Chapter 2
The streets of Baltimare's market district bustled with earth ponies, all of them hurrying about to complete their afternoon shopping and errands. Stallions pulled large carts full of produce along the dirt roads lined with family vendors and stands. Saddlebag laden ponies browsed, bought, and sold as excited foals darted between legs and around displays, all adding to the overall noisy environment. One particular mare worked her way from stand to stand through the busy streets, her smooth, ochre coat a bit out of place among the somewhat rougher farming district residents.
Dew Glimmer smiled as she weaved her way through the marketplace, browsing the fresh fruits and vegetables with a buyer’s eye. It always relaxed her to get out of the stuffy shopping marts of city central. The smell of the freshest food and the earth beneath her hooves put her in good spirits.
She trotted lightly around an overloaded cart and made her way to the other side of the street. The farming district had no lanes or sidewalks like the streets in the business sector. Carts came and went where they pleased and the seemingly endless lines of vendors showed little semblance of order beyond “first come, first serve.” Glimmer found the simple organization relaxing and inviting, and though the ponies here were friendly as often as not, the produce was always fresh.
She approached one of the vegetable stands, stopping to wait her turn as the group ahead of her made their selections. As she stood waiting, she closed her eyes a moment, settling into the lively noise of many conversations floating around her.
"Did you hear about the attack on the southern settlement this week?"
Glimmer’s ears perked, and she turned her attention to two mares running adjacent stands nearby.
"There was another attack?" one mare replied to the other. "Oh, those poor ponies. What was it this time?”
"A manticore, says my niece,” the other continued. “Apparently it made off with a pony from one of the farms."
“How terrible!” the other mare replied in shock, “This has been happening for weeks! Isn't the city mage doing anything to help them?”
"There was a letter written to his office. Said they would send more guards to discourage the attacks.”
“Discourage? Why not just go out there himself and run the monsters off. It is his job, after all. I have family in those settlements!”
"We all have family out there, Rose,” the other mare scolded, “and why don't you try asking a unicorn mage to go live in a dirty farming community with a bunch of earth ponies. Besides, that dolt might miss his match with Manehatan's mage next week.”
"It’s their job to protect ponies from predators," she snapped back, "not to shoot fancy lights at each other for that crowd in Canterlot!”
“What’cha want, ma’am?”
Glimmer’s attention snapped back to the stand and the stallion who now stood to serve her.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Just one bag, please.”
Glimmer shivered slightly as she indicated her choices to the stallion, taking in what she had just heard. Everyone knew about the new settlements springing up on the forest frontiers, it was a big deal for the families of the settlers. But this was the first she’d heard of any attacks, and the thought of ponies being snatched up by predators as they worked in the fields was a thing of nightmares. As a filly, she had often gone on runs through the forest paths across the river, but she had never seen so much as a timberwolf out there. Perhaps they just never came so close to the city?
Glimmer paid for her bag and packed it away as the two shopkeepers continued their conversation:
"What I want to know is why the princesses aren’t doing anything about this. There are three of them again now, after all. If the mages are slacking off and ponies are dying then they should be taking notice.
"But the news articles are blaming the princesses," the other mare replied scandalously. "They say the mages weren't prepared for the extra land they would have to cover for the settlements.”
"Well if they would just do their jobs instead of playing their little magic games then maybe-"
The two mares fell out of earshot and Glimmer shivered again. That poor pony out on the frontier was family to someone, and she couldn't bear the thought of what they must be going through right now. She hurried her pace and tried to put the thoughts of monsters and predators out of her mind.
She continued around the block, and a familiar stand stacked with bushels of apricots came into view. Glimmer immediately brightened and turned her way towards it. Her gloomy memories would just have to wait.
The stand itself was nearly twice the length of the one she had just left, and a family of roan colored earth ponies bustled around behind it as they stacked and sold apricots with speedy efficiency. One of the speckled mares caught sight of Glimmer and smiled as she approached, waving to her excitedly. She had the somewhat stocky build of a farm pony, and her coat was a rough mix of burgundy and white.
“Hi, Glimmer!” the mare called out as she approached. “It’s about time you dropped by. I haven’t seen you in weeks.”
Glimmer returned her greeting, and the two hugged briefly over the counter. “I’m sorry, Blossom. I’ve had a bit of a rough week.”
