CCC-To Find Her Place

by Fresnor

Exploring History

Dear Twilight Sparkle, Selene, and the other princesses,

I’ve hinted at it before but I’m going to outright say that I really dislike having to act like a noble. Not being able to just go out and have fun without someone wanting to follow you or judge you on how you act was one of the biggest reasons why I wanted little to do with them. It actually may not have been as bad back in Equestria when I could just disguise myself before going out but that is impossible here due to how the rules about the number of tails one has are. It’s bad enough that I have to deal with that but I’m also required to have servants as well and that is something I’d like to avoid as well but can’t. The reasons for that are so complicated that it took me months of time in the library just finding out why.

Yes they have some extensive libraries here and Twilight would probably pass out in joy at the number of books here that she most likely hasn’t read. I haven’t had much time to research much beyond the laws of the kingdom but I’ve already spotted a few books on magic that look interesting. In fact it’s from those books that I’ve learned about a major issue with the kingdom and it’s not a good thing in my opinion. All the upper nobles and the rulers are each in charge of a special book which is the main power of the kingdom. In each book is written the true names of every being that they are in charge of and in fact have near complete control over them if they wish it. Using these books it allows them to modify the memories of those in them in various ways but is mainly used to erase the memory of those that go against the kingdom as well as what they label as forbidden magic. The Lord and Lady are the only two mostly exempt from this control since they are the leaders with the exception of them losing the names of those banished through the use of the spell. I said only two but there are technically two others as well, though I can’t confirm one of them, those being me and the unknown prince or princess. I can’t confirm the other but since I was born outside of their control to someone that was banished they couldn’t find my true name in the normal means which means they are putting a lot of trust in me. I’m not sure why they are doing it but if I had to guess I’d say it’s because of me being of a rare strain of kitsune that happens to be favored by Lady Ogetsu.

Speaking of Lady Ogetsu I am reminded of Luna with her thestrals and how she treats them. This, as well as a few other things, makes it easy to understand why they were good friends in the past yet I still haven’t found the cause of the conflict as they say they don’t know. Since I never could get an answer from your end and since your histories seem to have been erased on this issue I’ll have to rely on what little information I can find on this end and hope the pieces fit together somehow. At least I have a comfortable place to call my own thanks to Lady Ogetsu’s generosity so I can take the time to perform my own studies and it’s near the side of the palace with the library. It’s on the more quiet side of the city as not many wish to be on this side of the city since it’s a bit out of the way but it gets enough sun for my purposes. The house on the other paw is a bit much as it’s much larger than I would normally need. With the number of rooms and the size of the entry I could easily host a Pinkie Party for all of Ponyville with room to spare. I don’t plan to be using a majority of the house so most of it is sealed off until it’s needed while the only areas that see much use by me are the bedroom and the gardens. It’s not as varied as what I had at my manor but cherries are a rarity here so I used that to my advantage and used all of the available space and seeds I had just for them.

As for things on my research and dealings with the other nobles well things are still unknown. I’ve studied up on most of the laws and have made sure to stay as neutral as possible so as not to make too many waves. At first there was a lot of focus on trying to get me to choose sides but after a while they’ve started to realize that the only one that has much influence over my decisions is the admiral. I’ve started to trust him more and more over time and have found him to be a fun, if a bit quirky, friend. I have come to depend on him a bit and he has been teaching me some things that the law books don’t say so as to stay independent. I sometimes wonder if or relationship is what it is like for others to have as a father and child.

Your Friend,
Flarenza, Duchess of New Sionnach

I planted my face into the table as I finished yet another book law book that I had pulled to research about some of the recent issues going around with the nobles. “That’s it; I’m done with these things for a while. If I don’t do something that I enjoy I’ll probably do something drastic.” I consider my options and decide to look into something that Lady Ogetsu told me that first time we talked.

Putting the books back in their places I head over to the section of the library that contains the histories of the kingdom. When I first browsed through this section I was confused as to how it was set up until I checked with one of the royal librarians and found that it was sorted based on which portal they dealt with as well as the kingdom itself. I hadn’t had a chance to study up on the different portals and where they went but the little I heard was interesting to say the least. Each one supposedly led to a different world or universe but they weren’t always open barring a single exception. Each one seem to open and close at random intervals and the flow of time supposedly flowed differently while they were closed making it risky to travel deep into those worlds unless time went at a predictable rate in those worlds when closed off. Equestria for some reason was an exception to this rule as it was always open yet there were records of the strange deviations I wanted to look into causing me to pull some of the earliest books from that section.

