Sparks Turned to Flame

Fire Flare couldn't help but look up at the sky, admiring the beauty of the stars for the brief moment that she could. The Pegasi had been very thorough with removing the clouds above the city that evening, so she had a very good view of the twinkling lights above. It was no secret that she found beauty and comfort in the night sky, her mother having once been an astronomer. She could recall countless evenings with her family just looking up at the stars, before the allure of bits had-

"I say! Do watch where you're going, peasant!" a voice huffed from in front of Fire Flare, snapping her out of her thoughts.

In the absence of her mind she'd somehow wandered into a noble out for a late night walk. While she didn't even reach the top of his leg she still had somehow bothered the stallion enough to make him look annoyed with her. She'd dealt with their types a couple of times before, having been born and raised in Canterlot, so she had a basic idea as to how to diffuse the situation.

"I'm so terribly sorry, I'll take my unworthy self out of your glorious presence" she said with a deep bow. Fire Flare then hurried around the stallion and went on her way, secretly grateful for that trick she'd seen performed by the homeless. The nobles of Canterlot were nothing if not full of themselves. As such she knew she could get away with irritating them so long as she demeaned herself and made herself seem unworthy of their time or attention.

With that unfortunate encounter out of the way, Fire Flare decided it'd be a better idea to 'watch the road' as the saying went. Her path guiding her towards the park. It was a small place, hidden by tall buildings that encircled it. A meager park consisting only of a slide and a swing set on a patch of dirt. Celestia had refused to let the foals playgrounds be destroyed, but that didn't mean much to those who wished their buildings built. The consequences of which had allowed the foals many a hideaway to play in secret. Giving a cheerful smile, she galloped towards the swing set, eager to get in a little play to help clear the remnants of the blues from her mind.

                                                                                                        ***

It was about an hour later that Fire Flare had chosen to leave her little hideout. There was only so much fun to be had when one was alone after all, and she'd pretty much expended the entire parks budget on fun five minutes in. The road was much clearer than before, with most ponies wanting to be inside before it got too late. That didn't mean the world had gone completely quiet however, as Fire Flare could still hear a commotion coming from a little out of sight, perhaps four or so blocks away. Up ahead she could see two ponies talking to each other, their faces darting around almost conspiratorially.

"Did you hear?" one of them whispered in a hushed tone as Fire Flare drew near, keeping to the shadows a bit to avoid being seen. "The Flaressence household is on fire!" she declared, much to the fear and surprise of the eavesdropping filly.

"Yes, I did! In fact I hear nopony has made it ou-hey!"

Both mares were shocked by the sudden intrusion of a little filly bolting between them, eyes wide and full of frightened tears. She didn't need to question the source of the noise now, she already knew. As she rounded the corner she finally saw it for herself, the home her family lived in was burning brightly. Terrified and heavily pained screams from the ponies inside now quite audible now that some of the windows had shattered. A crowd of gawkers had surrounded the building from a safe distance, oblivious to the fire fighters they were blocking from doing their jobs. The blaze grew brighter and brighter, until Fire Flare could feel the heat from where she sat, tears streaming down her face.

The screams, the light, the heat. It all became too much for her to handle, and so she ran. For what felt like hours she ran through the empty streets, the life she'd known burning behind her. Fire Flare finally came to a halt when her legs finally grew too tired to carry her. If she were to look around she'd probably notice that she was located in a dark alley and completely alone. Now that her panic had exhausted itself however, she could finally take stock of her situation. Unfortunately that meant several unnoticed things from before came to mind. A candle just within her peripheral vision, a table, her hoof.

She screamed.