//------------------------------// // A Scribe Listens // Story: Chronicle // by Honey Mead //------------------------------// Chapter 6: A Scribe Listens          Part 1: A New Day I met most every guardspony in the palace that afternoon. To my amazement they acted nothing like what I had grown to expect from my years at the castle. Though a small number maintained the facade most did not. Out there with no pony around save for me and other guards they went from being the stoic guardians of the palace to little more than rambunctious colts and fillies. All the words and emotions that they had stored away when on duty poured out as they trained and practiced, it was a cacophony of laughter and curses. The Commandant introduced me to a small number of ranking guards, none of whom I would be able to identify after we parted, before excusing himself for a meeting. It would be an odd stretch to say I met any individual guards that day, I still hadn’t learned to tell them apart. They met me, however, and that was what counted. They now had a face to put to the stories that their comrades had been spreading. To my surprise most of them were excited to meet me and bombarded me with questions. I stuttered and stammered my way through only by the grace of Stars. For the entire two terrifying hours that I spent outside she was my constant companion. Never leaving my side, always just a half step behind me, my bulwark against the tides of fear that threatened to drown me. If not for her presence I would have been nothing but a shaking pile of pony fur. Her support was more than just being there physically. She began teaching me skills that I would come to rely on for the rest of my life. When I first heard her voice instructing me I did not realize that the words hadn’t passed through my ears. As it turns out the SRSC developed a specialized telepathy spell that shows no outward signs of magic use. So without allowing anypony else to know she taught me to observe others and to read them like books. This was the first of many lessons to come that would lead me down the path I walked. By the end of the afternoon training, both mine and the guards, I was exhausted in every way a pony can be. “I have responsibilities that demand my attention and I can tarry no longer.” I didn’t know what to say. I could never ask her to stay, but I did not want her to go. I settled for nodding solemnly. “I will be returning in a month and when I do we will have much to discuss.” I got the feeling that this would not be an entirely pleasant reunion. I was already impatient for this month to end. “Be strong, be vigilant, and serve well.” She strutted down the empty hallway with a distinctly feminine sway that brought back late night memories. I watched her as two other unicorns wearing identical SRSC uniforms seemed to appear out of nowhere and fell into step at her flanks. I continued to watch until they turned a corner and disappeared from sight. I stood there until a hoof tap startled me out of my revelry. “Who... what... Oh,  hi Zipp.” The rust colored pegasus grinned up at me. “Hey mister Chronicle hope you’ve had a good day so far Cause it’s about to change Petunia Blueblood is waiting for you in your office and she doesn’t look pleased But I have never seen her pleased so I wouldn’t know what that looks like Sorry to be the one to tell you but I thought you could use the heads up Well GTG see you later.” He disappeared down the same hallway before his words finished processing in my head. I won’t deny that I made use of a few the curses that I had heard out in the training yard. Of all the ponies that I didn’t want to deal with she was on the top of my list. She may be Celestias daughter in-law, but that didn’t mean I had to like her. I  sighed at the sight of my office doors sitting slightly ajar, I really needed to talk to the Princess about getting a key for the lock. I took a moment to brace myself for the oncoming storm. There was no way that this was going to be a happy day. I stepped into the office wearing my best smile. “Lady Blueblood, what a wonderful surprise to find you here. I trust you are having a splendid afternoon.” I half-bowed when I stepped into the room. “Mr... Chronicle is it?” I nodded, maintaining my smile. “I am told that you are the Princess’ new assistant. I decided to come by to congratulate you on your new position.” I finished moving around the snow white unicorn and positioning myself behind my desk. Sitting down I finally allowed myself to look her in the face. I had no doubt that she was in no way here to welcome me. The smile painted across her face didn’t extend to her eyes anymore than mine did, though she did pull it off far more convincingly. I didn’t know what she wanted, but her usual approach had been to simply bully her way through everypony she met. “Are you new to the castle? I don’t believe I have ever seen you before.” I felt a pang of irritation at this, besides having been in the castle for a almost a decade longer than her I had been forced to work for her on multiple occasions. “That is not surprising, I tend to keep my head down.” I motioned to the papers piled on my desk. “The work never seems to end.” I hoped she would take the hint. She didn’t. “You seem