The Flames of the Phoenix

by FrostTheWolf

27.2- ... is a New Beginning

The Flames of the Phoenix- ... is a New Beginning

---

By the time that Ember had made all the proper preparations and finally stepped out of the archive, she honestly did not know what to expect. However, out of all the possibilities that ran through her mind, ending up in what looked like the equestrian equivalent of Baltimore was not what Ember expected. Anywhere she looked, it reminded her a lot of what life was like before displacement, and not always in a good way.

Mainly, because she couldn’t go a few feet without seeing something from whatever this ‘Canterlogic’ thing was supposed to be. Claiming to have safety devices to protect its citizens from unicorn attacks and saying that they are capable of probing ponies’ minds? That just seemed a bit far-fetched… and sort of racist, if she had to be honest.

It didn’t help that anywhere she looked, many ponies were still falling for it. “Dear elements, the more I see this, the more that it sickens me. If Applejack were here, she would throw up at the sight of so much dishonesty.”

“I believe all of us are equally appalled by the state of things,” she heard the voice of Celestia echo in her mind as Ember pulled out a red feather and put it on her scarf as if it was a pin of some kind, “Still, this place is much bigger than I think any of us were expecting. It’s like Ponyville, but more… what’s the word?”

“Urban?”

“Something like that,” the alicorn said, “In any case, we should probably find a way out so we can go see the rest of Equestria.”

Ember could only groan at that. If there was a way out, then she would’ve found it already. However, with the way that Maretime Bay was set up, it almost looked as if the city was trying to make it so that nopony would want to leave. Especially with the way that Canterlogic portrayed its ‘neighbors’.

Fortunately, she did happen to find something to help guide her way as the sun was beginning to set. For standing above all the building in Maretime Bay was a lighthouse on a hill. One that happened to belong to a pony he recognized, for she could see Argyle in the window alongside the little filly in the picture that he showed her. From where she was outside, the two of them looked rather happy together as the little filly had decorations around her home and a special party celebration had to make her look like Princess Twilight. Heck, as she was getting ready, Ember watched as two colts, one red and one that looked a faded orange, knocked on the door and were let inside.

Around that point though, that was when she heard two voices. The first being a warning, “Uh, Ember? There’s somepony behind you.”

And the second one being unfamiliar, “Excuse me, are you a friend of Argyle?”

When Ember turned around, she found herself looking at a pink mare with the biggest curly mane she had ever seen. A pair of pink glasses were on her face and a pearl necklace was around her neck. “My apologies, but I don’t believe I’ve seen you before. Who are you?”

For a brief moment, it looked like the mare’s eyes twitched a bit in disbelief. But shortly afterwards, she let out a small breath. “My name’s Phyllis Cloverleaf.”

“Well, Phyllis, I’m Candlewick,” she greeted, “I’m… kind of new to Maretime Bay and earlier, I was helping Argyle with getting a gift for his daughter after running into him.”

For a moment, there looked to be a look of suspicion on the mare’s face. Though, that started to subside shortly after Ember happened to mention Argyle’s daughter. “Ah, Sunny. She’s friends with my son actually. She… Well, she has a bit of an imagination, that’s for certain. Argyle’s dedication to raising her is commendable to say the least.”

“Well, that’s just downright rude. How dare she try to criticize how somepony else parents their child!”

Ignoring the remark from Maeve about this mare’s attitude, the caretaker focused her attention back to the earth pony as she asked her a new question, “Tell me, what was the gift that you helped him find?”

“A storybook,” Ember told her, “Argyle told me that he and his daughter liked stories from Equestria’s past and… well, I had something that my parents left for me long ago. I just thought that it would find more use in their hooves than mine.”

As both of them turned to look at the window, they could see the filly unwrap the present that Argyle had gotten for her as her face immediately filled with joyful glee. Seconds later, she happily wrapped her forelegs around her father as Argyle smiled. Whatever look Phyllis had on her face soon had changed to happiness for her as she smiled.

Of course, it was during this that Ember had an idea, “Hey, Philomena? I doubt that this mare’s going to let me go anytime soon. Care to help me make a swift exit?”

“S-sure, but… here? If somepony were to see you-”

“I know and I have a way to work around that. She’s going to look back at me any minute now, so we’re going to do that exit the moment that this Phyllis pony looks away again. If we time it right, the light from the sunset would just make it hard for her to see.”

“Okay, I… think that can work.”

By the time that was in place, that was when said pony Philomena and her were talking about began to speak again, “Well, whatever you got for her really made her day.”

“That’s a good thing,” Ember said, shortly before turning away and starting to trot down the street. “I should probably get going.”