“More like several rough weeks,” Blossom replied worriedly. “Somepony thought you had finally gotten tired of us. Busy livin’ the city life an’ all that.” Blossom turned a triumphant grin over her shoulder to one of her older brothers, who blushed and quickly went back to unloading bushels from his cart.
“Not that I would blame Miss Glimmer fer wantin’ to move on,” the stallion muttered.
Glimmer frowned playfully. “All those years and you all worry over a few quiet weeks?" she teased. "Looks like somepony misses my little sister and I rattling your windows every morning at dawn.”
The stallion grinned and shook his head as he worked. “Little fillies runnin' in the mornings for fun; still no brains at all in you city mares.”
Both mares laughed with him. “We all missed you, Glimmer,” Blossom said, “and Ma’s really gonna to be happy to see you.” She looked over her shoulder again and called over the noise of the street. “Ma! It’s Glimmer!”
Another mare peeked out from behind the stand's display. Her body was mostly white from the shoulders to the base of her tail, and her features were warm and cheerful, if a little bit rushed at the moment from work.
“Hello, Mrs. Bloom,” Glimmer called with a wave.
“Glimmer! How are you, dear?” She trotted over alongside her daughter and embraced Glimmer, kissing her cheek happily. “You haven’t been by to see us lately.”
“You know I could never stay away for long, Mrs. Bloom," Glimmer replied, holding tight for a moment before relinquishing the motherly embrace.
“Oh I know, dear,” the mare said with a wink. She grabbed a bag and began filling it with some choice fruit from their display. “The children have all missed you, and Blossom has had no one to distract her from her chores... or to snitch the apricots with on orchard duty.”
The two younger mares both blushed and giggled. “Has everyone been doing alright out in the orchards?” Glimmer asked. That conversation between the two mares from earlier came forefront to her mind, and she tried to keep the hint of worry out of her voice.
"Things have been wonderful!" Bloom exclaimed. "We just bought new land near one of the settlements for another orchard. You know we've been clearing out our harvest for years now, but we've never been able to expand, crowded in as we are. Those land sanctions from Princess Twilight were heaven sent; it's about time somepony addressed it.”
“That’s wonderful!” Glimmer responded with genuine excitement. She had been present for several of the family's harvests and was well aware of their frustration over crowded farmland, “just be careful out there, please…”
“Oh don’t worry, dear,” Mrs. Bloom replied knowingly. "The boys can take care of themselves well enough in the settlements, it's their future inheritance that we're worried about. It may be a good bit of work to clear the land but it’s nothing our ancestors haven’t done before us.”
She turned back to Glimmer and placed a sack of plump apricots on the table in front of her. "And what about you, dear?” she asked as Glimmer reached for her bits. “Has your father been getting any better?”
Glimmer paused and hung her head at the question. "Still the same as ever I'm afraid. My sister left for Manehattan last week, so it’s just me now. The apricots are for him, actually, you know how he loves them.”
Bloom's eyes softened. "Hard working stallion that one, bless him.” She frowned and turned back away from the counter. “Well, in that case, how about we round it off to a full dozen, free of charge. I'm sure your father won't object," she leaned over the counter and placed a few more large pieces of fruit in Glimmer's bag.
"Mrs. Bloom! You don't have to do that," Glimmer protested "I've always done just fine on bits."
"They're not for you, dear," the older mare replied seriously, "and if you go snitching any of them before they get to your father then you'll have me to answer to, y’hear?" she added with a wink.
Glimmer relaxed and laughed along with her. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Bloom, it means a lot."
"You take care of yourself, Glimmer,” Bloom replied as she picked up a pair of saddlebags and swung them onto her back. “Now I have my own shopping to do for this lot before the sun goes down.” She gave Glimmer and Blossom each one last hug before disappearing into the crowd.
"So Shimmer finally got up and left then, huh?" Blossom asked as Glimmer handed over bits for the fruit. "Got that job she wanted? I know you've been sayin' she wanted to go."
Glimmer's expression dropped again and she spoke hesitantly. "I don't really want to talk about it, Blossom," she replied. "She's left at a very bad time, and we didn't part on the best of terms... we haven't exactly written each other since she left.
