Down the sewers, where stank and smelt. Rats and bugs past trought in the dark with creepy sounds. There was something rising, a set of bells rang from somewhere deep inside the sewer, clean and soft, like the white shirt just cleant up and hang in the sunshine.
"Where... " Lion still felt his head heavy. He shook his head, stood up.
"Shhh... You are just recovered, you still need a rest. " Papageno said.
"What... happened? "
"You went mad, lost your consciousness and caused a magic explosion. Gladly I, yes, it was me, Papageno saved your life from the evil devil in the darkest and deepest night. When everything was in silence and about to vanish into the nothingness, there is a brave and bold foal, he lighted up a hope... " Papageno kept talking, in extremely excited, but clearly nopony listened. But his speech helped Lion to remember what happened before.
Lion sighed heavily, "seems all the files were gone with the destory... "
"Not quite, I saved the diary, and that little note drove you mad. I think that imagine on this paper has some magical connection with you, it's like a trigger. As long as you don't look at it, it will be fine, " Zorro said.
"And I saved this bell! O look, a set of bells! You know how beautiful the sounds are? Haha, now they are mine, and I believe the bells just woke you from the coma, Lion... " Papageno rase the bells in his hoof.
"You know that's my uncle's property, do you? So don't ring that bells again, it noisy. " Zorro broke rudely.
"We can't go back, we need to find out some more informations about that imagine and Inky's message, " Lion said.
"I have seen some familiar codes somewhere, I'm not sure... We need to get to library and do some research. " Zorro said.
"Wait wait, are we now goin to explode library this time? " Papageno said loudly, heavily worried, "we are just foals and we just explode a house in the center of Canterlot! We need go back home and let those grown-ups handle this, we need place to sleep and we need food to eat, not some adventures without any consideration! I mean, I'm starving! "
"You know what? We changling don't need to eat, we eat your love, and we drain it... " Zorro show his fangs and hissed to Papageno.
"Stop it, Zorro, don't make fun of him. Papageno is right, " Lion said.
"You know what, " Zorro said, and turned his to Papageno again, "Papageno, if you keep quiet and follow us, the bells are yours, in the name of mine, Zorro. "
"Yay! " Papageno jumped around, happily.
"See? " Zorro raised one of his eyebrows, looked at Lion.
"No, not like that, " Lion said, "first, you know we foals have no rights to decide the properties according to the law of equestria, do you? Besides, that's not YOUR property but your uncle's. "
"Who cares. " Zorro outstretched his hooves, disapprovingly.
"And we are not even sure if that is your real name... " Lion said in his heart.
"Not just that, " Lion said, "Papageno is right. We need food, fresh green sprouting juicy grass but not the wet sticky mud we found in the bottom of the sewers! "
"That's easy, Canterlot is kinda like my seconde hometown, mi casa es tu casa. Let's get out of here and take a amazing shower, and then we get to library and find the truth out! " Zorro said.
"And maybe a grass strawberry sandwich? " Papageno asked.
"Ah, yes, of course. Forgive me, cuz we don't really eat food I always forget that. "
"And the bell? "
"You can have it if you can keep quiet. "
"And... "
"Did I just said quiet, Papageno? "
Papageno was like the youngest among them, if Lion and Zorro were teenagers, then Papageno woule be just like a new-born baby in his heart. Of course Papageno also sometimes act like a horse too but who denys that every coin has two sides? Papageno was lazy and talkive and less thinkful. Lion also blamed Papageno's annoying, but not like Zorro, he would like to keep it in heart, to protect his little friend's respect carefully. Gladly, Papageno never doubted his friend just like Lion did, and this time he had a new friend, and was a changling, that was so cool, wasn't it? So when Zorro broke Papageno this time, (and he actually did several times more in our further story, but we'll talk that when it comes, sometimes we are the same, narrator and audience, we both need patience, isn't it? ) Lion was a little uncomfortable with that, but he also knew this was just a harmless joke and he also often did that too, and Zorro felt nothing, Papageno didn't ethier.
They got out from sewers, and soon, after a shower and a meal as wonderful as the sunshine. If they wanted to get the anwser, they had to go to the library, since that imagine and cipher text was the only clue they had. They let Papageno sit aside, and the two ponies started their search. Even Papageno didn't allowed to invovle this searching, he still kept bothering until he finally realized it. That was really a huge project! Can you imagine how many books exist in the Royal Library of Canterlot? And they are just books, there are also tons of unclassified scrolls, untitled papers, basically contains everything in those thousands years. Even there is a guiden and search system driven by magic, that you can easily find books you may want, it still took days for this work. If I tell you everthing happened in these two or three days, that would be boring and even fooling you, totally a waste of words and will ruin it. Anyway, they found what they want, well, at least, a part of it.
