The Canterlot Library was, honestly, impressive. It was a vast collection of knowledge of the world Raven had found herself in. Every shelf seemed to have some new information to offer her. Not only in terms of history, but culture, fiction, magic, everything she could imagine. She had, for the passed hour now, perused the many shelves to find books she would want to read. Unfortunately she had quickly run into a bit of a snag...
For some reason the books were arranged alphabetically.
It was a jarring difference compared to what she was used to. It had made it more than a little difficult for her to find anything in the place. She'd looked for a reference of some kind to find anything useful, but had turned up with nothing. Thus far, she'd managed to locate a few useful books through sheer stubbornness, but it was a slow process. She had had to weed out what she didn't need by reading the first page of each of them first. She would teleport each book to her table once she decided it was useful.
She continued through the library and idly noticed as she passed by a sleeping Spike and rolled her eyes. The baby dragon had been snoozing ever since Celestia left. The pallor grey filly had felt no compulsion to wake him, instead having draped her cloak over him as a makeshift blanket. At some point he'd curled it around his tiny body like a cocoon. He looked rather peaceful like that. She found the peace and quiet agreeable. But at this point his assistance would've been useful...
'Probably should've thought of that before I let him go to sleep,' Raven admitted to herself with a frown. She usually had more foresight than that, but she had assumed that Equestria would have a more recognizable system to organizing their books. Thus far the only organization they had seemed to be based on the first letters or something else she just wasn't seeing. She'd found several books on history mixed up with books on legends and arts. She honestly missed the dewey decimal system at this point.
"Um, excuse me," a quiet voice beckoned. Raven paused her thoughts and glanced to her side to see an older wo... 'mare' staring at her. She was a unicorn, glasses on the bridge of her nose, bushy brown hair, dull colors, and a book for a cutie-mark. The pallor grey filly stared for a moment then raised a brow, 'So, she's a librarian with a talent for books... wow, this world is pretty destiny driven,' she thought to herself. The older mare shifted on her hooves nervously under her scrutiny and then cleared her throat.
"M-may I help you find something?" the librarian, she assumed she was a librarian at least, questioned. Raven took only a moment to consider the question then sighed. She really did need some help finding useful books after all. Sure she could probably continue on as she was, but that would just lead to her wasting time. The librarian would know where everything was already, which would speed things up, which would let her actually get to reading things sooner rather than later.
"I'm looking for history books to brush up on my history," 'more like to learn it,' "books on the different cultures around and across equestria so I don't insult anyone," 'that one is true,' "spell books pertaining to teleportation or portals," 'I'll need to figure a way off of this world at some point,' "a few on myths, legends, or old stories," 'might as well find out which of them will likely wake up to try to kill me while I'm here,' "and a few fictitious stories for light reading," 'even I get bored sometimes' the pallor grey filly finished.
The librarian blinked rapidly and then slowly nodded her head. The mass of books was going to be quite a tall order. Not only because of how they were fairly spread out. But because the filly wanted such a diverse collection. She paused to consider what she could find for her for a moment and hummed. The fictitious books would be easy. She'd just recommend the popular Daring Do series for that. The stories on myths and such would be a bit harder, though Predictions and Prophesies would definitely be among them, and she knew of at least one book that had the legend of the mare in the moon.
The other books seemed a bit odd, not that she would question an alicorn of course. One did not simply question the desires of nigh immortal all-powerful beings after all. It also did make a bit of sense with her being the Princess's daughter that she'd want to brush up on such things. The librarian finished her thoughts as she shifted on her hooves and then smiled nervously at the 'filly' alicorn. "Alright, just follow me," she offered nervously. Raven merely shrugged and followed behind the librarian.
"So is there a reason all the books are in such disarray?" Raven questioned curiously. The librarian idly nodded her head and answered as she pulled a book from the shelves with her magic. Raven casually examined the magical aura of the unicorn and hummed. 'Given their lack of any appendages to manipulate the world around them, I'd say that at least the Unicorns that they use telekinesis on a fairly regular basis,' she mused to herself. 'Though how do the other ponies get by without it?' she wondered to herself.
"We're in the process of updating the library to the Donkey Decimal system," the librarian finally replied. Raven came out of her thoughts and blinked, then just stared at the older mare for a moment.
"Donkey Decimal System, really?" she questioned flatly.
"Yes, it's a system created by Dewey Donkey," the librarian replied helpfully. Raven just fixed a flat look onto the mare.
"You mean to tell me they named it after him, but rather than 'Dewey Decimal System', they called it the 'Donkey Decimal System'?" Raven questioned with a frown. The mare merely stopped as she was pulling a book from the shelves. She blinked and turned to look at her in confusion. Clearly she didn't see anything wrong with the name.
"Yes," the librarian replied. Raven quietly groaned and placed her hoof on her face. She then motioned for the mare to continue gathering books. The librarian mentally shrugged and continued to gather what books she could find that would fit the list Raven made for her. The pallor grey filly in question just grumbled under her breath about bad puns. The amount of bad puns in this world was simply amazing. It was also starting to become more than a little irritating. She had to wonder just how many puns she'd have to deal with before this was all over.
'Somehow I just know I won't like the answer,' she admitted to herself. She inwardly wondered what else she'd be seeing as a pun. She also wondered if the ponies around her might get her talking like them with their puns. 'Oh sweet Azar I hope not,' she thought with a mental shudder. However that was really just a minor concern at best. She could live even if she ended up talking like the ponies. For now her main concern was finding the books she'd need and studying. Finding a way off of this crazy world was one thing she needed of course. Though she also admitted that she wanted to stay long enough to train with Celestia.
'One doesn't live for hundreds of years without picking up a few tricks after all,' she admitted to herself. That and she hated to admit it but she was curious about this worlds magic. While it was clearly different to what she studied on Azarath, it would be nice to know a few more spells. Especially since this world seemed to have a more dominant magical force in it without the semi-religious way that the people of Azaroth looked at it. That was definitely a plus in her opinion. She just really wasn't in to religion.
"Alright I think this should be enough to start you off," the librarian suddenly stated. Her voice effectively knocked Raven from her musings and back to the real world. With a blink she looked to the mass of books collected for her. She found a small tower of books stacked beside of the librarian and hummed. She casually grasped the top most book with her magic and brought it down to check it. She groaned when she saw the tittle, 'Predictions and Prophesies, of course,' she thought with a shake of her head.
"Alright thanks, I'll handle the rest from here," Raven stated with a wave of her hoof. The librarian blinked and then set the books down. Raven merely formed a portal and sent all the books to her table.
"Um, where did they go?" the librarian questioned. Raven idly thought she needed to learn the mare's name, but decided it'd be pointless. Hopefully she wouldn't be on this world long enough for it to matter. While she wanted to learn from Celestia, she was more interested in getting to Earth. She had reasons to be there, and this world wouldn't survive if she stayed here too long...
"I sent them to the table I was sitting at, I figured carrying them all would be a chore," the pallor grey filly replied. The librarian blinked for a moment then nodded her head. She could understand that, she also appreciated it. She wasn't exactly a very powerful spell caster after all. Her talents really only pertained to the maintenance of books and knowledge. Keeping a bunch of books held aloft for too long would put a strain on her.
"Alright, well if you need anything else I'll be at the front desk," the mare offered helpfully. Raven made a noise of acknowledgement as she trotted away. She meant nothing against the older mare but she really wanted to get to work. She had quite a few questions about this world she wanted answered. Most of them revolved around the 'cutie-marks' these ponies had and how they could possibly just appear one day and represent their destiny / special talent.
