Though it was ages ago, i can still remember those days, under the gray, clouded, snowy skies of Manehattan. The Grimy streets, the Shivering ponies walking past my window. For whatever reason, I always liked to stare out that window, watching the ponies go by, wondering who they were, where they where going, what their life was like outside the small period of time when they crossed into my field of vision. None of them ever took notice of me, unsurprisingly. Nopony ever took notice of me.
I am Flame Tempest, or so i am told. I'm uncertain if this is my birth name, or what the Matron decided to call me, but it is what everypony refers to me as, so i suppose i'm stuck with it. My parents dumped me on the steps before i could walk, so I've no recollection of them, no way to tell if they would bestow on me such a name. Not that i dislike it, not at all. It's just another mystery i will never be able to solve. Who they were, and why they left me here in the cold that fateful day so many years ago.
The Matron, with her "sense of humor" used to tell me the story of how she found me, because it was so much more special than the rest. She says i was left on the front steps one cold, dark night, the night of a blizzard, if her memory served. She had just sent the rest of the foals off to bed, and was about to retire, when she heard a soft knock on the front door. She trotted over, opened the door, and lo and behold, standing before her, was absolutely no one. No one at all. I never understood why this woman said i was lucky. Anyway, she would always continue by saying she stepped out into the fierce winds, looking all around to see if the snow whipping past her face was obscuring her view somehow, when she noticed a faint glow on the ground before her. She stooped down, and saw a young Colt, a tiny, shining ball of light in his hooves. She would always go on about it, how beautiful it was, how she was so entranced by it she almost forgot about me, freezing to death in front of her.
Did i mention how much i hated her optimism? No? Well i did. Hated it more than anything.
She would then continue with describing the light to me, saying how wonderful it was over and over. If anyone needed an explanation of what Magelight was, it certainly wasn't me. When my magic kicked in, the caretakers had to drape fabric over their eyes to avoid going blind from the tiny globes of light floating all about. Eventually, she would get to the bit where she took me inside to prevent me from freezing, and then explain for a few more centuries how the light just "fizzled" away.
I made the mistake of asking once how any of this made me lucky in the slightest, to which she replied:
"Well, all the other fillies and colts got dropped off all alone, no keepsakes, nothing. You got something to remember your old family by!" She winked and walked away after that, and i had to thank whatever parent left the "keepsake" for leaving one that stayed with me for the rest of my life. Shining on eternally In the stories of a senile old earth pony who didn't know the snow coming from the hole in the roof from the meals we were provided. Though i could never complain about the meals. They were usually fairly good.
I suppose that was one of the only bits of luck that befell on me then. That, and meeting Shayde.
It was a warm, summer day in Manehattan, the third rarest thing i'd ever seen in my life. The Matron refused to allow us to coop up inside on a "nice day", and put us out into the neighboring plot the orphanage had purchased and converted into a garden, and a yard for us to frolic in. Where they got the money to buy land in this city, i still question to this day. Nevertheless, they did, and sitting in the corner was an old willow tree, the place i would always hide away in on the days we were sent out.
Of all the activities i ever enjoyed as a colt, the only one requiring any athleticism was climbing. That tree had a wonderful little nook high up, where a young pony could easily hide in, that i took full advantage of. I was getting tired of the noise outside, not only from the other Foals but the ponies in the street yelling at one another, and so i just trotted over to the tree and found myself navigating the branches with ease, digging my hooves into the bark and clambering up onto a thick branch, high above the ground. it was surrounded by many smaller branches that could easily hold weight, and covered by more limbs above it, letting little sunlight pass through the green covering above. It was a beautiful sight, laying under that dappled pattern, reading by the light of the fires i would allow to hover around me, just missing the branches and leaves by inches as they glided by. Fire became my specialty, after the incidents with light, the flames were but an extension of myself. Easy to control, not very taxing to conjure up. The soft blue light was comforting like nothing else.