to be settling in quite nicely. I hope no pony has been trying to bully you around. Some ponies here tend to be more than a little pushy and will overstep their stations if given the chance.” “Yes, I have had a few... encounters.” I brought out my ink bottle and quill. I knew she wouldn’t take this hint either, but I tried. She nodded in understanding, “Well I see you have work to get back to,” Oh, she had noticed, “I’ll just leave this with you and you can get to it whenever you have the time.” She floated out a scroll placed it lightly on the desk. The smile dropped from my face. My eyes flicked between her and the scroll sitting upon my desk. Time slowed. I could see the muscles in her neck tighten as she began to turn away. My experiences from the past weeks seemed to crash down on me all at once. The advice of Nightrunner gave me the words, the soothing voice of Silent Stars steadied my nerves, and the expectations of the Princess bolstered  my courage “No.” Her smile dropped and the left side of her face twitched. “What?!” “I said, ‘No’” “How...” Her surprise slid away replaced by a tinge of anger. “Do you know who I am?” “Yes, Lady Blueblood, I know who you are. I know you are the widow of  the Princess’ adopted son and mother to his colt. I know that she holds no great love for you and that you are only allowed to stay for the sake of the foal. Now if you will excuse me I have work to do. Good day, Lady Blueblood.” I did not revel in her impotent rage. I actually felt more than a little bad about it. They were cruel and hurtful words. I considered apologizing, even a pony like her deserves some amount of respect. Words have incredible power and once said they can never be taken back. So I stayed my tongue and waited as she fumed silently. Lady Blueblood turned with a harumph and a toss of her mane. With head held high she made her exit. A deep blue aura enveloped the door and slammed it shut with an audible finality. That was the last sound I heard as I sat and processed what I had done. Unlike similar situations I wasn’t worried about immediate consequences from the Princess. I was confident that she wouldn’t hear about this meeting. I was worried about the impact this meeting would have on a wholly separate level. I realized that I was playing a game of stones and I had just made a very stupid move. Part 2: A History Everypony knows the story of Hearths Warming Eve. Three ponies came together in friendship and banished the wendigos, saving all ponykind. What most ponies don’t know is that the unity they formed that night in that cave did not last even one generation. It did not take long for old prejudices to resurface and begin to wear away the bonds of the newly formed confederacy. This was when Discord struck. Not with a sudden rush of force, but with whispers and lies. He worked on the ponies of every race, leaders and peasants alike. It was only when he had buried the discontent deep into their souls that he revealed himself and began to play his games. It is one of the great ironies that the spirit of chaos does nothing by whim. Discord knew of the Princesses living in Everfree. He feared that they would seek to stop him and so sowed the seeds of discontent to ensure that even with his defeat ponies would still live in chaos. If he could not have his fun then no one would. Up to this point the Princesses had been content to stay out of the affairs of other ponies. They feared that the ponies would not understand them and see them as beings approaching, if not actual, gods and they had no desire to be worshiped. But with the appearance of Discord they could not sit idly by. Not a match for Discord on their own they brought the Elements of Harmony to bear. It was not until after defeating the spirit of chaos and imprisoning him in stone that they discovered the extent of the damage he had wrought. Left to themselves the ponies would never be able to unite under a single banner. They needed a symbol to unite them, to give them common cause. With great reluctance the Princesses stepped forward to be that symbol. A great many ponies accepted the Princesses and swore loyalty. Others... others did not and there was war. Hundreds died in the short lived civil war. Princess Celestia took these deaths especially hard. It is said that she would walk the battlefields offering what aid she could to the wounded. She would cry over the bodies of the dead, both friend and foe. The war wounded her to the point that she swore to do everything in her power to prevent another. Her aversion to war has colored every decision she has made since. She became the penultimate politician for no other reason than to prevent another one. When it came to Princess Luna’s rebellion she chose to allow herself to be imprisoned rather than call upon her loyal subjects to rise against her sister. And when it comes to other countries she will break a government to prevent a war. Part 3: Bait and Switch I placed my final stone with a satisfied grin. We had been playing for almost three hours. Control of the board changed hooves more times than I cared to count. It was finally over and it was going to be close. I tallied up my points, eighty four. My smile faltered, my ears drooped. One point, one single stone