//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: Harmony's Guardians 
// by Blank Scroll 
//------------------------------//

"What?"

I just sat there dumbfounded, while the others were watching me with slight interest. "Yes, the dead language of the Alicorn's." Flare said, while grabbing a book from a shelf. "This book is from a forgotten time when Alicorn's walked Equus. It's practically indecipherable."

He looked at me, before handing over the tome. I sat there looking at the book in my hands before asking, "And what does this have to do with me? It's just a novel."

The cover was plain, but the words were clear as day. Chronicles in a Strange Land. I looked at Flare when he spoke again. "This is an Alicorn manuscript, and I thought you'd be able to read it. I'm kind of interested in what it is."

I looked over at Flare before looking back at the book. Opening to the first page, something caught my eye. "'We arrived in a strange new land, by the whims of a being calling herself a goddess of this world. This being looked like a horse, but stood on two legs. She had white fur, dressed in a flowing magenta dress, and a fluctuating mane, glowing cobalt, magenta and orange. She called herself, Harmony.'" When I finished that passage, my eyes widened and the book dropped from my trembling hands.

"Harmony?" I said, as a pain shot through my head. As I placed a hand on my head, I saw an image of the Goddess mentioned in the book. I was surrounded by four others, without fur or hooves. She brought me here.

The others in the room had varying reactions, from Aura's concern to Garnet's excitement to Flare's intrigue. "Are you alright, Scroll?" Aura asked, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Harmony, hmm? I cannot say I've heard of a Goddess by that name before. Garnet, have you come across that name in your studies?" Flare said, looking from me to his granddaughter.

"Harmony is the Goddess of Alicorns."

Everyone looked at me with surprise. "Scroll, how do you know that?" Garnet asked. "There are no records of a Goddess by that name."

"I remembered something when I read her name. Just like the Alicorns who wrote this tome, she brought me and four others to this world." I said, glancing around at the others. "I don't recall why, but I know she did. I used to be human, before being an Alicorn."

Flare looked towards me confused. "What is a human?"

Aura still had her hand on my shoulder and Garnet reached down to retrieve the book from the floor. I responded, "Kind of like a big monkey. Though without fur or a tail. Capable of speech and very creative. Actually, this book is written in the language of my world. It's called English."

"Hmm. We'll speak more of this later. For now, we should address the rest of the village about an ancient Alicorn living here." Flare said, with a small smirk.

I took my hand off my head and glared at Flare. "That's not funny. I'm 22."

Garnet was laughing and even Aura snickered. When they finally got that out of their system, we all stood and walked to the door. "Now, let us call together the whole village." Flare said, as he walked outside, his horn lighting. A pale orange ball of magic shot into the sky, catching the attention of everyone in Starshine.

I watched the "flare" before looking at the aged Unicorn. "So is that why you were named 'Flare'?" I asked. "Was that your first spell?"

Flare stopped, and looked at me in surprise. "That is typically how Unicorns were named. We weren't named at birth like other ponies, but usually after we cast our first spells. But that ended a generation ago. But, how did you know that?"

"It just seemed right, I guess. Since Unicorns have such a profound respect for the ethereal, it made sense." I said, then blinked. "That sounded wise, like I knew what I was saying."

As more ponies gathered around the speaking area for the village, I grew self-conscious from all the stares and mutters. My ears lowered and I tried to make myself smaller. Or as much as I could with a near 8 foot wingspan and stood almost a foot above everyone else.

"My fellow villagers," High Elder Flare started, "I have called this meeting to address some new occurrences." He looked to everypony gathered there, before gesturing to me to come forward. As I walked up to his side, he continued, "This is Blank Scroll, a wanderer from afar. And as you can clearly see, an Alicorn. As I currently understand, it is his wish to live here peacefully. So I ask all of you not to treat him any differently than you would treat your neighbors. Furthermore, regarding his race, I implore you all to keep this secret from the King."

