The Flames of the Phoenix- Friendly Advice
Sweet Apple Acres
It was the morning of a new day as Ember was up bright and early with Big Macintosh in order to help him with his Mancer training. It had been a couple of days since when they first began and with Applejack, Applebloom and her Friends down in Appleloosa to help with the Rodeo that was there, it gave the two of them some extra time to practice. For Ember, her biggest challenge was helping Mac get started with controlling his powers before going into any advanced teachings. Elements to Mancers were like colors on a color wheel. Besides the primary colors, two of them can form complementary colors and so on.
The same thing occurred with Elements. Control over Earth and Fire could lead to controlling Lava or Magma. Wind and Lightning along with Water can allow a Mancer to manipulate the weather like a Pegasus. Ice and Fire could lead to the creation of a blue flame called Cryofire, which contained the properties of both elements that the user can switch between at will, but it required years of experience in order to master. Same went for seeing the earthen minerals inside of metallic surfaces like Steel, Gold and Silver
But right now, the basics was all that was needed for a pony like Big Mac. They could get into the Advanced sections later when the time was needed. As of right now, the current test that Ember was having the Stallion perform was for him to concentrate and be in tune with his element. Which of course, was no easy task. He had to feel the energy of the earth underneath him in order for him to pull it off successfully. Now though, as he slowly moved his hoof onto the ground like he was stomping it, a earthen pillar was formed on his left hoof side.
Ember clapped her hands, congratulating him. “Well done, Mac. You’re getting the hang of this for being a beginner.”
“Thanks, Aunt Embah.” Big Mac sighed a bit, relieved. “But ah have a question for you…”
“Well shoot, go ahead and ask then.” Ember told him. “No need to be shy.”
“How were you able to make that flower with ya flames two day ago?” The Stallion asked. “Something like that ain’t going to be easy to create.”
“You’re right. But there’s a small trick that I’ve learned while controlling my powers that has helped me learn to do those kind of things. In fact, a certain Draconequus might see it as similar to how his Chaos Magic works. Try to picture what you want in your mind before expending the Life Force needed to make your object out of stone. You're only limited by your imagination, your Life Force, and the amount of Focus you put into it.” Ember demonstrated what she meant by putting her hands together and soon forming a replica of Applejack’s cutie mark out of her flames. With all three apples burning brightly before she dismissed it a few seconds later.
“See what I mean?”
“Eeyup.” Big Mac nodded.
“Now, can you apply what I just said to what you already know?” The Pyromancer then asked him. The Stallion nodded, adding on with a simple “I can try” to add onto it. She was quite impressed when he was able to Form a dome around himself using his training after a few minutes.
“Impressive. But there's one thing I believe we can work on.”
“What’s that?”
“Timing. You need to be quick on your hooves when using Life Force. Nopony is going to wait around while you try to attack them with something. We need to quicken the pace and have it to where you don’t need to wait as long in order for you to attack with your abilities. This… also gives me an idea.”
“An idea?”
“Try focusing your Life force into the same motions you use when Applebucking. Maybe that’ll help.”
“That… is actually clever. Give me a sec.” Big Mac soon prepared himself, arching his back legs and stretching them out. He then concentrated his Life Force into his Back legs and A pillar that resembled a closed hoof surged from the ground at a diagonal angle instead of straight up like before. To add onto it, the stallion slammed his back hooves into the ground, making the surrounding area shake as more of those hooves emerged in a rising motion.
“There we go! Somepony is getting the hang of it!! Great job, Mac!”
“Thanks!” Was all Big Mac could say before he got back to practicing a little more. Still, the racket from outside attracted the attention of Granny Smith, who wanted Big Mac to quit fooling around and to get back to work on attending the crops on the farm. Ember herself chuckled as she saw the Stallion put his head down like a disappointed schoolfilly and trotted over to the apple trees. However, the Stallion now had an idea. One that Ember didn’t pay attention to. For she was on a walk towards the Everfree forest.
The Everfree forest was always a place that allowed Ember to calm herself when she needed to spend time to close her eyes and Meditate. Back home, she wouldn’t think that the practice would help her at all. But, as it turns out, meditation allowed for the Mancer to attune herself to nature and the elements around her. However, she wasn’t quite able to do that today because she met an unexpected individual on her walk over there. Specifically, in front of Fluttershy’s college.
“Well, Isn’t it the Girl on Fire. You look a little… warm today.”
