Primordial Conflict

by Jumping Jack

Chapter 6: Eyes of Fire

Chapter 6: Eyes of Fire

The sound of the train clattering against the rails jolted my consciousness awake. I looked up to see the many eyes of different ponies looking over me. My mind was a blank. It took me moments to register the faces behind the eyes. Strangers I have never seen in my life. Another jolt of the train and I felt myself sitting up a bit with the motion. I winced in pain before I felt something put me back down onto the cushion. My ears were ringing. But through the buzzing ring, I heard something break through. A voice. A familiar one. I then opened my eyes and gasped as I sat up and nearly headbutted Thi with my horn. Thi rubbed her snout, looking worriedly at me before laying me back down. I groaned and felt my entire body thumping. I then felt something on my head be placed upon me. A clump of rock like texture with a cool feeling following it. Thi looked over to a pony, a vanilla-colored stallion with a chocolate brown mane and blue eyes. He was wearing a doctor's coat.

"Give it to me straight, doc. Is she going to explode?" Thi asked. I wasn't sure if she was joking or not. The look she gave wasn't the best tell in the world. But the stallion sighed and dug around outside of my peripheral.

"Her temperature is reading normal . And since I can find nothing else wrong with her, I'd say, your friend will make it." He gave Thi a soft smile. He then shifted over to the seat across from me. I looked with my eyes and saw another pony groaning on the seat. The doctor was treating him. The glance in my eyes caught Thi's attention and she nudged me slightly.

"Well, well. Back to the land of the living." Thi said with a wary smile. A mix of confidence and hesitation. When I set my eyes on her, she winced a little before sighing. "How are you feeling?" she asked me. I finally gained the strength to sit up, groggy and feeling worse than a standard hangover. I propped myself up and held onto the ice pack on my head.

"Urgh... I feel like everything is racing through me at a mach 10 speed." I stated. It was hard to describe the sensation, but sweet Celetia's prong horn am I hurting. I looked around at a pace that wouldn't hurt me so much, as it was hard to move at the moment. But my eyes widened when I saw rows of seats occupied by bruised and beaten ponies, some worse for wear and some who were bandaged or wearing similar ice packs. I looked back to Thi. "What even happened back there?" Thi frowned.

"I should be asking that about you. Since when did you study on learning an advance beam spell? I can only do one that can sting." she stated. I blinked and cocked my head at her.

"But... my beam spell is about as basic as any standard unicorn. I'm an illusion specialist more than arcane." I said matter of factly. Thi shook her head, but her suspicious look towards me was getting a little annoying to point out in my mind. To change the topic, I looked out the window and darted my eyes, searching through the bellowing snow blowing past us. "What kind of creature was that? A Windego?" Thi shook her head and looked out the same window.

"Nah. A Windego hasn't been around since the founding of Equestria." she stated. I arched a brow.

"Oh? And how do you know that?" I asked. Thi waved her hoof lazily.

"During one of my misadventures, I stumbled across a scripture on a wall that detailed the myth of the Windego and that they were once ancient spirits that punished the misdeeds of their followers that took advantage of their own gifts. It was the sins of the creatures that corrupted them and turned them into the fearsome creatures told in stories." I was dumb founded. I knew Thi had an interest in ancient architecture and its' history. But I never took her for a mythological enthusiast. Thi chuckled and glanced at me through the reflection of the window. "Didn't take you a believer of myths. The cold, tough mare from Hoofington." I frowned.

"My past residence has nothing to do with the current situation we are in." I said. Thi nodded.

"Right. And my best friend turned into a pyromaniac while I was gone." I felt a small nip in the back of my head. I ignored it and put a hoof on her shoulder. That got her to turn to face me.

"Thi. I am just as much lost as you are. I don't ever remember liking fire so much." I snickered. "Hell, my name is Quite Fire. Fire is in my name. But that doesn't mean I like fire." Thi studied me before looking down the aisle of the train, watching the doctor go from seat to seat, checking up on the injured ponies. She then spoke without looking at me.