'It seems absurd, even from a magical standpoint,' the filly noted with a frown. Magic didn't determine destiny, it was merely a part of all things. If Magic had the capability to brand these ponies with their 'destiny' then it begged the question of what her own would look like. Given she already knew what her destiny was, and she was fairly certain that she didn't want to know.
She shook her head of such thoughts as she approached her table. However she slowed when she saw a pony sitting at the table and going through her books. He was taller than her, which was impressive to say the least given her abnormal height, with a copper coat and brilliant blue eyes, a long fluted horn with a green gem at the tip, a pair of large wings folded against his sides, and his main and tail were black with streaks of gold.
Unlike most ponies she'd met thus far this one actually wore clothes. First was a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a simple black tie, a black waist coat with a chain hanging from one pocket, likely leading to a watch, a pair of welder's goggles over his forehead, and brass hoof covers. Raven also noticed his cutie-mark, which appeared to be an hourglass with turning gears and machinery inside of it. 'How does a pony get an animate cutie-mark?' the filly wondered to herself.
"Rubbish, rubbish, complete and total rubbish," the stallion muttered while tossing books into a pile. She instantly noted what sounded like a British accent of some kind. How a pony could have a British accent, well that she didn't really know. He stopped briefly and examined one for a moment then nodded his head, "This one's good," he stated with a nod. He then placed the book into a significantly smaller pile before he returned to his 'sorting'. "Rubbish, utter rubbish, they're allowed to print trash like this?" Raven could only wonder who the strange stallion was.
'Not to mention why I can't sense him,' the filly admitted to herself. Truth be told it was more than just a little unnerving. It was almost as if the stallion wasn't really there at all. However considering the fact that she was looking right at him, it was clear that he did exist. That in mind the pallor grey filly let out a breath and approached the strange stallion as he continued to sort books.
"'Ello there Raven," the stallion stated without looking up. Said filly blinked and stared at him, wondering how in the name of Azar he knew her name. "Sorry 'bout this, just thought I'd pick out the accurate books from the rest," the strange stallion stated as he tossed more books into what amounted as a 'reject' pile. The much smaller pile of 'acceptable' books was to his other side. Raven glanced to either for a moment, before she settled her eyes on the strange stallion.
"Who are you?" she questioned plainly. The stallion finally turned to face her and she found her violet eyes drawn to his lightly glowing blue orbs. Something about them seemed strange to her, almost artificial in a way she couldn't quite explain. Yet she also noticed something else about his eyes. Eyes that were old, ancient really, eyes that were filled with both experience... as well as what could only be a deep loneliness.
"I have been known by many names and tittles," the stallion began. "The Traveler, The Doctor, Alicorn of Time, Time Lord, Professor, The Oncoming Storm, and a great many more still," he said seriously. The strange stallion smiled cheerfully and gave a rather grand and overdone bow. "But please just call me, Clockwork Gears," he declared with a grin. He quickly cleared his throat and schooled his features. "Sorry 'bout that, I tend to be a bit 'eccentric from time to time," the strange stallion noted.
"I see," Raven replied slowly. Though honestly, how was she supposed to react to that admission? Well that, and his eyes seemed to want to tell a story far different to what he was saying. "So you control time then?" the pallor grey filly questioned. Clockwork merely nodded and tossed a few more books here or there as he continued his 'sorting'.
"I can, but I'm more of an observer really," the time stallion replied casually. He also picked up a history book, flipped through a few pages and groaned. "I really must question some of these authors," he muttered under his breath. With that in mind he tossed the book into his 'reject' pile. Raven glanced at the ever growing pile for a moment then turned back to Clockwork with a frown.
"So then you've seen my future?" the filly questioned. The slight tinge of worry that slipped into her tone did not go unnoticed. Clockwork didn't seem to react however, still sorting through the books.
"Indeed I have," he replied. Though he said that he did nothing more than return to the books and sorted them.
"And you don't have a problem with it?" Raven questioned. The pony lord of time merely shrugged and continued to sort through the books. The pallor grey filly felt her eye twitch, then let out a breath. Clearly he wasn't going to answer her question so she decided to move on. "So why are you here?" she questioned flatly. The time stallion halted in his sorting and hummed. He tapped his chin for a moment then turned to her with a grin.
"I wanted to say hello," he replied, then scowled at the reject pile, "But then I saw these books and figured I could sort out the good from the bad," the time pony admitted. Raven silently nodded her head. Although to be honest, she could think of a million better ways to use his powers than just dropping by to say 'hi'. However she then narrowed her eyes on the strange stallion.
"So then would you know how I got here?" the filly questioned casually. Clockwork however grumbled and tossed another book to the side.
"Really, do these ponies have nothing better to do than make history as inaccurate as they can?" he demanded angrily. He liked playing with history as much as the next pony, but this was just absurd! More than a third of the books had more errors than not. If he hadn't picked out the good ones, Raven would've been dealing with more inconsistencies than anything else. However he then took a quick breath and exhaled. He idly tilted his head to one side and then turned to Raven.
"I do know how you got to this world, but..." he began then smirked, "No Spoilers," he stated with a nod. The pallor grey filly shot the time stallion a look. If that was supposed to be funny then he'd failed spectacularly since she really wasn't amused.
"Then don't you have somewhere else you need to be," she muttered grumpily. The time stallion snickered for a moment then tapped his chin in thought.
"Not really. But I did have a message for you," he admitted with a click of his tongue. "Now le's see now what was it?" he wondered with a click of his tongue. He fluffed his wings every now and then, then brought his hoof down against the floor in a rather loud clop. "Oh right that's it! I wanted to tell you that you should 'look to the moon'," he replied with a nod of his head. Raven merely stared at the stallion for a moment, then raised a brow in question.
"Why?"
"No spoilers!" he replied with a grin. Raven frowned and felt her eyebrow twitch. She felt a sudden urge to strangle this irritating stallion. However, he thankfully got up and started to leave before she could be swayed by her murderous impulses. "In any case, I really must be going," the stallion noted then turned with a wave, "have fun with your books, Taa taa!" he declared then galloped out of the library.
Raven took a moment to stare at where the strange stallion had been. She then turned to her significantly lighter pile of reading material. The filly clicked her tongue for a moment then trotted over to the table. She grasped a book in her magic and then sighed. 'I should just get to work, trying to make sense of that pony will probably drive me batty,' she decided then set to work. So with a goal in mind she began to immerse herself in study...
Princess Celestial Majesty, ruler of Equestria, and Alicorn of the Sun trotted the halls of Canterlot castle tiredly. She had just come from a meeting to explain Raven to her staff. Before that she'd spoken with her guard captain, and before that she'd spoken with the nobles. Needless to say it'd been an exercise in her patience to deal with the nobles. They were, as per usual, utterly and completely annoying.
The guards hadn't been too bad. They merely questioned about the kind of detachment she would need for any excursions. Celestia had been doubtful Raven would appreciate or need such a thing. The filly was to independent to appreciate something like that anyways. The staff had only wondered how they could better accommodate the 'filly' alicorn. Celestia had to admit she wasn't sure about that sort of thing, and merely told them she was a very independent minded filly. That had all been easy to get over, the Nobles however...
