Morning dawned in Canterlot, the light streaming in through the large stained-glass windows of the guest room. The guest had been up long before the sun began to rise, staring out the window at the setting moon. He had watched Celestia begin the suns progress across the sky with mild indifference. He still couldn't understand it, why they had completely ignored him, why they had ushered him into a guest room, why they had charmed the door and windows to prevent him from getting out. The charm cast an odd purple glow about the room in the morning light. As if he would try to get out, he hadn't gotten what he wanted.
Both princesses had been sufficiently surprised when he had burst in on them, though Celestia was the only one who had reacted. She immediately froze him using her magic, and it appeared she gave it very little effort. Once she had, the two sisters circled him twice each before Luna took his hand and checked it. From there, it was shown to Celestia, and she ordered for him to be given a room and a meal. He was given these things, though he was not at liberty to do as he pleased. He had been confined to the room all through that night, laying in bed awake thinking about their reasoning. And now it was the morning, and he hoped that he would get an answer to the question burning in his mind. Why did that picture give him a bad feeling?
He was jolted from his thoughts by a knock at the door, the sound of a guards voice came muffled though the door. "Firelight, Princess Celestia has requested an audience with you."
Firelight raised his eyebrows, the princess requesting an audience with him? Wasn't it supposed to go the other way around? "Alright?"
The sound of the door being unlocked could be heard after a couple seconds, which Firelight assumed was the guard lifting the charm. The large, ornate door swung open and a guard gestured for him to walk ahead. Obviously they were not about to trust him alone. The guard led him out of the castle, much to his surprise, and into the statue garden. From there he was shown to Princess Celestia, who was standing with her hands behind her back in front of an empty statue pedestal.
"Milady, I have brought you Firelight," said the guard, bowing as she turned.
"Thank you, you may be dismissed." The princess glanced back at the pedestal. "Rouse the high-mages, prepare the defence system for the entirety of Canterlot. We have had an, ah, escape."
"Yes, Milady." The guard strode briskly across the yard.
"That was quite the scene you caused yesterday, Firelight. Walk with me."
Firelight had to move rather quickly to keep up with her, though he was pleased that he was moving so quickly, it meant that she had things to say.
"You wanted to say something yesterday, though I did not give you the time. After seeing your mark, I decided I would prefer to talk to you after I had given the matter some thought."
"So my mark does mean something then? Besides what I'm best at?" Firelight asked, the conversation going in the direction he had hoped.
Celestia nodded. "It is strikingly similar to a former pupil of mine's, Twilight Sparkle."
"That was the name in the book I found, next to the picture."
"And you say that picture gave you a bad feeling?" Firelight nodded. "I knew this would happen. She is no longer suitable for the Element of Magic."
"What?"
"Sit." She gestured to a bench. Firelight hadn't noticed where they were walking, but when he paid attention he noticed that they had reached a balcony overlooking the entirety of Canterlot with a single stone bench in the middle of it. On the stone railings were vines that had pink flowers blossoming from their tendrils. On either side of the balcony was a stone statue on a lion, as though they were standing guard over anyone on the balcony. She took her place on the left side of the bench and gesture for him to sit beside her, which he did, his hands tapping his knees anxiously.
"Do you know of the Elements of Harmony?" she asked him mildly.
"Um, it mentioned it in the book, but I didn't read anything about it."
"The Elements of Harmony are six gems that have an enormous, nearly unknown power. They are, when brought together, the strongest power in Equestria. Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Loyalty and Magic. Those six elements are manifested in people, and those people are meant to wield the Elements. The first owners that history has recorded were myself and my sister. Why it was just the two of us is unclear, but from there they passed to my pupil and five others she met in Ponyville. Now, it appears, the Elements must be passed on again."
"So, what does this mean?"
"You have all of the traits that my former pupil had, if you exclude your rebelliousness. Your special skill is magic itself, you appear to be strong-willed, your mark is similar, I have reason to believe that you are next for the Element of Magic."
