"And you've not had much luck since?" Princess Twilight asked as she watched her love try and decipher the journal.
Twi shook her head. "Some. This was written by someone named Queen Novo. From what little I can read, it seems to have been her own personal journal. But that's it for the moment."
Twilight rolled her eyes. It was a start at least. "You're not worried about how Starsong reacted? I didn't think she could be as upset as you say she was."
Twi stopped for a moment and then sighed. "I've met her since then. Never bringing this up of course. She was kind and motherly both times. Whatever caused her reaction, I had nothing to do with it. Aside from being the messenger. Professor Everfree hasn't been treating me any differently either."
Twilight nodded. That was good to hear. "I ran into Kohaku on the way here." She giggled. "I think he's upset Pearl ran off to Equestria without telling him. Love does that to people I guess."
Twi giggled. "Well. If Equestria is still standing after she and Rainbow Dash are done with it? I'll consider it a miracle. I hope Starlight knows what she signed up for when she agreed to look after them."
The two shared a laugh at that, before lapsing into silence. The princess wished there was more she could offer here. But this was something outside of her experience.
Looking at a random page, however, something strange began to happen. The letters, which a moment before she had been unable to read a single one, began to sort themselves into words. A moment later, the indecipherable words began to translate themselves into words that she knew. Her jaw dropped.
Twi saw this and gave her a confused look. "What is it?"
Twilight pointed at the page. "Are you not seeing this? I can read this!"
Twi laughed. "Yeah right, Twily. I can't read most of this. How can you read this?"
Twilight sat up a little straighter in her chair. "I just realized something. Alicorns embody pony kinds. All of them. I change into a seapony every time I transform, correct?" Twi nodded. "Therefore, it stands to reason that since hippogryphs could change into them as well, I can read their language."
Twi thought about that for a moment. It made sense, now that she thought more about it. "So how come I'm having so much trouble reading it? I'm an alicorn too. Remember?"
Twilight tapped her chin. "You're also a mermaid. They may be this world's form of a seapony. But maybe the language didn't translate into this world. Hence why it's still in hippogryph, and why you're having so much trouble reading it."
Twi frowned. She hadn't thought of that. "So, what then? I let you do all of this? Might make things easier."
Twilight giggled before booping Twi's nose. "Oh, no. You're not getting out of this, young filly. You were on the right track up till now. Look here," she said, pointing at what seemed a random squiggle near the top of the current page. It almost looked like an ocean wave. "This is the dating system. Have you read anything about it, yet?"
Twi blinked, before slapping her forehead and quickly flipping back to the start of the journal Starsong had given her. "No. I've been so caught up in trying to just understand any of this that I didn't think to look at anything else. It even has a Table of Contents."
Twilight rolled her eyes as her love began to read. Of course, it did. What book wouldn't have one?
For a few moments, Twi went back and forth between the two books, a look of concentration on her face. One the princess knew well, and so knew to keep her counsel to herself for now. Finally, she smiled. "Okay. If I'm reading this correctly, the date roughly translates to First Tide of the Month of High Sun. Whatever any of that means. Their calendar I guess."
Twilight nodded as she looked down the page. Her eyes widened as she read. "No," she whispered, hoping she was wrong. But the more she read, the more her horror mounted.
Twi gave her a worried look. "What is it?"
Twilight shook her head as she looked at her. "Do you really want to know? Starsong was correct. This is no love story. Or even random political thoughts."
Twi groaned before throwing her hands up in the air. "Spit it out already! It can't be that bad. Can it?"
Twilight shook her head sadly and began to read.
‘Damn that seer! Again she came, hoping to end our ways. What does she know? Just because she married a kitsune, she thinks she can change us. Fool! Mount Aris has survived for as long as we have because we will not tarnish ourselves by mingling with other races.
Once was more than enough. Yet she continues to come. Skystar says it’s time we do something about it. As young as she is, she already has the makings of a great ruler when the time comes.
