//------------------------------// // Chapter Six - Meditation and Fire // Story: Seeking Hearth and Home // by TessiFlameheart //------------------------------// Amber's first day at her new home passed quickly. There had been a lot to do, after all opening an alchemy shop was a better plan then her original idea of just singing for money on the street. First she inspected the interior of the building, sketched out a new floor plan for the remodeling, decided where to set up a garden for ingredients on her property, and estimated how long it would take to dig a suitable living quarters under the house. After that she had to sort though her belongings to find anything she could part with. That was a difficult task. Her Bottomless Box was filled with all kinds of things, some were powerful artifacts, some were magic trinkets, others were objects that had just tickled her fancy, or she kept a hold of because who knew when she might need a spare blade or five. Fortunately there were plenty of gemstones, bits of precious metals, potions she could get rid of, and a few weapons she could sell without winding up causing damage when someone got a hold of it later. The first pawn shop she had tried purchased most of her potions and some of the silver bits she had. The second had snatched up the blades she brought and simply claimed were “antiquated”. The third had taken the rest of the blades, the metal, and her potions. After asking why no one was interested in the gemstones Amber was informed that gemstones in Ponyville were nearly worthless, due to a massive mining operation for all sorts of gems made possible by a local pony with a talent for finding gemstones, and a deal she made with a mining guild. She was also told that the same fashion designer, a unicorn named Rarity loved to use gemstones in her products and might buy some of the more interesting gemstones from her. After getting directions to Rarity's shop Amber arrived to find the Carousel Boutique closed until tomorrow, a note on the door saying the owner had gone to Canterlot for the day. Deciding to return tomorrow before her date with Lyra, Amber trotted back into town to hunt around for a few supplies and hire a construction crew. Much to her surprise Ponyville had a booming industry of craftsponies. Within a half hour of searching she found a carpenter's guild, proposed the remodeling with a group of workers, got a quote for a mere 340 bits. Even more astonishing to her was the fact that the work ponies left their guild hall with her to start work immediately. Once on site their foreman informed Amber that they should be done by sundown, as the job mostly involved removing two walls and adding supports to the ceiling to make up for their removal. While her home was being worked on Amber went out again and picked up a few tools she would need for digging herself a living space. The pick, mason's chisel, and mallet did cost her a little more than she wanted to pay, but she could tell the tools were of fine quality. She commented on the quality as the store clerk rang up her purchase, and was drawn into a conversation on masonry and subterranean architecture. Amber may not have been a Drone, but she had picked up the basics of shaping stone, and like every Soldier in a hive she was trained in how to fortify a position. It was a little difficult for her to rephrase everything to not blow her identity, but in the end Amber felt she hadn't blown her cover and defiantly enjoyed talking to someone else who preferred stone overhead. She returned home with her new tools about an hour before sundown to find the construction crew had finished and polity waiting for her on her lawn to pay them. Their foreman had taken the opportunity show off their work, which was quite good, it was hard to see the structure had been modified. To Amber's annoyance they insisted on an extra 90 bits in payment, due to 'unforeseen difficulties in concealing the remodeling'. Paying them had her right back where she started, completely broke. However, she had her tools, a home, and the entire night to work before she should be able to make a little more money. An unexpected bonus was a few pieces of scrap materials left behind by the construction crew. A quick assessment showed there was enough wood left to make two signs so Amber decided to delay digging and make up a sign for her shop. An hour later, with two nicely shaped signs fashioned from the scrap wood and cut to shape using a hand axe she found in her box ready for decoration, Amber realized she had no way to mark the signs. She didn't have any paint, or markers, and pencil wouldn't show up on wood well. She did have ink, but it was given to her while in prison and tended to fade badly over time. Eventually a small iron rod caught her eye and the idea of heating the iron to burn letters into her signs occurred to her. That is when Amber noticed the fireplace. It was left untouched by the construction workers and was in the room she had designated as her lab. 