//------------------------------// // Communication // Story: Stolen Fire // by Tzelael //------------------------------// Stolen Fire by Tzelael Chapter 7: Communication __________________________________________________________________________ Flying into town square, Rainbow Dash landed in front of Sugarcube Corner. At a quick glance, there were only a few ponies out in the open. Those that were outside stayed close to the buildings on the side of the road. All of them walked at a far faster pace than normal and glanced around warily every so often. Rainbow Dash stepped inside the sweets shop. She found Mr. and Mrs. Cake in a mad rush as they charged back and forth between the kitchen and the shop itself. Mrs. Cake stopped at the register and gave Rainbow Dash a smile. “Oh, hello there, Rainbow Dash! Have you seen Pinkie Pie anywhere?” At the mention of Pinkie’s name, Rainbow Dash’s stomach twisted for a moment. “Actually, it’s what I’m here to talk to you about. See... Something happened.” Rainbow Dash paused, lost in thought. She remembered what Rarity said about how Fluttershy trusted the creature... She didn’t understand it, but figured that Fluttershy knew something she didn’t. “I’m... Not sure how, but... Pinkie took a really bad fall and is in the hospital right now. It’s... It’s going to be a while before she’ll recover, but the doctor said she’ll be fine once she does.” “Oh...” The hectic rush of Mrs. Cake’s voice faded as she slumped in place. “I see.” At that moment, her husband struggled to leave the kitchen, a foal attached to both of his forelegs. “Honey, we’ve got another batch of muffins ready and...” He immediately noticed his wife’s sudden lack of spirit. “Is everything alright?” “Pinkie’s been hurt, dear... She won’t be back for a while.” “You don’t think that it’s... The Monster, do you?” The couple grew quiet as the foals climbed over their father, completely oblivious to his unease. Mrs. Cake turned to Rainbow Dash, a worried look on her face. “Rainbow Dash... You haven’t seen it, have you? The Monster of Market Street?” “I–” Rainbow Dash felt compelled to tell the Cakes that she had seen a monster, and she knew it had something to do with what happened. However, she remembered Rarity telling her that Fluttershy thought he was trustworthy. She had to give him a chance. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never seen it before.” “Oh... I suppose it was silly of me to ask. Rumor has it that ponies who have seen it don’t remember what it looks like... But they always know what they felt around it, like–” “Like there was just something wrong with the world,” Rainbow Dash blurted out. The Cakes stared at her for a few seconds. She looked away momentarily. “I’ve heard other ponies talk about it.” “Alright, Rainbow Dash. Come back and let us know when we can visit, okay?” Mrs. Cake gave Dash a solemn smile. “Sure thing, Mrs. Cake.” Rainbow Dash replied while her eyes shifted to the ground. She walked out of Sugar Cube Corner and turned her attention to Sweet Apple Acres. She crouched down low, extended her wings and took off. **** “And this is a ‘Y.’ Say it with me. ‘Y’.” “Wuh... Wuuuh...” “Come now, you can do it.” “Wuh... Aaaaiiiiiiii...” Rarity stood over the stallion and pointed at the letters on the page of the alphabet book. A desk had been set up in Fluttershy’s room. Fluttershy herself watched from the doorway as Rarity continued to instruct the stranger. “Y is for ‘Yam.’ Yaaam.” “Yaaaaa... Aaaaaam.” Rarity cringed at the sound of his voice, though made sure to do so out of his sight. He hunched over the book and a piece of paper. A quill was tied around his hoof and a bottle of ink was at his right side. He labored over the letter and dipped the quill into the inkwell, his hoof shakily drifting toward the paper. Ink dripped off the tip of the pen as he dug it into the paper. With a herculean effort, he crudely attempted to copy the letter on the page. “Very good... You’re picking up your letters quickly,” Rarity observed as she took in the piece of paper. He had scratched each of the letters shown to him on the page. However sloppy they were, they still looked enough like the letters to be legible. “And this is a ‘Z’. Zeee.” “Zuh-Zzz... Zeeeee...” The stallion found this letter far less difficult to say, his teeth clenched while he sounded it out. “‘Z’ is for ‘Zebra.’” Rarity pointed at the page in the book. “Zeeeeeeeeebrrr-Rrrrr-rrrrraaaaaah.” His voice rumbled, his mouth very slowly pronouncing each syllable. At the bottom of the page, he scrawled the letter “Z” into the paper, but nearly tore it apart with the quill. “Very good. Now, write all the letters over again here...” Rarity slid another piece of paper to the creature. “And tell me when you have finished. I’ll be back.” The stallion grunted and nodded. Rarity walked to Fluttershy in the doorway. “How’s he doing?” Fluttershy whispered to Rarity. “He’s doing fairly well. His speech is still... Iffy, at best. He has trouble with even the simplest single-syllable words. He’s learning how to write fairly quickly, though.” Rarity quietly sighed and turned away from the stallion still writing the letters. “And... Are you alright?” “To be honest, something deep down inside of me is still afraid of him. I think I’m in over my head...” Rarity smiled in a nervous attempt to reassure herself that it was okay to talk about this. “I mean, he hasn’t done anything to me, but when I think about what happened or when I hear him speak, I just feel... Uneasy.” “I understand.” Fluttershy looked through the doorway, seeing the stallion look over at the two of them talking, then slowly hang his head and go back to writing on the