stood between me and victory. I looked across the board at my opponent and the hat, my hat, slid over my ear. “That was a wonderful game.” She smiled at me, a touch of pride shining in her golden eyes. When I reached up to readjust my hat she stopped me. “Leave it, it makes you look dashing.” I blushed profusely at the compliment. Until I met her I had never really had a reason to blush. Now it was happening on a daily basis. If she was away the guards and Princess Celestia more than made up for her absence. Fortunately that is as far as it had gotten. The guards were, and are, notoriously closed mouth around other ponies and the Princess was kind enough to only poke at me in private. Knock! Knock! I looked at the door behind Stars and then to the new clock taking up way too much space on my desk, the Princess has an odd sense of humor. I knew who was behind the door and I was very nervous about this meeting. “I see you have company. I should take my leave, I wouldn’t want to impose.” She gave me a look of mock jealousy and irritation; I was getting good at reading ponies, especially her. “No, I would like you to stay.” I said in a very neutral voice. “You don’t have to do anything, but your presence may be of use.” With the help of Nightrunner I had learned a great deal about containing emotions and controlling my facial expressions. It didn’t do anything for the turmoil in my mind, but it hid it from other ponies. “Favors are not free.” She said stepping to the side of the desk. Ah, ponyfeathers. I quickly collected the game board and pieces, storing them on my side of the desk. “Come in.” The door opened for the two hulking forms of the ambassadors bodyguards. They both surveyed the room as they entered and took places on either side of the doors. Ambassador Kara followed directly behind them carrying the same cocky air that I had come to associate with griffins. She regarded Silent Stars as she made her way to my desk, finally turning her eyes to me with an annoyed expression. “I am here, speak.” I frowned. My heart beat against my chest. What was I doing. “No pleasantries? Just straight to business? How boring.” I opened a desk drawer and pulled out three thick dossiers. One at a time I placed them in a stack. Each had a photo of a griffin attached to it. I had a difficult time telling griffins apart so each had a name scrawled under the photo. The first two of them were guards and relatively unimportant. The third was of Duke Sebastian Highwinds, the Emperor's son. I almost did not notice it, but it was there, a twitch, a tensing of muscles as she fought the urge to grab the folder. It had been a year since the Duke had disappeared and the Emperor was not pleased. I was right and that was all the information I needed. Without pausing I pulled out a fourth folder. I placed it on the desk in front of her. It was the complete report on our investigation into the deaths of the ponies at the griffin border. Kara eyed the folder before flipping it open. “It has been months since we last heard from your government concerning these unfortunate events. The Princess would like to know the current situation regarding the suspects.” I expected her to be at least a little perturbed, but if she was she didn’t show it. “There hasn't been any updates because there is no new information. An Arbiter has been dispatched to find these... criminals and has yet to report in.” “Perhaps he could use some assistance? We would be more than happy to dispatch some of our own pegasi to help in the apprehension.” She smiled ever so sweetly, “We appreciate the offer and if it is decided that we need help you will be the first to know.” This was truly more than I had hoped for. The ambassador was a wonderful actress, but my teacher was better. A flick of the eyes, a turn of the head, a slight change in her voice. Things I never would have noticed before. She desperately wanted to see that dossier. “Now if you will excuse me, I have other business to attend to.” Without waiting for a reply she turned on her heels and left. I waited for the door to close before I began to freak out. All the fear and anxiety I had held at bay rushed out. I felt a rush of excitement and I started laughing. I couldn’t stop myself, my hooves were shaking. Stars walked over and opened the dossier with the Dukes picture, “It’s blank. A folder of blank pages with a picture of the Duke. What game are you playing at, Mr. Chronicle?” “Just testing a theory.” The look I got told me that wasn't enough. "Have you noticed that there hadn't been any news about the Duke in over a year?" She shook her head, “I did, it was about four months ago. I happened to see a gossip magazine mentioning Lady Blueblood, then I overheard a conversation about some Zebra politician or another, and I got bored so I began to look into similar stories.” “You read gossip magazines now?” Her voice was incredulous. “You were off galavanting around Equestria and I was bored. The important thing is that I noticed a complete lack of stories regarding the Duke. His brothers and sisters got plenty of coverage but nothing about him. So I dug deeper and do you know what I found?” She shook her head again, “Nothing. Nothing since the day he did not show up to meet the