//------------------------------// // Chapter Eight: When Lavender Arrives // Story: Noble and Free // by Kaffeina //------------------------------// Chapter Eight When Lavender Arrives With the soft clip clop of hooves came the excited chattering of one lavender unicorn mare to her assistant. They were currently in Canterlot Castle, where her teacher and the princesses of Equestria lived, and that was not the reason she was so excited. According to the letter she had received, one of the creatures from the books she was reading had made an appearance. Where it had been or why it had been there she had yet to be told, which she wasn't sure entirely mattered considering this discovery. No, her excitement was practically palpable in the air around her and she wasn't even trying to contain herself at this point. This meant, currently, that Spike was entirely unable to follow whatever she was saying. The guards escorting them looked particularly irritated. "I can't believe it," she gushed, "to think that one of them was still alive! Are there more? I wonder what it can teach us! Can it read the books I have, they seem so old." She continued to chatter despite the fact the doors in front of them, leading to the very throne room itself, were now opening and Spike was essentially dragging her. Her excitement failed to falter. Amongst the elven people, there is a prophecy, one Twilight had read but failed to understand. The prophecy itself means little as many divinations of the future do until the time comes to pass. Elves, unlike other peoples, would often put weight on words spoken by the fates through whispering wind and twinkling stars. Not all prophecies came to pass, for the future is uncertain, but here one seemed to finally be unfolding. When the Sun finally sets and things now slumber, it will come the Moon's Watcher will find her respite, so too must she as shine stars of the night Only once it is found, will Dawn come once more. And so it was with a start the wheels of fate began to turn, spinning to life a great untold tale before it began as a certain lavender pony was dragged into a room. The room itself was rather well lit by sunlight and a large window on one side provided the light. Stone and wooden beams adorned the walls, evidently very well kept. Sitting upon a large bed was a creature with golden hair that shimmered in the sunlight. It draped down past her shoulders and she turned to Twilight as she entered, a graceful and strangely beautiful face staring back. Silver eyes gazed into vibrant violet and a whispered word echoed though the room, unfamiliar and unknown to the ears of those in the room. It was strange and oddly melodic, "Monókeros?" she called out. The shock in her voice was evident and she looked towards the blue alicorn. Luna stared back and smiled warmly at the being before her as it shifted back in the covers, overwhelmed by the situation. "I believe we should let her be," Luna suggested, "She cannot understand us still." "But there's so much we can still learn! Does she actually look like-" Twilight's tirade was interrupted by a fierce glare from Spike who shook his head in exasperation as she looked away sheepishly. Soft wind stirred their manes and all the ponies made to leave the room, leaving the small dragon to stare at the elf for a moment before he too nodded and followed. Were in not for the soft giggles of little voices, the wind would have seemed to have been nothing but a draft in the castle. The breeze disappeared and the giggling stopped as the door shut behind them. Dark oak stared back at Twilight Sparkle as she stared at the room with her mind spiraling through a thousand thoughts, a million questions running through her mind. "Where did she come from?" Twilight finally spluttered out as Spike rolled his eyes and took a seat to read whatever he had brought with him. Celestia blinked and eyed the small dragon for a few moments before sighing. "I'll leave you two to it, Luna knows far more of the creature than I," Celestia said, a minor amount of annoyance evident in her voice. "I shall take care of my duties for the time being, though I would appreciate updates as they come." With a quick nod to Spike as well, she turned on hoof and walked out of the door, allowing it to shut behind her softly. With the clopping of hooves slowly fading out, Twilight turned to Luna. "Where did it come from?" Twilight blurted out in her excitement, practically vibrating. "From what we are told by the griffins, they found her some distance from the forest border in one of the fields, badly injured by a storm," the moon princess answered, putting her hoof to her chin, "So we would presume that likely means she had left the forest." "But how can we be sure, it's not like there's undeniability she came from that new forest," Twilight waved her hoof about before pointing to the door with it. "I mean, it's certainly the biggest likelihood but we can't dismiss any other possibilities! I really wish I could ask her." "She does not seem to understand Equish, written or spoken, nor Gryphon," Luna answered, shaking her head, "it is indeed difficult. Pictures seem to work to some degree, but we have spoken with her in a sense. She seems to have definitely come from the forest." The lunar diarch lifted up a small chalk slate from the table near the door and showed it to her sister's student. In white powder there was a strangely eloquent drawing of the forest with a massive tree far larger than the rest of them at the center. Beneath the picture in elvish words it said something neither of the ponies could understand, though it was clear the script of the creature was far, far more