"I may not be entirely lost as you are. I might have an idea, but it is too far fetched, even for me. So, for now. Let's just focus on getting to Canterlot." I gave Thi a worried look. Thi Billette has always been a rough around the edges at times, but over the time I've known her, she can be quite a genuine good pony. I mean, it doesn't take that much of a genius to see it and she doesn't hide it well. She's a troublemaker through and through, but I think that's only because she believes authority figures restrict her ability to be who she wants to be. She wasn't really great at feigning her intentions. But to see her lost in thought in this type of situation, she seemed a little more... calculative. I felt a shiver run down my spine. Perhaps her story of actually being an action hero might be true. I then remembered the bat she had. It was laying against her knee. The eye was closed and seemed to be... asleep? It was hard to tell. I couldn't help but wonder exactly what it was now. The more I thought about it, the more I suddenly became suspicious of her. My thought was shot out when the train suddenly screeched. It came to a halt and a pony ran out the moment the door opened. They shouted to a nearby guard that medical attention was needed in the passenger car. Thi winced and looked at me.

"Let's sneak out of the crowd." she said.

---

We were quickly on our way to the streets of Canterlot. The crowd was panicked enough that the guards were having trouble managing the situation. We deftly made our way down the steps and out into the crystalline streets of Canterlot. The place looked like a festive wonderland during the winter. Alot of the houses and buildings decorating the sides had wreathes, lights and flag lines strewn about. Thi and I trotted past a couple of shops that were closed for the night. Posters and flyers of special Hearthswarming and New Year events littered the walls and boards. Thi yawned as we turned down a road past the fountain center.

"Man, I could sleep for the entire winter. I'm suddenly so exhausted." Thi said. I dunno about her, but I feel great. Like a new burst of energy flowed through me. I smiled and nudged her playfully.

"Aww, come on! Why not explore the place a bit? See if we can find our old spots." I suggested. Thi yawned and looked around.

"That sounds like a fun idea, Fie. But I'm really in need of some sleep. I haven't slept since you nearly tried to set fire to a pony." My mood shot from energetic to guilty downer in an instant. My ears dropped and I bowed my head, looking rather defeated. I sighed pathetically.

"I understand. I'm the one sleeping so much and you've been up for a while hoping I wouldn't kill you in your sleep." That got a chuckle out of Thi, which helped brighten my mood a bit. She nudged me back playfully.

"Trust me, Fie. If I ever wanted to start a bon fire in the middle of a public area, you'd be the first pony I would turn too." She then looked ahead and glanced up to the distant, towering castle that is Canterlot Castle. The alabaster walls gleemed onto the moon light. It was quite an intimidating sight in my opinion. I couldn't help but wonder what goes on in that place. It could have been alot of things, hell, maybe even the sisters acting like normal ponies. I smirked to myself.

'As if that'll happen. The way they carry themselves shows that even behind closed doors, they aren't to be messed with.' I thought. I then faltered my smirk when I pictured my mother. I felt a looming dread mix with guilt overflow. My thoughts went completely off the rails. What if she sees me out on the streets? It has been so long since I've talked to her. Will she even stop to say hi? Will she stop to give me a lecture? Is she going to have me thrown into jail for sucker punching her several years ago? Oh, Goddesses, why am I here!?

To fulfill a calling.

I shook my head at the voice.

'My calling is to be at home and getting drunk and working. That's all I want to do.' I paused my thought before continuing. 'Annndd maybe a bit of fighting. But legal fighting! Well... not technically legal, but legal in the realm of laws.' The voice cackled.

Perhaps you need to rethink your entire life expectancy? A nasty creature chasing you and your friend? Seems like you got your work cut out for you.

I furrowed my brows. My thoughts were beginning to sound not like my own. My usual self-conversations are quite... responsive. I shook my head again to quiet my thoughts before turning to Thi. We had stopped in front of an inn. Quilt Roll Hearthstone Inn. A comfy and cozy little corner between Trotsky and Glee Bulevard. Thi didn't hesitate and stepped into the inn, leaving me to look back and focus on the train station further behind us. There was a small buzzing of chatter in the distance, but it was hard to make out what was going on. I turned back and trotted in after Thi. Thi was at the front desk already and slapped several bits on the counter. The snobbish looking mare behind the counter eyed her.

"A room for two. Separate beds, please." Thi smiled at the mare. The mare hmphed at Thi's brash manner before depositing the bits into a drawer and turning around to grab a key.