“Why is it that the older the book is the less likely it is to have an index at the front of it?” I question out loud as I am forced to browse through the books trying to find what I was searching for. “It wouldn’t be so bad if I could do a search for the correct term but I have no idea what they- oh hey, I needed something on the theories of chaos magic- used to describe the incident. Even then it could be something common which would- I’ll have to come back to this part on the creation of timberwolves- light up all the books anyways.”

I took me a while, as well as a few different volumes, but I eventually found the section I was looking for. “Here it is, ‘-as soon as the last kitsune had passed through the portal there was a great flash of light from it and time on the other end seemed to bend. Time seemed to go out of control as at one moment it slowed to a crawl and in the next it looked as if years had passed and at times time even leaped backwards. Any attempts to send one of the diamond dogs back through failed as if a barrier was blocking the other side and magic proved futile as spells were found to end at the surface of the portal. It wasn’t until nearly four thousand years later that time seemed to flow normally again and the barrier was gone.’ Well that certainly sounds like an odd event to see happening. I’m not sure if I’ve seen anything that chaotic befo-“

My head jerks up from the book as I repeat that last bit in my mind again with wide eyes. “I haven’t seen anything that chaotic except for one being who probably has the power to do something like that. If that was anything like what is written here…” I quickly flip through the books as I search for what may be a huge clue to what happened. “Let’s see, night lasting for many days- probably Luna’s Nightmare Moon phase- thousand years of records then a period of night lasting for most of a day- Nightmare Moon’s return and Luna’s cleansing- ah here it is.” I read through the passage and then go back to read one more time just to be sure. “If I’m reading this right then during a short period the days rapidly advanced for a short time while the time of the living being didn’t change at all. A few other events were observed as well but this is definitely the time that Discord broke free from his statue.”

I lean back on my cushion as I rub my eyes with my paws before sighing in frustration as I go over the facts. “Discord is one of the few beings that could do something of this scale and from his reaction to him seeing my real form he had something against kitsune as well. With how easily I was deflecting his magic at the time I would be will to bet that that is the main reason for it as well. If that initial period of random time flows really did occur because of him then it happened just as the last of my kind left that world. Almost all of the timberwolves in the Everfree were also corrupted by him as well yet the uncorrupted ones still could control them. Add in the fact that Luna and Celestia attacked out of nowhere for no real reason, then it actually is highly likely that Discord had something to do with it and was using them as pawns to get rid of the only threat to his power. I wish I had some evidence to prove my theory but it makes all too much sense with the facts I do have. Of course this is Discord and he doesn’t like making sense but considering he is supposed to be chaotic then the unexpectedness of him making sense this one time would be… ugh.” I derail this train of thought as I feel a huge headache coming on from it. “I’ll just run it by Lady Ogetsu later for her opinion.”

Not wanting to make my headache any worse I turn my attention back to the other things I had marked. Unfortunately the section on chaos magic was nearly as bad as what I was trying to figure out and all I could figure out from it was a single rule. That rule being that chaos magic is all about breaking the rules. With the implications of just that it made my head hurt though it did help me understand a bit of what I did with it before while also making more wary about using it again. The information I found on the timberwolves was much more interesting than I expected it to be though.

“I may have to look deeper into this later on when I have more time. Some of this looks vaguely familiar though I recognize a few things from what I found on golems. In a way it makes sense since they do seem to physically be like the ones I’ve seen before though much more advanced. From how things are described here, if I understand it right, they were once a symbol of status for nobles though they have fallen out of favor due to the difficulty in making them.” I jot down a few notes on the books I’ll need to look into later on. “I do wonder how they made them as smart as they are though.”

It took a few months before I was able to talk with Lady Ogetsu again and her reaction to my theory was a bit mixed. She seemed to be relived and happy at the thought that they truly didn’t betray them voluntarily but then she looked really sad about something else. My visit was cut short after this as she dismissed me to take care of something. I was a bit confused about her reaction but she didn’t contradict what I told her so I might have been onto something.

