//------------------------------// // Burnt out // Story: My talent. // by Saint-Mercy //------------------------------// Some ponies might see my cutie mark and get the wrong idea, and by all means they're right. I got my mark on a complete mistake. I didn't mean to get it the way I did. I didn't mean to hurt anypony or destroy anything. I am not asking for forgiveness, but I at least want ponies to understand why I did what I did..well what I didn't mean to do. . . . . . . . . . A sky blue filly stared into the flame of a lit candle. Her amber eyes reflect the flickers of the flame perfectly, a perfect reflection, as she stared into the flame her eyes seemed to glaze over for a brief moment. No pony ever knew why the filly loved to watch the flame, sometimes older mares would worry for the small filly. Words like: arson, dangerous, or even crazy, would often pop up in conversations that included the little filly. It didn't matter though, because the filly didn't care for what they had to say. Whenever she would look into the flame, she felt warm, she felt right. Her eyes traveled downward from the flame, her eyes caught the melting wax that slowly rolled down the dry wax and harden only to become melted at a later time. The filly was always so fascinated at this stage. A quick flash back played within the flame as she stared deeply into its entrancing flickers. . . . "The wax rolls down and hardens, only to re-melt when the flame re-heats it." An older stallion explained to the little filly that pressed against his side. "So it does that over and over again until it is all used up?" The filly asked. "Yes my little filly." The stallion responded. . . . The little filly snapped out of her flash back as she caught sight of the dancing shadows against the walls. She loved how this tiny little flame could make something so fascinating. This tiny little flickering flame casted shadows against the room's walls. Sometimes if the sky blue filly focused hard enough she could see ponies in the shadows, she could see faces and outlines as they danced happily across the walls and throughout the room. Some nights when the filly was sad, she would lite a candle and join the shadow ponies in their random and graceful dance, this always lifted up her spirits. . . On one fateful night the little filly got an idea. If this small flame could make her happy, maybe she could spread her happiness if she made the flame bigger! So she attempted to make a greater candle. She hoof crafted a candle from the old wax that she had previously collected from other candles. Night after night, candle after candle, the filly crafted, melt, hardened, and re-melted the home made candle. Until finally she had done it. On the twelfth night she had finished her candle. It stood in the center of her room in all its glory. The base started in calm lavender and lifted up into light pink than raised higher until it hit orange, red, yellow, and green. The prismatic candle stood an outstanding two feet in height. The little filly smiled proudly at her creation. . . . Today was the day, she would lite her candle and invite her parents into her room, she would amaze the, with her creativity and see their proud smiles! The filly was so giddy with glee when she lit the wicker her hooves were trembling just enough to knock over the candle. As the newly lite candle crashed down it set the filly's window curtains ablaze. The filly's mind was lost as she stared into the quickly spreading flames, her gaze focused on the destructive power that was the fire. She was so entranced that she didn't hear the screaming, or notice her father carrying her out of the house. As confusion and chaos happened outside, the only thing the filly could focus on was her home being burned down. Her entire house set ablaze. The angry dancing shadows that were casted upon the dirt. The horrified looking expressions that were plastered onto the shadow-like ponies' faces. The filly couldn't take it anymore, she shut her eyes and wished away the flames. All she wanted now was for the fire to be gone. As the little filly shed her tears gasps and awwe's were heard all around from the ponies that surrounded the burning home. The sky blue filly opened her eyes to see her home, no longer ablaze. The fire was gone, but the damage was still there. The damage would always be there. As the ponies talked to the filly's parents, a bright flash of light and a warm sensation came from the filly's flank. There on her flank, was her cutie mark, a candle with a burnt out wick. . . . . . I didn't mean to burn down my home, I didn't mean to send my family into bankruptcy, and I definitely didn't mean to get sent into an orphanage.