They had asked her how she could have a filly, to which she reminded them she was indeed a mare. They asked for her filly's age, Celestia responded with fifteen. Asked who the father was, to which she stated an 'old friend' and left it at that. They had asked her why she kept it a secret, she replied that it was for her protection. They asked her how powerful she was, to which she stated still hadn't found her special talent yet. Then came questions of what the filly's future would be. Then propositions for marriage...
In short, it'd been a very long and trying experience.
The princess of the sun sighed and bright a hoof to rub at her temple. A glance out a nearby window showed it was close to sunset. Soon she'd have to set the sun, eat dinner, manage her paperwork shortly after, then she'd need to get to bed so she could wake up early enough to raise the sun, prepare for the rest of the day, etc etc... 'I need something to calm my nerves,' Celestia decided. Her days were always a bit too 'cramped' for lack of a better word.
Fortunately she had some cake in the kitchens all but calling her name. Sure it might spoil her dinner, but right now she needed the pick me up. So with that in mind Celestia turned at the next hall and made her way into the castle kitchens. She looked around to ensure that her head chef wasn't present. The old stallion was a former guard, and very strict. Every time she came into the kitchen for a pick me up, he usually stopped her. He always got inventive with it too.
'The time he used tapioca pudding as a weapon still gives me nightmares,' Celestia admitted with a shudder. No pony should be able to use food in such a frightening way. She quickly made sure none of his staff were nearby either. The kitchens were fully manned, however the ponies had breaks just like any pony else. She just happened to know when they were and came on one of them. Once certain no pony was around she grinned and slunk over to a refrigerator, opening it she found a piece of cake stored within and licked her lips.
"Aunty are you in here?" the voice of her nephew questioned. Celestia yelped and threw the cake into the air. The solar princess quickly caught the cake and plate in her magical aura before it could hit the ground. Releasing a sigh of relieve she turned to see her nephew Blue Blood standing in the doorway. 'Oh great,' she thought with a frown. Blue Blood wasn't the worst relative she had, but he was certainly a little annoying at times.
"Yes Blue Blood, what did you want?" the pale pink alicorn questioned tensely. Not to say she didn't like her nephew, just that he had horrible timing.
"Aunty I was looking for young Spike, however I haven't been able to find him anywhere," the blond stallion replied. "Normally I wouldn't worry but we usually head out to get him some gems about now," he explained. Celestia blinked then let out a tired sigh and sat on her haunches. She also closed the refrigerator door and sat her cake down on a nearby counter. She had a feeling this was going to take a while.
"He's fine Blue Blood," she began, then fixed her nephew with a frown, "and I think he needs to cut back on sweets and gems, he's getting pudgy." The unicorn blinked for only a moment before he idly nodded his head.
"Yes I can see that. I suppose too much of a good thing is just as bad for a young dragon as it is for a young pony," the blond unicorn mused to himself. Celestia merely sighed and glanced at her slice of cake, then back to him.
"Indeed, but did you need anything else Blue?" the solar princess questioned tensely. She tried not to let any irritation slip into her voice, Blue Blood didn't mean to be annoying after all. He just had really bad timing for some reason.
"Yes actually," the young unicorn replied, "I was curious as to his whereabouts, I don't mean to worry but he is still a baby dragon after all." Celestia blinked for a moment then sighed tiredly.
"You don't have to worry so much Blue, I have some pony else who'll be looking after him from now on," the solar princess explained.
"Who? Not one of your students I hope," the young stallion questioned with a frown, "I swear that last beastly mare wasn't fit for maid service, let alone to be your personal student," the stallion stated with a huff. Celestia frowned and shot her nephew a dark look for the slight. Sunset Shimmer had been a gifted pony, and once her student in magic. Abrasive as she was, she was also a highly competent student and a powerful mage. But the last any pony had seen of her had been years ago. She still wondered what had happened to her.
'I hope she's calmed down, maybe even made a few friends,' the solar princess admitted to herself. She also wondered where she had disappeared to. But that wasn't in the here or the now. Whether or not Sunset was still out there was a problem for later. Right now she had a nephew who was worried about a baby dragon to deal with.
"I haven't taken on a personal student since Sunset left us," Celestia assured the young stallion. He visibly calmed and then stopped to rub at his chin thoughtfully.
"Well then, who is looking after little Spike then Aunty?" the young stallion questioned curiously. Celestia rolled her eyes then stopped as a thought came to mind. Again, her mischievous side was starting to show.
"I've decided to let my daughter look after him for a bit," she replied dismissively.
"Oh well I suppose that would be make sense," Blue Blood admitted with a nod of his head. He then got up and trotted to the door. "In any case Aunty, I suppose I should be off then," the stallion declared as he left. Celestia snickered to herself and then began to mentally count down. 'Five... four... three... two... one... and...' she thought as a voice sounded out from the hall. "WHAT!!"
Celestia snickered and had to resist all out laughter. While she normally tried to reign in her impulses, that was just too good an opportunity to pass up. Not a moment later Blue Blood stormed back into the room with wide eyes. "Excuse me aunty," he began, seeming a bit disheveled, "but did you say your d-daughter!" he demanded with wide eyes. Celestia raised a hoof to her mouth and snickered into her hoof. Ah yes, this was the reaction she'd been waiting for!
"Yes, my daughter, I explained this to the nobles not ten minutes ago Blue," she replied as a matter of fact.
"B-but how, who, where," the young stallion tried to ask.
"A few more words and I think you might have a sentence," Celestia noted cheekily. Blue Blood blinked owlishly and then shook his head. The poor stallion was clearly close to having a conniption. 'Maybe I'm being a bit too mean to him,' Celestia considered for a moment, then mentally shrugged, 'Nah, after all the mares he's insulted he needs to get taken down a peg or two.'
"Aunty you never told me that you had a daughter before," the stallion stated. He then stopped and his eyes seemed to widen as that thought registered. "Dear sweet you! She's never met her cousin Blue Blood!" the stallion declared. Celestia merely wondered if that was really such a bad thing. "How ever has she survived, and why does no pony know about her?" the pale stallion questioned quickly.
"I wanted her to study abroad, she wore a cloak to hide her appearance, and I didn't want her to be hounded by any pony so I kept her a secret," the solar mare explained with a shrug. She then smirked as Blue Blood proceeded to do a rather accurate impersonation of a fish.
"She's been alone this whole time!" he demanded with wide eyes. "B-but aunty Celestia, what if some pony tried to do something to her?" Blue Blood asked incredulously. Celestia merely rolled her eyes and let out a sigh.
"She was fine Blue, she may be a filly but she is still an alicorn," the older mare told him seriously.
"An alicorn filly?" he questioned quietly. Celestia merely nodded her head, then watched as Blue Blood seemed to daze out for a moment. 'I have a feeling this isn't going to be funny anymore,' the solar alicorn noted to herself. "Unacceptable!" he screeched loudly. Celestia flattened her ears and brought her hooves down over them with a pained grimace. For such a prim and proper stallion he sure could screech.
"Blue Blood calm down!" Celestia insisted only for the stallion to stamp a hoof down.
"No! An alicorn filly, all on her own for only you know how long! Unacceptable! She should've had guards to ensure her safety," he began to rant, only to stop and tap his chin, "No guards can be bought, they are a liability to the safety of my little cousin!" the solar alicorn felt her eyebrow twitch and then shot the stallion a flat expression.
"She's the size of a full grown mare Blue Blood, no pony knew she was still just a filly," she told the stallion, however that didn't quell him in the least.
