Tending the Embers

by Kiernan

One

Ember awoke to a loud knock at his door. "Time to wake up," boomed a voice from the other side of the door. He recognized it at that of his adoptive father. "We're going out to the Everfree Forest."

Enber yawned and stretched. He was a thin excuse for an earth pony, though not for lack of trying. He wanted his muscles to reflect his strength, but instead he was tall and gangly. He had a dark red coat with tiny flecks of orange smattered about all over the place. His mane was mostly black, with red tips at the end. Some of the other stallions joked about how he should grow his mane out and drape it over his dark brown eyes, but he had no interest in having a long mane. Even his tail was short and tightly bound.

He climbed out of bed, neatly folding his bedspread back into its proper position. He knew what was awaiting him in the forest. Twice a year he would go out there with his adoptive father and uncle to hunt. Not for sport, of course. They would eat whatever they killed. Some of it right there and then, the rest would be frozen until later or dried into jerky. What confused Ember was why they needed to hunt now. There was still plenty of meat in their stores.

After a quick shower, he stepped out into the living room, finding his adoptive father had already packed their supplies together. "Breakfast is waiting for you in the kitchen," he said, gesturing to the door.

Perry had the body that Ember could only dream of having. He was very tall, with massive, well-toned muscles rippling from his neck to his back hooves. He also kept his mane and tail short, more out of necessity than style. But these were not the aspects that kept other ponies at a distance. Being the end result of a biological weapons experiment, Perry had razor sharp teeth that glinted in the light any time he opened his mouth. As if that weren't enough, he had eight horns growing out of his head, rather than the one most unicorns had. The four on his skull pointed backward, while the two on either side of his jaw pointed forward, as if they were mandibles. On top of all of this, He could spit massive torrents of fire and smoke from his mouth and nose.

As frightening as Perry was, Ember wasn't scared of him for any of these things. Ember was afraid of Perry because Perry had no obligation to take care of him, and yet, he had for the past five years. At any moment, Perry could decide that he was no longer welcome in his home, and Ember would once again live in the street. Even though he knew that Perry would never be so cruel, He'd thought the same of others and had been betrayed before.

Ember finished breakfast quickly and came back to the living room. "Is Somber going to meet us there, Mister Perry?"

Perry shook his head. "It's just you and me this time. We need to talk about what's been happening at your school."

Ember hung his head as he picked up his supplies. Without another word, the two walked out the door and made their way toward the train station. Canterlot was mostly empty this time of day, as most of the children were in school, and most of the adults were at work. There were plenty of ponies still walking around, but not as many as there would be on a weekend afternoon.

"So, did Princess Luna give you time off for this trip?" asked Ember, looking for something to break the silence.

"Yes and no," replied Perry. "I can take as much time as I need, but I shan't return until the situation is dealt with."

Ember swallowed hard. "Is she going to... involve herself with this?"

"Not if she doesn't have to. She's busy enough as it is. Besides, you're living under my roof. That makes me responsible for your actions. Not her."

Ember began to lag behind. "I didn't mean to hurt him."

"I'm sure you didn't. But you did hurt him, so we're going to go out to the Everfree Forest and you're going to tell me all about it."

Throughout the entire train ride to Ponyville Station, Ember sat in silence. Perry had offered him a soft pretzel with cheese, but Ember had declined. As he went over the memory of his fight in his head repeatedly, he just made himself feel worse and worse. He had only been defending himself. He was the one who was under attack. Just as he was thinking about what he should have done differently, Perry shook his shoulder. They had arrived.

Ember rather liked Ponyville. It was calm and peaceful most days, in stark contrast to the hustle and bustle of Canterlot. He knew very well why Perry had moved from his childhood home here to the big city, but a part of Ember really wished that he could live here instead.

Just before they entered the forest, Perry stopped at the top of a hill. Ember was expecting this, as it happened every time they went hunting. Perry would stop at the top of this exact hill, look wistfully down at the statue on the lake below, then bow his head and continue on his way. Ember had asked before about why this was, but Somber had shushed him, promising to explain later.

Most ponies were just as afraid of the Everfree forest as they were of Perry. Looking from a distance was fine, but to walk up and interact with it took courage. Despite this, neither Perry nor Ember broke their stride as they entered, both being well aware of the dangers, and well prepared to face them. The two walked deep into the woods, to areas that were left unmarked by many cartographers. Only when they came to the foot of a cliff did they stop. This was the location where they always set up their camp. Today would be no exception.

Dropping his bag against a tree, Perry pulled out a large axe and offered the handle to his son. "I'll set up the site. You go bring in some logs."

Comments

[KenDoStudios]

started here first.
first chapter really good,
i wish i could know how perry ended up as he did