"Hey guys, I've found something! " Zorro headed to his friends, with a book in his hoof. They gathered, put the book on the desk.
"What's this... Le histoire della... The history of ancient yakyakistan?! Is that even equestrian language? You learnt that since when? " Papageno asked.
"Never mind, look what I just found " Zorro opened the book and turned the page to where the bookmark was, "this picture. "
It was a picture with only characters in it, but very familiar characters. "As we know, the ancient yakyakistanishs used their own writing system since an ancient era, totally different from the modern yakyakistanish language we use nowadays, " the note below it said.
"What did the words in the picture say? "
"We don't know. Or the author didn't know. "
"So basically, all we have now is just a sentence? Do we have a book about ancient yakyakistan language so we can translate it? "
"No. The was only one book related was about mordern yakyakistanish language, and that book was missing. "
"So now our only hope is to go to the yakyakistan? " Lion asked.
"What? We are goin to yakyakistan? Cool! " Said Papageno.
"What? Aren't you supposed to not willing to do it? " Zorro asked.
"Why, that's cool! I dunno why, but it sounds so fun! Why do I don't wanna go? " Papageno said.
"But still, " Lion said, "we need preparation. I mean, why the guards still haven't found out why the house collapsed, I mean we hear no rumors at all. Are they suspicious on us now? Would Celestia heard of this already? Would they recognize us? Or even so, none of us had been in yakyakistan before, who knows what does the weather like there? And the food? And the train ticket? Do we have any spare bits? There are so many things we need to consider! "
"I've covered that into an accident. " Zorro said.
"How so? "
"I've disguised the ruin scene. No lead will follow us. "
"But when did you do all those? Aren't you staying with us in library all these days? "
"I have my own methods. " Zorro grined lightly.
"So we are not goin to tell our parents? " Lion asked.
They left the library, walked in the street. It was already dusk. In winter, the dusk always came too early. There was only a piece of orange hang in the corner of the sky.
"Are you? " Zorro asked.
"Well... I... " Lion said in hesitation, "I'm not sure. I think I should, but I don't want to. " Saying that, Lion sighed heavily, seemed something in his mind.
"You told me your home is in a small town nearby, in the country of Canterlot, but you didn't tell how did you get out from your home? "
"I... I escaped without telling them. I thought it would be easy and would be back soon. "
"Your concern is right. If you think you should let your family know... " Zorro said.
"No... never mind, I... " Lion sighed again, stoped this topic, "let's move on, what is your plan to yakyakistan? I mean, if we take the train, we would be in yakyakistan in two days absolutely, which is the fastest, the most ideal one. But we can't just do that, for foals are not allowed to take train without any grown-ups companying. You can also change into a horse, but there will be a changling detector too. "
"Don't worry, I've got all this, " Zorro opened his mouth, "here is the plan. We are gonna go to the nearest village where there is a train station but no detectors, to avoid it, and then we take the train. "
A worry rose from Lion's mind.
"So we are catching up during the night? How far is it? If I knew that eariler, I'd rather staying at home... " Papageno murured.
A feeling of upset in Lion's mind kept floating and sinking, like an unsteable theme hidden in the various parts of the polyphony, could burst out any time.
"Not too far, we can walk there in hours. But that's your hometown, " Zorro said, and turned his head to Lion, "you have time to consider if tell your family, we are going your town anyway. "
It floated! Didn't appear in Lion's face, but it appeared, and took control of the all sounds in his mind, getting stronger and stronger, buzzing around. A feeling that made him not want to think about his family. That was his heaviest burden.
Even Lion was just a foal, but ponies' hearts are not exactly match their ages, especially in that situation. He was young, but his experience gave him a lot, which is the treassures during his whole life. Some experiences change a pony for life, they don't say that for no reason. Well, make it shortly, Lion's family is... not happy at all. He was born in a tough age, his mother was kind and warm-hearted, but his dad, well, let's just pass him, I don't want to let that interrupt and ruin this chapter. Anyway, remember, god is not fair. He gives some misfortunes just random, like a drunk wandering in the street carelessly, and bumped into something. Sometimes there is a solution, while sometimes there is not. Lion was fearing. He wanted to be brave to face all those things that not right, he knew he wasn't that pony. Escape! There was always a voice said, escape, even to the moon, or wherever else, just not there, anywhere will do! Just escape! But he never did that for once.
During all their path, Lion didn't say anything, just kept walking. Papageno said something funny, but he couldn't quite remember, he wasn't listening. Zorro didn't laugh. He said something, and then Papageno said something. Papageno could hardly keep quiet, but Zorro said something again, and made him silent.
It was so clear, the sky, like a piece of crystal. Stars everywhere, some were lighter, while some were darker. Bugs buzzing in the winds, winds wuthering throught the branches.