The day I met Shayde was nearly identical to the day i found my "Lair", as the other foals would call it. The Clouds rolled slowly by, and i sat reading the book i had read so many times, it had made it's way onto my flank as part of my cutie mark. That tome, the one that had its title page lost long before it found its way into my hooves, was my main focus during my younger years. Trying to memorize every spell, every rune, became my goal. The spells involving Fire, of course, were easy. I suppose that is why fire sat behind the book on my flank, the two things i understood best sitting together forever behind me.
While fire and some of the other elements the book had spells on were second nature to me, Others were... Alien. It took months to master simple levitation, longer still to get good enough to have any practical use for it. The Tome marked spells like levitation under a section simply titled ; "Arcane". Arcane magic didn't like me. I especially didn't like it, it was unnecessarily disagreeable, unlike its sister spells in the section labeled "Elemental". However, i had to set aside my differences with Arcane magic, the Spells in the Elemental section were either too easy, or not safe enough to attempt without burning down the orphanage.
It didn't take too much thought to decide what spells to attempt first. The Tome had a limited selection. It was a choice between a novice Come to life spell, An enchantment, or Teleportation.
The problem with enchanting was the fact that disenchantments were too advanced for me, and if something were to go awry, i would be unable to stop it. With come to life spells, i was worried i may have to converse with the creature i made if i was unable to banish it, and another thing to have to talk to was the last thing i wanted. So Teleportation won hooves down.
I had read through the spell dozens of times, and was prepared to do it again, when Something crashed through the leaves above, the golden sunlight streaming down, dancing with the flickering blue glow of my reading Wisps. A run of the mill ball. i dropped the Spell book before me, walked to the edge of the branch, and pushed away the walls of my Hideaway, prepared to look below at the Colts who obviously threw that at me on purpose, and demand the meaning of the interruption. Instead i was Greeted by Two Crimson, unblinking eyes staring back into mine. A startled cry escaped my throat, and i leaped back onto the center branch, stumbling, trying to regain my balance. All the while, the Eyes stared back at me, unblinkingly. Then from far away, i heard a voice calling something. It seemed miles away and yet so close and i was terrified and convinced that Equestria was collapsing in on itself because the ground was shaking and i was scared and wanted mommy but mommy was gone and-
I assume i snapped back to reality eventually, and realized that the end of days was not upon us, Though something close to it.
"Hello?" The far away voice seemed directly in front of me now. "are... you ok in there?" The crimson eyes were speaking to me now. Not from miles away but from in front of me, conversing with me.
"Uh-huh." was the only response i could muster as i scanned over the creature in front of me. No, not creature, just a colt, i reassured myself. He had fur the shade of one of those Eggplant things the Matron grew, a mane of a slightly paler shade of the same color, with a single green fringe draped just over one eye, brushed aside enough for him to see.
"You're certain?"
"No." The words came without warning, without invitation, but something about this colt was too kind to not speak with. He seemed... friendly.
"Oooookaaay..... anyway, i think our ball got stuck up here." He scanned my hideaway with his Deep crimson eyes. "Did you see it anywhe- Oh, never mind, there it is." He located it directly behind me, and i stood to allow him passage to get it, when i noticed a soft golden glow i'd never noticed before. I glanced over and saw the source: The colt's horn. The ball floated effortlessly past me, surrounded by the same golden aura. I hadn't even noticed he was a unicorn at first.
"So... what are you doing cooped up in here anyway? I mean, it seems pretty lonely."
"I was... studying my book..." Again, words i did not want said being spoken.
"Ah, you're that colt who's always off in some corner reading, eh? You have a name?"
I decided i could fight the words now, i didn't want to be involved, i told myself. While i was busy Telling myself this, however, i continued to speak.
"Im... Tempest... Flame Tempest..."
"Well Flame, I'm Shayde. Its nice to meet you!"
I realized with utter contempt for myself that he was trying to befriend me and i was allowing him to do so.
"So what is so interesting, anyway, that you hide from everypony to read all day?"
He levitated the Tome in front of him, and i glanced over his shoulder, terrified, but oddly... comfortable.