"This way, then." The desk pony said. Her Canterlot accent quite heavy for one who was the night caretaker for the inn. Thi and I exchanged glances before walking after her. She led us up to the third story and the far door at the end of the hall. She unlocked the door and we stepped in. Two freshly cleaned and laundered beds greeted us with a small drawer in between them. A cozy little oil lamp hung over the shelf. A wardrobe was right next to the door leading into the bathroom. A shiny tub and shower with all the utilities included. It wasn't our first time in an inn in Canterlot, but it was something we hardly got to do. Thi tossed the bat dexterously against the wall that it landed and leaned against the bed. She immediately plopped down onto the bed and nuzzled the pillows. I took my own bed and sat on the edge. The caretaker turned around, but not before stating to us. "Breakfast will be ready at seven in the morning. Rest well, girls." She closed the door, leaving us to sit silently in the room. I looked around the room a bit before turning to Thi.

I was tempted to pry into what she knows a little bit more, but the sound of her snoring shows that any conversation would fall on deft ears. Being as I already had slept a while, I laid down and stared up at the ceiling. I closed my eyes and dug through my thoughts again.

~~~***~~~

The black abyss surrounded me. I felt my entire body becoming lighter and then suddenly, sailing through the abyss. It was quiet. Too quiet. My eyes darted here and there, hoping to spot any form of direction I was going. Suddenly, a small glint caught my eye. I looked above me and saw a faint glowing white wispy ball. I stared at it, curiosity and confusion setting in for me. I found myself sailing by it and keeping my eye on it, it then shimmered and began to follow after me. A light trail matching its’ color behind it. I then saw another glint in the distance. I looked to see a similar wisp ball. But it was colored a cool blue hue. It was then followed by a purple and black one. They zipped around in a small dance before sailing over to me.

Another one blinked in. A bright green hue. Another a cerulean color. And lastly, a bright yellow and white wisp ball shimmered down from above and circled the balls and me one at a time. What was going on? What kind of dream am I having? I then heard a deep baritone voice call out to me:

“I call upon the powers that be. Attend my summons and seek out each other. For you are needed in this desperate time.” I then felt myself suddenly spiral into a formation with the other wisps and in a blink of an eye, I found myself in a grand room. The decorative banners of the Equestrian flag draped in neat rows along the walls. Stained glass window with no particular patterns reflected the night sky. In the room, below where I am hovering, a group of many ponies gathered around a table. Upon further inspection of the table showed a holographic map of Equestria. I narrowed my eyes. I looked around and saw the other wisps surrounding the ponies and table. I then blinked when I recognized the ponies in attendance. It was Twilight and her friends. Each pony looking in awe at the wisps around them.

I must be one as well, a formless figure to them. I then saw three alicorns, two I recognized instantly. Princess Celestia and Luna studied the wisps with stoic curiosity. The same could be said with the third alicorn. She must be the Princess of the Crystal Empire. Princess Cadence had the same look as the other two princesses. Yet, in her hoof curl was, to my shock, a foal. An alicorn foal no less. This intrigued me more than I thought. A third natural born alicorn? What are the chances? My eyes shot down to a figure directly below me. I could only see the pony covered in a wizard hat and cloak. Next to him was the stallion I saw on the hologem tv being interrogated by the news pony. He adjusted his glasses as he looked around.

“Incredible!” The stallion said in awe. The wizard pony next to him held up a hoof in motion to the wisps.

“As you all know, The Elements of Harmony are not the only elements that maintain the balance. Before harmony existed, it needed the powers that be. The seven elements of power. As you can see, each representing a force of nature. We will need to access these powers in order to prevent any further destabilization of balance.” The stallion next to the him chimed in.

“So, with the seven elements of power boosting the Elements of Harmony can fix the destabilization… but how can we be sure that harnessing the powers to be effective?” Princess Celestia chimed in.

“If I can recall from our studies, the Elements of Power are not just any form of magic. They are unnatural. Abiding to their own rules. These ones can only be tolerated and can’t be controlled by normal means. But in order for these powers to manifest, they need to be called by a power greater than themselves.” Twilight chimed in.

“Forgive me, but… it sounds like these Elements of Power are actual beings.” She stated with a hoof rubbing her chin. Princess Luna nodded.

“I am afraid they are, Twilight. But they are not just beings of power. They cannot manifest in form without a vessel. In order for them to have any semblance of form, they pick seven creatures of their choosing and inhabit them until they are no longer needed.” The wizard pony nodded.

“Precisely. And we are in need of their power. But the Elements of Power could have selected anycreature big or small to be their vessels. There is no way of knowing who they are unless given signs.” Twilight hummed in thought.

“Maybe… I can make a device that’ll read the fluctuation of power. A device that can read the magic plane in all variables.” She said. Applejack chimed in.

“Err. And how exactly do we know if the device is not up to helpin’ us?” Fluttershy spoke up.

“I’m sure Twilight will find a way. And we’ll be more than happy to help.” The rest nodded in agreement. Twilight smiled, but when she looked to the wizard pony, she gave a nervous smile. The wizard pony humphed.

“Do what you will. But time is of the essence! We are better off using the map. Treat it as like one of your ‘friendship’ problems.” Rarity frowned.

“Well, I think that is just a grand idea. Don’t you think, girls?” Rainbow Dash chimed in.