Unfortunately, that simple remark had Phyllis’ attention immediately switch back to her, “Going? Going where?”

The earth pony turned back around to face her. Immediately, she had something in mind to say and she personally hoped that this pony would believe them. “Outside. Don’t get me wrong, Maretime Bay is a nice place… but it feels really… tight. Constricting. I’m a bit claustrophobic and I don’t really do well when things are too close together and I’m stuck between them. Things like large crowds and buildings that are too close to one another don’t really make me feel well. That’s why I like camping outdoors. Hay, it’s almost as if the city doesn’t want me to leave.”

Immediately, Phyllis’ eyes narrowed. “Why would you want to leave? It’s dangerous outside the city. Everything outside of Maretime Bay will hurt you or worse.”

“Yeah, but being stuck inside and all that? That’s not safety, it's stagnancy. The world is a big and wonderful place. The only way that you can see it for yourself is not by being scared, but by being the opposite. Instead of fearing your neighbors, learn from them. Because if you only see things from one perspective, you’re blinding yourself to potential possibilities.”

At that, Phyllis just stood there in silence. She looked away for a brief moment to see her son, his friends and Argyle inside the lighthouse again. But when the mare turned back, the pony that she was talking to was gone. Though, it was hard to tell since the light from the setting sun was getting into her eyes.

---

“That was quite the risk you pulled off, Emmy,” Amaryllis said in a disapproving tone as Ember landed back on her hooves. “If that mare even saw you disappear for a second, you could’ve caused a panic.”

“Well, it’s not like I’d want to head back there anytime soon,” the caretaker let out a deep sigh, “I mean, I don’t know who that mare was, but she was giving me real impression of ‘I’m superior to you’ and I didn’t like it.”

“Admittedly, that mare wasn’t exactly friendly,” Philomena said, “Still, that plan of yours was all based on chance. If it were me, I would not want to do something like that again.”

“Still, at least everything turned out alright,” Ember said as the pyromancer took a brief look around at where she was. It looked like she was on a peak of a mountain that overlooked a vast majority of Equestria. To her left, Ember could see the city that she was thankful to have left behind. To the right, there was a forest that was a lot bigger than what she was expecting.

And right behind her, there was what Ember could see as a definite eyesore. It was a city on the top of a massive plateau, much like Canterlot. However, everything was… golden and stood out like something from the roaring twenties. There were strobe lights, giant television screens and in the brief images that she saw, there looked to be pegasi that were paying a lot of attention to their phones.

That and a princess was doing a video blog on one of the TV’s. For some reason.

“Oh for the love of-” she groaned, “I’m definitely not visiting that.”

“Kitten? What’s all that shiny stuff behind you?” Maeve now asked

The pyromancer could only groan as she looked back at the mountain again, “Apparently, it’s where all the pegasi are living and… from only one look, it seems like they tried making the royal family look like a social media sensation. Like, they’re treating it like it’s a reality show and not a real occupation-”

“THEY DID WHAT!?!”

Ember staggered a bit in place as a ringing in her ears echoed. “Luna, what have I told you about using the Royal Canterlot Voice while we’re using the Orb?” Amaryllis cautioned, “If you were any louder, you could’ve given Ember hearing loss.”

“S-sorry,” Luna apologized, “It’s just… so infuriating to hear that. I mean, why would they go try something as outlandish as that?”

At that question, the pyromancer looked back towards the screen again. This time, the same princess looked to be doing a performance of some kind. Going as far as to prance around the stage as they were singing. However, when the small pony took off and looked to be flying… that’s when a feeling of suspicion set in.

“Hey, uh, correct me if I’m wrong… but without magic, pegasi can’t fly right?”

“From what I remember, I think that’s the case,” Philomena now spoke up, “Why do you ask?”

As the phoenix asked, Ember’s gaze looked at the pegasus again as they were doing an encore presentation at the concert they were at. “That’s what I thought. I wasn’t sure at first, but now that I’m looking at it again, something about that looks… routine. Like you rehearsed so many times for a show or play to the point that it doesn’t come off as natural,” as the camera on the screen shifted to the cheering crowds and smiling pegasi, that confirmed everything that the caretaker needed to know, “And I think I know why.”

“You do? What is it, then?” Celestia now asked, her voice coming off as rather curious.

“Remember what Argyle said before. Each one of the pony tribes is afraid of something,” she explained, before turning around and sitting on the cliff edge, “From what we saw in Maretime bay, the earth pony’s fear is the fear of ponies that are different than they are. Hence, their propaganda towards unicorns. For pegasi, it’s a little more complex… Hey, mom?”