"Ah... magic. Feh." He closed the tome and set it down in front of him. "Could never study this stuff. Too boring.
I was unsure if this was an insult or idle chit-chat, but i had to say something to end the conversation. He would just continue, and i had a feeling that i would do the same if i left my mouth unchecked.
"Well... I don't find it boring. This teleportation spell is proving quite the puzzle to perfect, and im sure working it out will be a wonderful expierience that will require lots of Studying to perfect. So, if you will excuse me," A grey glow enveloped the book and returned to the page with the teleportation spell.
"I have some reading to catch up on." I hoped that would be enough of a suggestion to leave as this colt needed. He chuckled to himself.
"Well, thanks for the ball. Say, would you like to join us?"
"No, im quite alright, thank you."
He sighed, and looked below. The other colts were growing restless, and bored.
"Alright Flame... but if ever you want to play, you are welcome."
"Thank you, i'll consider it." Now i was getting a tad annoyed.
"Are you sure? Because if you want i can introduce you to the-"
"No, trust me, im fine." Leave.
"You need to get out more." He said with a smirk.
"I need to study" I was about to throw him off of my tree.
"And learn to just Try things for once." With that he turned away, a golden glow danced in the soft firelight again, and in a flash, he was gone, only to re-appear seconds later below, with the other colts.
"Teleportation..." I muttered to myself.
I would have to keep my eye on this one.
The thing standing in front of me required my immediate attention, forced me to stop casting my spell and look up. Light, very light gray-blue fur, resting above sand colored hooves. Further up, the deep blue eyes stared ever unto me, or at least, in my direction. They didn't seem to look at anything in particular, but both seemed to be looking at nothing in particular somewhere past me. Its mane, a deep chestnut thing, long locks slowly fading into a blue similar to its eyes. Glancing behind it, the tail reminded me too much of a brown blaze, more strands of blue rising from it. But most disturbing was its cutie mark. A Spell book, backed by a blue flame.
Shayde's Illusion of me was absolutely flawless.
There was something strange about staring at an illusion of yourself that i could never quite figure out. Like staring into a mirror in three dimensions.
"Alright, Shayde. You've beaten me." I Sighed. Again. He seemed to best me in these tests of magical ability far more often than i ever bested him. I had nothing prepared that compared to this... thing. A little trick involving mixing fire and frost, interesting, but nothing as jaw dropping as this.
I don't think the other foals could tell the illusion from the real colt until i spoke.
"Ah, yet another win to add to my trophy rack."
"Yes, the one that obviously exists. My, Shayde, it's so wonderful and shiny!"
"Har-dee-har-har." He said mockingly, and stuck his tongue out at me. If there was something that i truly was better at doing than him, it was winning in the competition of "who can make the most cutting remark". None of his were up to par with mine, and I loved it.
"Well then," I said, glancing over at the Illusion."get rid of this thing, please. It's... unsettling."
"Aw, come now Flame. You aren't that terrifying to look at." His horn glowed gold, and the illusion began making faces at me.
"You can stop now, I've admitted defeat."
"Come now, I think these are all massive improvements."
"I thought this illusion was of me, not of you."
"Touche." He stopped with the faces. "Mind getting rid of this thing then?" He feigned a yawn then continued: " Summoning these works of art is just so tiring, i don't think i could muster up a banishment."
"Oh, please, great one. Grace us with an artful display once again, show us all how one would remove such a beautiful piece from his presence."
"Nah, i don't feel like it."
"Don't feel like it, or can't?"
"... a bit of both... i mean, even if i could banish this... work of art, I would leave it to the common folk like you."
I could have sworn he was doing an impression of me near the end of that sentence.
"Fine, i suppose i could Lower myself to do this." I kept up the cheesy impression, it was quite amusing. And it drew away from the glaring truth i had just exposed, that Shayde couldn't banish some of the illusions he made. I could understand, banishments were far too advanced, even for someone who breezed through arcane spells as easy as him to master. Or at least, to master without any degree of studying how they worked. Shayde didn't lie the day i met him, he never could study magic. It bored him too much. And yet, for whatever reason, the powers at be granted him so much skill in the magical art. It made his way onto his flank, his cutie mark a bolt of pale purple energy, eternally whizzing past while never seeming to move.
