Lyra didn’t get far. She had gotten herself tangled up in some vines not too far off the beach when Bon Bon and I reached her. “Uh, a little help here?” She whined, squirming against her bindings. Bon Bon and I shared an exasperated glance at one another before I stepped forward and began to untangle the Green little beast. I heard her half whisper “Hands!” Before she finally dropped out of the vine’s grasp.
“Please don’t pay her any mind” Bon Bon said with a roll of her eyes. “She had this strange fixation with hands and...well...your species for as long as I can remember.”
“You’re just jealous your strange fixation hasn’t turned out to be real yet!” Lyra retorts still grinning. Bon Bon flushed at this “I told you, trying to make cavity preventing candies isn’t an obsession” Lyra seemed about ready to retort when Bon Bon cut her off
“At any rate, you need to stay with us since, you’re the one with this particular obsession” She waved a hoof at me “And you’re the one who has to take notes while I ask the question you’re far too excited to ask.”
Lyra blinks, quietly picking up the wooden board she had been holding a moment earlier, her cheeks turning a bit pink. As the golden glow surrounded the board again Bon Bon gave a soft nod.
“Now then, we’ll get your basic information before we get on with the questions about your culture.” Bon Bon explains as we begin to walk. I nodded quietly to show I understood.
“Okay, Name, Gender, and Age if you please”
“Maiara, female, 19 winters” Lyra scribbled as I answered, I glanced over her shoulder but the words didn’t quite make sense. It took me a second before it clicked in my mind that the translation rune only worked on speech, not written language. I shrugged and returned my gaze to the wheat colored pony to my left.
“Okay” She said “Now what can you tell us about your race?”
I paused quietly, chewing on the inside of my cheek. Where to start?
“Well…There are two types of people, the wordsmiths, like me, who can do word crafting, work with runes, keep the knowledge of our tribe’s history safe and generally entertain everyone.” I couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride swelling up in my chest.
“The other kind are the Earth smiths, they’re good at almost everything, they tend the fields, work with metal, they’re good builders, and they keep the tribe fed and housed” I heard Lyra switch abruptly to her native language, whispering something to Bon Bon, whom nodded in agreement.
“What about the weather, Maiara?” I cannot tell you how much this confused me, but, they were my guests so I tried to answer as best I could, perhaps it was a part of their culture.
“Umm...it’s fine, I guess, I mean it’s kinda humid every now and then but I can’t complain”
Lyra snickered and Bon Bon shot her a look before continuing on
“I mean is there a sort of human that controls the weather? A kind of human with wings perhaps?”
“No” I said softly, maybe a bit too quickly. The angel rune was...well...forbidden, only meant for the elder of our tribe, and even he didn’t use it, least of all to give us a bit of rain. Bon Bon seemed to realize she had stepped on a rather sore topic of mine, however, so she changed tact rather abruptly.
“What about your tribe? Can you tell me a bit about them?” My mood brightened considerably. I had told this story to children so many times, but I’d never been allowed to tell it to someone from another tribe. The thought that I was giving this story to a couple of complete outsiders made me feel so...important!
“The Ildelia tribe was founded long ago, when outcasts from the other eight tribes found this island.”
“Eight tribes? There’s more than one?” I nodded quickly
“Yes, all to the east. We have the second largest island to ourselves, since we’re such a young tribe, the rest divide themselves up into subtribes on the other Eight islands.” Lyra made a soft noise of understanding, continuing to scribble her notes.
“See the people of the other islands have this superstition about going where the sun meets the sea, they thought this island was cursed and the great beast within the mountain didn’t help that stereotype. The outcasts, the Ildelian founders, were chased here by the other tribesmen, stuck between them out at sea and the great smoke spewing beast. All hope was lost, until a piece of a sky fell.” I paused for dramatic effect, only continuing when Bon Bon prompted me with a whisper
“What do you mean, a piece of the sky fell?”
“Precisely what I said, a piece of the sky fell. A piece of the sky descended, between the cowering Idelians and the charging tribesmen. The piece of the sky suddenly opened and out flew a beast of the rain, gray like a cloud just before it becomes a thunder head, its great big eyes sparkling like lightning. It hurled a flaming piece of metal at the tribesmen, who fled in fear. I don’t even think they saw the other creature that stepped out of the piece of the sky.” Again I paused for dramatic effect, continuing before either of them prompted me.