“Yes, Kitten?”

“Do you remember when you and dad used to take me to the circus when I was younger? Like the one with all the practical effects and the performers flying in the air?”

“You mean the ones that used all the wires? Why-?” There was a brief pause. But after a moment, the cat burglar was hit with a realization, “Oh… OH! You think those royal ponies are using the same trick to fake flight?”

“That’s… certainly seems like a possibility,” Amaryllis added, “But I’m having trouble trying to understand why.”

It was at that moment that the caretaker chose to continue on, “I think what pegasi fear, or more specifically the royals, is truth. The royal family lie about their ‘flight’ because they want to keep their subjects happy. Maybe the eldest of the family came up with it as a way to calm down their people if they were starting to panic about magic disappearing. They might not like it, but if it's between that and having to face the grim reality of it, what choice do you think they would go with?”

The silence that came afterwards was enough to know that her point was made. Though, it was as Ember was about to descend that Philomena said something that caught her attention. “Actually, now that we’re here and have… explored a bit, I don’t quite think magic is gone.”

There was even more silence after that, followed by two words that were said by not just Ember, but also everyone else that happened to be listening in. “… Come again?”

“I’m not kidding. It feels less like it’s gone and more like it’s… How should I explain it,” the phoenix said as she now manifested and perched herself on Ember’s shoulder, “It’s like if you were catching fireflies in a jar. They’re still there, but the jar itself is sealed tight and something is preventing that seal from opening.”

“So, you’re saying that magic may still be here, Philomena?” Celestia asked.

“Possibly, but Ember’s not out here to find a way to unseal it. We’re just trying to find out how much things have changed. Now that we at least know about the earth ponies and the pegasi, there’s still one more thing that we need to look into.”

At that, Philomena had herself merge back into Ember as the caretaker looked back towards the distant forest. “Guess it’s time to visit the unicorns then.”

As Ember dropped down and transformed into a bird of fire, there was one thing that she and everything that was watching didn’t see. From a distance, a white pegasus with a partially magenta mane and colored feathers on her wings watched as this… pony saw them turn into a majestic blazing bird and glide down to the depths below.

“What the buck-?”

---

By the time that Ember felt herself land back on solid ground, the moon was already high in the sky as its light shone through the trees. As she tried to refamiliarize herself, the first thing that she noticed right away was that the forest looked a lot different this time. The trees were much bigger than she remembered when last in the Everfree Forest and there was a lot more fauna spread out everywhere.

“Okay, can we all agree that this was probably not what any of us had anticipated?” Amaryllis asked, “I mean, this forest looks less gloomier than what the Everfree was. But not entirely.”

“Something tells me this place would look a lot brighter and colorful when morning comes around,” Ember said as she let out a deep breath, “This definitely seems like a place Sylvanos would call home.”

As the mancer looked around and began to trot down the forest path, something seemed a little bit off. When she tried to feel where Sylvanos' life force was, Ember had trouble trying to pinpoint a single place for where he could be. If anything, it felt as if he was everywhere and the longer she tried to make sense, the more that she became a bit disoriented. If this kept going, she would start to feel sick.

After a couple minutes, she forced herself to stop. A sudden gasp of air and her dropping to the ground was enough to catch the attention of those who were observing her, and some of them were concerned. “Ember? Ember, is everything alright?”

“Y-yeah, just… give me a minute.”

“What were you even doing, Kitten?” Maeve asked, “You looked fine one moment and the next thing we know, it looked like you were gonna throw up or something.”

“I… was trying to see if I could feel where Sylvanos might be, but… I can’t find him,” the caretaker said in disbelief, “It’s… like he’s everywhere and also nowhere. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Maybe you should try and look around some more?” Celestia suggested, “Find a proper place to rest a moment and regain your thoughts?”

At that, Ember felt as if Philomena was on her shoulder again as she heard the phoenix follow up, “I agree. But perhaps you should change your form to look more like a unicorn before we go on. I have the feeling that the unicorns aren’t exactly ‘welcoming’ if you get what I mean.”

The caretaker was already planning to do that, but when she looked to see where the phoenix might’ve been, she saw something else that served as a grim reminder for how much Equestria had changed. A collection of wooden warning signs nailed down to trees, implying for any pegasus or earth pony to stay away and that they weren’t welcome. Ember could understand the feeling as to why it would be like that for Earth Ponies… but pegasi too? All that she had seen from them is just the royal family being deceiving prima donnas. She couldn’t imagine them even thinking about doing anything hostile.