The rest of my time was spent on both studying more on the laws and attitudes of the land as well as my own studies. I had some trouble figuring out some of the technical parts of the spells required but they looked familiar for some reason. I still had plenty of time to study it to try and figure it out as the preparations before even attempting the final steps were rather lengthy. I was making plans to fulfil that part while I was trying to figure out another mystery. “The more I look through these books the more something seems off about them. I can’t quite put my paw on it though yet I think I’ve run into this issue before.”

I wasn’t able to spend much more time on the issue as my escorts had arrived for my little trip into the countryside outside of the city. Since I only had the bare minimum of staff I had to request help from one of the other nobles and they seemed happy to help. Seeing the two diamond dogs, one male and one female, as well as a female three-tailed kitsune made me wonder a bit as some of the other nobles would have taken it as an insult to be sent them as escorts. It didn’t bother me as much as I found that most that the nobles would have thought as being appropriate were rather incompetent.

“So you are the three sent to escort me through the forest to the area that has what I require. The only question I have is how good are you at what you do?” The two diamond dogs look at each other while the kitsune looks a bit worried. “Well uh, duchess, we have been in charge of the area along with the rest of our families. We’ve had many generations in charge of the area and know almost every part of it.” She seems a bit scared for some reason though I chalked it up to a rank issue.

“That sounds perfect then. I’ve found that those that actually live out in the areas are often the best at showing others around as they know the little secrets of the place that others refuse to traverse. The admiral seems to agree with me with things like that since he trusts his crew to most of the work without him standing over them.” She seems to perk up a bit at my mention of him and the diamond dogs also relax a bit. “Wait, you mean you work with the Admiral? I’d heard that he was helping out another noble but I didn’t know it was you, duchess.”

I nod to her as I collect my packs for the trip. “Well I really haven’t made myself known around yet and I’ve spent much of my free time with my studies. Thinking about it, I probably should make more time to get out and about more before I turn into an old friend of mine.” She looks at me oddly as I say that but with a wave of my paw she leads me out to the carriage they brought. As I settle in I notice that the other three are going to be outside where it’s hard to communicate with them so I brace myself in for a boring wait until we get there. “I really should look into hiring someone just to have someone to talk to during these long trips.”

It takes a few days for us to reach the town nearest to our destination which game me some time to practice a few simple spells. It was on the second day that I realized that I was getting a bit out of practice and it was at least something to pass the time with. I was still relieved when we finally arrived though so I could get out and walk myself. They wanted to give me time to rest but I had enough of rest and had us start early.

“I had almost forgotten how much I enjoyed traveling around on my own paws. It’s still amazing how much this place feels like the Everfree Forest, which I’m pretty sure is where the original kingdom of Sionnach was located.” My guides had been trying to remain professional through this whole trip but my comment caused the kitsune guide to stop and stare at me yet again. “Wait, you were able to visit the homeland?! But I thought it was taken over by those ponies?”

I examine the trees as we pass them while I reply. “Well there is some truth to that I guess. They were there for a while but things happened forcing them out. They lost control of the entire forest and it’s mostly wild now. Now it’s run by wild animals and monsters with the occasional dragon about the place. There are also a good number of timberwolves there as well though most have been changed by the chaos magic from Discord, a draconequus.” She hangs on every word about the place as I’m finally able to drag her into a conversation. I catch the two diamond dogs looking back at us snickering a bit at her enthusiasm over learning about the old homeland.

The day was nearly over by the time she finally realized what she was doing and quieted down again. Having seen how the ponies often reacted to the princesses I knew that I couldn’t expect her to be completely comfortable talking to me. Still it was progress that she was able to talk as much as she did.

The next day we arrived at our destination and I took the time to examine the trees. “Yes these look like the right kind of trees that were used for creating timberwolves. Something just feels a bit off though with them.” I look through the trees and examine the tall oak, maple, and dogwood trees. The three stay silent as I examine each tree in turn and examine them deeper with my magic. There are a few that are close to what I’m looking for but they just aren’t right.