It was one of the many things about him that i found so fascinating. How any creature could simply "do" things like he did. How any creature could have an obsession with magic almost as unhealthy as mine and still be competent in social endeavors. And how anypony could be forced into the situation he was placed into, abandoned, forgotten, alone, and have a genuinely optimistic attitude toward life. He always seemed cheerful, and his happy glow seemed to radiate outward, affecting all who came near.
While Shayde refused to study, i had made sure to find out how to do a simple banishment in my studies, knowing it would take a while for him to understand how. I removed the illusion from existence, it's energy flowing into me. Okay, i lied about a simple banishment, in fact, the spell was my own fabrication. I mixed a drain spell with a simple banishment, so every time i removed one of Shayde's illusions from the world, the energy expended into it would become mine. It was like always having the last laugh, because even if i lost to one of them, he would be exhausted after creating one, and i would feel like i had just gulped down a whole bag of sugar after banishing one.
Not long after meeting him, Shayde and I became locked in an eternal struggle to best each other. We both benefited, both of us learning new ways to humiliate the other from the spell books, which at the time was the second rarest thing i had ever seen, a good quality tome, that would sometimes slip past the Patron's hooves.
I remember back long ago to our first "real" conversation, where we both wanted to be involved in. We were both in the mess hall, and my normal corner, the one that had the window next to it, was taken. Some new colt had sat down in it, a colt who for whatever reason caught fire that night. I made sure the fire was fake, of course. He wasn't burned, just... very warm.
It was quite funny, actually, he ran to me after the fire "extinguished" itself, yelling and screaming, and all i had to say for him to leave me be was; "Well perhaps next time you should be mindful of if your seat belongs to somepony before you sit in it."
I never had to look for another seat again after that night. However, the previous days events were at least bearable. Being without a corner to sit in, i realized i would have to sit next to somepony. I decided that if it had to be anypony, it would be that plum colored colt from a few days before. I swallowed my pride and sat next to him. Luckily, he too, sat alone.
"Hi there, Flame, right?"
"Y-yes." I managed to get out. "Some new colt stole my normal seat, so i decided the next best course of action would be to find somepony to sit with, which so happens to be you. This is temporary of course, mainly because i was interested in how you pulled off that teleportation so flawlessly earlier in the week."
Every single bit of that seemed to go over his head. He sat wide eyed for a moment, trying to digest the bits he must of gathered.
"So, do you want a seat... or..."
"Yes."
"Now your speaking a language i can understand."
"Thank you." I sat down next to him.
"So... How's Hiding in corners all day working for you?"
"Fine. How is... being loud and obnoxious?"
"Fun, at least more so than being eternally lonely."
I wondered if all conversations ponies had were laced with this many insults.
"Yes, I'm eternally lonely. That of course, is why this table has so many ponies dying to speak with you."
He glanced around, and seemed to think for a moment or two.
"Ponies just can't handle being around me."
"And why, may i ask, is that?"
"They just can't stand how amazing I am."
"Oh of course. How could i be so blind."
"Oh look, you actually sound like a person, and not some kind of freak."
It was all I could do not to glare at him. I wanted to make some cutting remark, but i couldn't. It was easier to levitate my glass and throw it at him. He caught it with his own spell, and threw the water back at me. He did not, however, think to grab the glass the water was in. Said glass flew past his head, over the table to his right, all the way to where the Matron and Patron were sitting. I have to hand it to myself, the toss was dead on for a miss. It shattered against the back of The Orphanage Patron's head. As the glass shattered, the room drew dead silent, except for the plum colored colt beside me laughing hysterically, choking out "You're bucked, dude!" between laughs.