graceful than any Equian counterpart. Wherever the creature had come from, Twilight determined, had either put far more worth in calligraphy or simply grown to the point it was natural. Nevertheless she grasped the slate with her magic and started committing the picture and symbols to memory. There was no magical response from the script, however when she channeled her magic into it the soft and elegant songs of an evening forest permeated the room. The princess and unicorn protégé gasped as drawing seemed to come alive; the trees swayed with an unseen wind as the scents of damp dirt and forest fauna soon joined the bird song before it faded out. Both ponies gawked at the slate as the drawing finally calmed, no indication that anything had happened was evident and nothing had changed in the picture. "I've never seen anything like this," Twilight whispered, her feelings of awe made her words nearly breathless and she looked at Luna, "Have you?" The slightly larger mare shook her head, causing her mane to sway about, "That we have not, though the Elk and Deer work with nature they have never managed to replicate any of the senses of their homelands with magic. Certainly sight is easy, but sound and scent? Neither of those are mere simple matters." Twilight looked back down at the slate and Luna seemed to be in deep thought. "These creatures may have been more in tune with nature than any Equian," Twilight finally muttered, "I wonder where they came from originally. Everything I found infers they were everywhere in the forests yet we've only seen her! There has to be more!" The young mare was practically vibrating with her excitement at the prospect of new and unheard of magic being discovered. The new creatures took a back seat to this magic in her mind as she started studying the slate. Meanwhile Luna stared at the unicorn as she became absorbed in her analysis before shuddering. Something told her that there was... No, indeed, she knewthat there was something inherently off about this situation. The forest had been in Equestria for several days and yet there were no signs of intelligent life like that of the creature beyond the nearby door. In fact, from what she had heard, all evidence said nothing had existed in the forest for far longer than she had been alive. The gryphons had provided this evidence from their scouts and while the race was naturally more violent, they had no reason to lie here. That was why she suspected the creature beyond the door might even be the only one. What sort of horrors could do such a thing to an entire species and cause them all to disappear except for one? had they simply died off? Had they killed themselves? Nothing spoke of this, not as far as she knew, and they could not read that which they had found. For her home and her kingdom she had to learn what the creature knew and they had to prepare for whatever it may, in case it came for them. Her sister believed in the good of other creatures, but she knew that such darkness could exist everywhere. Ponies might naturally be good natured, but experience told her they might not hold to their nature. She had not, that meant others might not as well. Luna decided to hold her tongue, she would say nothing, but she would prepare. It was the night's duty to bring rest and watch the nightmares of the realm and so it was hers as well. The diarch had made an important decision and the fates had pushed her to it. As it was, one string was cut to make way for another, and the future had changed in ways that would remain unseen. As this happened, back in the gryphon lands a certain griffon lord looked down upon the scorched photograph the creature had brought in with it. Thankfully the doctor that had looked in on her was her own personal and none had seen the necklace depicted on the photograph except for him and the doctor, now sworn to secrecy in fear of death. The picture was the same as the painting in the western wing, the regal portrait of a since deceased griffon king with brilliant white plumes and a golden crown next to his queen whose stark red plumes contrasted the white of her husbands greatly and a silver diadem sat above her mischievous eyes. However, in place of what was the destroyed hatchling was an almost flawless section of the painting. The child was most certainly laughing, but on it's chest was a silver pendant with ornate flowers and a vibrant emerald at it's center. They smiled, the picture was indeed old but it's importance had never dropped. The search he had long been conducting was now over, and who could guess that the very thing he had been looking for all these years had been right under his beak. A joyful chuckle left him and he covered his eyes with his claw as the tears flowed from the utter mirth he felt. Such a ridiculous thing, and the solution was even more so. He laughter was driven further by the realization that the other lords would never figure out who the royal heir was! All this time they had thought it to be a prince and it had been a princess! The king and queen had tricked them all! The guards outside the room looked at each other as the lord's laughter echoed through the halls, "I think he's finally gone mad," the rough tones of the older griffon said. "I wouldn't be surprised," the younger guard shrugged, "He's been looking for the so-called prince for over a decade now." The first griffon barked with laughter, "That would do it!" The two griffons had little clue at what was happening on the other side of the heavy wooden doors and they would not for some time. Decebal Rindheart now had a secret protect and fate said he would do so with his life until the kingdom was ready.