“It was a beast of earth, brown like the earth, he and his companion took one look at the hungry Idelians and decided to help. The two defeated the great beast in the crater-”
"What just like that?” Lyra squawked indignantly. I smiled and nodded
“Yup, just like that. One moment they were in the crater and in the next moment the great beast had flown away, far to the south. We took up residence in its nest. The earthen one taught my people of the art of Wordsmithing, and the one of the cloud taught us how to make our ceremonial food. Then they just climbed back inside the piece of the sky and just disappeared. We still celebrate that day every year! We call it Healing day”
“Why Healing Day?” Bon Bon asked quizzically
“Because that’s the only name the brown beast gave, its gotten kind of muddled over the years, every version of the story has a different name for him; The Great Physician, Medicine Bringer, The Healer, but it all boils down to the same thing”
“Oh so I suppose you and the other tribes aren’t on too good terms then?” Asked Lyra, her quill still dancing across the wooden board.
“Oh no! We are, at the moment. I mean sure there’s been wars but we shared the gift of Wordcrafting with the other islands, that made it a lot easier on everyone. We still trade, and theres bits of their culture that’s still with ours. Thats the reason why no one ever comes to the west side of the island” I explained. I was unaware of my little slip until Bon Bon cleared her throat.
“Aren’t we on the western part of the island? Why exactly were you over here if you never go over this way.” I coughed, but I was saved by the western gates of the village finally coming into view.
“O-oh look! We’re here!”
The guards, two large earthsmiths whom I had rarely spoken to, glanced at the two creatures I was bringing in.
“Its okay, they’re friends”I said, trying to keep my voice as even as possible
“Friends of yours, Hoarder?” Asked the guard to my left, before he snorted and spit at my feet. I sighed and tried to keep my face impassive, but my hands had balled into fists. The guard had brought his face so close to mine that I could smell his breath.
“Give the Elder my regards” I muscled my way past him, pushing Bon Bon and Lyra ahead of me. I hoped they’d ask me no questions about the event, and thankfully they kept quiet.
The villagers had made it abundantly clear that they did not care for me after my father had followed my mother into the void, their looks no longer bothered me. Had they, I might have noticed something was off. As it was, I marched right through the village square, Lyra’s head going this way and that, like a child at his first Healing Day Festival. The small squat little huts were not our destination, ours was the larger, one near the center of the village reserved for the village elder. The elder of our village was easily three times my age, but he had been a proud earthsmith before his predecessor died and his body still had the muscle and scars to show for it.
As I walked in with my guests I felt the hush pass over the hall. I quietly bowed, motioning for my two four-legged guests to do so as well. “Well met Elder Aucaman” I whispered as I rose back to my feet.
“Ah my dear Maiara!” He said, his voice snide and thick with venom. “To what do I owe this...unexpected intrusion.” His eyes danced over my two guests as I motioned a hand to them.
“I found these two on the beach. I have tested them and proved their intelligence. They have come from beyond the western sea. They wished to see you.” The elder nodded softly, his eyes looking over the two hoofed creatures.
“I see. Well then” He turned to one of the guards standing behind his throne “Announce a feast for tomorrow” My heart stopped. Feast? We didn’t have the...he couldn’t possibly...As if to answer my question he waved a hand at the two guards by the door. The closest one grabbed Bon Bon.
“Hey let go of her!” Cried Lyra, but the guard already have a blade to Bon Bon’s throat. Lyra hesitated and that was all the other guard needed to catch her as well.
“You can’t do this!” I cried “They’re intelligent! They speak! They’re just like us!”
“They are beasts” The elder replied, his eyes staring down at me coldly.
“They are here to feed us, nothing more. They washed up on the beach, they are part of the sea’s bounty. The tribe shall feast on their flesh at sundown tomorrow” Instinctively my hand went to the loops on my harness.