'I have a home, with a hearth in it.' Amber suddenly realized. For the first time in a long while there was a fire she could call her own, which as located in a safe place also of her own. She trotted over to the hearth, it's smooth gray stone bricks had a rustic quality to them. The fireplace was quite large as the room used to be a kitchen and this was meant to be used for coking. Amber smiled, 'This is great! I can't even remember where my last bonfire is. Now I can have it in my home. I'll know exactly where I will turn up if anything goes to shit.' She grabbed the remainder of the scrap wood with her magic and arranged it in the hearth. The moment the kindling was arranged into a nice pyramid Amber opened her box, took out a shortsword, and a strip of red cloth. The cloth was quickly tied around the sword's hilt like a ribbon, then in one quick motion Amber slammed the sword point down into the middle of the kindling with her magic. Taking a deep breath Amber moved as close to the fireplace as she could, sat down, closed her eyes and began to meditate. Amber focused on her past, reflecting on her life was always her go to choice for meditation. This was only the second bonfire she had built. The first one she made many years ago, only a few short days after maturing from her nymph stage. The very first day of her adult life Amber started to remember things she had never done, places she had never been, creatures she had never fought. She struggled for months to find out if the memories which had suddenly appeared in her head were from a past life, or insanity. That question was had been answered by that first bonfire. The crackling orange flames had spoken to her, filled her with hope, made her feel safe, replenished her soul, and astoundingly enough summoned her box to her side allowing her to use magic which she had believed only existed in her dreams. It had taken her years and years of meditation to fully unlock everything she knew now and even still she couldn't remember everything. It wouldn't have ever been possible if her soul magic didn't catch the attention of her hive's High Queen. Her first few cracking blue soul bolts were delivered while High Queen Polygyne the Uniting had been inspecting her soldier's training regime. At first her highness wondered if Amber's Sargent had discovered a way to train changelings into having a new ability, or unlocked some latent magical potential, but after a few months of study and questioning Amber it became clear that her abilities were unique. The more Amber came to remember, the more skill at arms she developed. Her fighting style became unorthodox, relying on standing upright, and using her magic fields to enhance her hooves ability for fine manipulation of weapons instead of telekineticly wielding them. She swiftly became known all throughout the hive for her method, not only because it was strange, but because it worked incredibly well for her. She made a name for herself in the ranks, and when a large group of diamond dogs assaulted the village her hive had protected her methods proved to work in battle as well as in duels. The High Queen asked her to train others in her style after that, but noling was able to use it as well as Amber did. It was instinct for her. In her previous life she had fought so many times that she subconsciously shapechanged herself selectively when in danger. Her stance and muscles going from a normal Soldier's to something different, something which could stand atop battle rather than push through it. The shape needed to preform as she did wasn't intuitive for her hive sisters, only three others had managed to replicate it. Under her Queen's orders Amber trained them in the sorcery she herself was still remembering how to use. The four of them became Polygyne's personal guards. For a long time, life was wonderful. She had a place where she was needed, loved, and respected. She had friends and comrades. Then in one single night all of that had been taken from her as the dragon took over their Hall, crushing the hive in the process. That night was perhaps the most important in all of Amber's life. The others had rushed Polygyne out of the Hall, Amber staying behind to prevent the dragon from simply filling the escape tunnel with fire. She stood up to the beast for only a few short moments, then it had crushed her underfoot like a common insect. Amber remembered that moment perfectly. The fear, the pain, the adrenaline. She knew it was the end for her, there was no time to dodge, no possibility to block or deflect. She had slipped up, and because of that she had seen her own organs burst from her chest before everything turned black. Then she woke up beside the bonfire she had lit those several years ago, unharmed but understandably shaken. She wasn't confused, she remembered dying countless times in her past life now. She knew that if killed she would awaken next to a bonfire she had lit or attuned to. But she didn't know why. By chance Amber was found by a zebra alchemist. She helped Amber learn to meditate, how to allow herself to remember more, and even taught her the basics of Alchemy. It took her two months of instruction at the zebra's hoof but she found her answer. Dying had awakened a dormant part of her soul, up until that moment she had been a sort of half-reincarnation of a long dead warrior. But in death, a fragment of that warrior's soul which survived the nothingness of the abyss joined with her own, passing on a curse and a blessing. The sudden crackling of flames startled Amber out of her mediation. In the hearth before her danced a bright orange flame. The fire radiated warmth, hope, joy, and fellowship. She could almost taste it like an emotion. There was life to the fire. Her bonfire was ready. It seemed almost like sacrilege to use this flame simply to heat iron, but Amber still needed to make her signs. She stood up to retrieve the iron rod and jumped in shock, bright daylight poured through her windows. She had been meditating all night, “Damn! Did it take that long to light last time?” Amber asked herself, quite confused. Before she had time to try to remember how long it should have taken someone knocked on her door at a rather excited sounding pace. Completely baffled that someone was knocking on her door Amber trotted over and opened the door with her magic, “Hello?” Standing in the doorway were three young mares who looked to be in their late teens or early twenties. The first Amber