The portly unicorn picked a shard of glass out of his Black mane, a drop of blood oozing down the side of his neck, the red mixing with the soft orange. His bright violet eyes spun around and focused on the laughter booming from our table. They advanced, ever so slowly inching toward us, glaring down at us menacingly. Shayde hadn't realized yet, so i focused enough magic to hit him bluntly and get his attention.
"Ouch! What was that for, 'Sir Poncington?'" He seemed to give that last bit a tad more sting than the rest of the sentence. I guided him upward with my eyes, silently.
"I Might ask the same of you, Boy." The stallion standing before us was nearly as wide as he was tall, as if he were square, and yet round at the same time. Shayde seemed to shrink, and the violet eyes bore into me.
"Nothing, sir, I mean, that was not intentional, i didn't mean it. You see, Shayde was being an idiot, and he annoyed me, and I..." I realized this was falling on deaf ears. His eyes continued to dig into my soul.
"It was a reckless missuse of... magic..." He added a fair bit of venom to the last word. "You think yourself in control, and yet obviously..." He paused and floated a napkin from the table, wiping the blood from his neck. "Obviously, you aren't. I suppose a first offense could have a... merciful consequence..." He levitated our plates off of the table, inspected the meals, and tossed the food in the garbage nearby. " Both of you will return to your dormitories without eating supper tonight. I trust I will not be forced to deal with this again?"
Neither of us could say much, we just slinked away silently, keeping our heads down. The feeling of hundreds of eyes staring down at us was overwhelming, i could feel tears streaming down my face as we reached the stairs. Shayde, i had recently come to find out, was in a cot right next to me. All these years, i had never noticed him sleeping beside me. We both climbed in to our beds. I couldn't say how much time went by, laying there in silence, but over time i realized that i never managed to ask about the teleportation incident.
"So, you can teleport 'without studying', but can't catch a glass cup?" I saw a pair of crimson eyes turn toward me.
"I'm an enigma, what can i say?"
"Clever, you used a big word that actually exists. I'm surprised."
"Hey, poncington is a word, you just haven't heard of it yet.
"Of course. So, as i was saying, teleportation. How?"
The look on his face was a puzzled one. The look of someone who was questioned on the most simple of things, and not understanding why someone couldn't grasp the idea.
"What do you mean, how?"
"I mean, 'how'? How can you never study, and yet execute these with ease."
"With ease? If you think that kind of thing just happens, you need to pay more attention to your surroundings. I try these spells and fail all the time. But i still try them. Its kind of like you reading and re-reading, except more interesting. And cooler."
It was true, i had never noticed him practicing these spells before, but i saw no reason for him to lie to me.I lay there awake thinking things over long after the rest of the foals had returned to their beds, and the soft sounds of young snoring and breathing filled the room.
Shayde made little sense to me. He claimed to just do things, trying things out without consulting some kind of greater intellect or knowledge base to make sure he was doing it right. And he persevered. It hurt to contemplate.
What confused me more was the Orphanage Patron. Why he had so much open hostility toward magic, being a unicorn himself. I thought back to the incident in the mess hall. He sounded like he didn't even like the word magic. The Matron was always out and about, talking with foals, telling stories, greeting guests. The Patron only appeared in the wee hours of the night, walking the halls, checking on foals. His study was opposite our bunk room, and on nights where i stayed awake, soft grey light flickering around me, reading, I could hear voices. Nothing i could clearly make out, old, raspy voices. They certainly didn't belong to anyone who regularly came to visit.
It was strange, and to be honest, a tad disturbing, to know this stallion who was supposed to help protect us was allowing strange ponies in in the middle of the night just to chat with. None of it made any sense.
I got up and trotted over to the window. A light snow was falling over Manehattan, a soft white blanket enveloping the streets, hiding away the dead leaves falling from the pathetic little potted trees that lined the sidewalk. It was a light dusting, which was understandable, being a Autumn storm. Snow made everything so calm, so pretty, no matter how much or how little of it there was. It was the most versatile thing there was, being everything from a weapon, to a building material, to a grand white sheet that covered the world and silenced all noise.