"That's even worse!" the stallion declared. "What if some unscrupulous ponies tried to," he started only to stop as Celestia slammed her hoof into the ground. There was a sudden thundering clop that echoed across the entire castle. It served to silence Blue Blood and draw his attention to his now highly irritated aunt.
"Calm down blue! She's just fine," Celestia assured her nephew. She then took a breath and composed herself, "She's going to be staying in Canterlot for the foreseeable future, and for now she's studying in the library," the solar alicorn explained. That seemed to calm Blue Blood down for a moment before he tapped his hoof manically. A moment later he galloped out of the kitchen. Celestia frowned, then watched as he stuck his head back through the doorway.
"I'm just going to make certain she's alright," he insisted and then bolted off. Celestia groaned and brought a hoof to rub her face tiredly. The one pony who could tire her out was her nephew Blue Blood. He meant well, unfortunately he was a bit... off. But at least she still had her cake to look forward too. However, just as she was about to take a bite, she heard some-pony clear there throat. With a low groan she closed her mouth and turned to see the head chef.
"Now I know y'all weren't about to ruin your dinner," he stated flatly. Celestia grinned weakly then hung her head, it just wasn't her day.
Raven idly walked through the halls of the castle. She had pulled her blue cloak back on, and placed Spike on her back. She had expected it to be uncomfortable to carry the baby dragon. However it wasn't at all. The baby dragon, while a bit pudgy, weighed too little to really burden her. 'I wonder if horses are the same way, they just don't notice,' the filly wondered to herself, then shrugged.
She was currently trying to find her way to the kitchen. While she loved to read, the dryness of the books had eventually bored her. Thus she had started reading Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone. It was the first in a lengthy series of books about an adventurous pegasus pony. The book was strangely enthralling, especially considering she preferred fantasy. Though Daring Do book had just enough fantasy to keep her interest. At least she assumed that it was all fantasy and a work of fiction.
'In a world like this, you can never be sure,' the pallor grey pony admitted to herself. However that wasn't the point and Raven quickly put her mind back on track. She had, after reading a hefty bit of Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone, began to feel the pangs of hunger. As such she'd decided to leave the library in search of the kitchen so she could grab a bite to eat. Unfortunately, she'd forgotten she didn't know where the kitchen was...
'I really should've thought this through,' she admitted to herself. She couldn't even turn back at this point since she didn't know the way back to the library either. All she could really do was keep trotting and hope she ran into some one to ask for help or directions.
Honestly though, she didn't mean that to be literal.
With a grunt she and another pony knocked into one another. She fell back on her haunches, Spike rolling onto the ground. The baby dragon groaned and sat up with a claw to his head. Raven turned from the waking baby Dragon to see the pony she bumped into. Judging from her 'body' it was a mare, though younger than most. She was a unicorn with a curly bright red mane and tail, white coat, red eyes, and her cutie-mark depicted a red starburst.
'Okay, who is this then?' Raven wondered to herself. The unicorn shook her head then rushed to her side.
"Oh I am most sorry, please allow me to assist you," the white mare pleaded. Before Raven could form a reply she was hoisted back to her feet via a green glow. The strange unicorn then offered a sheepish smile as she dusted Raven off for a moment. "Forgive me for my carelessness, I am afraid I am a bit scatter brained at times," the unicorn admitted with a nervous smile. The pony seemed to have an accent, Raven idly tried to place it, then blinked in surprise.
'French?' she inwardly questioned. Did the ponies of this world even have a french language? If so what did they call their version of France?
"Pardon, are you alright?" The white unicorn questioned. Raven shook her head of her errant thoughts. She hoped that this wasn't going to become a habit for her.
"I'm fine," Raven replied quietly. She'd normally be a bit more vocal, but Celestia had been correct about her being a bit shy. She wasn't good around new people, er, ponies in this case. It was partly because she could feel their emotions and it was jarring with someone she wasn't used to. It also had to do with being afraid of connections. Azar had believed becoming to attached would be a bad idea. The unicorn breathed a sigh of relief, Raven could easily tell that she was merely relieved she hadn't hurt her. 'Probably a very compassionate pony,' she noted to herself.
"Well I'm a bit dizzy," Spike stated from behind them. Raven glanced back to see the baby dragon shaking his head to clear the fog. The unicorn however merely blinked then scrunched up her face.
"Zat wouldn't happen to be Princess Celestia's pet dragon, would it?" the unicorn questioned. However that was possibly the worst thing to say in Spike's presence...
"My name is Spike, and I am not a pet!" Spike all but snarled out furiously. Raven raised a brow at the vehemence coming from the little dragon. Clearly that was a bit of a hot button better left untouched. The white unicorn seemed to realize she offended the dragon. Though that wasn't too hard to be honest. She quickly bowed her head to the little purple drake with an apologetic smile.
"Oh, I am sorry, I did not mean to offend," the unicorn said quickly. Spike snorted a puff of smoke from his nose and then crossed his arms.
"Yeah yeah, who are you anyways?" the little dragon asked rudely.
'I'm going to have to break him of that,' Raven thought with a frown. Being angry with her for the 'pet' crack was no reason to be rude. Especially when the unicorn was being so polite and courteous, not to mention apologetic for her slight. However the young unicorn ignored his hostilities. Instead she gave a slight bow and a brilliant smile.
"I'm Starlight, Student at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns," the mare replied cheerfully. "I am talented wit' Astronomy and Astrology," the unicorn stated with a bright smile. Spike and Raven glanced to one another, unsure of what to make of the unicorn. She seemed nice enough, though Raven felt she was a bit too nice.
'I have the feeling I'm not going to like her,' the pallor grey filly thought to herself. "So what is a student doing wandering around the castle?" Spike questioned with a frown. He knew for a fact Celestia's students didn't live in the castle, and only rarely visited. Raven was not privy to such information, but was curious so merely listened attentively.
Unaware of the baby dragon's thoughts, the white unicorn grimaced. She scuffed her hoof along the ground and let out a sigh. "Oh, I am most sorry," she apologized once more, "I actually came here wit' my cousin Fluer, then got a little lost when I asked to use ze little fillies room," the white unicorn admitted.
"Why was your cousin here?" Spike continued to inquire. Raven arched a brow in his direction. She was beginning to think the baby dragon was overly suspicious of ponies he didn't know or wasn't introduced too. 'I can't see why that would be,' the filly thought to herself. Thus far every pony she'd met seemed nice enough. A bit too friendly and tactile for her liking sure, but nice enough.
"Well, she and sir Fancy Pants wished to show me ze castle. But I am not good with directions and so got a bit," she stopped and considered her words for a moment, "turned around," she finally decided. Raven however blinked when she heard the name Fancy Pants. A smile threatened to stretch across her lips as a result, 'Someone who is actually named Fancy Pants, heh. Alright that one is a little funny'
"Wait a minute, Fancy Pants..." Spike mumbled for a moment before realization dawned. He turned to Starlight with a wide eyed gaze, "are you telling me that you're Fluer De Lis's cousin?" Raven looked to the baby dragon with a curious gaze. Seeing the look the baby dragon let out a sigh and explained, "Fluer De Lis is a famous model. Fancy Pants is her agent or husband or something. Either way you see 'em together a lot."
Raven made an oh with her mouth and nodded her head. While she didn't understand why ponies would need models, she did get what he meant. The baby dragon then walked around the white mare, a claw lifted to his chin. He circled around her a few times. Starlight watched him curiously as he turned around her. The young drake soon came to a stop and nodded his head slowly.
