A Kirin's Flame

by RDT

Chapter 2

We continued to work on the railway. After the first week, most of the kirin—including Autumn Blaze—had lost interest; Cinder Glow was one of the few who stayed. But even of the remaining interns, most had other commitments, so they could only train for a few hours each day.

“Training on a railway,” Crosstie said. That had earned him a groan.

Our construction speed, however, had picked up. The kirin’s curious nature proved to be an asset, and soon they had learned enough to be of assistance—even if explanations were still needed from time to time. Though we were still slower than our normal operations, it was enough for us to see some progress being made. And we knew that our work would only be more efficient from here.

“Look at what we’ve built,” Cinder Glow said, looking back towards the train cars—where the end of the line used to be. “It’s amazing that we’ve made it this far already.”

“Oh,” I replied, “this is slower than our usual pace. Much of our time was spent teaching and demonstrating, after all. But soon, when us experienced workers have taught you all that we know, you’ll see how much we can do together.”

“Really,” the kirin said, incredulous.

“Really.” I looked onwards into the valleys and wilderness where the railway would soon lead. “This is only the beginning. You do remember the plans for the finished project, correct?”

"Yeah, of course. It would wind around here”—and Cinder Glow waved her hooves, gesturing towards the mountain ahead of us—“and then basically lead right up to our village! It would be so easy for ponies or other creatures to just step off the train and visit us. There are so many things that we could learn from each other.” She paused and looked towards me. “Ever since the two ponies came… I realized that our village had been shut away from the world for too long. But we won’t be missing out anymore.”

There was something in particular missing from that. “And what about visiting other places, like Equestria or even the far-away Mount Aris?”

Cinder Glow shrugged. “It would be interesting, I suppose.”

Something about her tone of voice suggested the contrary. However, I had brought up the original plans for another reason.

“Well, on the topic of the railway,” I said, “it was our intention to have it completely built by the end of the project.”

Cinder Glow nodded. “I wasn’t sure if Princess Twilight was exaggerating when I read her letter, claiming that the project could be completed in just two months with a work crew of only a few dozen ponies…”

“Well, it won’t be just ponies working on this railway. You kirin will soon learn enough to be capable railway construction workers in your own right.”

“Still, I can’t believe it,” Cinder Glow said, shaking her head. “Building the railway through all of these valleys, in only two months. Can you imagine?”

“Yes,” I said. Indeed, I saw it in my mind, the image of thin train tracks overlaid on the terrain, a sight so common to me. “And you will be a part of that as well.”

That last statement proved to be true, as the kirin workers continued to absorb knowledge like a dry sponge absorbed water. It was almost alarming how efficient all of the remaining kirin had become in the following weeks.

Since the number of trainees had decreased, each one could have a designated teacher, and Cinder Glow’s had been primarily assigned to me. Instruction was no longer a chore, especially since Cinder Glow could understand any of my explanations about various aspects of railway construction almost immediately. It was such an incredible feat that, despite Fine Line’s earlier inquiry about their construction experience, I had to confirm it.

“I’m not much of a builder, even by our standards,” Cinder Glow replied. “I’m usually an actor, and I paint sometimes, too. But remember that kirin don’t build things the same way ponies do.”

I had seen the under-construction treehouses, of course, though I had not taken the opportunity to investigate them in detail. It was a gross oversight on my part, one which I intended to correct immediately.

“Right, and I have been meaning to learn,” I said. “Would you mind showing me after work is over?”

“I’m no expert,” Cinder Glow said, levitating another railway spike into position. “But for a pony, I suppose anykirin is qualified.” She grinned.

“Hello, Mossy Gleam! We’re just looking at the houses, so don’t let us interrupt you.”

Cinder Glow and I had finished our work for the day, and we made it to the under-construction treehouses as planned. What we had not expected was our company. Mossy Gleam, the kirin who had been working on the new treehouses, looked up at hearing Cinder Glow’s voice.

“Nah, Cinder, ‘sall good. I’m pretty much finished up for the day.” He turned to face me. “And you won’t hafta wait much longer. Houses’ll be done soon.”

“I must thank you for building these for the railway crew,” I said.

“Ahh, it’s just my job,” Mossy Gleam replied. “But really, it’s the farmers who deserve your thanks. With so many more mouths to feed, they’ve been workin’ overtime. Not to mention that some of ‘em are also building that railway of yours.”

“I will,” I said, and made a mental note to myself to do so. Especially the ones on the construction crew, whom I had just realized were basically working two jobs at once.