Whatever the case, it was enough for her to heed Philomena’s advice as she adjusted her wedding bangle again and had her appearance take on that of a unicorn. Once the transformation had set in, and the lack of magic with it, the mancer continued down the pathway. Whether or not this led to more trees or something else entirely was unknown, but it was the only real lead that she happened to have.

Though, after five minutes, things within the forest began to change. The gloom from before was now replaced with different colors, there were buildings made from wood that looked to have been grown in the trees and crystal formations had taken form in the ground. All the buildings looked rather nice, but it seemed… quiet. Like there was not a soul in sight.

“So, who wants to take a bet that this is where the unicorns happen to live?” Ember heard Maeve ask.

“I remember back when Twilight first lived at the Golden Oaks library all those years ago, but this is much different by comparison.”

Ember sighed as she ignored the background chatter in the back of her mind and focused on what was ahead. Out of all the buildings that stood out, there was one that happened to catch her attention the most. For it was the only one that had any sort of light on inside, and as a bonus, it looked to be a restaurant of sorts. Philomena did suggest that she take a rest, so perhaps this ‘Crystal Tea Room’ was the best place for that.

Of course, when she first opened the door and came inside, the first thing that Ember saw was that the establishment looked to be one part restaurant and one part bar with an arcade in the back. There didn’t seem to be anypony around, so she trotted over and took a seat at the bar area of the establishment. While there wasn’t anypony around, there was one thing that was taped to the back wall, next to a couple of picture frames and was big enough for everypony to see.

---

Rules of the Crystal Tea Room

-Absolutely no jinx’s of any sort. No exceptions
-No sugar or candy after midnight. We’re still cleaning up from last time after chewing gum got on the ceiling
-Any trash that’s disposed of is not to be considered as ‘unicycling material’ unless it’s specifically in the recycling bin. I’m looking at you, Izzy.
-We do not talk about the Mayonnaise Incident.
-We DO NOT talk about the Mayonnaise Incident.
-Any bets made in the Tea Room are to be officiated by me so nopony is cheating.
-No take backs are allowed on any bets made, especially bets made against me.
-If you need to get a hold of me at any time, talk to Boneless and have them come find me.

Alphabittle Blossomforth

---

“Boneless?”

A series of squeaks was heard shortly afterwards as the mancer turned her head to the right. Much to her surprise, an armadillo that somehow had a small patch of hair stood at attention and looked at her. It didn’t appear as if they were being suspicious, but instead seemed to be rather curious of her. Even going as far as to sniff some of her fur as it examined her from top to bottom.

“Oh, uh… hi there,” Ember said as she looked at the little creature. “Would you know where… uh,” The mancer paused briefly, before she looked back at the list briefly, “Alpha… bittle might be? S-sorry, I’m a little bit nervous and haven’t been here before.”

“Seriously, Kitten? Nervous?”

“What? Fluttershy knew how to talk to animals, not me!”

Despite her hesitation, it seemed like the armadillo understood her perfectly. So much so that they proceeded to roll off the counter and land on the floor, before heading towards the back of the establishment. Even though it was bumping into some of the things that were on the floor every couple of seconds, Boneless seemed to be a trooper and continued on.

“The little guy does look rather cute, I have to admit. Whoever this Alphabittle is, they must be a gentle type like Fluttershy.”

Of course, by that point, it felt as if Amaryllis spoke a little too soon as Ember heard a voice echo from the back of the Tea Room. “Huh? Boneless, what are you doing back here?” A couple of squeaks were heard and then shortly after that, “Wait, there’s somepony in the tea room? Right now? I thought it was clear that it was closing time. Why would-” There was a pause, followed by a few more squeaks and then the audible sound of what seemed like a hoof making contact with a forehead, “… Oh dear stars, I forgot to put the sign up again, didn’t I?”

Immediately, the changeling was quick to change her response, “… On second thought, maybe I should hold off on any further guesses.”

Ember did her best to ignore the internal chatter in her head as the conversation from the back of the room continued, “Okay, I guess we can serve one more customer tonight. You said this mare is a newcomer right? What did they look like?” There were a few more squeaks, but it was as this happened that the mancer heard the sound of a ceramic cup falling onto the floor and shattering. “Boneless… are you absolutely sure that is the mare at the front right now? … No, I’m fine. It’s just… I was told that this would happen at some point. I just wasn’t sure when. I’ll clean up later, let me handle this.”

Both Ember and the others that were watching her were equally shocked by what they were hearing, and before anyone had the chance to say anything, that was when the stallion from the back of the Tea Room trotted in and made his presence known. The appearance of this stallion reminded Ember a bit of Big Machintosh when it came to the size of his body. However, his appearance was that of gray fur, a white spiky mane and tail that was brushed backwards and a pair of what looked like brown eyes.