"You don't have any of Fluer's colors that's for sure," the baby dragon noted to himself. He then took another trip around the pony and nodded his head. "But otherwise I can totally see Fluer in you," Spike admitted with a nod. Starlight giggled and then smiled brightly.
"Oh zat it is just ze family resemblance," Starlight assured. Raven merely rolled her eyes and picked up Spike with her magic. She set the baby dragon onto her back and inclined her head in Starlight's direction.
"Anyways," the pallor grey filly murmured, "we should really be on our way." With that the filly started walking back through the halls of the castle once more. However Starlight quickly fell into step beside her, still smiling.
"Oh? Might I ask where you two are off to?" Starlight inquired. At the reminder that they weren't still in the library Spike shot Raven a look.
"Say yeah, where are we going Sis?" the baby dragon questioned with a frown.
"I was trying to find the kitchen," Raven admitted with a sigh, "I can only study for so long before I get hungry." Spike merely nodded his head. He could understand being hungry better than most. Though he wondered why the filly hadn't woken him up. He was supposed to be her assistant, not to mention her brother. He could have just given her directions if she had just asked.
"Oh, would you mind terribly if I came wit' you? I do not know my way around ze castle and would not wish to wander into someplace I shouldn't," the white unicorn admitted. Raven glared at the other pony, mentally telling her no. However Spike didn't seem to mind.
"Sure you can, I know the castle like the back of my claw," the baby dragon responded with a dismissive wave. Raven shot him a look as well, however he just seemed to ignore it. With a sigh the pallor grey filly had a feeling this was going to become the norm for her. 'Great, now I have to deal with ponies just butting into my life, wonderful,' she thought sarcastically. As they wandered through the castles halls, Raven and Starlight stopped as a white stallion approached.
"Watch it, out of my way!" he cried out loudly. Raven and Starlight quickly stepped to either side to avoid him. The two silently watched as he galloped down the hall and turned down a corner. Once he was gone, Raven turned to Starlight with a frown.
"Uh, who was that?" the pallor grey filly questioned. Starlight blinked for a moment and then raised a brow.
"It looked like Prince Blue Blood," she admitted. Spike snorted and then leaned forward on Raven's back.
"Yeah, but don't worry about Blue, I bet mom just told him about you sis," the baby dragon explained. Raven wondered why that mattered. However at a growl from her stomach she decided that it didn't really matter. As far as she was concerned she really didn't need to know who he was or why he was galloping through the halls.
"Whatever, now which way is the kitchen?" the filly grumbled irritably. Spike snickered and pointed a claw in down the hall. Not wasting a moment longer, Raven was off with Starlight following close at hoof. As she approached a turn, Spike pointed the direction she'd need to go. Soon enough Raven didn't even think as she glanced back whenever she reached a turn. She just hoped they had herbal tea in this world. She had a feeling she was really going to need it...
Princess Celestia wasn't having a good day. Not only had the nobles bothered her, but her prank on Blue Blood had led to a headache rather than amusement. Then to top it all off, her head chef had taken her slice of cake away. 'It was just a piece,' the solar alicorn thought with a scowl. True she was being childish, but she didn't think a single slice was going to ruin her appetite for dinner. 'It wasn't even a big piece,' she added to herself, ears flattened back.
Although disappointed that she wouldn't be having a snack, the Solar Alicorn didn't allow it to bother her. Well, not too much at least. She knew that eating sweets all day would be bad for her. She also knew that her sweet tooth had gotten her into more than just a bit of trouble when she was a filly. 'Like the time I turned myself pink,' she recalled with a light shudder. Truly though her coat had always been pink, she was simply such a pale shade of pink that every pony thought she was white.
'A notion I never correct, because I hate pink,' the princess admitted to herself. She hated it because her sister had teased her relentlessly when she became a darker shade of pink. 'Pinklestia' became her favorite mocking nickname for her sister for decades to come. Needless to say, after being ribbed by her little sister for decades, the color pink gained her undying ire.
As she made her way through the castle she twitched her ears when she heard voices. 'No pony should be in this part of the castle at this hour,' she noted to herself. A frown crossed the elder alicorns lips as she trotted closer to their source. As she did she saw a familiar stallion talking to a beautiful though frantic mare.
"Please let her be alright, auntie would kill me if somezing 'appened to Starlight," the mare stated. Worry was clear on her face, her gentle colt friend placed a hoof on her withers soothingly.
"Calm yourself Fluer, Starlight will be fine," he assured her. The mare didn't seem convinced if the way she was trying to calm her breathing was of any indication. "Now we'll just find some guards, explain what happened, and they can help us find her," the stallion told her with a nod. Celestia hummed and trotted towards the two, a little curious about what had happened. She took a moment to study the mare and raised a brow. She was a curvy and beautiful white unicorn mare with a pink mane and tail, purple eyes and eyeshadow, with a fluer-de-lis cutie-mark.
'So this is the famous Fluer de Lis, she really does resemble me,' Celestia admitted if only to herself.
"Excuse me my little ponies, but what seems to be the problem?" the solar alicorn questioned. The mare let out a yelp and nearly jumped behind the stallion. The stallion sighed and shook his head, as he did Celestia studied him for a moment. He was a unicorn stallion with a white coat, electric blue eyes, blue mane and mustache and tail and hooves, while his cutie-mark depicted three crowns. He was dressed in a black suit coat with cufflinks, blue waist coat, and a white dress-shirt with a purple bow-tie.
'Ah yes of course, mister Fancy Pants,' Celestia noted to herself.
"Forgive Fluer milady," Fancy pleaded with a slight bow, "she's a bit out of sorts since we lost track of her cousin."
"Really?" Celestia questioned then turned to Fluer, "If you don't mind my asking, but how did you lose her?"
"Well you see Fancy came for ze meeting you held earlier. I had thought bringing my cousin to ze palace would be a nice trip for 'er. When we arrived I had intended to show 'er ze gardens, but she needed to use ze little fillies room after a time and zo I asked a guard and he told her how to get zere," Fluer admitted and then sighed. "But I'm afraid she has ze worst since of direction and has likely gotten herself lost." Though Fluer tried to remain calm, it was clear by her increasingly erratic breathing that she was far from it.
"Calm down my little pony," Celestia urged kindly, "I'll help you find your cousin, I'm sure she's fine," the elder alicorn offered with a smile. Fluer gave a weak smile in return while Fancy Pants cleared his throat and trotted forward.
"Indeed your majesty," the stallion stated and made his way to a hall, "now might I suggest we locate one of the guards and ask if they've seen Starlight?" Celestia merely nodded her head and beckoned Fluer to follow her and the blue maned stallion as they trotted into the castle. Celestia soon trotted passed Fancy and turned down a hall to see a unicorn guard in front of a door.
"Guard," Celestia called out. The guard blinked and turned her way. He stood straight and waited for her orders. "We seem to have a young unicorn lost in the castle and were wondering if you'd seen her," Celestia questioned. The guard blinked for a moment and then frowned.
"What did she look like exactly?" the stallion questioned. Celestia idly noted a sort of 'surfer' accent to his voice before looking back to Fluer and Fancy. In turn Fancy looked to Fluer, the white unicorn shifted on her hooves for a moment before responding.