“Mossy, I was going to try to explain to Clear Track how we build these houses, but you’re the professional.” Cinder Glow said. “Would it be too much trouble if you…?”

“I can help,” Mossy Gleam replied. “Though, Clear Track, you should have some idea. Equestria’s got a few living buildings, don’tcha?”

I had looked forward to being taught by Cinder Glow—as opposed to our usual arrangement—though I supposed that this was acceptable.

Living buildings? I thought to myself. That must mean these are built from living trees. I had thought that these treehouses seemed strange. And ones in Equestria…

“Now that you mention it,” I said after a pause, “I do remember something, vaguely. There was this library that was made from… oak, I believe? Though I must admit that my knowledge in this area is sorely disappointing. And I do wonder if ponies use the same methods as kirin.”

Mossy Gleam shook his head. “I doubt it’s exactly the same. Come on over.”

He beckoned me forward, and the three of us trotted up to one of the treehouses. It was similar in form to the ones that the kirin lived in, though it was missing the glass over its windows and a door over the doorway.

“It’s actually really simple. Mostly, we do it by tricking the tree into thinkin’ there’s something that it needs to grow around. There’s a specific process we do with our magic, though it’d be hard to explain.”

“Can the tree really adapt to having such a large cavity in it?” I asked.

“You’re lookin’ at evidence right here,” he said. “‘Course, it’d take way too long if we didn’t speed up its growth, so we do that, too. But I bet there’s probably different ways to do it. Pardon me askin’, but aren’tchu earth ponies good at growing plants too?”

“Supposedly.” I smiled sheepishly. “I personally never understood horticulture. There’s theories on a sort of innate magic that we might possess, but if we do, then I have never felt it.”

Cinder Glow glanced at me, but she turned her attention back to Mossy Gleam.

He shrugged. “Not everyone can be an expert in everything, eh? But anyways, that’s how the kirin do it. It takes a lotta energy, and it’s hard to make the tree grow exactly right so you don’t end up with missing walls or the like. I remember when we had to rebuild the whole village in a single moon, and that almost made me quit my job.”

The kirin fell silent after that remark. Cinder Glow stepped up and gingerly laid a hoof on his back. “And we thank you for it, Mossy Gleam. Don’t forget that.”

Mossy Gleam nodded. “That was certainly some time, wasn’t it?” he said, then looked back at me. “Urrr, sorry ‘bout that, Clear Track. I get stuck in the past sometimes. But as you can tell, these houses are almost done, and I dare say I did a darn good job with ‘em.”

Mossy Gleam seemed to puff out his chest, exaggerated by that mane which extended down his neck. I heard something from beside me, and turned to see Cinder Glow struggling to stifle a laugh.

“It’s just”—she had to stop for a moment—“you’re always such a gem, Mossy.”

He laughed as well, and punched her in the shoulder. “You say that as if you don’t feel the same ‘bout everykirin, eh?”

Everykirin, I thought, except for Autumn Blaze. I was actually tempted to say it out loud, but my slight irritation was not enough to spur me to such a rash decision.

“Are there any non-living buildings as well?” I asked. “Or is everything built using that same method?”

Mossy Gleam glanced back at me, momentarily disoriented. “Wha’? Non-living… Oh! Nah, we prefer to use living buildings. Most o’ the time, they’re really strong and don’t need repairs.”

“Thank you for your explanations,” I said. “I believe that is all.”

“Well,” Mossy said, “it’s gettin’ late, so I’ll be heading out to The Glowing Kiln. I guess I’ll see y’all around, then!” He waved at us both, then trotted away.

With Mossy Gleam gone, I was once again alone with Cinder Glow.

“Was there any reason you wanted to see a deadtree?” she asked.

“Oh, I was just curious to see if there was anything more I might learn.” ‘Deadtree’ was a specific term that the kirin used for non-living buildings? Interesting, though perhaps I had violated some sort of taboo. “I’m sorry if it was impolite.”

“No, you’re fine. There is a building like what you described.” But she seemed strangely hesitant.

“Is something wrong?” I asked after a moment of silence. “Is it restricted for visitors?”

“It’s at the end of this path.” Cinder Glow pointed at one of the many trails leading away into the surrounding wilderness, but she then looked down at the ground. “We… well, you’ve heard how Autumn Blaze was forced to leave the village. Rain Shine wouldn’t have let her stay anywhere close, so it’s just a long hike.”