Yes. It is time I did something about this. And I know just the thing. Starsong has several nest mates, as she calls them. But I only need one. And I know just the form to do it.’
Twi blinked. “I didn’t know she had any sisters.”
Twilight shrugged. “Neither did I. But there’s more.”
‘Success. One slain dragon was all it took. I took more pleasure in slitting her throat than I thought I would. But it felt good all the same. War is inevitable now. Who knows?
Maybe I’ll get a nice kitsune rug out of this.’
Twi’s hands covered her mouth in shock. “Why? Isolation is one thing. But to murder someone else in cold blood? For what? To start a war?”
Twilight nodded sadly. “It appears so. The next little bit is just random thoughts on what Novo would want her new rug to look like, and maybe adding a dragon one as well.”
Twi’s face turned green at the thought. “How can anyone be so cruel? She sounds like she’s enjoying this.”
Twilight had no answer to this. “I don’t know.” Twilight looked through a few more pages when she came across a few that were stuck together. After a few moments was able to separate them only to find that they were both stained red. Both Twi and Twilight blinked seeing the dark red splotches.
“Do you think?” Twi muttered as Twilight nodded and turned the page again. More was written but the writing was angled and far less graceful. And written in the same dark red that stuck the pages together.
‘To those reading this, know that this is a diary of blood. Let it be a lesson to those to try to plunge their world into war. I have seen it once, I refuse to see it again. May the gods have mercy on their souls. For I will not.’
Under was signed the letters AE. Twi was certain she had seen this script before but couldn’t place it.
Twilight tapped her chin. It soon clicked. “Those tracks the guild members found on the beach. One of them had to be kitsune tracks. The other was definitely an eastern dragon.”
“But why would they be on Mount Aris?” Twi asked.
Twilight could only shake her head in sorrow. “Think about it. Starsong’s nest mate’s murder started this war. She tried to stop it, and I can only assume her mate did the same. But it was long past any point either side would listen,” She sniffed. “This was no longer just for a single death. This was a cycle of revenge for loved ones lost. A never-ending cycle, for I doubt kitsunes or eastern dragons would ever stop.”
Twi’s eyes widened as something finally clicked. “Dragonsong.” Twilight only gave her a confused look. “The song she sang at Spectrum. I thought it was just for the Dragonsong War in the game. It’s not.”
Twilight closed her eyes, nodding softly. “She sings it as a reminder. Of everything she and her mate had to endure before they came to this world. Of a war, they never wanted a part of.” Leafing through the rest of the journal, she shook her head. “There’s nothing after this. It was her diary. Queen Novo’s. Her words, her actions.”
Twi blinked. “A Throne Lying Empty, A Reign Incomplete.” Falling into Twilight's arms, Twi gasped. “He killed her, the one who started it all. Probably as she was writing.” Twi shivered. She knew that Kitsunes were fearsome creatures, having learned about it from Pearl. But she never thought that they were capable of this.
“He was probably tired of seeing his beloved suffer.” Closing the journal Twilight tossed it as far from them as she could.
Twilight could not blame her as she held Twi close. “Then the locket you found? It belonged to Novo’s daughter. She must have come here as they did.”
Twi nodded sadly. “She wasn’t the only one. Mermaids are found all over the world. I don’t know if that was a hippogryph ship or not. But they scattered across the world.”
Twilight nodded, as they lapsed into silence, too much they did not want to think about on their minds.
"I... I'm so sorry miss Starsong.. had I known, I never wou..." Twilight blinked as a cookie was shoved into her mouth.
Starsong smiled looking out a window of her office at her young boy playing. "it's not your fault, and you have nothing to be sorry about. I came to your lab because I wanted to. I knew what was in that journal yet I read it anyway."
Turning around she smiled at Twilight who was now, eating a second cookie from the plate. "My mate and I put that life and times behind us long ago. We're happy, full, and content. Some wounds may never heal as cleanly as we like, but we have built bandages of love around us to keep them from fully reopening. You understand right?" Twilight nodded. "Good, stay for dinner, we're having a cookout. Your future mate and her friend are coming later, so Pearl won't be so down. So why don't you finish those and have some fun with those two out there till they arrive." Kiyoko smiled and ushered Twilight out the double doors to the pool area.