Blossom looked worried but she held her questions. "Well, I can hardly imagine the two of you ever fighting over anything. Just let us know if you ever need somethin', okay?"
Glimmer smiled again. “Thanks, Blossom. And I’ll try to get out and stop by this week. I promise.”
The speckled mare beamed. “We'll plan on it. You just hang in there with your little city job until then. We can all run out to the water hole after the chores are done, just like old times. We'll have you up and chipper again in no time."
"With you lot, I have no doubt," she replied. "I'll see you then." They waved one last time and she made her way back into the crowds again.
Glimmer had only gone a short distance before she froze in her tracks.
Heading down the block towards her was a trio of laughing stallions wearing collars and neckties, looking for all the world like they had just walked off the streets of the business district. They were younger than your usual businessponies, and they moved through the market with a mocking air, as if there was hardly anything in sight worth their time. Leading them was a bay earth pony stallion, his mane artfully mussed and silver cufflinks on his collar.
Glimmer turned tail and darted back to the stand.
Blossom’s eyes widened as Glimmer dove clear over the counter and ducked behind several bushels of fruit. “Sweet harmony, Glimmer! What’s wrong?” she asked worriedly.
“Sorry, sorry. Just don’t mind me for a bit.”
“Do you know them stallions?” Blossom indicated the approaching group.
“Did he see me? Is he coming this way?”
“Think so, but they aren’t so bad lookin’ to me.”
“Oooh, why is he here?" Glimmer fretted, covering her head with her hooves. "It’s bad enough he comes by my work.”
Blossom glanced down at her friend and then back at the approaching stallions. “Why don’t you go on out the back if you want. I’ll keep ‘em here for a bit and you can tell me about all this later.”
“Thank you, Blossom.” Glimmer hugged her friend’s leg then darted around into the stand next door. She apologized to the ponies scolding her as she hurried by, trying to keep herself low as she moved around and behind the displays.
She got two stands over before her progress was stopped by several long rows of empty bushels. She heard a stallion’s voice from the stand behind her, followed by Blossom’s, talking quickly. Glimmer gathered her hooves beneath her and hopped over the stack. She cleared the bushels, only to yelp as she rolled her ankle on another stack just behind the first. She twisted painfully and fell, knocking over the stand’s main display and showering everything in green peppers. The stand's owner cried out in surprise, followed by anger at the mare who had just massacred the inside of his stand.
“Sorry! I’m sorry,” Glimmer tried to calm the angry vendor as she picked herself up. “Here, let me help you.” She began to gather the scattered vegetables and return them to their baskets.”
“No need to pick it all up,” came a voice from the street. “I can pay for the lot of it if you’d like.”
Glimmer groaned at the voice. She looked to see the well dressed stallion standing over the counter with an amused grin on his face.
“That was pretty cute, Glimmer. You actually don’t look half bad covered in vegetables.”
Glimmer blushed and scowled as she pulled herself free of the mess. She crawled out of the stand and trotted away quickly without a word, only to slow to an awkward walk as the pain in her ankle began to work itself out.
The stallion was beside her in a moment, matching her pace easily and completely ignoring the shouts from the vendor behind them. “Really, Glimmer. What's a mare like you doing shopping way out here?" he said, poking invasively at her bags.
Glimmer said nothing, only tried and failed to speed her pace over her twinging ankle. Perhaps he would take the hint and she wouldn't have to deal with him.
“If I didn't know any better,” the stallion continued as he trotted easily beside her, “I might have guessed you’d fallen on hard times seeing you scrounging around the farmer’s market. Is that job as a street corner waitress not treating you well?”
Glimmer's frown deepened. “Please leave, Damian.”
The stallion smirked at her response. “So you will talk to me. Well I was just curious about why you never came back to work for me. I've been missing you.”
“I’m not interested.” Glimmer avoided his eyes and angled her path away from him.
Damian circled around in front of her and planted his hooves angrily. She could see his temper rising and she attempted to ignore it and walk past him, but he blocked her path. “I picked you out of that crummy job to come work in my office and you walked out on me after the first day!"
“I’m no longer interested in being anypony’s secretary... if that's what they're calling it.” Glimmer turned around and began to walk the opposite way. “I’m happy where I am.”
