Act 2 – Fate
Chapter VI – Homecoming
Edited by Vertorm
*****
Here I find myself on the outskirts of Ponyville… It’s as I expected. It lacks the sophistication of Canterlot… It feels rustic and uncivilized. That… mare said she would be here. Would I, at long last, find the chance to apologize? To see my sister once again?
Fyreburst slowly walked towards the town in the distance. The meek sunrise on the horizon illuminated the edges of the dozens of wooden buildings. The air began to smell of flowers and other unidentifiable, country scents. Despite his early abhorrence of the town, it began to feel homely. There was something about the atmosphere that felt familiar. Slowly his foul thoughts began to melt from his mind.
He had abandoned the bag that Dash left him. He really didn’t want a reminder of the time he spent with her. His mind was spinning in circles on how he would give his apology to his sister, Glitter. He hadn’t seen her in ten years. Would she even recognize him? Would she even be the same pony? Would seeing her again only cause grief? As he drew closer and closer to Ponyville, his heart ached more and more. He hoped just seeing her would be enough to know that she made it and was safe… to relieve the guilt that plagued him so.
I hope it isn’t all a lie. I don’t know what I would do… what I would live for if she wasn’t here. Should I even be pondering such a possibility? Maybe...
Before he could think a second more, he had made his first step into town. Since it was early, it appeared that many ponies were either still sleeping or just waking up as there weren’t many walking around. Fyre wasn’t sure where to look first. His hooves led him in a random direction. He was slightly surprised at how many homes were two stories tall. They weren’t as big as Rainbow’s home, but sizable compared to what he initially believed. The town was connected by dirt roads, stone walkways, and occasionally paved bridges. He briefly scanned every building in his sight. Eventually, it fell upon a tall, red, circular building with a spire. He figured the building was of some importance.
Perhaps I could find the town mayor here and ask if he or she would know anything about Glitter Spark.
He set his goal and began briskly trotting towards the structure. His mind began repeating previous thoughts. Since being in Ponyville, he had felt a distinct pressure in his chest: a hint of nervousness that never seemed to cease. In all these years of searching, they would finally be reunited. He could apologize for the mistake he made.
As he made his way through the town streets, he could hear whispering among the few ponies around him. More ponies began to emerge from their homes. Their eyes were eerily staring. He timidly looked around at the dozen or so ponies looking at him. There were smiles on their faces. During his next step, he abruptly bumped into something.
“Oof!” he grunted and stumbled back. Dazed, he shook his head and looked up to see what it was. Standing directly in front of him was a bright, pink pony with an absurdly messy manecut. It reminded him of cotton candy of all things, and for some reason he could smell it too. As they made eye contact, the mare’s expression grew happier and happier and Fyre’s grew more and more frightened. Her smile widened more than Fyre could think possible with a muzzle. She suddenly made an obnoxiously loud gasp and darted instantly out of sight.
Fyre stood there perplexed for a few seconds before he began to feel those eyes all over him again. His cheeks flushed a little. He cleared his throat, and continued toward the building from before.
He wasn’t interrupted a second time as he came upon the front door to what he assumed was the town hall. He looked back around to see if there was anypony still looking at him, but he couldn’t find any in sight. He let out a sigh of relief and turned his attention back to the large, pinkish door in front of him. He held his breath, lifted a hoof, and knocked firmly on the door three times. Before he put his hoof back on the ground, he saw the door was ajar so he gently shoved it completely open. The hinges made a teeth-gritting squeal as they revealed the innards of the building.
Inside, there was a giant empty hall aligned with balconies that appeared to lead to other rooms. Several doorways on his left and right were wide enough for him to see staircases that connected the first and second floors. In a corner near the front door was a large enclosed room with a single window. Uninterested with the rest of the building, he made his way towards the room and peered carefully into the window.
On the other side was a dimly lit office, decent in size but completely cluttered. The window was too textured to make out much more, but he was certain he could see a pony inside. Without hesitation, Fyre firmly bumped the nearby wooden door with a hoof. After doing so, he quickly peered back into the window to see if there was any movement. Within a few seconds, the pegasus smiled. There was a pony inside and it was slowly making its way towards the door. He stood firmly in front of the door and waited.
As the door opened, the light revealed an elderly mare. Tan in color and with a small gray mane, she peered at Fyre behind a small pair of glasses. She looked him over as if examining a completely foreign object, but eventually it came; a smile and a soft chuckle. He wasn’t sure what that was about but she began to speak,
“Fyreburst? Is that you? Dear Celestia…” She stepped out of the doorway and into the main hall. “…I thought you were gone for good.”
Her words immediately perplexed him. Before he could ask anything, he watched as she circled around him and made her way to the front door. Fyre quickly leapt in front of her to stop her.
“Gone for good? Wait… Do I know you? How do you know my name?” Fyre tried to scan his memory for anypony resembling her, but couldn’t recall a single thing. The mare could see the frustration in his eyes.
“Ahh…” she giggled. “Don’t remember me, huh? Look, I know why you’re here. You’re looking for… her.” Giving him that cryptic suggestion, she walked outside and left him there for a moment. Quickly, he followed her out and into the daylight.