page in front of him. “I’d better go feed the animals. They’re staying a bit farther away from the house, so it’ll take me a while...” She sighed and smiled at Rarity nervously. “I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you keep him company for a bit?” Rarity stopped dead. Her mouth opened and closed, trying to form a protest but unable to do so. She closed her eyes, smiled, then swallowed while she replied. “Of course, darling.” Rarity took a deep breath, and walked back in the room. She tilted her head, seeing the stallion hanging over his paper. He hung his head dejectedly while he added extra zig-zags on his last “Z.” “So... Do you have a name?” The creature shook his head. “Is there something you’d like me to call you?” “Peeeeeen... Puh-puh-peeeeeeeeeeenk...” The creature quickly gave up trying to speak aloud. He flipped the paper upside down and dipped the pen in the inkwell. He scratched a message onto the other side of the paper and slid it over to Rarity. Rarity examined the message closely and pursed her lips. “I don’t remember ever teaching him the ‘Ch’ sound...” She smiled and made eye contact with him. “So she called you Stitches. Would you like for us to call you that?” Stitches shrugged at her. “Well, it isn’t much of a name, admittedly, but it will do for now, won’t it?” Stitches slowly nodded. He dipped his quill in ink and scrawled another message onto another piece of paper. Rarity read the message and swallowed uncomfortably. She took her own quill and began correcting the paper, writing it again as “You don’t want to be here.” “I admit I’m a bit uncomfortable.” He hung his head down again, writing another message on the paper. Rarity laughed half-heartedly. “Well, you don’t– I mean, you’re big and you’re strong and–” She only got a blank stare from Stitches. She turned away and muttered, “There’s no sense in lying to you, is there?” He shook his head. Rarity sighed and looked him in the eyes. “Alright, I confess I am a little frightened, and that you are somewhat... Intimidating.” Rarity kept up her smile, doing her best not to offend the stallion. Stitches looked away from Rarity. He hunched over another paper, scribbled out a reply, then slid it across the table to her. “Because...” Rarity took a deep breath and placed a hoof on his cold, unyielding skin on his shoulder. “Because Fluttershy is my friend and she wants your life to be better and easier. I’ll help her achieve that, even if doing it might not be what I want to do.” “Of course I would. She’s done plenty for you. I’m sure she counts you as a friend.” The right side of Stitches' face slowly curled up into a smile. Now at ease, Rarity relaxed and sat down next to him. He took his quill and wrote down, Rarity paused and shifted her gaze for a moment. “I suppose you can be, yes.” She smiled at him. Stitches nodded quickly and grunted in approval. Rarity cleared her throat and put on a more serious face, looking down at the papers and the alphabet book in front of her. “I think we can move on to your spelling, Stitches. You’re learning a lot and you’re learning quickly, but you still have a long way to go...” Fluttershy came back through the doorway, standing behind it silently. She watched as Rarity and Stitches labored over the ABC book and the pieces of paper being written on by the stallion. She smiled at the two worked through the lesson, and enjoyed the moment of serenity she saw between her old friend and her new one. **** Twilight stared at the stallion in front of her. When he had come in a few minutes ago, he had claimed to be a University of Canterlot professor, and had told her that he needed her help. “Professor Flamebearer, huh? I can’t say I’ve ever heard of you.” “I’m honestly not surprised.” He glanced away furtively, then looked back at Twilight, who returned his glance with doubt. “My last truly notable work was a book on the growth of magic use throughout history, and that was 15 years ago. I am a professor of Equinology, specializing in the study of ancient cultures and their magical practices.” He walked to the glass case while he spoke, holding a hoof over the container which held the antique book that Twilight had received. “So what kind of problem does a professor of Equinology who studies ancient magic believe I have to solve personally?” “It’s... Quite an enormous problem.” He stared at the book in front of him and sighed. “I’d dare say your village is about to be hurdled into a disaster.” “Disaster? If a disaster was about to happen, wouldn’t the Princess have told me about it first?” “I’m afraid you’re the first I have told.” He finally looked up from the ancient book. “Prognostications by Ponycelsus... There aren’t many copies left in the world in such good condition. Are you familiar with his other works?” “I’ve read some of them.” “Including his works concerning alchemy?” Twilight remained silent. She narrowed her eyes at the professor. Flamebearer only stared at her in turn, his face stony and immobile. Twilight laughed a bit uneasily, then turned away from the professor. “Oh, come now, professor. If what you came here for is so urgent, I’m sure you have no time to waste discussing a pseudo-science.” “That is just what I’m here to discuss, Miss Sparkle. This problem was wrought by the work of alchemy.” “What?” Twilight blurted out as she turned back to face the professor. “But... But alchemy is quackery! The way it’s described in any of the texts, it doesn’t actually work! No one’s ever tried using it for centuries because–” “It makes no sense, at least not when interpreted literally. Alchemy is far less a science and far more a form of mysticism, a mode of transcendent thinking to use