“Uh, hello,” Ember spoke up, “Are you… Alphabittle?”

The stallion was quiet, but after a few seconds, he nodded his head, “Yes, that’s me. And this is going to sound strange, but I already know who you are.”

At that, the mancer’s heart almost skipped a couple of beats. This unicorn, who she only just met, happened to know who she is? It didn’t seem like Alphabittle was lying to her. Yet, with how long she had been away from Equestria for, how was something like that even remotely possible? “You do? I mean, this is my first time here. Are you sure you didn’t mistake me for somepony else-?”

“Is your name Ember Valkyr?”

Immediately, the mancer’s thought process just stopped. Anytime that she would encounter ponies in her shop, as well as outside of it, she always told them that her name was Candlewick. However, Alphabittle somehow knew what her actual name was. While it could’ve been a coincidence, Ember did not take that lightly. “How do you know that name?”

“Whoa, easy there.” Alphabittle cautioned, “It’s a bit of a long story, but… let’s just say that when I was younger, I met a creature who told me that you were his mother. Although, he described you looking… different, but he mentioned specifically about the scarf you had and your feather.”

In an instant, her defensive nature ceased and instead, it was replaced with a sense of realization. This unicorn… might have some answers to the questions she had when she first stepped hoof in Equestria, “You know Sylvanos?”

Her question was met by a raised eyebrow and a small smirk from Alphabittle as he brought out a couple teacups and a saucer, “So that’s what his name was. Never really shared it with me when I met him,” the unicorn said, “You might want to get comfortable though, because this is a bit of a long story. Can I get you anything though? Maybe a drink?”

Ember herself could only let out a deep breath and nod her head as she tried to process some of the information that was shared with her. It wasn’t much, but she had a feeling that what Alphabittle might tell her was not going to be hopeful in any particular way. Even Philomena had the same feeling too as she tried her best to help comfort Ember and keep her calm.

After about three minutes, Alphabittle was back with a kettle as he poured the tea into the cups and slid one over to her. “Here you go. I put some sweetener and milk in it to balance out the taste, but if you want anything else to go with it, just tell me.”

“Thank you,” the mancer said as she used her hooves to take a small sip, “So, about that long story you were telling me about?”

“That took place a long time ago,” the stallion admitted, “When magic disappeared, I was only a colt and… things weren’t exactly the way that they are now. I don’t know who or what started it, but since many ponies believed that we were more knowledgeable with magic than the other tribes, the idea that ‘if magic were to go away, it was because of a unicorn’s fault’ was an idea that took root overnight. Many families like myself were forced out of places we used to call home and blamed for something that we didn’t even know could be possible. We didn’t even have a place to call home for the longest time.”

Alphabittle paused, then took a moment to drink some tea that he made for himself before he looked back at the mare that sat across from him, “Then, one day, I got separated and chased by some earth ponies that were coming after me. I ran into the forest, thinking that it would be a safe place to hide… but I got lost trying to find my way out. In doing so, that was when I met a creature with the appearance of a wolf, yet with a body of timber. He had a look of hostility when I first saw him, but as I approached, he became… curious, I think.”

That had Ember raise an eyebrow That did not seem like a trait that Sylvanos would demonstrate. Especially since anytime he had seen him before, the timberwolf was always hostile to her. “How so?”

“Well, he wasn’t expecting for anyone to come looking for him,” he said, “The only thing I can really tell was that they seemed exhausted and somewhat in pain. When I asked what was wrong, he said that something had been taken from the forest… and until it was returned, he would have to take its place to make sure that its denizens survived.”

“Oh no,” Celestia gasped in Ember’s mind, “Does he mean… magic?”

“He wanted for me to leave him be and let him rest, but… I couldn’t. I didn’t know where my family was and I didn’t want to leave them alone in the state that he was in. He asked for me to go home, and I told him that we didn’t have one now. That’s when he asked for my name and said that if he were to give us a home, then I would have to fulfill a promise for him,” As Alphabittle spoke, he then looked back up to Ember and pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper as he turned it around to show her.

---

Young colt, heed my final words to you. One day, you will find a figure with a crimson scarf, the feather of a phoenix and a heart of fire. Her name is Ember Valkyr and she is my mother. Tell her what has become of me and say that I chose this because if she put her trust in ponykind, then so should I. Bridlewood will be my greatest and final creation, as a gift for your people and you. Cherish it with all your heart and keep it safe.

Mother. Long ago, you took it upon yourself to put your trust in ponykind and their potential. Now, it is time for me to do the same. Know that I spent my final days not in anger at the creatures that called this place home, but served as their guardian and friend. I spent what was left of my days trying to follow your example. To not be an incarnation of hate, but the opposite.