"She has a white coat with a red mane and tail, a red star-burst cutie-mark and red eyes," Fluer stated quickly. Celestia stopped and then frowned at the mention of a 'star-burst' cutie-mark. That was a symbol for magic though it could also have many other meanings. 'Well that would be a bit too much to ask,' she admitted to herself, then turned back to the guard.
"Actually ma'am, I saw her a little bit ago, she asked for directions," the guard admitted. Celestia blinked for a moment then nodded her head. She almost felt like this was too easy, but didn't want to risk jinxing it. 'Not everything has to end in some long drawn out quest after all,' she decided inwardly. Though in all honesty, it seemed like everything was a long drawn out quest when she'd been young. 'Fighting Discord, finding the elements, defeating Sombra,' she mentally recalled with a sigh.
"That's all well and good, however she apparently has a horrible sense of direction," Celestia explained. The guard frowned for a moment then nodded his head. He had to wonder how a pony could have a sense of direction that bad. It wasn't normal to get lost so easily, even in the palace. 'Is her special talent getting lost or something?' the young guard wondered to himself with an internal smirk.
"In any case, we should be off. Thank you for your assistance," Celestia stated with a nod. The guard gave a stiff salute and then returned to his station. With a new goal in mind the trio then made their way into the castle once more. As they walked through the castle, Celestia stopped upon seeing Blue Blood heading there way. The white stallion came to a skidding halt, Fancy Pants taking the liberty of quickly stopping him with his magic.
"Let me go you oaf!" Blue Blood shouted at the other stallion. Fancy raised a brow and then rolled his eyes derisively. Blue Blood was the only 'oaf' he could see nearby. Regardless he released the other stallion from his magical hold and lightly wiped his monocle.
"Excuse me Prince Blue Blood, I just assumed you'd prefer not to bowl over the princess," the proper stallion noted pointedly. The other stallion blinked for a moment then turned to see his aunt had been in his path. He mentally grimaced as she looked at him with a stern frown. Noting the look, Blue Blood quickly turned back to Fancy Pants and cleared his throat.
"Er yes, quite right my fine fellow," Blue Blood replied stiffly. Fancy Pants simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Blue Blood," Celestia called. Her nephew slowly turned to her with a gulp upon seeing her stern gaze, "why are you galloping through my palace like a race horse?" She wasn't 'angry' per say, more annoyed than anything else. Blue Blood knew this, he knew the way she looked meant she was irritated. He also knew he caused that look more often than not. He tried not to, honestly he did, but it seemed like anything could annoy his aunt. So to quickly stave off further irritation from his loving aunt he quickly got back to his hooves and brushed himself off. Once he was back on his hooves he took a quick moment to compose himself.
"Forgive me auntie, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," the stallion admitted. Celestia arched a brow and continued to stare at her nephew. He shifted on his hooves nervously under her gaze. Not that any pony could really blame him for that. Better stallions than he had wilted under their rulers eyes.
"Why is that Blue?" the pale pink alicorn questioned flatly. The stallion gulped and rubbed the back of his neck for a moment.
"Well I went to the library to see my little cousin, b-but she wasn't there," he explained, a bit of panic creeping into his voice. Celestia merely rolled her eyes and let out a soft sigh. Sometimes she really wondered about her nephew...
"Did you ask the librarians where she went Blue?" the solar mare questioned.
"Well no, but I just thought," he began only to be interrupted by his annoyed Aunt.
"Listen Blue, I understand that you're worried about her, but I can assure you that Raven is fine. She has Spike with her and he knows the halls of this castle better than I do," the solar alicorn stated with a look that brokered no argument. Although it seemed like Blue Blood wanted to argue with her, he wisely kept his mouth shut. "Now that that is over and done with, lets see about finding Starlight." With that the solar princess stated.
"Um, is she a white unicorn?" Blue Blood questioned. Celestia silently nodded her head with a raised brow. "Oh, well I think I saw her heading for the kitchens with a mare in a blue cloak," the stallion admitted. Fluer breathed a sigh of relief knowing her cousin was alright. Celestia however brought a hoof to her face and shook her head. 'He galloped right passed Raven,' she thought with a mental groan. 'Then again, I never got to tell him what she looked like,' the solar alicorn admitted to herself.
"Good, now we at least know where she's going," Celestia noted aloud, "better yet Raven is with her so likely Spike is there too."
"Wait, the mare in the blue cloak was Raven?" Blue Blood questioned. Celestia silently nodded her head. "But I thought she was a filly, an alicorn filly but," Blue started, only to be interrupted by Celestia once more.
"What part of 'she looks like a mare' or 'wore a cloak' didn't you remember when I told you about her Blue?" Blue Blood had the decency to look sheepish at her comment. He also couldn't help but feel like an idiot. The looks he was getting from his aunt and Fancy Pants certainly weren't helping matters either.
"Excuse me princess, but might we hurry to find Starlight?" Fluer pleaded. Celestia smiled to the mare and nodded her head. With that in mind she trotted off towards the kitchens for the second time that day. Fluer and Fancy Pants following as she went. She idly noticed Blue Blood was also following them now. She just hoped that Blue Blood didn't leave too bad an impression on Raven.
The Canterlot Castle kitchens were abuzz with activity. The staff therein are preparing dinner for her most esteemed royal majesty, Princess Celestia of Equestria. Each dedicated chef is at his or her station working on only the finest of cuisine for their honored monarch. All that is save for the head chef. He is currently seated to the side where a table has been set up for three visitors to eat a light, not to mention healthy, snack.
"Thank you for the salad sir," Raven stated quietly as she casually munched on a simple leafy salad with dressing. She used a fork grasped in her magic to do so. No offense to the ponies, but she just wasn't ready to start eating like a normal pony. She also had a glass of herbal tea nearby. However she couldn't help a few nervous glances at the other chefs every now and again. She wasn't really sure she'd ever get used to being around by so many peop... ponies.
Thankfully they had given her no small amount of space. Starlight sat across from the young alicorn, she idly munched on a few apples the old stallion had lying around. Spike was seated next to Raven, pouting as he wasn't given any gems or sweets, since Celestia had all but decreed he was on a diet. The old stallion merely waved a hoof in response. Though admitted to himself that it was nice to be thanked for once. "It's no problem," the stallion assured with a smile.
"No problem, but what are y'all fillies doing here anyways?" the stallion questioned with a frown. Raven merely glanced down to her salad with a pointed look. "Well, aside from eating that is," the stallion amended. Spike decided he'd be the one to answer, since Raven obviously didn't want to.
"Sis just wanted something to eat and we found Starlight wandering around lost," the baby dragon explained. His explanation caused Starlight a moment of pause. She recalled Spike calling the pallor grey filly 'sis' a few times now. She supposed that it was only a term of endearment, as the filly and little drake were clearly not related. 'At least I don't think they are...' Either way Starlight didn't know, and the older stallion didn't seem to think it strange.
Thus she shrugged and returned to her apples.
"I must admit I am most grateful to Raven and Spike. Had zey not found me I am sure I would've been wandering for hours," the white unicorn noted aloud. The head chef merely rolled his eyes. Then turned back to Raven as she finished her salad. The pallor grey filly pushed her bowl to him and then sat back.
"Thanks again, that was probably the best salad I've ever had," the filly admitted. Though the chef wasn't sure if she was being sincere or not. Her neutral expression made it more than a little difficult to read her but he could tell she put an effort in being neutral. 'Wonder why that is, not like she has something to hide,' the older stallion noted inwardly.