Damian was beside her again. “But you were doing fine. There was nothing wrong!”
Glimmer stopped and turned to face him, her own temper rising in spite of her nervousness. “Nothing wrong? They dressed me in a saddle and heels. You had me walking back and forth in front of your desk all day re-stacking those awful shelves. I've never been so embarrassed in my life!” She turned again and continued on down the street, fighting against her burning cheeks.
The stallion stood for a second, taking in her sudden outburst. He recovered with a scowl and continued after her.
"That just takes some getting used to," he replied easily. "It's what mares wear in the office.”
“Oh, then I’m so glad you thought of me for the job,” Glimmer muttered as she avoided him again. "I saw the other secretaries there and I don't want it." She didn't care which direction she walked now, so long as it was away from him.
“Glimmer, hey, look at me. It's no big deal! Most mares would kill for this job.”
"And there were loads of other mares that applied who actually qualified for the job... I had wondered why I got it."
Damian's frown deepened, and he stomped in frustration when she turned away from him again. "You're thinking about this too much!"
Glimmer sped her pace again. "None of you do enough real work to need a secretary. You just want some trophy mare to show around that office."
He hooked a rough hoof over her shoulder, stopping her. "You can't just walk out after-"
Glimmer gave him a light kick, separating them, and continued on. “Go get yourself a call mare, Damian. I’m not going to prance around an office and wave my tail for you.”
For a moment it seemed like he had finally stopped following her. Glimmer let out a breath and tried to even out her shaky steps. She had rarely ever been so agitated as she had these last few weeks, and she would not be bullied back into working for him, much less after he had lied to her about the job.
Damian appeared next to her again. He walked slowly and brushed up against her side, much closer than she would have liked. “Hey, hey. If you hadn't noticed... I really do like you. This job really isn't any different from being a waitress." His voice softened, taking on a tone that she imagined was supposed to calm her. "I always liked seeing you working at the café, Glimmer. And mares like you can really go far working with the right stallion.” She tensed as he inched in closer to her. “Come back and work for me. I’ll make the pay worth your while. You won't ever have to go shopping around places like this anymore...”
Glimmer’s eyes darted around for some easy way out, but no escape presented itself. Everyone seemed to be either rushing about or looking carefully away from the two of them. Her gaze turned to the path ahead of them again, and suddenly her eyes widened.
“...you would get used to the dress code, and-“
Damian was startled as Glimmer suddenly turned and went nose-to-nose with him, her eyes locked with his and she snaked a hoof up to his chest. His eyes widened but he recovered quickly. He smiled wide and hunched in closer to her, ignoring the sudden increase in noise from the street around them.
“I don’t want the job,” Glimmer said.
Damian's smile lowered into a frown, “Huh? Of course you d-“
“Bye.”
Glimmer leaped and pushed herself away from Damian, who was immediately bowled over by a runaway cart filled with bad apricots. The cart crashed sidelong into the stallion with a loud ‘smack’, flipping over completely and burying him in bruised and smashed fruit.
Glimmer darted behind a nearby stand as a crowd began to form. She sat down heavily to catch her breath. That had gone worse than she had ever tho-
“Did I get ‘em?” Blossom almost yelled as she skidded to a stop beside Glimmer.
Glimmer jumped at her friend’s sudden appearance. “Oh, Blossom! Oh, thank you so much. I couldn't get rid of him. Wasn't that your cart?”
“Yeah, one of ‘em.” Blossom pranced in place, brimming with energy as she looked out over her handiwork. Glimmer followed her gaze: a trail of scattered produce and fallen ponies leading up to a growing crowd where the mangled cart lay.
“Oh, Blossom, your cart is ruined.”
“Yeah, I got him good!”
“Well… I kind of pushed him into it.” Glimmer said sheepishly. “But don’t you need that cart?”
“Nah, that's where we keep all the fruit what goes bad. Pa was tired of fixin' it anyways. That idiot's friends said some nasty things 'bout mah coat. They didn't buy nuthin’ either. Guess they didn't think we’d actually run ‘em off.”
Glimmer couldn't help but snicker a little as her friend spoke. As much as Blossom tried, her accent was always much worse when she got worked up. Her attention continued along the street as the fallen ponies picked themselves up out of the street, gathering spilled belongings and arguing over one thing or another.