Remember that no matter what happens, the forest will remember. Always.

Sylvanos, the heart of nature.

---

The moment that she had finished reading what was on the page, the mancer felt a mix of various emotions all hit her at once. First, there were the feelings of grief and anger. Grief that Sylvanos was no longer here and anger at herself for not taking it upon herself to come see him sooner. Then, she felt a sense of happiness, for since she left, Sylvanos seemed to change his ways for the better. Even though he represented nature, he actually took it upon himself to care for the creatures that called Equestria home… and when the unicorns had their home taken away from them, Sylvanos used the last of his strength and will to provide one for them. Even if it cost him his life in the end.

As tears came down her face, the mancer couldn’t help but smile as she looked back at the unicorn. “I… see. So that’s what happened. Thank you for being with him to the end. Your actions remind me of something I once did a long time ago and here I am now.”

“Well, I’m glad I can help I guess,” Alphabittle said, pausing for a brief moment to take some tea before he looked back at her, “Even though everything happened so suddenly on the day I met him, your son gave us a place to call home, and that I will always be grateful for.”

As Ember drank some more tea, some other thoughts came to mind. While she did learn of what happened to Sylvanos, there were some other things that the mancer had to piece together while she was here. Given how Alphabittle not only welcomed her, but also had been kind enough to her so far, perhaps asking him for some information was a safe bet. “Hey, Alphabittle? Do you mind if I ask you some questions? I’m… still trying to refamiliarize myself with a few things, so I wanted to ask a couple things.”

The unicorn paused, raised an eyebrow and looked back at Boneless for a brief moment before he turned his attention back to her. “Okay… but only if you answer some questions for me in return. Fair’s fair, right?”

“Emmy, are you sure about this?” Amaryllis spoke up, “I mean, I'm not quite sure how much this guy would be willing to share with you.”

“I understand, but I still want to try anyway. I mean, this guy’s giving me the impression that he’s the one responsible for taking care of everypony here. He probably knows a few things. Plus, when I ask certain questions later, I can judge his responses.”

“So, you’re basically trying to see what makes him tick?” Philomena then asked.

While the caretaker took another sip of tea and nodded her head to answer to Argyle, she answered the phoenix’s question, “More like try to narrow down some things. Remember what Argyle said before about fear? I thought that by asking him certain questions, I can gauge what unicorns are afraid of instead of trying to ask him bluntly. Trust me, I got this.”

At that, there were a couple of murmurs in the back, but then Amaryllis chose to reply, “Okay, but maybe we can help provide some questions? Like, if you’re stuck?”

“If it gets to that point sure, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” she cautioned, before putting the teacup down, “So, would you like to go first or should I?”

“O-oh, uh, if you insist,” the stallion replied, a little bit caught off guard by what she said, “Ms. Valkyr, out of curiosity, what do you do for a living? I can only assume that based on what you said that you’re a… traveler of sorts?”

Ember chuckled at that as she smiled, “Sort of. I do travel on occasion, though my occupation is a bit… difficult to describe. The easiest way I can try to describe it is that I’m an archivist of sorts. I take it upon myself to try to collect knowledge and stories to try and preserve them. There’s a lot of them out there, I know that for sure, but I think that learning from such stories can teach us valuable lessons.”

“So… you’re a librarian of sorts.”

“Pretty much. I mean, I do have quite a collection as of now,” she admitted and shrugged her shoulders, “Now, my turn to ask you something. What’s life like in Bridlewood usually? Do you do anything special?”

Now, it was Alphabittle’s turn to shrug, “We’re not the kind of ponies that try to bring attention to ourselves. As long as everypony follows the rules and doesn’t try to break them or leave Bridlewood, then we don’t cause any problems with the other tribes. On occasion, there’s somepony that tends to get a bit… creative, but outside of that, nothing too serious.”

“Leave Bridlewood? That sounds… ominous. Wasn’t there that one song that you and Maeve would listen to about a lovely place you may never leave from?”

“Kitten, I like your taste, but I doubt this village is like ‘Hotel California’,” the thief replied, “Still, he doesn’t seem very optimistic about ponies trying to bend the rules either. Maybe that’s a clue or something.”

With that in mind, Ember took it upon herself to try and form another question. Yet, right around the same time, Alphabittle had a question for her. “My turn now. When Sylvanos said that you had a heart of fire, what did he mean by that exactly? I thought that it was something to do with personality, but I rather not assume.”