"But what does that mean?"
"You will come in contact with the other five Elements, whether you know who they are or not. These five will prove to you better friends than you have now. They will likely be people you have never met before. Look for the Elements expressed in their personalities. Just as Twilight Sparkle knew instinctually that the friends she made were the Elements of Harmony, as will you. As she so aptly put it at the time, there will be a spark of sorts. I have never felt this spark, but according to Twilight Sparkle it was just a gut feeling of knowledge."
"And you think I'm the one who's supposed to find these 'Elements'." It wasn't a question. The task itself seemed impossible, finding five people among billions. "This is all chance, I don't even know if I'm the one you're looking for."
Celestia turned to him and smiled before standing. "I believe that you are the Element of Magic. I am very rarely wrong, Firelight. You need to find those who will be the new wielders of the Elements, find Twilight Sparkle and her companions, and convince them to give you the artifacts that go with the power. I will warn you, the six of them have been split up. They are in the furthest reaches of Equestria. Once we have them, the Shadow Beings will be easily destroyed. I wish you luck."
"What?" Firelight jumped up. "That's it? You expect me to do this on my own?"
"The Elements are no longer mine to control. You must find them." And with that she was gone, opening her wings and flying back up to a tower, leaving Firelight unable to follow her. He thought wildly of teleporting up with her but what good would it do? She wasn't going to help him, that much was clear.
He turned back to the statue garden, looking around it. Where would he begin? He knew Canterlot well, his instincts told him to start in his hometown, but he wasn't looking for an object. He was looking for living, breathing people. He still had a hard time believing this, that he was part of the group of people that was going to end up saving the entirety of Equestria. Not only part of the group, but what seemed to be the leader of the group. He didn't understand- no, he did, but he was still confused.
He began walking out of the garden when he was nearly ploughed over by a very fast moving something that appeared to be wearing light armour. He reacted as any skilled mage would. He blew a crater in the ground. After the dust cleared, he checked in the crater, panting slightly. Nothing. "What?"
He glanced up as he heard the sound of boots hitting the pavement on the other side of the crater.
"What the hell was that for?" asked a rather adamant young woman folding a pair of wings behind her back. In one hand she held a bow, the other empty. She was wearing what Firelight recognized as archers armour, a lighter, more skintight version of foot-soldiers armour. She had a long, blond ponytail that reached down to her waist, though it was tangled, as though she had been through a few battles.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to," Firelight said quickly, attempting to duck around the crater and her.
She intercepted him. "Didn't mean to? You blew a hole in the ground! Isn't there enough destruction?"
He realized there that she had an accent. "Are you from Trottingham?"
She stiffened. "Hoofington. Not that it matters now." She pushed by him. "I need to speak with the Princesses."
Firelight watched her go, considering what Celestia had said. They will likely be people you have never met before. As she so aptly put it, there will be a spark of sorts. Did causing a crater in the middle of the royal statue garden count as a spark? "Wait! Wait, archer! What's your name?"
She stopped and turned. "Why do you care?"
"I just want to know."
She raised her eyebrows. "Lightening Chaser. You?"
"Firelight. Listen, I think you need to come with me."
"Why should I? You just tried to kill me."
"Look, it was self-defense, one can never be too careful nowadays."
"I'm trying to see the Princesses, I want to join their army. I'll have a better shot of finding and killing whatever ordered the attack to kill my parents."
Firelight was immediately sympathetic. "You lost them? I know how that feels, I've lost mine as well. They left months ago, to fight. I haven't heard word from them. Please, come with me. I'll explain things on the way."
Lightening Chaser glanced back at the castle, apparently weighing the options. He could, at least, know what she was feeling when it came to her parents. He hoped that would give her reason to trust him. She turned back to Firelight. "Alright, I trust you. But, on the way to where exactly?"
Firelight laughed to himself mirthlessly. "We'll find out, won't we?"