Her hesitation made sense, then; no doubt anything stemming from their period of silence was a delicate subject. I supposed that the location of Autumn Blaze’s exile held some cultural significance, but if Cinder Glow was acting as my guide, then there could be no accidental offense. Besides, I was curious.

“I would not mind,” I said.

“Then let’s go,” she replied.

She stepped towards the forested path, and gestured for me to follow. I scrambled to catch up to her, though I glanced back when we were maybe a few dozen paces away from the village proper. From here, the kirin’s home looked so… small. As if it were nothing but a tiny spark of life surrounded by an endless wilderness.

I looked forward again only to see an emerald tail disappear behind a bend in the path, so I once again had to speed up to a canter.

“Oh! Sorry. Am I walking too fast?”

“I was just a little distracted,” I said.

She nodded and continued forwards.

From then on, we walked mostly in silence, and it seemed that Cinder Glow had much on her mind. Not wanting to distract her, I took the opportunity to investigate my surroundings.

The sunlight barely penetrated through the canopy, and with the mist which was common in these mountains, the forest became downright gloomy. I heard phantom noises around me, ones which were no doubt caused either by woodland creatures or by just the wind, and yet I kept casting nervous glances around me.

One particular noise sounded from right behind us, making me jump. Cinder Glow turned around.

“It’s just a squirrel,” she said. And indeed, it was.

Still, I could not keep my heart from racing. “Is there anything… dangerous? In these forests?”

“Have you seen anything of that sort?" Cinder Glow said with a chuckle. “No, there isn’t, or Rain Shine would have warned you.”

“How much longer do we have to stay in these woods?” I asked.

“Still afraid, eh?” She smirked. “But actually, we’re almost there.”

Only after she said those words did I see a gap in the treeline ahead. Cinder Glow suddenly broke into a gallop, and I followed suit.

Once we cleared the forest, we found ourselves at a windswept clifftop, where the mists had been blown away. Cinder Glow came to a stop at the edge of the cliff, and I sat down beside her with a seemingly endless drop only hoofwidths before me.

We oversaw a grassy plain, which stretched away from us towards distant hills. A meandering river ran from the foot of these mountains towards the horizon. The setting sun seemed to dip into its waters, setting the entire river ablaze. A gust of wind blew across us, stinging against my face. Leaves swirled around us, green and golden and red, bringing with them the crisp scent of the forest we had just left behind.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” she said, gazing outward from the cliff.

I turned towards Cinder Glow, and directly into the path of a stray leaf.

She lifted the leaf away from my eyes with a red glow, revealing a bright smile and a sparkle in her eyes. I imagined how silly I must have looked. A blush crept up my face.

“It is,” I said, attempting to recover, “though it would be even better with just a couple fewer leaves.”

She laughed at that, a sound which would surely lift the spirits of anypony who heard it. I must have laughed along with her.

But our laughter soon quieted, and we sat there at the cliff’s edge, accompanied only by the wind. Eventually, Cinder Glow was the first to speak.

“I’ve only been here once before, you know. But Autumn Blaze still comes here all the time. She says it’s one of the prettiest places in the Peaks.”

I nodded. “The beauty surpasses any place I’ve seen in Equestria. It makes sense that she would choose to live here.”

“But it wasn’t a choice, was it?” Cinder Glow turned away.

Right. This was a delicate subject. Searching for another topic, I returned to something else she’d mentioned. “What about the only other time you came here? What was it for?”

“After we regained our voices, Autumn had asked for help moving back to the village, and I volunteered. I didn’t notice the beauty. At the time, I didn’t pay attention to much else other than helping her.”

“You must have had a lot on your mind,” I said.

She nodded. “Words were hard, then, and it was the first time in years since I’ve seen Autumn. She’d been gone for so long, and…” She trailed off.

I choose my words carefully. “You didn’t know what it was like.”

Cinder Glow sighed. “You’re right, I didn’t.” She paused. “I wonder how she spent all those days?”

“I cannot imagine,” I said, “though we did come here to look at her old house. Perhaps there are answers there. Though, are you sure that looking at her old belongings is appropriate?”

“Anything she wanted to keep, she already took back to the village. Come on.”

We stood up. The ground in front of the hut was littered with rocks and a few pieces of broken ceramic. Bare sticks jutted out at strange angles, lashed to the building with fraying ropes. A few branches of a tree had been incorporated into its structure, though nowhere to the extent of the other kirin buildings I’d seen. I suspected that Autumn Blaze had initially tried to make the tree her home in its entirety, before giving up and simply using it as structural support.