Glimmer hesitated as she spotted someone particular out of the crowd. A grey-coated stallion had just settled a dispute with an angry merchant and was now turning back to recover his own fallen belongings. He had a dull coloration and was a bit dirty, but she recognized the amber mane and eyes to match. As Glimmer watched, he bent down and grimaced over a torn bag of briquettes, the contents having scattered across the street where it had fallen.
“Blossom, do you know that pony?” She pointed but her friend didn't respond. It took a light shove to draw her attention away from the crowd by the cart.
“Huh? Which pony?”
Glimmer shook her head and pointed with a hoof. “That stallion, the grey one picking up the coals.”
“Oh, uhh… maybe I’ve seen him a few times. One of them metal workers. Why?”
Glimmer patted her friend’s back as the agitated mare’s attention continued to waver. “I think I’ve met him before. I’m going to go talk to him.”
Blossom was still prancing lightly on her hooves. “Sounds good, now do ya mind if I go kick that creep while he’s down?” She indicated towards the crowd and her ruined cart. “Bet’cha I can get a few solid ones in while the crowd’s still there.”
“Blossom, that’s terrible!” Glimmer scolded her.
“But ya don’t mind?”
Glimmer paused and bit her lip, trying to hide her grin, and Blossom dashed off, elbowing her way into the dense crowd. Glimmer giggled and then grimaced as she walked out into the street, remembering the exact moment when she’d stopped enjoying wrestling with Blossom and her brothers.
Damian’s head spun wildly as he staggered to his hooves. His vision was pressed with faces, all of them talking at once. He shook his head and pushed against the ponies crowding around him, trying to get his vision to settle so he could make out individuals.
“Glimmer?!” he called out into the pressing crowd. There was a dull ‘thump’ and Damian's eyes bulged. His gasp caught in his throat and he promptly vomited in the dirt.”
Ember was making his way back home from the materials store through the crowded streets, two large bags of coal briquettes balanced over his saddlebags, when there was shouting from the road behind him. He turned his head, only to be knocked over in a scuffle as several ponies rushed to push past him. A runaway cart went barreling down the road and Ember found himself lying in a pile of spilled saddlebags among his own day’s purchases. Some merchant began yelling at him angrily, something about not getting out of the way.
Ember lay shocked for a moment, not sure how to respond. It had been one long week since he had last heard the noise of the city, or any noise for that matter, and he had long gotten used to readjusting. But he couldn't remember the last time anyone had actively yelled at him. The hostility made his head spin.
Ember shook himself. He stammered out a timid apology to the pony and moved to help him gather up his spilled wares. The merchant did not return his apology, and he walked away in a huff once his wares had all been gathered. Ember felt a bit frustrated at that but he held his peace, still a little flustered over what had happened. He would rather not get into anything stupid while he could still try to enjoy the better half of his week.
He returned to his own fallen belongings and grimaced. One of the bags of briquettes had torn where he'd dropped it and the little black coals had scattered out into the street. Knowing that he had no way to repair it, he still examined the tear: he would be lucky to get even half of the spilled material home with his saddlebags already full, and having to carry the bag in his mouth would slow him down. Ember groaned quietly and began to gather up as many of the coals as he could. This was not turning into a very good start to his week.
"Here, let me help you with that."
Ember jumped slightly at the voice and his eyes widened as he looked up. A beautiful, ocher mare was bending down next to him, helping to gather up the scattered coals and return them to the bag. She had a simple-cut, sea blue mane, her coat shined with obvious care, and she smiled at him with azure eyes.
It took Ember a moment to find his voice, and when he did it was scratchy as if he hadn't used it all day. "Uh... thanks.” Ember spluttered. “I mean, no, you don't have to do that. I'm fine," Ember quickly snatched a few of the greasy coals out of her reach.
“Don’t worry, I want to help.” the mare said easily, and she continued to gather up the briquettes, her muzzle and hooves quickly becoming smudged with black.
Ember stared sidelong at her as he worked. He had never seen a city mare so willingly dirty her coat like that, and these coals tasted about as bitter as anything he could name. Then again, she wasn't wearing anything, and you rarely ever saw central city ponies around the farming district... but she certainly carried herself like one.
