Darkness of Ages - Book 1: Greyhield

by YoungQuillMaster

Chapter 24: Pyre

Blaze sat at the council’s table with only the creaking on wood and the rustle of paper keeping him company. The map that lay before him had blue and red pieces scattered across it, his battle plan to take back Canterlot still not ready. The door to the room opened, filling the room with its creaking. Blaze rubbed his forehead with his hoof as he tried to think harder, ignoring the new presence. The sound of something being set on the table was enough to make him look over, and see the plate of steaming hot food. Blaze looked up and saw Amber who smiled at him.

“You skipped on the evening meal again.” She said; the concern in her voice being hard to miss if you listened at all, “You really should eat. We don’t need a general that faints in battle because he forgot to eat a meal.” Blaze looked away, turning his attention back to the map.

“I’m not a general.” He muttered. “Equestria hasn’t had a general in almost five hundred years.” Amber cocked her head in confusion. “Military tradition made the rank of general unreachable ever since Courageous died, mostly as a way to honor his final sacrifice in the Great War but also because nopony at that time or since has ever felt it necessary to go above captain since it just felt off.” Amber sat down beside him, looking over his plan with little understanding of what the pieces meant.

"You still should eat; if not for you, then for those who depend on your guidance and leadership." She coaxed gently, nudging Blaze's shoulder. Blaze finally relented and lifted the platter with his magic, setting it down in front of him.

Blaze had been idly eating his food while still planning the attack for almost an hour, whisking the pieces to and fro with his magic, only noticing that Amber hadn't left when she adjusted her position. He watched as she followed the pieces he moved around the board, seeming entranced by the floating objects, as if she had never seen magic before.

"Are you alright?" Blaze asked finally. Amber broke out of her trance and looked back at Blaze nodding with a smile. Blaze lifted an eyebrow in suspicion, but returned to his work before too long. The plan was slowly coming together, but the problem was the skill of his soldiers. They would need more training for a certainty, but in reality they didn’t know how good they were. They had had a taste, but Blaze was sure that what they had been treated to was not the full extent of the reptilous’ power.

"I was just wondering...," Amber began, her voice breaking Blaze away from his train of thought, "And this may sound a bit weird of a thing to be wondering about, but... I guess I was wondering what it is like to be able to do all this." Blaze looked over at her.

"By all this, do you mean making a strategy or leading an army?" Blaze asked her, setting the pieces he had been floating around on the board, though upon a second glance, he quickly shifted them into more desirable positions.

"Neither, I was actually wondering about... well, how it feels to use magic." She finally confessed. "It sounds weird, I know, with a third of Equestria's population being unicorns, but it still doesn't stop me from wondering what it might feel like to use magic."

"Well...," Blaze thought out loud, "I guess when you think about it, for a pony that has never had magic it's hard to imagine, and it's also hard for a pony that has had it since birth to explain it." Blaze explained. "But I guess the best way to say it is that..." Suddenly the doors to the hall flew open, startling both ponies. Blaze stood up, and saw two guards standing in the doorway.

"Sir, there is a pony out here who says he has vital information and wishes to speak to you." One of them said. Blaze lifted an eyebrow at the statement.

"Who is this pony?" Blaze asked. Blaze quickly began thinking up any scouts that may have been sent out during the last few days, but none came to mind.

"He isn't one of our stallions, and he says his name is Glowing Flint, and that you'd want to see him." The guard stated. Blaze's eye grew wide.

"Flint?" Blaze breathed before quickly mentally shaking himself back into the situation at hoof. "Yes, send him right in, I do wish to see him." The guards nodded and left the hall, the doors closing behind them. "I can't believe it, he's actually here." Blaze said with a grin and a small chuckle. He was giddy with excitement, maybe more so than he should be, but the fates had actually worked out in his favor for once.

"Who is this Flint?" Amber asked with no small amount of curiosity. Blaze looked over at her and tried to find the right words to explain who this pony was. There were so many angles he could think of, all of them showing some aspect of his character, but most of them would probably cast a negative light on him, something Blaze didn’t want.

"He's... well... oh, you'll see soon enough." Blaze said excitedly, his mind racing for an explanation, but failing to provide a satisfactory answer before he simply gave up on the attempt to describe the enigma of a stallion. "The last time I saw him was our last training session in the Everfree." Blaze reminisced with a smile spread across his face, though his words didn’t work the same emotions in Amber, as her expression shifted farther into concern.