“Her? Her who?”
“You know who… Unless you’ve forgotten?” She descended the steps and began making her way into the town proper. Fyre continued to follow. He was a little uneasy. How did this complete stranger know who he was? He wasn’t sure what she was talking about, but he took a guess.
“Do you mean…Glitter Spark?”
The earthpony stopped and gave him a chuckle. “Oh, you do remember her… I knew you wouldn’t forget. If you’re looking for her… she’s at the library, Fyre.”
Fyre’s face lit up. He never heard more exciting news. “Y-You’re not pulling my leg, are you? She’s really here?”
She nodded and pointed west with a hoof. “It’s the big tree. You can’t miss it.” That was all he needed to hear.
“Thank you, Miss!” There was a giddy smile on his face. Without so much as a goodbye, Fyre leapt into the sky and was gone before she knew it.
She’s here! I can’t believe it! She knew her name and where she was! Oh please, Luna, don’t let this be a lie.
In only a few moments after leaving town hall, he had spotted the tree. It was a large tree with a variety of openings for windows, doors, and balconies. He landed right in front of it and gleefully trotted up to the front door. “This has to be-” he froze mid-sentence. His eyes caught the candle insignia on the door. “-it… Wait a minute… That mark. I’ve… seen that before… Haven’t I? That’s the…”
It was the insignia that haunted his dreams. Before he knew it, his vision began to cross and he felt dizzy. He put a hoof to his head and stumbled back, falling onto his haunches. There was a brief moment of panic.
No no… it’s not a dream. It’s not a dream! I’m here! I’m actually here and this is real! It’s just a door! It’s not a lie. It’s not a lie!
“Why don’t you open it then? Are you scared?” he heard a soft voice in his ear.
I’m not afraid…
His vision was fixed on the door. Noises seem to dim and all he could hear was himself breathing and that voice,
“Then open it.”
I… can’t!
He tried to move his legs, but they wouldn’t budge.
“Then let me open it for you.”
In that moment, Fyre could see a soft purple glow around the knob of door he dreaded so. With a small creak, the door was pushed open. He could feel blood rush to his legs as he stood up. He felt his body walk on its own as he made his way inside.
As he crossed the threshold of the doorway, his familiar strange panicking vanished in an instant. He could move again. Quickly, his azure eyes scanned the room for any sign of Glitter. He could feel the excitement emerge once more and in only a few moments he had forgotten whatever had just happened back there. His mind was affixed on his sister once more. The obsession of finding her was stronger than ever. He gave a shout,
“Hello?! Is anypony in here?!” he couldn’t restrain himself from yelling. “Glitter?! Glitter are you here?!” he called, but no one answered. He didn’t give up. He made his way into an adjoining room. He quickly discovered it was empty as well. He searched around the walls of books to no avail. His hope began to dwindle a bit. “Come on. Where are you?”
“Umm… can I help you?” Fyre heard a strange, masculine voice behind him. Quickly he turned and found himself staring right into the eyes of a large dragon.
He had barely fit through the door he just went through. Aside from the pointy snout that bore razor sharp teeth when he spoke, which was the first thing that caught Fyre’s eyes, the dragon had a series of green, sharp spines that adorned across the top of his head and down to the tip of his tail like an endless mohawk. There were two large green fins that jutted from just beyond the dragon’s green eyes and two purple wings tucked at his sides which were each roughly the size of Fyre. The dragon was a head taller than Fyre, standing on all fours, and looking more nonchalant that he ever would have imagined a dragon could act. If it wasn’t for his purple and green color-scheme, dopey facial expression and calm demeanor, Fyre would be deathly afraid right about now.
Fyre was hesitant to speak for a moment. He wasn’t entirely sure if what he was looking at was real or a figment of his growing insanity. It wasn’t immediate, but the dragon began to smile. That same creepy smile that everypony else here was giving him. It evolved into a gasp and then a burst of excitement,
“Fyre?! Haha! No way! You’re back!” The dragon suddenly rushed up to him. Fyre’s eyes grew wide in fright, but before he could do any kind of evasion, he was grasped between two scaly arms and squeezed. “Awwww! I’m so happy you came back! I was beginning to lose hope honestly.”
“C-c-came back? Please don’t hurt me,” he pleaded.
“Hurt you? Oh!” The dragon let go of Fyre and blushed. “Right, I forgot…I’m a lot bigger now, aren’t I? Wow… That was ten years ago when you last saw me. Isn’t that right?”
“Ten years? Wait… what’s going on here? How do you know me? Why is everypony… Hold on… Am I seriously talking to a… talking dragon right now? I… I must be completely losing it.” Fyre chuckled to himself and put a hoof to his face.
Understandably, the dragon was perplexed. “How do I know you? You’re Fyreburst. You used to live here in Ponyville.” There was a bit of frustration in his eyes. “You used to stay in this library.”
“What?” Fyre looked at him and furrowed his brow. “What are you talking about? I’ve never been here before.”
“But you have!” The dragon points to himself. “I’m Spike! Remember?” Fyre answered with complete silence. “Rarity?” He threw out another name. “Applejack? Pinkie Pie? Fluttershy? Don’t you remember anypony?” Fyre just continued to stare bewildered. “Rainbow Dash?”