After a couple hours of searching I still haven’t found what I was looking for when I sense something behind a large cluster of trees. Looking through a small gap in them I spot a tree that looks perfect though a bit out of place. “Over here you three, I think I found exactly what I was looking for.” I dash ahead to the tree and identify it as a variety of rosewood and upon touching it magically I find it to be perfect for my needs. I leap up into the branches of the tree and search around a bit while gathering a few seeds and some samples to experiment on.

My three escorts finally arrive in the area as I am about to jump down before they stop in fear as I prepare to jump down. “Duchess wait! Stay where you are!” There warning comes too late as I am already leaping down and when I land I feel a sharp pain in my front left paw. Feeling a constricting feeling around my leg soon after my gaze shoots down to see a snake attached to the limb and my eyes widen when it turns to stone. “Oh Duchess I’m so sorry, that’s a basilisk viper. Their bite is incurable and when their victim is fully petrified it turns into more of them.”

At her words I stare in shock at the creature as I feel the venom climb up the limb with the color of it slowly turning grey. My magic doesn’t help at all as the serpent is a blank area according to my magic and the venom isn’t affected either. The two diamond dogs I notice are backing away in fear while the kitsune looks to be tearing up. Seeing as they have no idea of a cure and my magic is useless it leaves me with only one course of action remaining if I want to live.

“I wish there was something else I could do but I don’t see any other option.” They all look at me strangely as I gather my magic into a blade of energy as I hold the affect leg out away from me. Closing my eyes and gritting my teeth I bring the blade down on my leg a good distance up from where I can feel the venom coursing in my veins. My escorts gasp in horror as the blade passes effortlessly through my leg, which I then send flying away from me. I had the blade so sharp that I could barely feel it as it sliced through my leg but I knew that wouldn’t last long as I used my magic to numb the area and seal my blood vessels.

“Duchess… what… how?” The kitsune is stunned by what I did so I motioned for one of the diamond dogs. “You, bring me over to the group quickly while I make sure that thing is destroyed.” As he picks me up from where I lay I focus on the slowly petrifying limb and gather my magic into the area around it. Seeing as magic isn’t working on it directly I throw up the strongest shield around the group that I can while I rapidly start sucking the heat out of the area and gathering it far above it. I was so focused on making sure that the serpent was destroyed that I wasn’t paying attention to how much power I was using. My eyes were starting to get blurry as the pain started to make itself known when I saw frost covering the entire area that I could see. Before I could lose focus on what I was doing I slammed the gathered heat down onto what used to be my leg washing the area in a blazing inferno.

It was all I could do to keep my shield up around us as the inferno swept through the area purging it of the creature. The kitsune was still in shock about what happened but the diamond dogs were flinching as small explosions sounded all around us. As the air cleared I looked to where the basilisk viper was to find that my idea worked and all that remained was a pile of ash. At the same time I noticed that the trees in the area had suffered as well as they had exploded from the rapid temperature shifts. The damage continued for a good distance in all directions and I was a bit shocked at how much damage I did unintentionally.

“I think I may have overdid it a bit there. Can you please take me back home now while I pass out?” With that the world went dark around me as the shock settled in.

Author's Note:

Well the life of danger had to catch up sometime. The little trick with the magic is based on pyromancy in case you're wondering since the main part of fire is heat making fire and ice magic tied together rather heavily. Probably going to be a few other questions popping up more and more around what I'm planning with the types of magic but there are a few chapters coming to explain. Still leave any questions if you have any as you may think of something I didn't. Also please leave any othe comments and typo finds below.

Comments

[Cascadejackal]

I've been trying to pin down what's bugged me since the first story in this series, and I think I finally got it.
Everything is stated or reported, very matter-of-fact. Flarenza is too logical and impersonal. It's hard to get invested in what's happening, and this chapter's a prime example.

No fanfare, no emotional investement, just "Off with her leg!"

[Fresnor]

5200376 Yeah I think I see what you mean. Some of it I used just to skim over side stuff but I may have been over-using it. This chapter also didn't quite end up quite like I wanted either and I plan to rewrite it again later though the end result was something I had planned for a while. I'll work on improving on that problem as much as I can though.

[Crescent Glaive]

So... Thermal shock is a very effective tool. Can't really beat it easily

[DerpTape]

Well, she is certainly going to be more hoppy from now on . . .