“That’s great and all. But just one tiny issue. Did anypony forget that the train to Canterlot was attacked by something monstrous?” The room grew quiet. But the wizard pony spoke up.

“Perhaps our new friend will give us a bit of insight on the matter.” The pony didn’t even look, but whatever senses he had was well above my own. I didn’t even see a familiar figure emerge from the corner. The pony was a mismatch of many body parts. But he wasn’t a draconiqis either. The chimera esque pony walked with such a swagger that seemed to be laid back boredom. The sight of the pony made everypony balk. The baby giggled and cooed at the funny looking pony. Ouroboros put a scaley claw on the map table

“Please, Starswirl. After releasing you from Limbo, you’d think you’d have better appreciation for the dire situation you mortals are in? After all, I found the way to keep the Pony of Shadows in check while you are gone.” Ouroboros eyed the wizard with a coy smile. My mind sat up in interest. No way… is it really THE Starswirl the Bearded? Every unicorn in CSGU knew about Starswirl. The legendary wizard who was a hero and battled monsters of all kinds. A story book character come to life. Right here in this very room. But wait… why am I dreaming this?

This doesn’t make any sense. Am I here? Or am I not? What is going on? This has to be a dream. A very bizzare and unusual dream. I glanced at Ouroboros, who seemed to return my glance with a smirk. The chinera like pony slithered his snake like tail smoothly in the air.

“I do not have time for your games, Ouroboros. Explain what had happened to the ponies on the train.” Ouroboros sighed and waved his hoof lazily.

“Oh, you know how siblings get. They argue, they don’t share and care. Hate each other’s guts and sometimes try to kill each other out of power dominance.” I noticed Princess Luna’s ears dropping and Celestia putting a reassuring wing around her sister, looking disturbed by the thought. Ouroboros shrugged. “Yes, that is right, I am watching. So naughty little elements better not cause so much trouble for the mortals.” He wagged a claw at the white wisp, which seemed to shimmer in response. “Yes, you, little troublemaker.” Ouroboros said in a parental like tone.

The atmosphere in the room changed to awkwardness and confusion. Clearly the elephant in the room wasn’t helping. But Starswirl brushed his magnificent beard in thought.

“So, from that I gather, two had fought each other already. Which means…” Ouroboros snapped his claw coolly and pointed to Starswirl.

“Right on the mark, beardy! One is already here in Canterlot and the other is not too far away.” He clapped his claw and paw together and I felt my body move on its’ own. Everypony suddenly looked taller. I looked down and saw myself hovering over the image of Canterlot. I balked and looked atound. The wisps were spread out in an unusual manner, the white wisp seemingly not too far off from where I was hovering.

“Alright! That’s two down then! The other is in the hamlet by Canterlot!” Rainbow Dash pointed out. Rarity beamed.

“Ooh! I can handle the hamlet! I’ve been dying to try one of their special delicacies I’ve heard so much about.” Applejack frowned and eyed Rarity.

“Is that all?” She asked her. Rarity swished her fabulous mane and smiled.

“Of course not! Buuuut since the Elements of Power can pick any creature out there, we might as well look where we can.” Applejack tapped her chin in thought.

“Fair point.” She shrugged. Twilight peered over the map and bit her lip in thought.

“Mmm, I still think we need to find some way to narrow down the search.” She looked between everypony. “If the balance of our world really is in danger and time is of the essence, we need to figure out exactly where to look.” Pinkie Pie looked over and beamed.

“Oh, oh! I know that place!” She pointed to where the cool blue wisp was hovering over. “I have a cousin that lives on that side! This’ll be a great way to see them! It’s been a reaaaaally longlonglong time since our families wrote to each other!” Starswirl stomped his hoof, a loud clop echoing through the room.

“This is not a family picnic! Our world is in danger and this is no time for parties or eateries!” Starswirl turned his back to everypony. “If these are the Elements of Harmony? I fear that our world will need more than just them…” I don’t know why, but that made me super annoyed with the wizard. And I wasn’t the only one. Twilight looked hurt and the others frowned disapprovingly at Starswirl. Ouroboros cleared his throat and snapped his claw. A loud poof and floating parchment hovered over Twilight. The princess took it in her magic and looked over to Ouroboros.

“Starswirl, Starswirl! You never change.” Ouroboros non-chalantly pat the pony hard on the back, making Starswirl grunt and stumble a bit. The pony shot him a glare. “Always stubborn. Always prideful. Your intentions may lie justly, but you always neglect help. You said so yourself, time is of the essence and as sorry as I am to have so wrongfully ripped away your shining moment of glory and sacrifice for the good of Equestria, I am afraid that you do not understand the situation at all.” The room atmosphere changed again and Starswirl gave an offended look. Which was amusing to watch as Ouroboros said it with much sarcasm included.

“In my years of study and travel, I have read about your so called Elements of Power. If it was up to me, they would be contained or outright destroyed! Cosmic power like that unchecked needs to be brought to heel.” Ouroboros gave a deep, bellowing laugh. One the made the back of my mane stand up. For a moment in Ouroboros’s laughter, he looked evil. After taking a moment to gather himself and wipe a tear from his eye, he pat the stallion on back.

“Oh, my naive friend. You’ll come to understand your own helplessness one way or another. Now then! Since we need everypony on the clock, we’ll begin with some rest. Tomorrow is a big day, and hey, I’m feeling generous, so I’ll help out in one thing. After that, you get two more hotlines and then… you’re on your own~!” Ouroboros turned and trotted past everypony as he said this. There was quiet murmurs among Twilight and her friends as well as the other present ponies.

I looked over to Starswirl. I narrowed my eyes. Was it me? Or was Starswirl seething with quiet hatred and anger. One that I knew well. He kinda reminds me of Thi in a way.