Of course, he knew her. “Wait! I know her.”
“Who? Rainbow Dash?”
“Y-Yeah. I mean… who doesn’t?” he scoffed.
“Well, she does make it a point to make herself known… but you remember her!”
Fyre rolled his eyes. “Remember? Yeah, I remember her making herself a living joke in front of every pegasus in Equestria. Calling us morons and bigots… and then…” He trailed off.
“Fyre. You don’t… remember any of us?” There was hint of sadness in his voice. Fyre looked at him with a slightly guilty expression. “At all?”
His thoughts about Dash faded. He could see how truly sincere Spike was just based on his expression. There was a moment of silence before, “No.”
“No?!” Spike sounded offended, “What do you mean no?”
“I mean I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never lived here. I lived in Canterlot. I stayed with my sister, Glitter Spark.” He began to explain, “She ran away and for the past ten years I’ve been looking for her! I’ve never heard of… Applesmack or Fleetyshy or whatever you were spouting out there. This whole town has been so eerie since I first got here… ponies staring at me strangely and that mayor knowing who I was. I’m looking for Glitter Spark! That’s all I’m looking for!” He ended his little rant angrily.
“Glitter Spark?” The dragon’s face was a little perplexed. “You mean…” He paused for a moment. “Wait here, Fyre.” Spike disappeared into the main room. Fyre let out a sigh and looked out a nearby window.
I knew it wouldn’t be this easy. I just want to see you again. It’s killing me. This whole world is killing me. I…
“Fyre?” Spike returned more quickly than he anticipated. Fyre turned his head and saw the dragon clutching a book in his claws.
“What is that?”
“It’s… it’s Glitter Spark.” The dragon held the book out to him.
“No… No. That’s a book. What I’m looking for is a pony… Is this a joke?”
“No.” He handed Fyre the book. He held the book in his hooves. The title read: Taming the Storm: A Comprehensive Guide to Weather Manipulation. It was written by… Glitter Spark and… Rainbow Dash?
“What is this? Why is her name on this? Why is Rainbow Dash’s name on this?” Fyre looked at Spike in confusion.
“I really don’t understand it either. Before you left… you said that Glitter Spark would always be your beacon home. That it would bring you back to us… You told everypony in Ponyville that. In fact, right before you left you made a public announcement about it. You said you would be leaving to go look for Glitter Spark. Nopony knew what you were talking about, but you told us to show you this book if you ever did return… I guess you also did say you probably wouldn’t be the same pony when you returned.”
“But... but where is she?!” Fyre seemed to completely ignore what Spike just said.
“I don’t know! Just read the book already!” The dragon was getting a little frustrated with him.
“Okay okay! Fine I’ll read your stupid book.” He placed it on the ground in front of him and opened the cover. He began to read it aloud in a quick, dismissive tone,
“Some may wonder how the world works. How do the clouds move and snow fall? Many would say that pegasi control the weather; that they actively move the clouds with their hooves and create the snow in cloud cities. It’s not wrong to think that, but it isn’t entirely right. Long ago, before Equestria was founded…” He stopped and sighed. “Am I seriously going to read this entire book right now? I have better things to do… I need to find her.”
Spike nodded. “Yes! You have to. You told me to make you read this if you weren’t the same pony.”
“I’m not reading anything that has Rainbow Dash’s name on it. I can already tell it’s about how pegasi are fake…” he imitated Dash with a dumb voice, “…that they don’t hold any true power and that unicorns are so great. Blah blah blah…”
“Look. You told me not to read it, Fyre. I don’t know what’s in it, but you have to read it.” Spike moved closer. “For me… For your friends! Your friends who have sadly moved on because you left them! Life hasn’t been the same since… For a while we thought you would be back in a couple months, but then months turned into years. We slowly forgot about you… We gave up hope that you would ever return. We even asked Celestia and Luna about you and they gave us no answer. You were truly gone and it hurt us… It hurt me most of all. What’s even worse is that when I call you by your name... I’m not even sure if it’s your real name. You were very weird that day and when you left it only got weirder.”
Fyre listened closely to what Spike was telling him yet it still didn’t make sense to him. He began to think that the dragon was delusional; that everypony in town was crazed. He almost wanted to leave right there and abandon hope that Glitter would be there. He was never more confused in his life. He stared at the book and gritted his teeth. His mind wavered.
I sometimes notice that the world looks so different when I least expect it. That everything I take for a solid fact becomes something completely intangible. Like water turning into air and the blue sky becoming the darkest red. For a while I thought I was just seeing things…then I began to wonder if I was insane. I sometimes experience things I’ve already seen… Like my mind is tricking me into thinking that something never happened at all. I always get so angry when I can’t grasp reality. It slips through my hooves like water and becomes a puddle of frustration on the ground… Then I find somepony staring back at me… Somepony with violet eyes and a smile on her face.
“Fine,” he answered. “I’ll read it.”
This answer immediately made Spike smile. “Great! Then…”
“But not yet...” he interrupted, “I need something to eat and some rest. You have no idea what I’ve been through lately.”