It was Discord. Avatar of Chaos and master at making horrible jokes. “Very funny Discord… What brings you to this neck of the woods?” Ember asked, trying to return the joke with another joke of her own based on their location.
“ … Very clever, I have to admit. You know… You’re just the being that I need to talk to.” Ember herself was quite surprised with what he said. In fact, she thought that he was joking.
“Me? Why do you need to talk to me? I assumed that you live with Fluttershy based on what Philomena told me.”
“Well, you see, that’s the thing…… Have you ever heard of the Grand Galloping Gala?”
“Other than it being a sore example of Repetition, then no.” Ember answered, shaking her head. “It sounds like a celebration though.”
“It is… Hosted at the end of every year in Canterlot to celebrate the end of this year and the start of the next one. I was invited. But, when I was going to ask Fluttershy about if she wanted to come with me, she tells me that she was going with a new friend of hers that she made this week called… Tree Hugger? I think that was her name… Either that or Treesmok-.”
“Can you get to the point?” Ember asked, a little irritated by the Lord of Chaos’ rambling.
“Well… I’m starting to think that Tree Hugger is trying to take Fluttershy away from me. Something with her Medical procedures involving burning leaves or something-. Anyways, my point is that I’m concerned that she is trying to take away my only friend.”
At first, Ember raised an eyebrow, followed by a small series of chuckles as she looked at him. “Oh goddess, this is comical…”
“What’s so funny? Can’t you see that I’m in a real personal Dilemma here-!!”
“No… You’re not. I’m guessing you’re new to the whole thing involving friendship?”
“Been in reform for almost two years now.” He replied, lighting a #2 candle on top of a cupcake he conjured out of nothingness.
“Well, let me give you an extra lesson.” Ember sighed as she put her hands in her pockets. “Theres an old saying back where I’m from. It’s make new friends, but keep the old. Which means that anypony can have more than one friend, but it doesn’t mean that they’re replacing you. They’re just getting the chance to meet new people. Heck, you may become friends with them eventually.”
Discord scratched his chin, taking the thought into consideration. “You may be right, but I’m not sure… Something about her to me seems… off. Either that or it’s just my head being affected by that smell she reeked of earlier.”
“Suit yourself. Don’t be surprised if what I told you will come back to haunt you.”
“Heh… yeah right. I just need a good wingman… And I have just the perfect idea in mind.”
“And that’s my cue to leave. See you around, Dissy.” Ember teased as she walked back towards Sweet Apple Acres. Discord was surprised that the Mancer called him by a nickname. Could it be possible for him to become friends with her?
Meanwhile, for the Mancer, she had a few other things on her mind. One being a strange presence from the Everfree Forest. For now, she decided to ignore it. Because she had other priorities that were more important as she began to see flakes of snow begin to sprinkle from the clouds above her.
Winter had come… and with a family… comes Heart’s Warming… and Damn it all to hell, she didn’t have anything for the family that gladly accepted her as one of their own. She needed something spellbinding, but personal. That’s when she came across Twilight and another white Unicorn, who was using a spell that involved… gemstones?
“Hello Ember!” Twilight called out as the Mancer approached them.
“Good morning. How are you?”
“Okay, just scrambling a little with two days before Heart’s Warming. Oh, Rarity, I almost forgot. This is AJ’s Aunt I was telling you about earlier.”
“So you’re Ember? My my, your scarf is just so… Magnificent!!”
“Why thank you, I’m flattered.” Ember replied. “Actually, I was wondering if I could ask for your help Twilight. It’s about Heart’s Warming.”
“Really? What about it?”
“Well, since Applejack and Big Mac have accepted me into the family, I want to get them a gift that shows how much I appreciate their generosity. But I’m running thin on ideas. Do you have any suggestions?”
“Well, that depends really. What did you have in mind?” The Alicorn asked her.
“Well, I wanted it to be something that came from the heart and also be something they will cherish for years to come. Show them that I really care for them. They’re my nieces and Mac is my nephew for crying out loud. I don’t want to give them something cheap.”
“I agree. Something poorly made would just be disastrous!” Rarity boasted, using a levitation spell to move some gems into a different Saddlebag she had on her. Then… an Idea came to her.
“Ms. Rarity. Can I ask you something?”
“Yes?”
“I saw you using your magic with those gems of yours and I just had a crazy idea for a Heart's Warming gift. Do you know what a Firestone is?” A firestone was known as a very special gem that was made to look like living fire was trapped inside of it.