The floorboards creaked as we entered.

“She truly did empty out the place,” I mused. A few individual items were all that lay around the room, and there was little furniture except for a shelf that looked to be built into the wall. The long cooled-down oven found my companion poking at it, and motes of dust kicked up by our entry glowed like embers in the sunlight which shone through the windows and the cracks in the roof.

“She really built all of this herself,” Cinder Glow said. “Look at this oven. It’s not the best I’ve seen, but I remember Autumn being horrible with ceramics.”

I looked at the construction of the shelf. There were no nails; instead, each plank of wood was connected by a series of indents and protrusions, allowing the pieces to slide together like a puzzle. It was similar to the joinery techniques used back in Equestria, though these ones seemed more intricate than any that I had seen before. I pushed the shelf lightly to test its strength. It would not budge.

A strange contrast with the haphazard construction of the structure itself, I thought.

I finally decided to look at the contents of the shelf. There was a small, dried gourd with a smiley face painted on it. Beside it was a ceramic jar which sat on a loose stack of papers. The jar, too, wore a smile.

“Do you know what all the faces mean?” I asked, idly tracing the lines with a hoof.

“Let me see.” Cinder Glow walked over. “Oh… I remember. I think she said something about these being her companions when she was lonely.”

I froze, my hoof halfway over a painted smile. It was only then, I think, that I began to realize the true cost of Autumn’s exile.

“Yes,” Cinder Glow said, leaning closer. “I think it must have been awful for her. And I don’t think anyone thought to visit, either.”

I slowly set my hoof back on the ground. With whatever comfort these figurines had been able to provide the lonely kirin, I felt that they had earned a degree of respect.

“I wonder why Autumn didn’t take these back with her,” I said.

“She still has one,” Cinder Glow replied. “A twig, I think. And she paints her hooves sometimes.”

I sat down, looking up at the faces and thinking, while Cinder Glow continued exploring.

“I never did get a good look at this,” she said a while later. I turned around. The object she was examining appeared to be a small slab of slate filled with chalk markings.

I stood up and walked over to take a closer look. The markings were grouped, with seven vertical markings crossed by a single horizontal one. Those, too, were in groups of four. As the markings approached the bottom, they became smaller and smaller, until they seemed to run off the edge of the slate.

“I think it’s a calendar,” Cinder said. “Eight days in a week and four weeks in a month for us, anyways.” She levitated the slate with a red glow and flipped it over. “Look, this side is covered, too.”

“There are only about a dozen months recorded on each side,” I said.

“I guess she must’ve given up after a couple years,” Cinder Glow said. She looked away and sighed.

“How… how long, exactly, was she exiled for?”

“Four years and three months, give or take.”

I thought about it. Four years and three months of exile, of being separated from everyone you ever knew. I did not consider myself a very outgoing pony, but I knew that those would surely be the worst four years and three months of my life.

Something else caught my eye. It looked like a piece of paper, though it was almost buried in the dust. I fished it out, nudging it with my hoof to dislodge most of the dust before picking it up in my teeth.

“Here, let me see.” She took the sheet of paper, though on closer inspection, it did not look like any paper I knew. It was as if a thin sheet of solid wood had been shaved from the surface of a tree, and I wondered if that was exactly how it was made.

“It’s a map,” she said. “Look, the village is here, and the forest takes up the rest of it. We’re at the edge.”

The words ‘Home Base’ were accompanied by a little drawing of the building we were in, and ‘Village’ was written beside a drawing of two of the living tree-buildings. A number of crosses dotted the map, all with their own labels and little ticks as well. The words ‘Search for Foal’s Breath, Version 74’ were written across the top of the page.

Cinder Glow, too, noticed the title. “She… she was searching for the foal’s breath flower, all this time. She never gave up on us.” She closed her eyes.

I asked, “What does ‘version seventy-four’ mean, do you think?”

“I don’t know,” she replied. “Ask Autumn, maybe. But I won’t. She’s sacrificed enough already.”

I placed a hoof gently on her back.

“Cinder Glow…” I searched for comforting words. “It wasn’t just your fault.”

She barked a sharp, bitter laugh. “But in a way, it was! If I’d wanted to, I probably could have gotten Rain Shine to take her back. It didn’t take anything more than two strangers to convince us, after all.”

“Any kirin could have done so as well, and yet no one did.”

“Maybe we all share the blame, but it doesn’t change the fact that I could have done something, and didn’t.”