"So how are ye liking the palace so far?" he asked the two ponies cheerfully. Spike had lived here his entire life so he knew how he liked the place. But he didn't know about Raven's thoughts on the palace thus far. Though he honestly felt that she didn't seem like the type to enjoy living in luxury. The filly in question merely shrugged her shoulders noncommittally. The chef felt it a rather flat answer, but he wasn't so disappointed with the other pony's reply.
"Oh it has been quite wonderful," Starlight started cheerfully, then sighed, "well aside from getting lost zat is." The chef mutely nodded his head in understanding. The crimson eyed mare then smiled and looked over to Raven. "However, had I not gotten lost I wouldn't have met miss Raven and little Spike," the white unicorn stated cheerfully.
"I suppose making a friend would make things like being lost bearable," the chef admitted. He also noticed Raven suddenly twitch at the word 'friend'. He briefly wondered about it, but the happy smile from Starlight distracted him from it.
"Oh indeed, I was actually hoping to introduce her to my friend Moon Dancer," Starlight happily chirped. The chef grimaced as he recalled who 'Moon Dancer' was. She was a filly with special talent in sleep and dream magic, she was also very lazy. Added to that was a temper and a willingness to cast sleep charms on ponies who wronged her. She had even once poisoned an apple with a sleep charm and gave it to a filly who had taken her dessert...
Needless to say, he was a bit worried about her meeting the Princess' Daughter.
"Moon Dancer... Moon Dancer..." Spike mumbled for a moment then widened his eyes, "Wait I think mom mentioned her, isn't she's that one pony who put Sunset Shimmer under a sleeping charm for a week?" the baby dragon all but demanded. Raven blinked then looked to Starlight curiously. She hadn't heard of any ponies with such a mean streak to them. Starlight chuckled nervously and scuffed her hoof along the ground.
"Well yes, but Sunset did take her cake and she hates it when ponies touch her sweets," the white unicorn replied. Spike merely shook his head while Raven raised a brow. Was it normal for ponies to be so... 'protective' of their dessert?
"She overreacted if you ask me," Spike grumbled, the head chef nodded his head in agreement. Spike hadn't known Sunset Shimmer, but he didn't think it was right to be put to sleep for a week like that. The Head Chef however, he had known Sunset. She was more than a little arrogant to be honest, but he still wouldn't have put her under for a week. It was only a slice of cake after all. 'Then again, no pony ever tried to mess with Moon Dancer ever again afterwards,' the older stallion admitted to himself.
The old stallion noticed Celestia and a trio of other ponies entering the kitchen from the corner of his eye. The old stallion instantly decided it was time for him to go. "Well anyways, I best take this off to be washed," the old stallion decided as he picked up Raven's plate. He then trotted off as the princess and her group approached the pair of ponies.
"So here you are," Celestia noted as she approached them with a smile. Fluer quickly dashed passed her and wrapped her forelimbs around Starlight.
"Starlight, oh thank Celestia you are okay," the mare exclaimed. Raven idly examined the mare and frowned. The 'fluer-de-lis' cutie-mark instantly told her who she was. Starlight's older cousin, Fluer de Lis. 'How do these ponies have names so perfect for their special talet?' the pallor grey filly wondered with a frown. None of her research into cutie-marks had told her how that was possible.
However that was a thought that was dashed when she saw the next two ponies. One was 'Blue Blood' whom she'd seen before. His cutie-mark appeared as a compass rose. The other stallion she assumed was Fluer's friend 'Fancy Pants' who had three crowns as his cutie-mark. Neither of which went with their names in any way. 'Okay never mind,' the filly mentally decided. Apparently not all ponies had an appropriate cutie-mark to go with their name. Ignoring Fluer and Starlight as they hugged, Raven instead looked to Celestia with an arched brow.
"So you were looking for me?" Raven questioned flatly.
"No, but your cousin Blue Blood was," the solar princess admitted. Raven blinked then turned to see the blond pony in question. The prince cleared his throat and smiled at the filly.
"Greetings little cousin, it is my esteemed pleasure to meet you. But allow me to introduce myself, I am..."
"Blue Blood, I know," the filly replied with a bored expression. The stallion sputtered for a moment and seemed a little lost with how to respond. "You might want to close your mouth before something makes a roost," the filly idly commented. Blue Blood instantly closed his mouth, blinked, then looked to his aunt. Celestia hid a snicker behind a hoof then smiled at Raven.
"I see my little ponies are going to have to become accustomed to your razor wit," the solar monarch noted playfully.
"No comment," Raven replied flatly. She was then grasped by Starlight, the young unicorn smiling brightly.
"Raven please come so I can introduce you to my cousin Fluer," the white unicorn cheerfully chirped. 'It can't be normal to be so happy all the time, can it?' the pallor grey filly wondered as she was pulled over to the pink unicorn. The color of the mare caused the filly to twitch in irritation. 'A pink pony, not only a pink pony but a pink unicorn pony... really?' she thought with a mental groan. 'I now stand before the living incarnation of all things girly and sweet,' she thought with a frown. If starlight noticed the look she didn't pay it any mind, instead turning to Fluer with a happy smile.
"Fluer, zis is Raven, she helped me when I was lost," Starlight introduced. Fluer nodded her head to the young alicorn, though shifted nervously on her hooves. Mostly because she was speaking with Princess Celestia's daughter, and her cousin wasn't aware of that fact.
"Hey, what about me?" Spike questioned with a pout as he walked over to the three ponies. Starlight smiled and picked the little drake up in a hug.
"Oh of course, and zis is Spike, he was the one who lead us to ze kitchen," the white unicorn explained as she put the little drake back down.
"Yes of course, and thank you both for looking out for my cousin," the pale unicorn stated with a slight bow. Raven merely rolled her eyes and sat back on her haunches. She frowned as it felt uncomfortable for a moment, then shifted until it wasn't so odd feeling. Spike drank up the praise and grinned at the, admittedly, very beautiful mare.
"Aw, it was no problem at all," the purple drake stated with a wave of his claw. Raven glanced at the baby dragon and rolled her eyes. She knew that wasn't the total truth of the matter. Spike and Starlight hadn't had the best of introductions. But she also didn't feel like 'rocking the boat' as it were. Thus she fluffed her wings and turned away from the baby dragon and pony.
"Whatever," she mumbled. She then noticed Celestia standing behind her and frowned deeply.
"Oh, so you've made a friend already Raven?" the solar pony questioned. Raven twitched, violently, at the mention of friends. She then turned with a stern glare leveled onto the alicorn mare. Unfortunately, before she could say anything to the princess, Starlight suddenly grabbed her in a hug. 'I can see we're going to have to have a discussion about personal space,' the filly noted with a frown.
"Starlight, do I really need to explain personal boundaries," Raven growled at the unicorn. The red head merely smiled and released the younger filly from her hug.
"Forgive me, I am merely happy to have made a new friend!" the older pony declared. Raven suppressed another shudder at the word and narrowed her eyes on the mare.
"Yeah, I'm so excited..." the irritated filly grumbled sarcastically. Celestia rolled her eyes, amused as she was she still felt Raven needed more time to get used to her new surroundings.
"In any case, I must ask you to release my daughter. It's getting late and she's had a very long day," the solar pony noted. Starlight blinked at the query, looked to Celestia for a moment, then to the grumpy pony she was hugging. She frowned in confusion for a moment then lifted the young mare's cloak to see a pair of wings at her sides... how she hadn't felt them was any ponies guess.