“My word!” Rarity exclaimed. “Why do you need such a beautiful gem such as that for!? It’s very rare to come across and almost impossible to make. Plus, I don’t think you would want to travel all the way to the Crystal Empire to find a jewelcrafter that can make that for you.”
“Well, I was remembering the Gems that were on the chandelier inside the castle and I was thinking of having something like that, but more focused on Applejack’s family. I was thinking a Firestone to be formed in the shape of an apple and have some kind of picture or something inside it that shows itself when the light reflects on it. If you have the crystals, I can provide the fire.”
“That… is just plain wonderful, darling! I am quite impressed by your ideas. Very well. I can help make that for you.” The Unicorn proclaimed. Using a spell, she formed several transparent Selenite Crystals to form the shape of an apple. “Now darling, can you please provide your flame?”
Ember nodded, snapping her finger and a small controlled flame began to form at the end of her finger. Using another spell, Rarity let the crystal form around the flame and encase it inside. The color began to change in the form of the rich red that Ember wanted. Now came the final part. The Picture. It was hard for her to think of one. But she decided to imagine the Applejack, Applebloom, Big Mac and Granny Smith standing outside Sweet Apple Acres.
“Have you thought about what you wanted to put in there, Ember?”
“Yeah. What happens next?”
“Well, you might want to close your eyes for this part.” She warned. Her Horn soon began to flash and a few seconds later, what Ember thought about was encased inside the Crystalline Fruit that the two of them have created.
“What do you think?”
“It’s… Beautiful. Oh Applejack and the others are going to love this!” Ember said. “Thank you so much for your help.”
“Anytime, Darling. Come by the Carousel Boutique if you need my help with anything else.” Rarity told her as she trotted off. Ember herself now faced Twilight as she placed the gift inside her pocket.
“Your friend is quite imaginative.” She told the princess.
“Well, when she gets inspiration, she tries to use it anyways that she could. Of course, that’s lead to some trouble a few times. But generally, its for a good cause. Oh and I just got a letter from Princess Cadence a little while ago. She wants us to come to the Crystal Empire.”
“The Crystal Empire?”
“Yeah, her kingdom to the north. Why? Have you been there before?”
“No. I’ve stayed clear of it because I thought Sombra still lingered there. I didn’t know it was freed until I heard about it being the place to host the Equestria Games a few months ago.” Ember said. “After what happened to Philomena’s mother, I didn’t want the same thing to happen to me and give birth to something even more crueler than Anivia.”
“I see what you mean. Speaking of Anivia, that’s the reason why Cadence wants to talk. Her and her husband want to talk about the possibility of it being a security concern for the Empire. Given the time right now if we took the train, we would only be able to arrive tomorrow morning.”
“What? You can’t teleport us there?” Ember asked, shocked by what she said.
“No, it would use up all of my strength to teleport the both of us. If it were just me, then it would be easier. The quickest method for us to reach there is to go by train. If we tried to go by carriage, then the Pegasi pulling it would tire out too quickly. “
“Damn… Alright, let me go tell Granny Smith and Big Mac about it first and find a gift box to place this in before we leave.” Ember told them. Something about the Crystal Empire made her think that she was going to get a little more than what she bargained for.
The Crystal Empire (Train Ride; the next day)
The ride to the Crystal Empire was a little unnerving for the Mancer as she traveled with the princess. She had not ridden a train at all ever since coming to Equus and she wasn’t sure what were the appropriate customs for riding inside one. Additionally, riding the train with a Princess meant that the two of them would be sitting in Royal Class. Which was guarded by the best of the Royal guard. However, the sight of those guards and the fact that Ember wasn’t a Pony made her feel like this was some sort of prison transfer instead of a friendly visit.
“Ember?”
The single word from the Princess of Friendship snapped Ember out of her self inflicted trance and had her look at Twilight. “Yes, Princess?”
“There isn’t a need to call me that, Twilight is fine.” She giggled as she cleared her throat.
“I apologize. I thought there were certain customs that came with traveling with a Princess such as yourself.”
“It’s okay really. Despite my title, I still wanted to be treated like everypony else. I don’t wanted to be treated differently just because of my status.” Twilight made a very good point. But it felt a little difficult for that same logic to be applied to Ember. She was human after all and Twilight wasn’t. They would see her differently… maybe be scared of her.
“I understand. I’m just nervous, that’s all.”