“You can’t do...I won’t let-” Before I could finish my sentence a slap rang across the room. I fell to the floor, my flute skittered from my hand, rolling to the elder’s feet. He picked it up, twirling it between his fingers. “Knowledge Hoarder, Oathbreaker, and siding with the beasts? Have you no shame?” Fear crept into my bones as I watched him, tears creeping to my eyes. That flute...my mother had made me that.
“P-please! I’m s-sorry” I squeaked as a cruel little smile curled over the man’s face
“Oh no my dear, there’s no going back from this. As village elder you have sworn an oath to obey me, and now I find you questioning my orders? Well...you know quite well what that means, don’t you?”
“No plea-!” SNAP!!
The two halves of what had once been my flute fell to the dirt floor.
“Get out of my sight.”
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I don’t know how long I spent crying...an hour? Two? I had no way of telling inside my hut. I had never met my mother, she had died giving birth to me, but losing that flute...it was like losing her, the heavy, sick feeling of my heart pressing down on my stomach was almost unbearable. But my brain quickly asserted dominance over my body. It blocked out the grief...there’d be time for that later, now was the time to take action. I went outside, wiping my puffy eyes on the back of my arm as I searched the undergrowth around my hut. I found just what I was looking for, several small tubes from a plant we used to make our loin clothes. Peeling them away from the cottony innards I took twelve of them inside and quickly dried them over my fire, cutting them at various lengths before tying it all together with a bit of cotton. This would only really work for a short time, but a short time was all I needed. I waited until the sun sank below the horizon before I began to draw.
I placed the rune just over my navel, a simple triangle, with a bar coming down from the top point, forking into an upside down shape, quite like my new friends’ hooves, only much thinner around the center. A single dot in the center of it completed the rune. I placed the charcoal back in my harness, grabbing a leather bound book from the floor. The thing had been with my family for generations...if I was going to do this, I’d have to take it with me. Slowly I brought the flute to my lips and played. The song was far from elegant, as a matter of fact I was downright clumsy with my thrown together instrument, but I got the job done in the end. I felt the rune on my tummy flash as the dark paint melted into my flesh. To my perspective nothing really had happened, but as I walked out of the hut the few out and about paid me no mind. Their eyes passed right over me without a second glance. I walked, silently as I could, through town square, past the elder’s den, and towards the eastern end of the village where the fires lay. In two cages laid my four legged guests, I breathed a sigh of relief. Neither had been injured too badly.A cut here and a bruise there, but at least they hadn’t had a leg broken or worse! I crept forward, amazed that the area was only being looked after by one guard, who was currently napping in front of the fire. I moved to Bon Bon first, she was leaning against the bamboo of her cage, her body covered in sweat, her mane disheveled. Slowly I placed a hand on her foreleg.
The moment our bodies met my spell, on her at least, had been broken. She jumped and I quickly held a finger to my lips. “Shhh” I breathed. I glanced at the guard, who snored and twitched in his sleep, but failed to wake. I made my way to the ropes that held one of the walls up, taking the sharpest rock I could find off the ground I began to quietly hack at them. It took several minutes of hard work before I finally managed to break it open. Bon Bon rushed to Lyra’s cage and nudged it, moving her hoof to Lyra’s mouth to keep her from crying out. Bon Bon whispered something to Lyra in their native tongue, and then turned to me, tried to say something, then frowned and put a hoof to her lips. Terrific, the translation rune had worn off.
Lyra seemed confused before I gently tapped her, breaking my illusion on her as well. I began to cut through her cage’s ropes as well, Lyra had obviously been making some effort to do the same thing earlier, these were frayed much more than Bon Bon’s had been. I brought Lyra out of her cage, she quickly embraced Bon Bon, then threw her forelimbs around me. I hurried the two out of the village, heading through the undergrowth we made our way around the side of the mountain, towards the western side of the island. The beach had barely come into view when we heard a loud horn blast. I gulped and turned back towards the mountain...they knew.
I sighed and turned away from their airship, standing with my back straight and tall. I’d face my end, maybe bring a bit of dignity back to my family name. I soon realized that their hoofsteps had stopped and quickly turned back around. The two were at my sides again. Slowly I squatted down next to Lyra, taking out my family’s book. “Here” I whispered, despite the look she gave me.