Ember was suddenly very aware of how smudged and dirty he was himself. Of course he had rinsed off out back before setting out to the market that morning, but the materials store was self-serve, and shopping had left him with wood shavings and dirt all tangled in his coat and mane... So much for that...
The mare didn’t seem to mind any of this as she helped Ember lift the torn bag and drag what was left of its contents out of the road.
“My name is Glimmer, by the way,” the mare said as they nudged the last few coals into a pile.
“I’m Ember,” he replied after clearing his throat, still a bit overwhelmed. “Thank you... and I’m sorry about your coat. You didn't have to do that.”
“Oh, I don’t mind at all,” she said, scuffing her blackened nose nonchalantly. “And I think I know you, by the way…”
Ember froze, wracking his memory. When had he ever talked to a mare like her? Certainly he would have remembered that.
Glimmer giggled at his dumbfounded look. “I think it was last week at the harvest festival. You helped my friend Lily in the forest?”
The memories of that night at the festival were still fresh in Ember’s mind: his disappointment at not being able to stay, his stupid decision to fight with those stallions, and a very near miss trying to get the injured mare back to the city.
“You’re that mare who took her home?” Ember guessed hesitantly.
She smiled at the confirmation. “Yes! It is you, then. Lily told me about what happened. She really hasn't stopped talking about you since that night.”
Ember blushed, surprised that this mare had even remembered him. It had been dark, and he was pretty well tramped up by those stallions, making for a particularly uncomfortable night, but it was nice to know that it did some good.
“Thank you,” Ember returned uncertainly. “I mean, you’re welcome. She’s alright, isn't she?”
“Lily's fine,” Glimmer assured him, “and we’re really grateful for what you did.”
“Oh… you’re welcome,” Ember finished lamely. Idiot. I already said that! He felt like his tongue was made of lead and he wanted to crawl away and hide, but he also didn't want her to go.
Glimmer looked around at the still-loose coals, and then at Ember’s already overfilled saddlebags. “You’re going to need something else to carry all of this,” she said. She turned her head and removed her own saddlebags. She moved all of her groceries over to one side with room to spare and then started filling the empty side with the loose briquettes.
Ember protested and moved to stop her, "No, you really don't have to do that. It's not that important..." She pushed his hooves away and continued to fill the bag to the top with briquettes, thoroughly ruining the material's color.
Glimmer finished packing away the last of the coals, just barely fitting all of them. "There we go." She slung the blackened bags over her back and started down the street at a trot. "So where are we heading?" she called, shooting a playful look back at him.
Ember stared for a moment before jumping and moving to follow her. He tied off the torn bag so as to carry it without any more coals falling out. Returning everything to his back, he trotted quickly after her.
The crowds of busy ponies gradually thinned out as Ember led the way out of the marketplaces and towards the industrial district. The atmosphere calmed, and the streets faded into loose dirt roads lined with workshops and storage barns.
The two chatted lightly as they walked, and Ember gradually found himself relaxing around Glimmer. She didn't seem to mind at all how dirty and smudged her coat had become, or how he still stuttered and hesitated sometimes as they talked. She seemed to truly be enjoying herself, and Ember saw no reason to continue fretting over it.
He couldn’t help but look at her as they walked. Glimmer reached to about his nose in height and was very attractive. She knew her way around the lower districts surprisingly well, considering she had none of the rough walk or features of a farmer. She carried herself lightly like a city mare, minus the fancy clothes and makeup. Ember grinned. Makeup. Those black smudges on her cheeks did kind of bring out her features.
Ember chuckled, feeling a bit more at ease as they walked. “Thank you again, by the way... for the help."
Glimmer laughed: a bright, cheerful sound that made Ember's insides melt involuntarily. "I told you, it's fine. I want to. Besides, knowing what you did for Lily, we owe you a big thank you. Things could have been so much worse if you hadn't found her.
“I was actually wondering why you ran off so soon that night,” Glimmer continued. “Lily said that you were hurt, and you just went running right back into the forest.”
Ember tensed, thinking hard for some kind of acceptable answer. He could think of none. “Sorry I left like that," he finally said. "I… had somewhere to be that night.’’
“Some other mare waiting for you out there?” Glimmer jabbed playfully.
