Tempest

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.