an otherworldly power that can only be understood through symbol and metaphor...” He finally saw the look on Twilight’s face, one of her eyebrows raised in apprehension. He cleared his throat and straightened his tie. “But that’s not the issue here.” “Then can you please get to the point?” The professor turned away from the book. His eyes shifted again before he looked Twilight right in the eyes. “Somepony has discovered a way to make one of the most... Ludicrous feats of alchemy a reality.” Twilight stared at him blankly. “The most ludicrous feats? You mean aside from turning lead into gold by heating it in some weird concoction, and creating tiny ponies using frog eggs?” “Closer to the latter.” He pushed his glasses upward and hesitated before he spoke. “This pony managed to create a new life... A full-sized stallion, no less.” “Create? As in, he made one? That’s– That’s–” Twilight fumbled about as she tried to find the right word to convey what such an occurrence was. “Incredible? Amazing? Insane? Impossible? I don’t even know where to start...” “Nothing any pony was prepared for, that’s for certain.” Flamebearer grimaced, then walked closer to Twilight. “And with good reason; there is something fundamentally... Wrong with this creature. It blights the land around it, driving all thinking beings nearby mad with its presence, all caused by an unnatural force that gives it life.” “So... You’re saying that somehow, using alchemy, a form of magic that doesn’t work, some pony managed to create a new life form that’s being powered by some sort of energy so unnatural that it decimates everything and everypony around it?” Twilight frowned as she said this, each word carefully chosen to emphasize just how ridiculous the professor’s story was. He nodded in response. “Yes, and I’m convinced the creature that this pony created is in Ponyville right now.” Flamebearer kept an unwavering stare fixed on Twilight. She turned away and walked toward one of the bookshelves. “What exactly do you want me to do about it? I don’t exactly have the Elements of Harmony hidden under my bed, you know.” “That will not be necessary. I only need your help in tracking it down.” “And how do we go about looking for this–” They turned to the door as Applejack walked inside. “Howdy, Twi... I ain’t interruptin’ anythin’, am I?” Applejack asked, her voice far more quiet than normal. The desperate way she was trying to smile made it clear that something was wrong. Twilight kept one eye on the professor. “It’s no trouble... He was just leaving.” Flamebearer pursed his lips, then reluctantly nodded. “Yes... I’ll write down everything you need to know. We’ll discuss this more later.” He slipped past Applejack, started to walk out the door, then turned and bowed his head. “Until next time, Miss Sparkle.” As he shut the door, Twilight sighed. “Well, I think that should cover my dose of crazy for the next few months.” Twilight snickered lightly. Her laughter stopped short as she saw that Applejack’s eyes were closed and her lips sunk into a frown. “Is... Something the matter?” “I jus’ got the news from Rainbow, Twi’. Pinkie’s hurt somethin’ fierce. The doctor’s gotta perform an operation.” Twilight looked down. “I... I see. How did it happen? Is she going to be okay?” “Yeah, she’ll be fine... She took a bad fall at Fluttershy’s place, but Rainbow told me that the doctor could handle it.” Applejack looked away from Twilight for a second. “There’s... Something else I oughta tell ya, Twilight.” “What is it?” Twilight leaned to the side, trying to look her friend in the eyes. Applejack finally met her gaze and adjusted her hat. “There’s somepony livin’ in Fluttershy’s house that I knew about for the past day now.” “The one that doesn’t know how to read or speak? Rarity and Fluttershy already told me about him. They stopped by to get him some books.” “About that, Rainbow Dash said that he’s the one that got Pinkie hurt.” Twilight looked back at the door, then back at the dusty tome that she received. She remained silent for several minutes. “Are you alright, sugarcube?” Twilight grimaced and locked eye contact with Applejack. “Tell me everything you know about him.” Applejack shifted uncomfortably while Twilight looked at her. Her voice trembled, unsettled by her unicorn friend’s unspoken anger. Normally, if Twilight was angry, she would burst into a momentary rage and calm down, but this time, she simply spoke in a low steady voice, maintaining her gaze. Applejack couldn’t disappoint her friend, not even when she was angry. “Well... He’s big, he’s insanely strong, and for some reason, he drives most ponies around him–” “Crazy just by being around them?” Twilight interrupted, becoming far quieter as her eyes widened in shock. Stunned at the quick reply, Applejack was barely able to cobble together a response. “Y-Yeah, how’d you know that?” “I heard about something like that earlier.” Twilight walked toward one of her bookshelves, her breath grew shallow as she did. “Applejack, do you mind if I have some time to myself? I...” She took a deep breath while she traced her hoof over the spines of some of the books. “... I have a lot to think about.” Applejack nodded and opened the door. “If you need anythin’, you know where to find me.” “Alright... See you later.” Applejack tipped her hat, then closed the door behind her. Twilight looked at one of the books on the shelf, her horn and the book she focused on glowed. The book floated off the shelf over to Twilight. She looked at the cover for a few seconds. The Analyst’s Reference Guide to Alchemy and Related Symbolism. She opened the book and began to pore over it. She flipped through its pages in total silence.