Ember stuttered and blushed. “Umm, no. No other mare.”
“Lily will be happy to hear that,” Glimmer teased as they turned another corner. Ember blushed even deeper.
They approached the city limits, near where the farming district merged with the industrial, and they turned down a street lined with a number of private storage barns. There were farm workers unloading a wagon full of hay bales into the loft of one of the buildings, where it would stay dry during the winter months.
"This is it," Ember said, motioning to one of the many identical structures. It was a bit smaller than the other barns and a bit newer looking, too. The raw wood of the doors swung wide as Ember pushed his way through and Glimmer followed.
The inside of the little barn was spacious and simple. The ground floor had been cleared and converted into a small blacksmith's workshop occupied by a brick furnace and anvil in the far left corner. One wall of the room was lined with hammers, tongs, and other tools which hung on pegs above a sturdy work table. The ceiling was a bit low, making room for the large, open storage loft above. On the right wall was a wooden stepladder leading up through a trap door. It was all relatively tidy and well kept.
Ember dropped the bags of briquettes by the empty furnace. He thanked Glimmer again as he took her saddlebag and emptied its contents into a barrel in the corner. The rest of the bags followed, and Glimmer took the opportunity to look around.
She nosed curiously at the different tools on the walls and the unfinished projects lying on the worktable. There were whetstones, molds, as well as some odd little boxes lying among a scattering of small metal parts. She hadn't been inside many blacksmith shops in her life, and she loved the warm, rustic atmosphere and the smell of new wood that came off the walls. In one corner was a stack of what looked like iron wagon axels, many of them bent out of shape, and in the other, next to the empty furnace, was a trough of water and some barrels full of scrap wood and metal. She poked around delightedly as Ember threw the last of the briquettes into the furnace along with the torn bag.
As she continued to look around, Glimmer noticed a lot more signs of life around the little barn than one would normally find in a workplace.
"Do you... live here?" Glimmer asked, a bit hesitantly.
“Yeah, actually,” Ember replied casually as he worked. “Made a deal with the owner who won’t be needing the storage space this season. I sleep in the loft... warmer up there.”
“Oh,” Glimmer said, slightly troubled as the little barn took on a different light for her. More questions rose to her lips but she held her tongue, not thinking them quite appropriate at the moment. Well, it's warm and looks clean enough.
"It's nice," She replied with a sincere smile.
Ember returned Glimmer's saddlebags to her and then retrieved some flint and steel from the table. He grabbed a mouthful of tinder from his bags and set to work lighting the furnace with a patient and practiced ease.
Glimmer watched the process closely, and Ember agreed to let her take a few tries, enjoying her genuine interest. Getting a decent enough pile of sparks was difficult, and Glimmer found her neck hurting after a number of attempts. She gave up with a frustrated snort, and Ember laughed as he took over again.
"I wanted to ask you..." Glimmer began as he worked. "Would you consider meeting Lily and I tomorrow for lunch? We usually get together at the Garden Park Restaurant during our break, and she talks about you so much I know she would be really grateful for a chance to meet. You wouldn't have to stay long if you didn't want to," she added quickly.
Ember paused in lighting the coals. He hadn't expected Glimmer would want to meet again. Spending more of his time farther in the city was a bad idea, but all the same, he wanted somepony to talk to very badly sometimes. Maybe with some more time? He bit his lip as he struggled with the decision. The last few years had definitely caught up with him, and he had really enjoyed just being able to talk freely with somepony for once. He would sooner bite his tongue than tell her he didn't want to meet again.
Ember looked over at Glimmer's asking eyes. She said he wouldn't have to stay if he didn't want to, plus it was the first day of the week, and there was little chance that anything would happen so long as he was careful.
"Well, I don't see why not, I guess," Ember replied uncertainly after a moment. "You’ll have to tell me how to get there. I don't really get out all that often."
"Oh, thank you so much," Glimmer exclaimed, cantering in place happily. She briefly explained to Ember where he could find the place and what time he should come. "We'll treat you to lunch and Lily will get the chance to meet you."
Ember couldn't help but crack a large smile as he watched her, and a warm feeling shot through his chest. "So, I guess I'll see you both tomorrow then?" he chuckled.