"Oh my!" she declared and immediately released the filly. "I am so sorry, I had no idea you were," Starlight began only for Raven to shove a hoof in her mouth. The young pony had a look that just seemed to promise pain if she didn't do as she said.
"Just stop talking," she pleaded with a sigh. The red haired pony blinked and then nodded her head. With that Raven removed her hoof and shook it for a moment. "Now then, don't apologize for anything. I really didn't mind helping you," the filly stated pointedly. Starlight breathed a visible sigh of relief and then smiled. Fancy Pants chose that moment to clear his throat and draw the attention of the mares in the room.
"Yes, well I really must agree with her majesty," the stallion began as he trotted over to Starlight, "it is getting late and we could all due with some rest," he noted with a glance to his pocket watch. Fluer nodded her head in agreement and Blue Blood still seemed a little lost for words. Clearly the stallion had never met someone with Raven's brand of wit... Celestia decided she was really going to have fun with this. Starlight turned to the princess with a pleading look.
"Oh um, but might I see Raven again?" Starlight questioned hopefully.
"Hey, what about me?" Spike grumbled. Starlight smiled and scooped the baby dragon up into a hug.
"And of course you as well, little Spike," she replied cheerfully. Spike grinned and leaned into the hug, Raven merely rolled her eyes. 'Since when do dragons crave affection?' she wondered to herself. She idly contemplated the possibility that it was due to being raised by ponies. If that was the case then it could also mean that most dragons learned to be cruel around one another. If that was the case, the greed could have been a learned trait, potentially stemming from other dragons attempts to steal from their fellows. Then came their territorial nature, though that was likely just a instinctual action at best...
Celestia, unaware of the thoughts going through Raven's head, smiled at Starlight. While she wasn't apposed to Raven having friends, the filly had only just arrived in Canterlot. "I suppose you could in a week, until then, Raven will be settling in here in the castle," the solar mare explained. The white unicorn merely nodded her head and released Spike from her grasp. The baby dragon walked over to sit beside of Raven as the pony continued to contemplate the possibilities of dragonic culture.
"In either case princess, we'll be on our way, good night," Fancy offered with a curt bow of his head. He then turned to the still lost Prince Blue Blood and smirked. "Prince Blue Blood, could I trouble you to escort us to the door?" the proper stallion began, "I'm afraid I don't know my way around the palace as you do," he admitted. The other stallion blinked for a moment then puffed out his chest in pride.
"Of course, please follow me," he stated and trotted off. That done, Fancy chuckled for a moment before he Fluer and Starlight trotted from the kitchen and followed behind the prince. Once they were gone, Spike turned to Celestia.
"So now what?" the baby dragon questioned curiously.
"Now you two are going to bed," Celestia replied with a nod.
"And why would we do that?" Raven asked with a frown.
"Because it's late," the solar alicorn replied. The pallor grey filly glanced to a window and noticed that the sun had set and the sky filled with stars. She then turned back to Celestia with a flat look.
"Really, I hadn't noticed," the young alicorn noted neutrally. Celestia rolled her eyes and then picked up Spike with her magic before depositing him on her back.
"Oh c'mon Raven, don't be so grumpy," the baby dragon chirped. Raven merely snorted and shifted her wings.
"I'll be grumpy if I want to be grumpy..." the filly grumbled in reply.
"Well be that as it may your still going to bed," Celestia stated while picking the filly up with her magic. Raven frowned and glared at the older pony angrily.
"Put me down," she growled lowly. Celestia merely smirked and trotted into the castle. Spike snickered as he rode on the princess back and watched his 'sister' hover at their side. "This is humiliating," Raven muttered with her ears flattened against her head.
"Well next time don't argue," Celestia replied.
"I can take care of myself," the filly replied with narrowed eyes.
"Perhaps, but while you live here you'll abide by my rules," the solar princess replied in kind. Spike snickered as Raven grunted and crossed her forelimbs. To be perfectly honest he found this whole situation quite amusing.
"So where is Raven going to be staying?" the baby dragon asked his 'mother' with a grin. The solar princess tapped her chin in thought for but a moment before she nodded her head.
"Since you and Raven are getting along so well I thought you could share your room with her," Celestia replied. Spike lost his grin instantly and gaped.
"What! But it's my room!" he all but shouted. Celestia nodded her head, then looked at Spike with a pointed stare.
"Indeed it is, however there is more than enough room for Raven to stay there as well," the solar mare stated. Raven snorted and shot the princess a withering stare.
"Some of us like our privacy," Raven noted flatly.
"Yeah!" Spike obviously agreed.
"Too bad," Celestia replied. "You need to learn to get used to being around other ponies," the solar mare stated while looking to Raven, "and you need to learn how to share," she stated with a glance to Spike. Both filly and drake frowned as Celestia opened the door to 'their' room and trotted inside. Raven instantly took note that a four poster bed and new nightstand had been brought into the room. If Spike noticed he didn't say anything, merely frowned deeply while Celestia deposited him onto his basket bed. "Now if you're both done arguing," the solar alicorn began while depositing Raven onto the bed, "good night," she said with a motherly smile. With that and a kiss to Spike's forehead she turned and trotted out of the room and closed the door behind her.
For a moment, all was silent, both pony and dragon merely sat where the princess had placed them. "I don't like this," Spike stated in the darkness. Raven rolled her eyes and pulled her cloak off before sending it to her nightstand. While she could try to defy Celestia, she wasn't in the mood to get dragged back to this room. 'I just know I'm really going to regret agreeing to all this, and this whole 'daughter' thing isn't helping either,' the moody pony noted to herself.
"I'm not too happy about it myself," the filly replied while removing her belt to put it away as well.
"I'm losing my room," the dragon reminded. Raven rolled her eyes and removed the first of her sleeves.
"No, you're being told to share it, big difference," the pallor grey filly replied in kind. She removed the next of her sleeves and put it away with the first.
"Not really, you'll want to change everything," Spike grumbled irritably. Raven frowned and removed her next sleeve, though wondered if you called it a sleeve seeing as it was on her leg. 'Sock maybe?' she considered before shaking her head.
"No I won't, I'll only be sleeping in here," the filly replied flatly. Truth be told she had no interest in personal possessions. So long as she had something to read and a quiet place to meditate she was fine. The library would probably be where she spent the bulk of her time, not only for the books but because with how quiet it was she could meditate in peace as well. If not there she could also go to the garden she'd heard about for her meditations.
"How do I know that?" Spike grumbled. Raven twitched her ears as she heard shuffling and assumed the baby dragon was getting into bed as well. She had only just finished removing her last sleeve and put it away on her nightstand with the rest.
"Because I promise not to do anything to your room," the pallor grey filly replied as she slipped into the bed. "Celestia on the other hand, she kind of owns this place," the filly added.
"Oh right, I forgot about that," Spike admitted. He'd never considered the fact Celestia technically owned the whole mountain, not to mention the palace.
"I'm not surprised, in any case let's just agree that we both dislike this situation, suck it up, and go to bed," the pallor grey filly grumbled as she slipped under her covers. It was a bit difficult to do so with her new body, but she eventually managed to get somewhat comfortable.
"Okay," Spike replied with a tired yawn. Soon he was softly snoring and Raven sighed, closed her eyes, and waited to slip into the land of dreams as well...
TBC...