~~~***~~~

I jolted awake and found myself in the dim light of the oil lamp. The room was quiet, save for Thi snoring on the bed next to mine. I looked over. She was on her belly, her hind leg twitching as she slept. She looked uncomfortable in the position she was in. But I’m no stranger to sleeping habits myself. I have a strange knack for waking up with my foreleg over my head while sleeping on my side. The cramps that followed trying to adjust didn’t help me go back to sleep. I looked over to the clock on the wall and saw that the time was three in the morning. I sighed and slid out of my bed, heading to the window and opening it. The wind was non existent and a cool atmosphere surrounded me. I looked up to the moonlight and sighed.

‘What an odd dream. And I wasn’t sleepy to begin with, but now I’m just exhausted.’ I thought back to that whole meeting. It felt so surreal. As if I was there, but not. I began to have more questions float into my mind than ever before. It was hard to keep track of them. I looked back up at the moon and caught something in the reflection of the window pane. I took a closer look and blinked. I could have sworn I saw something. I closed the window and briskly trotted into the bathroom. I flicked on the oil lamp and studied myself in the mirror. Same fire colored streak mane, charcoal coat, favorite grey and fire rimmed hoody. But my eyes. They were the normal orchid. But upon closer look, I saw my irises swirl. Almost as if a spectral fire was moving around.

I blinked once and yelped when I saw a pair of fiery eyes glared back at me. A sudden maniacal cackling ringing in my head. My startled yelp alerted Thi, who snorted and looked up from her bed. Tiredly, she looked around.

“Huzaawah? Quiet?” She looked to the bathroom and rubbed her eyes. “What are you doing? Can you please scare yourself when I’m not sleeping?” I looked over to her, my heart pounding in my chest. Thi must have been too tired to see my terrified expression as she fell back onto the bed and began to snore again. My mind was racing. I had no clue what just happened. This whole day has been just one after another. Was all of this really happening? I mean, despite actually meeting Ouroboros in person, am I really connected to the world’s balance? How in Equestria is that possible? I looked back at the mirror.

It’s still me. The same Quiet Fire from before. Only this time, the mare before me looked rather alone and scared than ready to face the day.

Author's Note:

A shorter chapter, but one I wanted to do to get back into the groove of this story in particular. I found myself not working so much on this one because of my other bigger projects. But since I’m stuck with those, I am not stuck with this one. It is high time I complete something for once.