“Take it, I won’t be needing it any more…”I tried to pass the book to her. Even if I didn’t have any children, my family legacy would continue through these ponies...at least it would if Lyra had followed my initial plan. Ignoring the book I offered her Lyra’s horn began to glow, she encased me in her wordless wordsmithing and began to run for the ship, pulling me from my feet and forcing me to hover along behind her.
“H-hey! Put me down! Let me die with dignity, damn it! This is supposed to be a noble sacrifice!” Lyra didn’t stop, heading up the stairs of the air ship, pulling a lever once I and my book were safely inside, the stairs clinking up against the hull as the chains pulled them tight. I watched Bon Bon scream something into a funnel next to the door, a second later the whole ship lurched. A hissing and puffing noise could be heard as the floor vibrated beneath us. I couldn’t see, but I could feel the great beast pushing itself from the shore, taking to the sky. Grumbling I reached through the wordless field and gave Lyra a sharp slap upside the head
“Put me down!” Lyra looked sheepish again and slowly set me down on the floor. The place was cramped, to me at least. The two ponies could easily stand upright and not have to worry, but I had to stoop just to stand. Slowly, Lyra grabbed my hand with her horn’s glow and began to lead me down the halls into the bowels of the ship, Bon Bon trotting along behind us. She took me to a small room with orange walls. Set into one of the walls was a circle that appeared to be filled with...what was that? It was as if...someone had frozen the air. I slowly made my way over to it, tapping at the hard surface, looking out at the great expanse of sea. Lyra made another noise and I turned around. She was blushing quietly, scuffing her hoof against the soft wooden floor. Giving another irritated sigh I slowly brought my fingers to the side of my mouth, miming playing a flute. It took a few seconds for them to get it, but eventually a look of recognition passed over Bon Bon’s face. She ran out of the room and came back with a pan flute, not unlike the one I had made, save for the fact that it was metal. I slowly drew another translation rune on my chest, and played the song on the flute. I wasted no time.
“Why didn’t you leave me!” I snapped, much to the ponies’ surprise.
“But..we..” Lyra started, but I cut her off. I was so mad I could barely see straight!
“I could have died with honor, brought some scrap of dignity back to my family! But nooo! No you had to drag me along and make me an Oath breaker AND a coward! I can’t believe this! I can’t believe you’d-” I was cut off by a wheat colored hoof firmly smacking a familiar spot. What is with everyone and attacking my face!
“Now you listen to me missy!” Hissed Bon Bon. “Dying with honor is still dying, no matter how pretty you dress it up. They’re still killing you just because you saved a couple of ponies like us! You did nothing wrong by standing up to those...those...beasts!” Her expression turned a bit more gentle.
“If it weren’t for you we’d be stuffed and roasted by tomorrow morning, you saved our lives, and thats plenty honorable from where I’m standing.”
“Yeah” Lyra chimed in “And no matter what happens me and Bonnie’ll always remember that! It ain’t every day you get your flank saved by a human” I sighed slowly slumping against the wall.
“I don’t even have a home any more...how can I ever go back?” Bon Bon sat down next to me, putting a foreleg around my middle
“You don’t need to, you got a place to live right here.” Lyra nodded her agreement, making her way to another one of those metal funnels in the wall. “Miss Hooves, a tray of muffins to the orange room please?” Several seconds later a gray, winged pony flapped her way into the room, holding a tray between her hooves. “Here we are hot from-”
She stopped, her eyes widening as they met me...or at least when one met me, the other one had drifted a little to my left. “T-this is one of the creatures you were talking about Captain Lyra?” She squeaks
Lyra rolled her eyes. “Yes Derpy, thats a human. And how many times have I told you not to call me Captain?”
Derpy continued to stare at me for the longest time. “Oh huh? Coming Dinky!” She called out of the room, shoving the tray into my hands and dashing from the room. I looked at the thing they called muffins. I slowly picked up the cup shaped pastry. Blueberries aside I was sure I had seen these before...once a year for the past 19 years in fact
“That mare gets stranger every day.” Lyra commented under her breath as I took my first bite.