noticed was an orange pegasus with a strait purple mane and tail, deep purple eyes, and a cutiemark of a winged wheel. The second was a white unicorn with curly pink and purple mane, leaf green eyes, and a cutiemark of a microphone and a bar of notes that Amber noticed was the 50's cord progression. The last was a yellow earth pony who had her red mane and tail bound with ribbon into two practical looking braids, pumpkin orange eyes, and a crossed carpenter's hammer and apple slice cutiemark. “Hi!” the three greeted loudly in unison. Amber blinked to try and process why anyone would be at her door. The short pause was all the yellow pony needed to start talking in a light southern drawl, “I'm Applebloom, these are my friends Sweetie Belle and Scoots.” she pointed one hoof to her friends as she spoke, “We heard that you just moved in and are an alchemist, but also play music and used to be an adventurer.” Scoots nodded, “Yeah! You sounded pretty cool, so we thought we should say hi.” “Also,” Sweetie Belle added, “since you are not from Equestria I thought you might have a few good songs you might be willing to teach me.” “How do you know where I live? Or that I even moved here?” Amber asked suspiciously. “I'm friends with Sunrise, he mentioned you.” Scoots answered. The orange pegasus fluttered her wings slightly, “Also Lyra was singing love songs in the park this morning, and Pinkie is planning a new pony party, so basically the whole town knows someone just moved in.” “Oh.” Amber commented. “So how's your alchemy?” Applebloom asked curiously, “I tried my hoof at alchemy for a while, but I didn't quite get the hang of it.” Amber stepped outside, closing the door behind her. “I don't have my lab set up yet, so I'm not open for business. I'm not sure what I'll be selling exactly ether. I do plan on selling stamina and magic replenishing droughts, but I'll have to think on what I can make that wont get me in trouble.” Applebloom nodded, “That could sell pretty well... you know, long as you don't get any side effects from them.” “What about music? I would really love to hear any songs from your country!” Sweetie Belle asked. “Do you have any about your old adventures? Why did you stop exploring stuff?” Scoots asked, eyes filled with excitement. 'Looks like digging a basement will have to wait.' Amber groaned inside her head, “I can play a few songs for you later, I was planning on finding someone named Rarity to try and sell some gems t-” Sweetie Belle grimaced, “Oh, don't go with that cape on. My sister will keep you in her boutique for hours ranting on about how you should put on something so old and worn.” Amber hummed, “What? She's your sister? Excellent! Do you know if she is currently buying anything? I'm completely out of bits.” “Rarity is always buying gems. If she finds one she loves she will use it as the centerpiece for something sooner or later. But seriously, take that off or you might wind up getting a full dress fitting.” Sweetie warned. “Good to know,” Suddenly a playfully malicious thought popped into Amber's head. “So, you are saying that your sister is a cliche fashionista?” Scoots laughed, “That is so not true! But she is obsessed with clothing being prefect.” “Sweet!” Amber grinned widely and opened her door, retrieving her box with her magic while snickering. Applebloom tilted her head curiously, “What are you doing?” “Just picking out some old clothes.” Amber informed opening her box and rummaging through it, “So um orange one... Scoots right?” She nodded, “Yeah.” “Right, I used to adventure all around my homeland and the neighboring kingdoms. You... wont have heard of any of these places but I can show off a bit of my collection to you.” Amber informed. “Awesome!” The three mares shouted. Amber took a black tabard out of the box. It looked very old, the fabric was moth eaten, faded, ripped in places, and threadbare in others. The front was emblazoned with the image of a dear skull. “I got this as a reward for saving a knight's life, another knight was out to kill him.” Setting the tabard down Amber proceed to take out other bits of clothing. All of them were in just as poor shape as the first garment, none of them were the same color, and each had its own story. When she was finished Amber swept off her cape, causing the three to gasp loudly, “What?” Amber asked concerned. “You don't have a cutiemark!” Applebloom exclaimed pointing. “Well aware.” Amber replied, slowly putting on the clothes she picked out. “But, all the stuff you did to get those clothes...” Scoots frowned, “You have to have a special talent for adventuring!” “I am actually a far better fighter then I am an adventurer. I just never got a mark is all. I don't really care about it anymore, I'm tool old for that kinda thing.” Amber said, tying a sash about her waist with her magic. 'Maybe I should have come up with one when I made up this shape...' Amber mused, 'It's not like I have any Batponies to distinguish myself from while I am shifted here.' “You have no problems not knowing what your special talent is?” Sweetie Belle asked in awe. “I like to think that I traded my ability to be amazing in one thing, to be good in one thing and ok in a few others.” Amber frowned and reached into her box, rummaging around for a set of old leather pony boots she knew were in there somewhere. “Yeah but you should still... I mean you look about as old as my sister, and we got ours years ago. You...you... you are going to walk into my sister's ship dressed in that pile of old rags aren't you?” Sweetie asked, her confusion trailing off into a prankster's giggle. “Yep!” Amber replied with a wink as she found and slipped the boots on over her hooves. Applebloom laughed, “Girls, we need to see this!”