It was deep night when they arrived. Lion wanted to go back to his house and take a look. There was a fire inside, he was surprised that his parents hadn't slept yet so late. Something made a sound from Lion's hooves. The pony inside that house heard it clearly, went to the door, called eagerly: "Lion? Is that you? Why do you come back so late? " Somepony came out from that door, and hugged him tightly. So tight, that Lion could barely breathe. Mom tried not to let her tears out, but failed.
"Are those your friends? " Lion's mom noticed the other two foals standing not far from here, Papageno, she knew him, and another one which was a black pegasus, looked friendly. She didn't wait for the answer, said quickly: "quick, get in, your dad is sleeping, don't let him find out you are... "
"WHO'S THERE! " a thunder just blast in the sky. With a light on his horn, he went out, "How do you dare to come back! " dad seemed got drunk, and acted so angry. He tried to punch Lion, but mom blocked that.
"Go away, you monster! " she shouted because of the pain. She pushed Lion away, stared at the dad, with rage in her eyes too, against his. From her eyes, there was no fear.
Lion scared at first, just like his friends. But soon he was back to the zone. His body was still trembling because of the anger. He didn't feel any surprise at all about all this, but he was still kind of shocked. As he used to, not totally, but he still kept calm, or was trying to keep calm. He wanted to shout and cry, but not that day, not that evening.
"Get off from my mother, you loser! " fire burning in Lion's eyes. He knew, his father couldn't bear somepony call him a "loser" especially his own son. As expected, the dad turned to him. That was a dark face, twisted. So many times, Lion thought that his life will be like his father too, a loser, he felt angry about that, and everytime he just got nothing but disappointed. Looking his face, Lion suddenly felt a little pity, that face was so old, not handsome as the past days any more, and poor. Somepony's life is like a meat has no life, hanging in the air and just want to fall down, and when falling, also drags everything around him down. To Lion, he was more than that. He was his father. In Lion's earliest memory, he... well, we can't say hate, but he disliked him and the hatred grew. At first, that was just a star of fire, a star of fear, then the terror. Lion wouldn't want to recall that memory for a reason. When dad looked at him like this, he wanted to back off in his heart, even though that looking was not so scary. He told him not to turn back, and he really didn't. He stared at his dad, concentrated. He knew what would be the next move, a spell, powerful but not deadly, then he could take a breathe. As expected, again, a strong magic spell came from dad's horn. Lion dodged that, but the light shot at Papageno. Papageno fainted down by that shoot. Zorro was standing with Papageno, but he dodged quickly when the light came. "What did you just say? " dad questioned in the rage. He really did hate that, maybe that was just because he did think he is a loser too, in his deep inside, but that is not what I should know.
"For all these years, since I was born, you are always like this and I'm tired of it! It's enough! " Lion trembled, shooting a ray to his dad. But he ducked that. A chair flew out from the house, rush to Lion. Lion didn't expect that, got a heavy hit in his chin.
"What did you just say, kid? Say it again? "
Dad's words made Lion angrier, he couldn't hold it, charged forward, but missed again. He tried to stand up, but a punch made his face felt hot. Tears filled Lion's eyes for the pain.
"You are not a father, not qualified! You don't deserve it! You are even not a horse, shame on you! " His teeth creaked, his body trembled seriously.
His eyes turned into pure white and lighted his body again. A bright ray shot upwards into the heaven, extremely strong, lighted the half of the sky. The magic flow overloaded, like it was shouting, eagering to escape from this weak body, making the body floated in the air. Dad looked at that as if it was the first time he saw this kind of scene, which is true. Nopony, except Papageno the Fainted and Zorro, had ever seen him like that, or knew how could this possible.
"By my will, you shall not hurt! " The words came out from Lion's month, but sounded not like his voice, but so resonant, sounded like a clarinet but with the organ's tone. Finished those words, the lights suddenly disappeared, Lion fainted and his body lost his balance, fell down to earth.
"Oh no... " Zorro said in his heart, and frowned. That was the first time that he worried about Lion.
It was already dark again when Lion woke up, and he was already in the express to the yakyakistan. He didn't know what happened last night, but his two partners were just right aside him. They told him that his secret might have been exposed, but only his parents saw what happened exactly. And they told him that he shouldn't worry, they must decrypt that note as the first priority. Lion worried about his parents, asked his paterners. Zorro said that he didn't take care of that too much but everything will be fine. Papageno was still talking about his brave performance in that battle, even he just did nothing but carry Lion to the train, which was also following Zorro's order. Lion didn't listen. Partners told him to eat, so he took some, but really had no appetit. It was so quiet, the whole train was asleep, so as the outside. His eyes saw the further places through the window. Montains smoked in the far lands, and the waters spreaded. He knew he has no back. He felt tired soon. He felt that the train was runing into the spaces, runing on the huge mirror, reflecting dreams.