Princess. “So I started to think about what this could mean. Either the Duke is out on a secret mission for a year or he has gone missing and the Emperor doesn’t want anypony to know. If he has gone missing was he kidnapped or did he leave? Well if he was kidnapped it wouldn’t be the first time and I believe we would have heard about it. So Either he is on a mission or he has run away. I wanted to figure out which.” “So now you know that the Duke has either run away or on a mission and the Emperor is keeping it under wraps for some reason.” She paused for a moment, “You realize that the ambassador likely thinks you know something about the Duke now?” “Yes. But what is she going to do about it?” “It could get your office ransacked.” “Oh, I hope so.” She turned a questioning gaze on me, “If she has my office searched that will tell me just how desperate they are to find him and it isn’t like I keep anything important in here.” “My Chronicle. My sweet, devious Chronicle. Are you sure you aren’t letting me win our little games?” “I would never dream of it.” “No? But I know of a couple things that you dream of that may just come true tonight.” My hat dropped to the floor. Part 4: A Molding Citizen I had taken the first steps by confirming that there was something going on with the Duke. But I knew little and less of what it was. I had my suspicions, but those could only get me so far. What I needed was information. First I needed to find a reliable source of information. Everything I had up to this point had been gossip and hearsay, These things have their place, as I would learn, but can not be taken at face value. What I needed was an inside track on what Ambassador Kara knew. It is amazing how answers can just drop into your lap. “Hey boss hows it goin Message from the Princess Must be important Sent post haste Well no time to talk GTG.” The door slammed shut and the papers on my desk fluttered in the breeze. I had begun to wonder if that colt was actually Manecury. When I have an epiphany I have found the process of it to be quite odd and more than a little annoying. They always seem to happen when I am too busy to do anything about them. This was a prime example. I picked up the scroll from the Princess and examined the seal. She used a special golden wax that as far as I knew she made herself. The seal itself had two raised Alicorns chasing each other in a circle. One pushed the sun and the other the moon. It hit me that if some pony intercepted the scroll and broke the seal they would never be able to reseal it without me knowing, and that is when I figured out what I was going to do. Unfortunately, the Princess had other plans for me that day and Stars was due to leave the next. I quickly began to have second thoughts about the intelligence of my plan. For as much as I prefered to be indoors there were limits. I can’t say my hooves clicked against the stone floor, it was more of a splash. And as cliched as it sounds the pony leading me down the dank passage was an overweight sloppy mess. I had never realized how deep the castle went into the mountain. I spent the entire morning following this... jailer, as he told me his life story. I am sure it was an amazingly interesting story, but I stopped listening after he defeated his first manticore. He continued to talk even as he grabbed the keys in his teeth, only stopping once we reached the outer door. Picking out the desired key he inserted it into the lock and twisted his head until it clicked. The heavy wooden door creaked open releasing the stench it had held at bay. Rose petals? “Duh one oo wan s surd on duh left.” he said still gripping the key ring in his teeth. I nodded, not really paying attention as I stepped across the threshold. I was blown away by how clean the cells were. They were utterly spotless, the metal bars were completely rust free, and the air was filled with the scent of roses. Each pony was busy scrubbing the inside of their cells with brushes and mops gripped in their teeth. I stopped in front of the indicated cell and watched the earth pony facing the back corner. I had never seen a pony like him. Waves of green washed across his purple coat as he shifted around. His green mane and tail almost seemed to glow with its own light. His Cutie Mark was an odd looking silver tool I had never seen before. “Mr. Molding Hooves?” The scratching stopped as his whole body tensed for a second. His head drooped and slowly turned to face me. One blue and one green eye stared at me through the prison bars. He nodded meekly. “The same Molding Hooves,” He cringed again, “who withdrew seventy five thousand bits from the First Equestrian Bank in Canterlot with a fake cheque from Stinking Rich?” “Not my fault they didn’t ask if it was a real cheque.” “The same Molding Hooves (cringe) who used a falsified letter of introduction to live off of no less than three wealthy ponies for a period of no less than two months at a time?” “They had more than enough room.” “The same (cringe) Molding Hooves who spent a year as the Equestrian ambassador to the Zebra Consulate and nearly destroyed our relations with his inappropriate behavior.” He opened his mouth to provide another excuse, but faltered under my gaze. This pony had caused a great deal of difficulty for the Princess and by association me. I did not want to be talking to him or offering him this opportunity. Unfortunately I had little choice in the matter. This was the only pony that I knew of that could do what I wanted and the only one that I had enough leverage with to make sure he did it. “So, Mr. Mo-” “I hate that name.” He looked more pathetic than I thought was possible. “But it is your name?” “Not by choice.” He laid down and wrapped his hooves over his face. “Do you have any idea what it is like to grow up with a name like that? ‘Hey, look. Here comes Mouldy.’ ‘Mama told us not to get mould on our toys so guess you can’t play with us today.’” He looked so wretched laying there on his cell floor. I knew first hand how cruel foals could be. Being a bookish colt had not made my colthood a part of my life that I wanted to dwell on. But even I could not imagine what it would be like for this poor earth pony. It dawned on me that his name mixed with his coloration would make the jokes and name calling far too easy for any foal to pass up. “I- how would you prefer to be addressed?” He lifted his head with a devious smile, “Call me Master.” My sympathy shattered, “No.” “Maestro?” “No.” He frowned for a moment before a happy smile split his face causing a line of green to move between his eyes, “Harvey.” “Harvey?” I felt my face scrunch. He nodded vigorously, “Harvey.” before I could ask he provided an answer, “I heard the name when I was a foal. I have always liked it, the way it feels rolling off your tongue. Give it a try.” He drew the name out as he said it, “H-ar-vey.” I sighed to myself, what am I getting myself into. “Fine... Harvey, I have a job for you. If you accept I can get you out of these cells. You will still be confined to the palace grounds except under direct supervision until I feel that I can trust you. For your work you will be provided with your own room, access to the cafeteria, and a monthly allowance.” I paused to let it sink in, “If you decline then you will spend the rest of your time in these... surprisingly nice cells.” He jumped up full of excitement and opened his mouth, but before the words escaped his lips he clamped his mouth shut. Skeptically he said, “What kind of job?” “You will get the details if you accept. Suffice to say it is not dangerous and will make use of your... unique talents.” After a moment of thought he nodded and spitting on his hoof stuck it out between the bars, “You have got yourself a deal. Mr.?” I looked at the proffered hoof poking through the bars. Ponies and their rituals. I sighed in my head, this is so disgusting. Lifting my own hoof I spit on it and cringing slightly shook his hoof. “Chronicle.” Part 5: Not one Lie The paperwork was submitted for Mr. M- Harvey. He would be released into my custody in the morning. I was beginning to have serious doubts as to the wisdom of my course of actions, but curiosity had a strangle hold on my mind and I could not simply let things be. I had to find out what was going on, not because I thought it was important or vital to Equestria or the Princess, but because there was this glaring hole in my knowledge that was screaming to be filled. It had taken me months of preparation for that first meeting with the ambassador, most of which was gathering what little courage I had. It had been such a small thing at the time, a curiosity at best and if I had let it be it would have remained just that. Now, however, it had become a puzzle. I began to see the vaguest outlines of the pieces and how they might all fit together, but there were too many possibilities and the more I tried to make it all fit with the information I had the blurrier it became. I had to figure this out or it would drive me crazy. My only sanctuary was Silent Stars, for as suddenly as our lives had been thrust together I knew that she was the only mare that I would ever truly care about. But she was gone more oft than not. She was the Arch-Magi and she had responsibilities that superseded everything else. When duty called she answered and I loved her for it. We could never give up who we were to be together like other couples, so we cherished what time we had and made the most of it. That left so much time for my mind to dwell on this conundrum that I had to do something. So now I was making my way to the next meeting on my list. I hoped that this meeting would be less morally ambiguous. Though I wasn’t sure how the pony involved would feel about it. He was likely to take some convincing and I wasn’t sure how to do it. To that end I headed to my office and waited for him. I sat behind my desk and waited. I found it hard to focus on the reports. So instead I stared at my hat. I had never had a hat before, never really saw the point. Lifting it in a bubble of tan I rotated it in the air. It was black with a brim that was just wide enough to shade my eyes in the afternoon sun. A wide band wrapped around it just above the brim and the top was pinched in slightly with a cut out of the brim for my horn to signify which way was forward. Stars said it made me look dashing. I thought it made me look a fool, but it was a gift from Stars, with a sigh of resignation I placed it on my head. The clock on my desk told