"Wait, you did training in the Everfree forest?" Blaze nodded before looking back towards the door expectantly. “I’m not sure if that's extremely brave or extremely foalish." Amber said in an unsure tone. The door opened once more, this time a stallion in a cloak appearing between the guards. His black cloak billowed slightly, his features as concealed as always.

"Thank you, guards, you may leave us." Blaze ordered, the guards nodding in response, quickly leaving the room, the door closing behind them as they did. "Flint, is that really you?" Blaze asked, still wrapping his head around the situation. The hooded stallion nodded slowly. The corners of Blaze's mouth turned upward in a smile as he approached the stallion. "It's been so long since we last saw each other."

"Not extremely long, but some time has passed," Flint stated, "And it appears to have reaped many benefits in your favor; I've heard many tales of your exploits of late." Blaze's smile became one of embarrassment as he scratched the back of his neck with a hoof.

"I'm sure most of them were exaggerated to a degree." Blaze excused with a halfhearted chuckle. "But it is so good to see you're doing well. I've been slightly concerned for your safety, but I see my concerns were poorly placed. I guessed I should've figured as much since you taught me everything I know."

"Not everything," Flint corrected, "You learned quite a bit from training the guard. Buckler did you a great deal of good by nearly beating you. It goes to show you that the majority might not always signal out the whole truth of a matter." Blaze nodded slowly, his mind drifting to less than pleasant places at the mention of Bronze Buckler.

"So I guess you're Glowing Flint." Amber spoke up, seeing Blaze's shift in mood. "I'm Amber, one of Blaze's friends from Ponyville." Flint nodded at Amber, the shadow cast over his features making his expression invisible.

"Yes, I do remember seeing you and Blaze together with two other colts on certain occasions." Flint recalled. "I suppose I might have had a hoof in allowing your bonds to grow into the ties they are now."

"Oh, I guess we were together...wait, what do you mean by that, ‘allowing our bonds to grow’?" Amber asked; her curiosity peaked.

"Oh, um... well, you see..." Blaze began, stumbling over his own words as he tried to find a way to explain how Flint had forced him to stay against his will without casting Flint into a negative light with his friend.

"Simply put, I was the one that convinced Blaze to wait for the train to be repaired before leaving and that he might take the time to train in swordplay, which he had shown an interest in, and also, with some luck, forge some strong bonds of friendship. In the end, he did both, and took the lessons from both to heart." Flint replied, stepping in for the befuddled Blaze.

"Oh... well, I guess I should thank you, Mister Flint." Amber said. "I wouldn't trade my friendship with Blaze for anything. He is one of my best friends." Flint nodded with a tone of agreement.

"Uh, Amber, if you don't mind, there are some things I'd like to discuss with Flint... eh, in private." Blaze said in a sympathetic tone.

"Y-yes, of course, you to need some time to catch up," Amber realized out loud, "Right, I'll leave you two to it." Amber said, quickly ducking out of the room. Blaze turned to Flint, his smile gone, replaced by a look of seriousness that reflected the thoughts that were swirling around in his head.

"Flint... I have a lot of things I'd like to ask you, and quite a few more things I'd like to simply chat about, but first, I'd ask one thing of you." Blaze began. "Would you be so kind as to lower your cowl while we talk?" Flint nodded, and in a second his golden aura appeared around the hood, quickly lowering it, revealing his features for what Blaze could only recollect as the third time he had done so. "Thank you for complying." Blaze said, turning around, quickly walking over to his seat.

"I knew that when I finally came I'd be showered with questions. I've come prepared as best as I can." Flint stated; taking a seat himself as Blaze lowered himself on to his cushion.

"I guess the first question that comes to mind is: what was the real reason behind training me as you did? I know you said it was because I showed promise, but I have my doubts as to that being the entire reason behind why you decided to take me on as a trainee." Blaze questioned.

"It goes back more towards why I was even in the forest and why I gravitated towards you in the first place." Flint replied, creating more questions than answers.

"Very well, what made you gravitated towards me in the first place?" Blaze asked, attempting to get closer to the answers he so desperately wanted. There was a long drawn out silence following the question, the air crackling with anticipation. As Blaze continued to look at Flint, the more he became to feel something he had only barely noticed before, mostly his appearance that he kept so concealed, but more towards who he looked like.