“Well, first off, thank you for the compliment,” Ember chuckled, “And second, it’s more complicated than that. Plus, this isn’t quite the ideal place to demonstrate.”

Alphabittle’s eyes widened for a short bit, unsure of what to make of what she just told him as he tried to wrap his head around what was said. Though, after a couple minutes, he decided to drop it. “Okay, I’ll… uh, take your word for it.”

“Fair enough. Though, fair warning, my next question is going to be a bit more complicated now,” Ember told him, before taking one last sip to finish her tea and set the cup and saucer aside, “If there was ever a chance that magic would come back and things would go back to the way they were before, what would you think about it? Honest answer.”

The welcoming attitude from Alphabittle slowly began to shift to a different tone as he finished his drinks and put the dishes away. “That’s a rather difficult question, I’m afraid. Though, if I have to be honest, even if magic were to somehow come back, I doubt it would change anything. Earth ponies have made us their scapegoats for years to ‘protect’ themselves from us, even though everything about what they claim about us is false. And pegasi? Pegasi are insufferable. Honestly, I think all the time that they spend in that grand city of theirs has made them blind to reality and what’s really happening in the world.”

That was enough to provide an answer for another question that was on Ember’s mind. Based on his words from earlier and this response now, Ember could guess what exactly it was that unicorns feared. Their fear was change. All of them stuck to the rules of Bridlewood and did not leave because they thought that if anything happened that was different from what was expected, it would spell disaster for everypony. They also believed that change was impossible and something that they couldn’t see themselves doing.

Then, the unicorn returned her question with a different one, “Now, why exactly are you wanting to hear my opinion on this? I doubt it’s just for the sake of curiosity.”

That wasn’t quite an easy answer to provide for that one. Still, he did ask, so Ember had to provide something, “I wanted to see what Sylvanos saw in you. Now that I had the proper chance to do so, I can see why. You remind me a bit of who I was a long time ago. Someone who had been through a lot of hardship, but persisted nonetheless because you knew that there were others that counted on you. I wanted to ask something difficult to see if your resolve would falter in any way. But you proved me wrong.”

Alphabittle though, looked as if he honestly expected for her to say more, “Is that it? Just a judgment of character?”

“Well, not quite. In fact, the best way to get my point across is do something to intrigue you,” Ember said, taking a quick glance over at the rules that were along the wall, before giving a smile, “I would like to make a bet with you, Mr. Blossomforth.”

Alphabittle’s face looked like it was one part intrigue, one part confusion and another part suspicion as he looked back at her. “Miss, I’ve only known you for almost half an hour and now you want to make a bet with me? Are you sure you want to do that?”

“Yeah, Ember, are you crazy? What are you even trying to prove?”

“A point,” was the only reply the mancer had for the voices in the back of her head as she looked at the stallion, “I’m pretty sure. You seem like the kind of stallion that seems pretty confident. Especially if you have specific rules relating to bets with you involved. So, I want to make one with you. Not a simple one that can be won now… but something for the next time I come back.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Well, I personally believe that change is not only possible, but can be good for everyone. So, I bet that one day, you will meet somepony that has an impossible dream that they think they can achieve. When that day comes, something marvelous will happen that would not only change your lives for the better, but many other lives too. It doesn’t matter what their tribe is, for it’s their character that counts.”

“Hmm,” Alphabittle narrowed his eyes and turned away for a moment. Ember watched as he looked to be speaking with Boneless for a bit and tried to run it by someone else first. Yet, after a couple of minutes, “What exactly are you waging?”

“How about… if you win, you can take any piece of knowledge from my vast collection and it’ll be yours to keep, no exceptions,” the caretaker told her, “But if I win… you would let me stay in Bridlewood.”

“Okay, but, I have not seen this collection of yours,” the stallion pointed out. “How would I know that you’re not just trying to rip me off?”

As the stallion said that, Ember took off the feather from her scarf and placed it on the counter. “Then let me provide some extra incentive. For this isn’t just an ordinary decoration. It is also a key for you to come visit me. Use this like a key in any door you find and when you walk through, you will find yourself in my home. Perhaps seeing what I have and who lives with me will be enough to dispel any doubts you have.”

Then, the caretaker got up from her seat, left a few bits on the table and turned to walk out the door. “I await your response, Mr. Blossomforth.”

At that point, Alphabittle was already trying to go out after the mare as he hurried out to open the door. “Hey, wait a minute, you can’t just-!”

However, when the door did open, he was shocked to find that the pony he was talking to was gone. All he found was the empty courtyard of Bridlewood as the moonlight shined overhead. For a moment, the stallion thought that the mare had just ran off somewhere. Considering that there were very few places to hide in Bridlewood, that would’ve been possible.