“Nervous?”
“Yeah, I don’t want to do anything that would screw anything up. I’m new to this and I haven’t met Cadences husband yet. I’m not quite sure what he’ll think of me.”
“Don’t worry about it. Shiny’s a good pony.”
“Wait… Shiny?”
“His name is Shining Armor. He’s my older brother. Speaking of family, do you have any siblings?”
Now, Ember grimaced. “No. No, I don’t.”
“What about family?”
She gritted her teeth. “I rather not talk about it. I preferred my life here over the life I had in the world I was born in. My parents argued anytime something wasn’t done properly, they pushed me to my breaking point when it came to school and on the day that I ended up here, my father and mother were at the courthouse filing for a divorce. They didn’t even get the chance to run it by me first at all. They just thought I would understand by leaving a damned note on the kitchen table. Philomena was more like family to me and Applejack’s family is better than the two of them could ever be.”
Twilight herself was shocked. She never thought that this would have occurred to other species. But then… she heard something.
“Emma…”
“What?”
“That was my name back where I’m from. When I came here, I changed it to Ember because I wanted to forget about my past. In a way, being with Philomena and being in Equestria allowed for me to have a chance to start my life over. I’m thankful for that chance.” The Mancer said. “I wanted to find a place where I would belong and despite the amount of pain I was put through, I feel like I found myself a home in this world.”
Twilight smiled. “Well, I’m glad you did-.”
“Now arriving at: Sapphire Station”
“Well, that’s our stop.” Twilight told the Mancer as the two of them began to leave the train car. The eyes of all the ponies that were also on the train were immediately set on the two of them as they walked out of the station and continued to go through the streets. From Children to commoners, they stared at her. Even talking about her like she couldn’t hear them.
“What is that creature?”
“Why would it be with Princess Sparkle?”
“Is it a monster from Tartarus?”
Ember herself sighed deeply as she continued to walk. Twilight noticed this and then asked her something. “Are you okay? You seem stressed.”
“I’m fine. It’s just that everypony here has been talking about me ever since we started walking. Talking behind my back. It just irritates me.”
“Don’t worry, were almost there. The entrance to the palace is just over there.” The Alicorn said as the set of doors blocking the way opened for them. The guards that followed them soon left to return to their post and as Ember and Twilight reached the center of the room, two other figures entered. One new and One familiar.
“Twily!!”
“Shiny!!” Twilight cried, wrapping herself around the White Unicorn Stallion that entered the room alongside Cadence. Ember assumed that this was Shining Armor as she looked at Cadence.
“It’s good to see you again, Ms. Cadence.” Ember greeted the Alicorn, shaking her hoof.
“You too. Ember.”
“Ah yes. It’s nice to be able to finally meet you again despite everything that’s been going on in the Empire as of late.”
Ember herself, raised an eyebrow at that. “What do you mean?”
Shining sighed, looking at his wife before looking back at the Mancer. “We’ve been having a lot of trouble as of late. Many ponies are scared because of the amount of children that had been abducted over the last three months. Our guards are working around the clock in order to try to keep the peace within our walls, but to also find the ones responsible for these abductions. So far, we haven’t had any success.”
‘Must’ve been the reason for all the rhetoric being said behind my back.’ Ember thought to herself.
“So… what else brings you to the Crystal Empire? I don’t think you’re exactly here for sightseeing.”
“You’re right on that part. Cadence, did Philomena ever tell you about a Cryophoenix named Anivia?”
“Yes? What about it?”
“Well, she got the jump on us yesterday and froze Spike. I thawed him out, but from we found out, she has two pieces of the Wendigo heart.” The name of the object alone had stunned both Shining Armor and Cadence.
“You mean THE Wendigo heart?” Both Mancer and Princess nodded their heads. “Oh dear… But that means…”
“That she’s in the Crystal empire somewhere looking for the final piece. We wanted to know if their was anything that could possibly help us stay one step ahead of her.”
“Possibly. But we should talk about this over dinner. It is getting late after all.” Cadence told them. The conversation continued in the dining hall as the four of them ate and had a wonderful meal. The only possible chances for something that Ember could use as a lead though went up in smoke when some records about the heart were one of a few documents that were sabotaged when the wing that they were held in at the Archives caught fire. Something else was on Ember’s mind though. Anytime that Shining and Cadence mentioned the missing children, a look of dismay ran across their faces. Something that she thought was off.