I sensed a presence behind me, closing in. Shayde's head appeared next to me, gazing out the window as well.
"Can i ask you something?" He said, slightly louder than a whisper. "Why do you always do this?"
"I'm sorry? Do what?" He glanced over at me, crimson orbs in the moonlight.
"Every night, around now, you always get up and walk over here, and just stare at the moon. Why?"
I thought everyone was asleep by now, this was my time, silence and solitude, that sort of thing. I never did understand what drew me to the moon at this hour. It was some big old white orb in the sky. Nothing special. Maybe it was the eyes, the knowledge that the mare in the moon was staring down at me, some all powerful being that knew my potential. Maybe it was the way that the light would reflect off the rooftops, and seem to make everything sparkle and shine. There was something about it that was wonderful.
"Oh, I don't know. Its just... pretty, I guess."
He looked back out onto the streets. "Yeah, i guess so."
A shadow slowly descended from the clouds above, two pegasi, a rather plain chariot in tow, circling the city from miles away, the snow swirling in a trail behind them. They turned, and they seemed to drift towards the orphanage. Shayde and I stood in silence, watching it slowly glide toward us.
After watching the chariot for a moment or two, Shayde must've gotten bored, and broke the silence.
"So, what do they want?"
"How am I supposed to know?" The Pegasi had landed on the roof, they were moving incredibly fast for anypony carrying something in the air. Especially if the chariot were the same build as the clunky, Canterlot guard models. I had seen a few in parades that passed by, and had no idea how such a monstrosity could fly. Hooves scratched and pawed, and hoof-steps walked towards the roof of the study, near the balcony. No, not hoof-steps, these were soft, and sounded like scratches rather than the familiar clip-clop of hooves.
That raspy voice I had heard so many times before called out, and the Patron answered back. I couldn't make anything out, being behind several walls.
"What sick creature would keep foals up so late?" Shayde had some kind of grin on his face, that over time i've learned to mean "I have a wonderful, terrible idea".
Out the window, an invisible force slowly carved out a large "B" in the snow. Next to it, a "U". Only when Shayde started on the "C" did i realize what he was doing.
"What in Celestia's name are you doing?" It took all i had to whisper this, i wanted to scream at him.
"Writing 'Buck Off' in the snow."
"WHY?" It hurt to keep quiet at that point.
"Because."
"We aren't supposed to be up right now! Carving out expletives in the snow isn't exactly going to prevent us from being caught!"
"Uh-Huh."
He was on the first "F". I had to do something. Fire seemed easy enough. My horn glowed gray, and a soft gray light began to erase the work Shayde had begun.
"Stop it!" he shoved me aside, and the fire dissipated. He went to work writing the "B" again, and i started from the back, burning it away. He stopped and re-wrote it behind me, but he was failing. the snow was becoming slush, too difficult to write in. He saw this, and a wave of slush rose from the other side of the street, smothering my flames and allowing Shayde to continue writing. I focused on the space above where he was writing, and a gray fireball crashed down, melting all his new work. Shayde Gave a huff, and rose another wave of snow from further down the street, that came barrelling toward the window. I rose a gray wall of fire to stop it, then another tounge of flame to-
I Stopped casting and listened. Shayde noticed the change and did the same. The conversation was over. The voices were long gone and a few buildings down, the chariot was parked, the two pegasi looking in awe at the street of slush we had made. and a lone figure was sitting inside it, peering through the windows of the buildings on the street. He glanced in our window, and saw Shayde and I. He stepped out of the chariot, walking on two legs. He scratched his chin, spun around, and sat back down. He motioned to the two pegasi, and they took off. The figure in the back never took his eyes off of us.
I glanced over, and Shayde was shaken. He struggled for some kind of stupid response.
"Well, that sort of thing just takes away your energy, doesn't it." He feigned a yawn. "Well, g'night!" He sprung back to his bed, and pulled the cover over his head. I sat down, turned back to the window, and stared into the night, wondering if the mare in the moon could make any sense of what had happened tonight.