This line of conversation was leading nowhere. “Cinder Glow, consider that there was a reason she was exiled in the first place,” I said, pacing slowly in a circle. “After a disaster like the fire, I understand why you would do anything to prevent it from happening again.”

“Did you learn nothing from the story?” She took a breath. “Okay, maybe you don’t have the full picture. Autumn did gloss over a lot of details in that song of hers.”

“Then tell me,” I said, sitting down. “If you’re comfortable with it.”

Cinder Glow seemed agitated, but still she spoke. “There was a lot of blame being passed around after the fires. Everyone was mad at each other, trying to figure out who was responsible. I… I was angry, too. And scared. Rain Shine’s decision was the only thing which would keep the village together.”

I pushed on. “So it made sense to do what you did.”

“You still don’t understand, do you? The silence was the worst consequence of our anger. I hate that we were ever afraid to be ourselves.”

Cinder Glow was breathing heavily. I was afraid to speak, and I could have sworn that the tips of her mane seemed to glow. But after a tense moment, her breaths calmed.

“I guess it’s true that anger isn’t always good,” she continued. “It can often be dangerous. But living like that… it wasn’t really living at all.”

“I… I was afraid of it, too.” I do not know what compelled me to say that. “Your nirik form, I mean. When I first came here, I didn’t know what it could do, and, given the vague warnings that Princess Twilight gave us… I guess I leaped to conclusions.”

Cinder Glow sighed. “Then you’re in good company. But afraid of what, exactly? Unless a kirin tried to burn down your home, too.”

“No. It was just the stories I’ve heard since I was a foal. There’s always been legends about kirin and niriks, and when I received this assignment…” I shoved my face into my hooves. “Sorry, this is ridiculous. And Crosstie talked some sense into me.”

“As I said, you’re in good company. But you’ve never seen any of us in nirik form, right?”

“I admit I haven’t,” I replied. “It cannot be that bad, can it?”

Cinder Glow took a deep breath and held it, before slowly letting it blow out. “Even now, I can’t just let myself be angry. The only time I feel safe doing it is… when I’m acting. Is that weird? I can pretend to be angry.”

I sensed that this was something important, but I did not know what to say.

Cinder Glow looked again at the map she held in her magic. “Despite all of my talking, perhaps I haven’t learned that lesson about being true to yourself, either.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “I was… afraid. Afraid of what would happen to me if I had challenged the decision, though Autumn’s exile had seemed so wrong to me even then.” She looked back at me, her eyes glistening, and I thought I could see an endless well of guilt within them. “So I did nothing.”

“But…” I thought for a moment. “So what if it was your fault? But these regrets are in the past, and you can’t change them. Autumn Blaze has forgiven you, and the only thing you can do now is to keep going forward.”

Cinder Glow released the map, allowing it to slowly flutter to the ground. “I guess I’m just afraid that I’m still the same, worthless kirin who wouldn’t stand up for anything.”

“I don’t think you’re worthless.”

A moment passed as Cinder’s expression slowly changed to an almost predatory curiosity. I could have sworn that the temperature in the room changed.

“Ahh, Clear Track. Then what do you think I’m worth, exactly?”

“You’re hardworking and a great companion, and…” The heat rising in my cheeks was most distracting, and yet I had to think of something to say. “You’re worth a friend. One that I am extremely fortunate to have.”

“Oh.” She almost seemed… disappointed.

“Unless,” I quickly added, though I felt the heat intensifying, “what do you want to be?”

She blushed as well, and I was afraid she could hear my heart pound as I waited for a response.

“…well, it’s just that you had a lot of compliments for someone you consider merely a ‘friend’, Clear Track.”

“And despite all that, you didn’t seem satisfied with my answer,” I countered.

We stared at each other a bit more, neither willing to give the other any more verbal ammunition.

“Well,” I said, mustering up my courage, “clearly we are at an impasse. So I suppose I can go first.” I took a deep breath. “I like you, Cinder Glow. A lot. Maybe even more than platonically.”

“‘Maybe’?” she replied, laughing. “Okay, then. And… I guess I feel the same about you.” She smirked knowingly. “Maybe.”

I pressed my luck. “Should we make this… official, then? If we both have feelings for each other, it is only logical—”

She poked my nose with a hoof.

“You silly pony, it doesn’t really matter. And we’ve seen enough here. Let’s go.” She turned towards the door, brushing her tail against my chest.

We walked along that same path back towards the village, though this time in much higher spirits.

Author's Note:

New chapter tomorrow as well!