“Cadence… Are you okay?”
“W-why yes dear, why do you ask?”
“Well, anytime the conversation mentioned the missing foals and fillies from the abductions, you two look at each other in sadness. Is something wrong?”
The Princess of Love sighed. “Well…… How should I put this? …… Shining Armor and I a month ago decided to consider adopting somepony. We went to the Orphanage, looked around, saw a pair of twins that we liked. But when we went back the next day, they were the next two victims to be abducted.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Milady!!!”
One of the guards, a Black Crystalline Pegasus opened the door and barged in. “We got a situation. A pair of frozen train tracks just appeared that lead all the way to the main square!”
Ember herself was caught off guard by this along with the other few ponies in the room. “Did you try to remove them?” Shining Armor asked.
“We did. But our mages said that the rails are made of something other than magic!!”
“Life Force.” Ember said, looking at Twilight and Cadence. “We got a Mancer coming.”
“Is it… her?”
“Only way to tell is if I go have a look for myself. If anypony wants to come along, now’s your chance.” The Mancer told her as she walked past the doors and went outside. Twilight soon chased after her along with the others as they reached the sight that the guard was talking about. Rails of Snow and Ice had emerged from the cracks in the ground, going straight towards the center of the Crystal Empire.
Ember got down on her knees, looking closely at the track that was made. Twilight stood behind her, nervously. “Is it-?”
“No. It’s not Anivia. It’s somepony else. Who though, I don’t know.”
“How can you tell?”
“Life Force sometimes gives off a feeling that can define whether it’s positive or negative. Positive Force makes you feel like you’re in a warm hug while negative gives you a chill down your spine. Looking at the tracks, it’s made with a LOT of positive force. Three times more than any being could actually have at once.”
Before anypony else could react, the guards were yelling for all the civilians to stay off of the streets as a Cold Train came through the front gates. It was the literal definition of a Polar Express based on appearance. But as the train got closer to the center, it actually began to slow down. Which was surprising to almost everypony present. Ember herself used one of her hands to conjure a small burning blade the size of a combat knife and hold it in reverse. You can’t be too prepared given the current situation.
As the train rolled to a stop though, something surprising happened. A loud whistle went off and the doors of the train opened. Within seconds, a swarm of Foals, fillies and Colts barreled out of the train and jumped into the shocked and surprised arms of their parents. Shining Armor was also surprised. All of these ponies were the missing children from the abduction cases. But soon, a personal miracle happened for both him and his Wife.
“Cadence!!! Shining!!”
Both of them turned around; their eyes widening as their jaws dropped. “Oh my stars!! Pearl!!! Valiance!!”
Both of the children that Cadence and Shining Armor wanted to adopt leaped into their hooves in a warm embrace. The Royal couple had missed them as much as the two children had missed them. “We thought we weren’t going to see you again!! What happened!?”
“Frost saved all of us!!”
Ember raised an eyebrow. “Wait… Who’s Frost?”
“That would be me.” A new voice echoed as one last figure stepped out before having the train and tracks fade away. A bipedal wolf with Dark Blue fur, turquoise vest, black pants with turquoise cuffs on the bottom, grey hands and a light blue shirt. Behind him, he dragged a sled with seven unconscious bodies.
“These seven are responsible for the abduction of these children. They forced them to work in the mines in the abandoned town of Coalson along with myself. However, I made sure that all of them could be brought to justice. They’ll wake within an hour so please make sure that they’re locked up before then.”
Shining himself was quite surprised. This… Wolf… was able to not only bring everypony home safely, but capture all the ones responsible. That, in itself, is no small feat. He issued an order to the guards to take all seven of them to the dungeons to lock them up. But, one thing came out from Ember that nopony ever expected.
“You’re an Excedian…”
“Yep. That’s me alright. Not a lot of my kind left, but I’m thankful for the friends I do make. Pearl and Valiance were a big help as well.”
Ember looked at the wolf from head to toe, thinking that something was somehow… off with him. “May I see something real quick?”
“Uh, sure-?”
Before the wolf could say anything more, Ember put her hand on his shoulder and focused. The Mancer was trying to see his Life Force, but what she found was surprisingly different. Even to her. Something was surging inside of him where his heart would be. What it was caused Ember to back up and let go of his shoulder.
“Holy sh*t…”
“Ember, what’s wrong?”
“I…… found the final piece…… It’s fused with Frost’s soul.”
End Chapter 6