Glimmer gave a smudged smile and turned her head away as he laughed at her, a bit embarrassed. "Alright, we'll see you tomorrow!" she said, giving him one last grin before turning and trotting out the still-open doors.
Ember stood in a daze after she had gone, a stupidly happy look plastered on his face. That warm feeling grew a bit stronger, even the slightest bit uncomfortable at the thought of seeing her again tomorrow. Of course he wanted to see Glimmer again, and Celestia knows he wanted something to do besides work.
Upon thinking of work, Ember shook his head and trotted back over towards the furnace to pick up where he had left off. Earning enough bits in a month to pay rent was a challenge when you had to work independent, though it was worth the much needed flexibility.
And nothing ever got done by sitting around daydreaming.
Ember grinned at his Dad’s old motto and attacked his work with far more enthusiasm than he’d had in a long time.
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So far, I'm really enjoying the pacing, story structure, and the use of mystery as a compelling force to invest the reader. I know that just saying, "Good job" isn't very helpful when you're looking for constructive criticism, but that's really all I can say at the moment, sorry. (Did I really just apologize to an author because their work was too good for me to be able to criticize?)
Anyway, you said that you're taking your favorite trope and trying to give it a solid paced, enjoyable feel. Which trope is that, exactly? (If you don't mind my asking.)
Yay! I was happy to see that this story got updated... So few stories do these days.
Keep em coming, this site lacks all OC stories that are well-written and interesting (like this one)
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The trope is inherent in Ember’s condition... which is obscured as a mystery to to make it compelling. That’s what I get for commenting on something I haven’t revealed yet. Thanks for the favorite and taking the time to comment. Confirming what readers are feeling just gets the next chapter done and polished faster. I see you just finished quite the project yourself.
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Ugh, yes. I pretty much did nothing but eat, sleep, write, and revise for 5 months while I was writing that story, and then another 2 while I was posting it all.
Anyway, you said feedback helps you get things out more quickly, so here are a few other things. I don't know if they'll help at all, but they're my current theories based on what's out so far:
Ember sometimes transforms into that same dragon that killed his family. Certain things probably set him off, hence why he mentioned having to be careful, but there also seems to be a bit of a countdown, which is why he needs to leave for a while once every couple of weeks. The dragon is probably about as aware of things when he's in charge as he is when it's in charge, so the thing that sets it off might be gold or jewels, and would also mean that Ember might be able to direct the dragon to some extent, like if it was attacking somepony he cares about.
Glimmer is most likely going to be the main female interest, and I'm totally okay with that. It's a refreshing deviation from the norm that she isn't the one that got saved by him earlier, but was still involved enough in the incident to recognize him.
I am truly and honestly stumped as to what sort of quest/foe Ember will have to deal with, although the frequent mention of needing battle mages around fend off monsters indicates that Ember, and company, possibly, will be dealing with them to a greater or lesser extent.
Anyway, I look forward to seeing how (in)accurate my guesses were, and I'm really looking forward to seeing Ember and Glimmer spend some more time together. You've created a very real feeling world, with compelling characters to fill it, so I suppose being excited for the next chapter is just natural.
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Hey, this was a surprise. I wasn't expecting a lot of comments this long and it's great. I'm celebrating netting a perceptive reader! And it all sounds sounds like you're just where I want you. I'm glad I can deviate to refreshing, as is the intention; Hero's Journey stories can always turn out great if you know where to step in the minefield. I could always get my legs blown off here, but I doubt it.
Expect a chapter in the next few days. I should be happy with it by then. Thanks again, and perhaps I can read or review A New Dragon in Ponyville if you like once my own writing binge is over.
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I'm glad the base for my main characters came off well. That's the core bit you can't get wrong.
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I'm looking forward to that new chapter! As for A New Dragon in Ponyville, while I'm thrilled at the success it got, I'll be the first to admit that it isn't perfect. Frankly, I think that I just got lucky, catching so much attention with my first story. Still, I'm honored that you'd consider reading it, and sure wouldn't object to more constructive criticism (Celestia knows I need it).
You know... This is good. I been rather frustrated lately with a hole bunch of really crappy stories, where I don't like any of the characters and I have no idea what's going on.
but this is good. I'll have to see more obviously... But if I could fav it again... I would :) 