with an orange tint to it. The pony he felt was his father in the dream,on the other hoof, looked sad on his throne, gazing up at the sky. His crown was thorny and had one violet rose. His father's outfit was gray and blue, with a slight mix of black, but one could still tell he was a handsome stallion. when he looked at them he was supprised to find his mother was no longer a unicorn, and the stallion wasn't either- they were both alicorns! . He saw a flashback of his mother like she was before: a small town unicorn with a purple mane and a gray coat. Back then she always had a smile, even if it had always been fake, but this mare was frowning, looking displeased at her servant. The servant had drifted from obeying her command to try and cheer up the king.
Greedy Bastard! Black Flame thought. Who does she think she is? How ungrateful!
Black Flame woke up, startled. He looked out the window (he had a small window). Black Flame sighed then frowned and cried. He didn't know why, but he just did. He missed his father now. He hadn't seen him in five years, but he wanted to see this colt. He knew deep down that this was his father, not just a dream. Princess Luna had no doubt given him this vision for a reason- to see his father. For real.
The Elements: Book 1 Fire
Black Flame packed up his saddle bag and trotted away. He had packed a map, a few clothes (his only clothes) some herbs, and a highlighter. He was ready to journey, ready to... explore! He put his bag on, took all his money and ran to a nearby mountain. He climbed on top of it, setting up camp. It was very dark, and Ponyville was asleep. He soon laid his head down and slept. He had the same dream, but this time, his two sisters and his brother were on the thrones. His mother and father flew in the sky, angelic like.
"Come, dear. We want you..." they chanted, everypony chanted.
He tried to come, but he was stuck. He yelled, but fell off the cliff.
His mother caught him. "You'll always stay with me, baby," she promised. But Black Flame was turned to smoke in a purple flash.
"HELP! HELP ME, SOMEPONY PWWwwwlll...." he said, sounding as if he were drowning.
"Brother, fear me not. You will soon receive your wings as I did. Trust Mother not..." a blue alicorn colt spoke before Black flame interrupted him.
"WWWHHHERRE AM IIII?!" he yelled, which he didn't mean to do.
"Find our sisters," The blue alicorn said.
"But, I'm an only child..." Flame explained, failing.
"No your not, young brother," he said, his voice angelic.
He awoke
The Elements: Book 1 Fire
Half way into their paths, they saw a small marketplace. "Shall we stop for a snack, Black Flame? I'm starving," Skyfree notified Black Flame as they were about to pass it.
"I don't see why not," he said, his own stomach growling with hunger at the sight of freshly baked haycakes. "I am also hungry. We could take a brake I suppose," he added quickly as he teleported himself to the stand front. The plaza seemed rather empty kind of... Skyfree flew over next to him. "One strawberry haycake, please," Black Flame asked politely.
"I'll have a Blueberry Bash," Skyfree added.
"Two bits," the merchant colt said stricktly. "No more, no less." He smirked an evil grin which made Skyfree shudder slightly. There was something about him... They weren't as hungry now than they were before they saw his food. Maybe they just realized that they were hungry.
"Wow. That's cheeper than I thought. Here you go," Skyfree said as she slapped two bits on the counter and trotted off with Black Flame to a table, bags in their mouths and magic (Black Flame was levitating his) as they thought about how good the food would taste. The pair sat down and opened their bags. Black Flame was just about to eat his (Skyfree was a bit suspisious) when he backed away and said: "NOOO!!!"
"What's the matter?!" Skyfree asked in alert, jumping up from her seat and looking at Black Flame.
"There. Is. No. Fork!!"
"Oh," Skyfree shrugged, sitting back down and began to eat her blueberries. They were quite tasty, and not at all bland.
Meanwhile, Black Flame searched for his fork and began eating his haycake. "Mmm, good. So, after this, I was thinking we could take the right path- it seems quicker. Don't you agree?"
"Oh, I agree on one of those things," she replied.
"Which one? That the right path is the right path?"
"No, that it's quicker. However, it is full of dangers. I refuse to go- I'll take left. You go on ahead, and we'll meet at Baltimare," she said. Obviously, she was not going either way to the right path- even if the left path took twenty years to trot down.
"Fine, we'll take left. We can't split up- it would be more dangerous than the right path. Let's go after lunch."
And so they did. However, Skyfree took off before Black Flame, and he had horrible dyslexia. He went right.
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"Skyfree? Skyfree, where are you? Please don't tell m-"
"Come here precious..." breathed somepony from the left (the paths were hedged) and then a shriek.
"Skyfree!! I'm coming!" And so he did- But he was too late. All that was left were a pair of pink glasses: Skyfree's glasses.
However, Black Flame did go looking for his sister. But after a while it got dark (it was already dark before the fillynapping) and his horn's gray glow did nothing to help. He soon grew tired and fell asleep.
With a blinding of a white light, Black Flame felt himself on a cold, metal table. He struggled to move, but found no success. "This one will do well...." a pony said.
The Elements: Book 1 Fire
It and All, Mountain Included III
The young unicorn stood uneasily. He gave up keeping his eyes open, and his body standing. He fell to the ground, trying to forget about it all. It was like a movie, or a fictional story (which, why would that be?
"Good morning," a voice peeped out, and made Black Flame open his eyes wide at the pegasus from his dream.
"Uh, hello. Who are you?" he replied.
As the pegasus hovered to a cloud not but a few feet from the ground, and peered at him. "I'm Skyfree. And you? You're on my mountain," she snarled, annoyed and serious. "I don't like ponies on my mountain. Shoo. Do your work."
"I'm Black Flame. And, you own this mountain? I don't know how to get back home..." he pouted. "And, I have a quest to do. So, if that's it and all, I don't see why you can't let me stay."
The pegasus scowled at him and huffed, "No, you leave! I believe I can do what I want to do on my mountain, thank you very much!" And now, she had had it. She flew right up to him, her yellow mane flowing in the wind, and snarled. "My mountain means my mountain, punk! Now scram!" Her glasses stood upright and made her face shaded slightly more than her brow. "That's it and all."
Now he was scared. "It and all! Yep! Best be going..." he said, leaving.
Now, Skyfree was a curious young mare, and often wondered what went on in the lives of passing by ponies. "A-aren't you going to tell me where you are off to?" she howled after him.
"It and all," he grinned evily.
"Come on, it wouldn't hurt if I... came along, would it? Just to see what your up to. It sounds like a cool quest," she pleaded, her curious spirit taking over.
"It and all," he said with a pause. "Skyfree included..."
Skyfree flew with joy. "I have some food if your hungry. I haven't eaten much myself," she added, tring to sound hospitable.
Black Flame nodded and trotted gleefully with Skyfree as she grabbed some carrots from her bag, passing them to him. They ate some food as they discussed the dangerous adventure ahead. They highlighted the route they were to take and discussed breaks. The pair was prepared for any outcome. Now friends, they'd get along pleaseantly. That is, besides the beginning.