As Flare was speaking, I leaned over and whispered to Aura, "When did I say I wanted to live here? Not that I mind, though. And who's this King he mentioned?"

Aura's ear flicked and her eyes widened slightly. "Of course you wouldn't know. The Unicorn King, Silver Belle, is the ruler over this country, Unicornia. His late wife, Queen Gold Belle, passed nearly a decade ago."

"What are you two talking about?"

Aura and I jumped a bit and looked behind us. Garnet somehow managed to sneak up behind us, from the other side of Flare, without us noticing she even moved.

"Just the, uh, Royal family?" I said, scratching the back of my head. Was that bad?

"Really? I like Princess Platinum." Garnet replied. "It was Princess Platinum who convinced the King to consider a treaty with the Pegasi in the first place."

"Wow. That's pretty impressive. I doubt I could do that myself." I replied, impressed. After I said that, Flare finished speaking and called me forward to reintroduce myself to the village. I took a second look at Aura, a little nervous, but she only gave me a nod of encouragement. I mustered up some courage and turned to face the village. In a confident voice, I spoke, "My name is Blank Scroll, and I'm grateful to the hospitality of Starshine for welcoming me to your village. I am also grateful that you would keep this a secret from your King, as I would prefer not to attract any unwanted attention. Before I finish, I would like to say one more thing. I'm not here alone. I'm waiting for four others I traveled with, though I am unsure when they will arrive. I appreciate your patience, and hope you can put up with me while I'm here."

With that, I took a step back to allow Flare to finish the gathering. Aura and Garnet looked at me with surprised looks. Aura spoke first. "Wow, between last night and this morning, I would never have guessed you could speak so well."

"Yeah! You sounded like a completely different pony just now. It was amazing!" Garnet said, her tail wagging again and a large smile on her muzzle.

"That concludes our meeting. Return to your routines, save for the builders. I would speak to you in a moment." Sunny Flare said, as he dismissed the village gathering. He turned to me and said, "Now, Scroll, I have asked for some builders to construct a home for you. If you would meet with them to lay out the general design, they could begin immediately."

I was taken aback by that. "You really didn't have to do that, Flare. I could find a job at one of the stands in the market to buy a house here, and just live with Aura till then."

"Oh, I insist. Besides, the villagers are pretty excited that you will be living here. It's not everyday that a member of an allegedly extinct race appears. It's our pleasure to honor you with a home." He replied, while throwing his arm across my shoulders. "We pride ourselves in our hospitality. And it's unwise to scorn a Unicorn's pride."

This village keeps surprising me, I thought. "Well then, I give you my thanks, High Elder Flare." I said, my cheeks heating up from embarrassment.

"Put it from your mind. And please, call me Sunny. I consider you an honored resident and friend." Sunny responded, with a laugh, before whispering in my ear, "Also, you could help me decipher more Alicorn books I have in my study."

Aura's ears perked up. "Oh? Is that why you are building him a house and declaring him a resident? To curry favor and enlist his help for your own studies into ancient Alicorn history." She said, an eyebrow rising skeptically.

"Wait! You had more Alicorn books besides that one? Why didn't you tell me?" Garnet exclaimed, standing in front of her grandfather, her cheeks puffed out.

Flare looked between both mares, sweat dripping down his forehead. "Now, now. It's a misunderstanding."

I left Sunny to his fate and decided to walk over to the builders that stayed behind after the gathering. "So you must be the ponies that are to build me a home." I said to the group of seven in front of me.

"Yes, sir. I'm the lead builder in the village. My name is Emerald Glitter." Said a pale rose mare, with an emerald mane and tail. She wore a yellow tunic and faded blue trousers. "It's an honor to build a house for a fabled Alicorn. I swear to give you the best home I can. With my pride in the line, I won't fail."

I smiled at her, and held out my hand. "Well, I hope to become friends in the future."

Glitter smiled as well, reciprocating the gesture. "Yes, sir. That would be great."