me it was ten in the morning. Well it told me it was ten, the light from the dome and the balcony told me it was morning. I still don’t understand why ponies wanted clocks, all one had to do was look outside to tell what time it was. I realize the irony of that statement, but that doesn’t change the truth. It was a joke gift from the Princess, she had even come close to not laughing when I opened it and read the note out loud. I really needed to find a way to remove the irksome thing, but one does not simply throw away a gift from the Princess. The door shot open announcing his presence as much as the rust colored blur. “Hey boss isn’t it a beautiful day Too bad you’re stuck inside with all this paperwork” He dropped a load of paper onto my inbox and reached for the pile in the out box. A tan light flashed as his wing made contact with the stack and I smiled a little, it had worked. Zipp stood frozen in place, his wing stretched out over the pile of papers with his hooves already halfway to turning himself towards the door. I had never really gotten much chance to see the colt, he never sat still long enough to see more than the color of his coat. So I took a moment to get to know my favorite messenger pony. His coat was that reddish orange associated with rusting iron. His mane and tail were a more vibrant red with streaks of orange and yellow making it look more like fire than hair. “Well hello there Zipp. I am sorry for that little bit of magic, but I really needed to speak to you.” I knew he could hear me, though he wasn’t able to respond in any noticeable way. “I am going to release you now, but I need you to stay put so that we can talk, alright?” My horn shone and the magic aura engulfed the pegasus once again. When it dissipated he continued moving as though nothing had happened. I almost reached out to grab him before he could get out the door, but he stopped and turned back around to face me. “What’s up boss?” “Oh, good, I was worried there for a second,” He just smiled, “I need to ask you to do something important for me. Do you deliver all the messages that come into the castle?” He nodded violently and I took a breath. I couldn’t lie to him, I couldn’t even think of a lie. “Would it be too much to ask that you divert all the messages from the griffin Emperor to me before taking them to the ambassador?” His face fell and for once he spoke slowly, “I don’t know boss. That doesn’t seem quite... right.” I nodded, “No, it probably is not. I won’t try and talk you into this.” “I’ll do it.” I looked at him in surprise. I really hadn’t expected it to be that easy. “You wouldn’t ask me to do this if it wasn’t important.” And there it was, he gave me the chance to tell him that it wasn’t important, that I was doing this for myself and for nopony else. “Thank you. This really means a lot to me.” He nodded to me, “Its been nice talking to you boss but I got places to be and messages to deliver Later boss.” back to his normal self he disappeared out the door in a blur. I sat back heavily staring at the now closed door. I hadn’t lied to him, not really. I am not responsible for the assumptions of other ponies. So I didn’t correct him when I had the chance and let him believe a convenient lie, a lie that I didn’t tell him. But if all that was true then why did I feel like such a terrible pony. I spent the next few hours trying to suppress that twist in my gut under the mountain of reports that Zipp had just delivered. I made progress on the pile, but it did nothing for my conscience. I had never done something like that before, betraying a friend's trust. I had never really had friends to betray before and that made it so much worse. I gave up on the reports and turned toward the balcony. I just needed fresh air. I stepped outside, closed my eyes, and took in a huge breath of the afternoon air. There was the slightest hint of flowers in the air. When I opened my eyes I felt that uncomfortable feeling creeping in the back of my mind, but it didn’t hold a candle to the distaste I was feeling towards myself. I spotted Cloudsdale out in the distance. I had always been curious of that pegasus city. It was the only place in Equestria where only one pony kind lived. Every other city had all kinds of ponies living together. I stared at the mass of clouds and rainbows, but it did no good I still couldn’t dispel my unease at the situation I had put myself in. I just barely heard the door open behind me, “Chronicle?” “I’m out on the balcony, Silence.” I saw it before I heard it. An explosion in the sky just below Cloudsdale. There was a flash of rainbow colors before the world disappeared behind a wall of white. I think I screamed, I tried to, but the sound was so loud it is hard to say. My eyes burned as I fell backwards bringing my hooves to my face far too late to do any good. My head bounced against the marble floor. I swear I felt the entire palace shake beneath me as Stars wrapped her hooves around my head. I knew that she was saying something but all I could hear was buzzing. The last thing I remember was her picking me up off the ground then my world of white spun and I lost consciousness. (I would like to thank Inkiepie for editing my jumble of words into something that resembles a story)