Yet, what the mare told him just moments before was still fresh in his mind as he trotted back inside and looked to the feather that Boneless was now holding for him. Part of him felt that it was too late in the evening for him to be doing anything else and he should just go to bed. However, if there did happen to be some truth behind the mare’s words… it would probably be better if he knew what it could do rather than somepony else finding out about it by accident.

“I can’t believe I’m actually going through with this,” he thought, having Boneless come with him as he locked the front door, put up the closed sign and trotted back to the door that would normally lead to his bedroom. However, instead of going in, he had the armadillo on his shoulder put the feather in the keyhole and turn it like a key. Immediately, the blank door began to change appearance and the symbol of a burning candle was seen at the top.

“That’s… not what I expected,” the unicorn admitted. At one point, he thought that he should back out. That all of this was just way over his head and that he should just leave it alone. Yet, he was not the kind of stallion to back away from something like this. So, nervously, he gently pushed the door open, closed his eyes and stepped inside.

---

“So, let me get this straight kitten,” Maeve asked as she folded her arms, “You left your feather to this Alphabittle guy… as an invitation for a bet?”

The mancer nodded, now relieved to be back in her regular body as Philomena sat on her shoulder. Celestia, Luna and Amaryllis were in another one of the archive’s chambers with the Orb of Observation, taking their time to go over every detail that Ember had seen on her survey into this ‘new generation’ that Equestria was now in. Which left both the mother and daughter to watch over the archive in case they had any visitors come see them.

“Mhm. That’s right.”

“And what exactly makes you think this stallion will take you up on it, Ember?” Philomena asked, which just had the caretaker smirk.

“Because I have a feeling that some time from now, when change does come to Equestria and magic one day returns, he will play a part in it. But for that change to come, there needs to be a change in himself first. That and I thought that the only way for that change to happen is for it to come in a form he’s most familiar with.”

Just as she said that, all three of them turned their heads to the door as they heard the handle squeak and the door. “And speak of the devil. Looks like he’s not one to keep somepony waiting.”

---

When Alphabittle opened his eyes again, he found himself not in his room, but in what looked like a massive library. There were shelves that contained all manner of books that went as high as the ceiling along one of the walls and a collection of… oddities on the other side. The different tables spread around had various forms of writings and pictures, some of which depicted creatures that he did not know even existed.

It was as he looked around in awe that a somewhat familiar voice caught his attention, “Well, when I left you my key, I did not expect for you to use it right away.”

When the stallion turned around, he found himself looking at a figure that looked to be in somewhat casual clothes and a crimson scarf stood behind a rather ornate desk with a bird that was bright as fire perched next to her. Even though her appearance was different, the voice was immediately recognizable. “W-wait a minute. A-Aren’t you-?”

“I am. But perhaps now I should introduce myself more professionally to you,” she replied, “My name is Ember Valkyr. Heart of the Phoenix, traveler and caretaker of the Candlelight Archive. This repository of knowledge is everything that I’ve acquired through my travels and contains the stories of many figures like that of myself. Sylvanos put his trust in you to watch Bridlewood, and now, I trust for you to keep the knowledge of the archive’s existence a secret until the time is right.”

As she finished speaking, she had one last question for the stallion, “Now that you have an idea as to what I am offering, would you like to accept the bet I proposed?”

In all honesty, Ember thought that the stallion needed more time to think about it. Yet, all she saw was a grim on Alphabittle’s face as he extended a foreleg to shake her hand with. “Well, this was not what I was expecting at all… but if it’s a bet you want, then I’ll accept it.”

The mancer did not know it at the time, but despite her attempts to keep herself hidden from the residents of Equestria, her actions would provide the spark for a new generation to ignite.

---

The End

Author's Note:

I want to give a huge thanks to everyone who has helped me see this story all the way through, from the writers that I had the privilege to work with over the years to the readers who took the time to read Ember's tale. All of you are the ones that are the inspiration to see this through to the end.

Though, there is one thing I want to mention. While Ember's story comes to a conclusion here, there may be a chance that her and residents of the Candlelight Archive will show up elsewhere. After all, the multiverse is a vast place and thriving with numerous possibilities. All you need to do is find the door and come inside to see for yourself.

One last time, thank you very much for all your support. Here's to new journeys and stories to tell in the future.
-Frost

Comments

[Starlight Nova]

But didn't the phoenix from League of Legends have ice powers, not fire powers?

[FrostTheWolf]

11398825
Yes. And that's a separate character.

Ember's powers and abilities are based on an actual phoenix. Who she has to deal with is the exact opposite (AKA, the ice bird)