"My reasons for that stems from why I was there. Now, I will explain, but I want you to not interrupt at any point until I finish or unless I ask you a question." Flint stated sternly. Blaze nodded in agreement and waited for Flint to start. "I will be frank with you. I have lied to you, only certain bits of what I said being true, and in a way, I made you lie to me just the same, thought you thought you were being truthful. My name is not Glowing Flint, and I am not just any traveling swordspony." Blaze nodded slowly, understanding slightly what Flint, or whatever is real name was, was saying. "I... well; I suppose I should begin from another direction."

"Take your time, I'm not rushing you." Blaze coaxed. Flint looked at him with a small smirk, pointing a hoof at his mouth, gaining a confused look until Blaze realized he had just spoken in violation of the agreement.

"Don't worry, I don't hold it against you, but to continue, I want to know, what do remember before you met me that you know for a certainty is true?" Flint asked. Blaze, despite his confusion about the question, thought hard about what he could say was true.

“I was running through the forest and ran into a tree before I eventually found my way to you.” Blaze replied, still unsure where Flint might be taking this train of thought.

“So cannot tell me anything about you before running through the forest as a certainty?” Flint asked. Blaze shook his head, the two lives that constantly fought for favor in his mind still present. “I, on the other hoof, can tell you something of yourself for a certainty.” Blaze’s ears perked up, listening intently to Flint. “One thing I know for sure is that you are not Blaze Eternal, the son of Flame Eternal, and are not sent from the past to save Equestria.” Flint stated with a tone of confidence before looking off towards nowhere.

“Flint, I may not be sure of my origins, but I am sure of my name in the very least.” Blaze countered, his confusion taking a slightly enraged shift.

“No, I can tell you for a fact that that isn’t your real name.” Flint stated calmly. “I should know; I was the one that changed it.” Flint stated nonchalantly.

“W-what? You changed my name? What in the hay do you mean by that?” Blaze asked. Flint looked back towards the extremely confused Blaze.

“Remember when we first met, I took you to my house?” Flint continued, standing up to walk down the length of the table away from Blaze. “I used a spell that made you feel drowsy and fall asleep, but not only that, I used a modified version of Flame Eternal’s memory spell.” Blaze stood up slowly as Flint continued to speak. “Instead of replacing true memories with false ones and then letting the true ones leak through, I planted false ones that started to leak through, although the changing of your name was the very first falsehood that I insured asserted itself in your mind.”

“Then who am I… and more to the point, who are you?” Blaze asked, enraged undertones showing through his voice, his mane billowing slightly in the still air of the room.

“Why does it matter who I am? Does it give you an edge in battle; give you an advantage you lacked previously? Or are you just curious with no valid reason to be so?” Flint questioned. Blaze’s ire began to increase, his mane whipping about slightly more violently, briefly turning black as it did.

“If you changed who I am, concealed who you are, and now are admitting to it, I want to know the truth.” Blaze stated, gritting his teeth as he fought his temper. “Remember those exploits? I’ve increased my sword skills, and I’m the commander of the Equestrian fighting forces. I’d suggest you tell me exactly what you mean or I’ll start displaying exactly how truthful those exploits you mention are.” Flint looked towards Blaze, his expression quite unreadable.

“You do realize that threats of your skill are very much wasted on me. I taught you most of what you know, but you must always remember that the master rarely ever teaches the student all he knows.” Flint retorted. “My skills in swordplay are far beyond what I have previously displayed.”

“And I can pull out quite a few more surprises than you can. I have trained day and night to fight against an enemy far more powerful than either of us.” Blaze countered.

“And I haven’t?” Flint shot back, his mane taking a turn whipping about in the nonexistent breeze. Blaze gritted his teeth.

“Just tell me, who are you?” Blaze ordered, but Flint remained silent as he continued to walk along the table. “Tell me!” Blaze shouted, his mane turning jet black for a few seconds. Flint glared at him, voluntarily letting his mane whip up into a firestorm of white hot flames as his coat turned jet black for the briefest of moments. When he had returned to normal, Flint walked up to Blaze, leaving only a meter of distance between them.

“Who am I?” Flint asked before falling silent, the air of the room crackling with energy as the rage filled unicorns stood face to face. Flint took a few more steps, walking to Blaze’s side. “My name is Blaze Eternal, son of Flame Eternal, the colt who was meant to save Equestria.” The young Blaze took a step back, the world seeming to spiral out of control around him.