“Wait… about Novo’s daughter. Was that locket hers?” Twi lightly pushed back and looked up at Kiyoko who smiled sadly nodding her head.
“She and her people were the last of those who like my mate and me, didn’t want to wage war. We sought peace. And after coming here, went our separate ways. Never again interfere with each other.” Kiyoko took a step back and sighed. “They kept that diary, made copies. As a reminder of what had been. And to never again make the same mistake. But mortals being who they are.” Kiyoko sighed sadly.
“Is that why you wrote Dragonsong?” Kiyoko nodded.
“My way of never forgetting.”
Twi could only nod. “I’ll never be able to play the game the same way now. It was sad before. But now…”
“Well, ponies now have a chance to learn from history. To not make the same mistakes. Twilight needs someone beside her who can help with that message.” cupping Twi’s face with both hands she looked into those eyes and smiled as if she was the girl's mother. “And there is no one better for that, than you.”
“Why me?” Twi felt the locket leave her pocket. Watching as Kiyoko opened it she showed her the waterlogged picture. With a wave of the older woman’s hand, Twilight gasped.
“Did you not think some of their kind remained on land? Or why the Pearl responded to you as it did. How you were drawn to this like a moth to the flame.” Placing the restored locket in Twi’s trembling hands Kiyoko moved and sat behind her desk. “I’m sure you can see it now. Why my daughter placed such high standards on you in your education? Why I gave you what you needed to read that Journal? And why you so perfectly resemble the young child in that pendant.”
Looking at the picture of Novo and her daughter Twi shivered. Looking at a picture of herself as a child.
“Sometimes genetic resemblance can take place hundreds or thousands of years after the fact. But it is there.” Twi looked at Kyoko trembling. “Yes, Twilight. You are the lost descendant of Queen Novo and her daughter, Princess Midnight.”
Twi couldn’t bring herself to respond. This explained everything. Why she felt so at home in the water, why she only used her mermaid form, and why part of her felt so at home on Mount Aris. “Every time I use my pearl. Why it feels so natural to be in the water… I’m going home. No matter how long it’s been.”
“That pearl has another function you might not be aware of. You don’t bring it to Equis all that much do you?” Twi shook her head. “You should. Now that you know who you are. Your body might not default into what you think you should be.” Taking out an ornate silver box she set it before Twi.
Twi looked at it carefully. It was the same design as the locket. On it was a grand hippogryph. On opening it up she saw a beautiful silver tiara. On five of the seven points was a small pearl, but on the central one, a pearl was missing.
“My mate told me he took this the day he..” Taking a sharp deep breath, Kiyoko sighed. “We both feel it should be returned to its rightful owner now. One who will not dishonor it as its last owner did.”
Twi knew which pearl belonged in the tiara. Knew in her heart and with all of her being. It was part of her. “I can’t just take it. Even if by right, it goes to me.”
“That is why we know it rightfully belongs to you. And why you should have it. You don’t seek power or rule over others. You're brilliant, yet humble. Born to a good family who never once failed to teach you that just because you're at a higher station you are no better than everyone else. Just like your beloved Princess Twilight. And you have friends who keep you honest and level-headed.” Taking the tiara out of its silver case, Kiyoko placed it lovingly on Twi’s head. “By all the power vested in me, I now name you Princess Twilight of Mount Aris.”
Twi blushed, but it felt right all the same. “Oooh. I hope I can explain all of this to Twily without her going Twilynanas on me."
Giggling Kiyoko pointed at the door behind Twi. Turning around Twi saw Twilight standing there with a shocked expression. “I think she knows.” Kiyoko giggled again a bit like her son did when being mischievous. “You girls go have fun outside. I have some work to do,” she said quickly ushering them out into the pool area outside her office and shut the door before they could object.