Soren the Alicorn Part 1: New Beginnings

by KingNyroc15

The Canterlot Archives

It was nighttime by the time Luna finished showing Soren around the Royal Palace then Canterlot. Luna figured that even though Soren came to Canterlot for his concert, he never got a chance to explore the sophisticated city. When the palace tour was over and the princess showed Soren where his bedroom would be, the alicorns flew off into the city so Luna could show Soren where her favorites places are, including the Canterlot Library, one of her favorite restaurants, and a park where one could see much of the night sky and its stars.

As of now, the couple decided to meet up with Princess Celestia. Luna deducted that her sister may be at the Canterlot Library (for reasons she wouldn't explain to Soren), so the two of them headed that way after they finished relaxing at Luna's favorite park. As they walked together, Soren turned towards Luna to start a conversation.

"Hey, Luna?" Soren started. Luna glanced at him without turning her head. "I didn't know you were as much of a scholar as Twilight Sparkle."

"Ever since we were saved from Nightmare Moon, we were tasked to study current life and history that passed us by. As a result, we became interested in reading and studying everything we could. It's amazing what a pony can learn from simply reading a book."

"Don't I know it. I can't believe how many spells I learned just from reading about them. Twilight helps too when it comes to trying new spells."

"You should be careful about learning too many spells. A unicorn's body cannot handle too much magic. That is why unicorns only learn spells that coincide with their special talent, unless they specialize in magic. The worst thing that can happen to a magical being is when they learn so many spells or magical abilities that their body becomes just a shell full of magic. No mind, no heart, just an emotionless body."

"Like a soulless creature." Luna nodded. "Thank you for telling me that. I'll be sure to watch myself, but just in case...is there any way to stop that from happening?"

"How do pegasi stop an out-of-control tornado?"

"By adding more cool or hot winds. Are you saying that the only way to stop a pony from becoming a shell of magic is to use another pony's magic to cancel or absorb the excess?"

"Has anypony ever told thee that thou is exceedingly smart, even for your age?"

"Has anypony ever told you that you're cute when your vocabulary changes?" The two alicorns shared a laugh as they came up to the public library of Canterlot.

Soren was a little confused as to why Princess Celestia would be in the Canterlot Library rather than the Royal Library, but he figured she must have a good reason. The alicorns stepped inside and were immediately greeted by dead silence. Luna expected this, but it was surprisingly more quiet due to it being late in the day. The Canterlot Library was a simple building with a circular design. The library itself was just one giant room, and in the center of the room was the librarian's desk area. All around the room were bookshelves that were easily five adult ponies high and that pointed away from the center like a sunburst. More bookshelves were along the walls where they weren't windows, acting like a wallpaper.

The two alicorns spotted Celestia talking with the librarian in the center of the room, so they walked over to greet them. After Soren and Luna were spotted by her, Princess Celestia turned her head to look at them.

"Pen Scribe, of course you know my sister, Princess Luna," Celestia said to the blue stallion. He also had a light brown mane and a cutie mark of a pen writing on a scroll.

"It's an honor to meet you, Your Highness," Pen Scribe greeted as he bowed.

"The pleasure is ours," Luna replied.

"And I would like to introduce you to the newest alicorn in Equestria: Soren," Celestia continued.

"Hello," Soren greeted.

"Amazing," Pen said in awe. "Is this a long lost relative of yours, Your Majesty?"

"It's a long story for another day," Celestia began, "but I do believe he needs your help with something." The sun princess nodded at Soren.

"Umm, I would like to know how I could find out more information on famous ponies in Equestria."

"If that's all you need, I can show you to the Archives," Scribe replied. "It's there that we keep books and scrolls about things like the Equestrian Census, other species and their respective countries, and documentations about the most well-known ponies across Equestria." Pen Scribe ducked below his desk to grab something. He came back up with keys in his hoof. "Unfortunately, the library is closing soon, so I must ask that you escort yourselves to the Archives while I prep the library up for closing. The door is on the south end of the library. You can't miss it."

"Thank you for your assistance, Pen Scribe," Celestia smiled. "We will return the keys to you before the library is about to close." Celestia levitated the keys over to Luna and Soren, who held the keys with his emerald aura.

"There's no rush, Princess. I just hope you three find what you're looking for back there." Princess Celestia nodded. The three made their way to the back room of the library.

The princesses and Soren had no troubles finding a door on the south side of the building. When they approached the door, Soren could see the golden words "Canterlot Archives" printed on it. Using the keys, Soren unlocked the door, and the three of them stepped inside. The Archives were very similar in design to the main room, except that the bookshelves weren't nearly as tall. The bookshelves were slightly taller than Princess Celestia, and the center of the room stood out from the rest of the decor. Whereas the walls were white and the floor was covered with blue carpet, the center of the room was made of dark wood that formed a circle. Soren continued to look at the wood as the princesses began searching the Archives.

"Why is the center of the room so different from the rest?" Soren asked. He noticed that no furniture or book piles were on top of the wood, it was just empty.

"I never understood the reason myself, Soren," Celestia answered. "Come, let's see what we can find out about Octavia and her family." Soren trotted over to the aisle where the princesses were. "Now then, Soren, what specifically gives Octavia the impression that you are her long lost brother?"

"She says it's mostly because I am a talented musician and that I arrived in Ponyville with no memory of my past."

"Was her brother an alicorn?"

"I think she overlooked that fact on purpose."

"Her brother went missing as a foal," Luna began. "If Soren is around Twilight Sparkle's age, then--if Soren so happens to be her brother--that gap would be 15 years, give or take. A lot can happen in 15 years, sister."

"I'm aware of this, Luna," Celestia retorted. "Let's find the Equestrian Census. We should do some research on Octavia's parents."

"Do you know who they are?" Soren asked. The princess nodded.

"Violet and Maestro Melody. As you would expect, both of them are famous here in Canterlot. Violet Melody is a magnificent opera singer and musician, whereas Maestro Melody is the conductor for the Canterlot Orchestra."

"Alright, so since we know their names, we can find them in the Census and that will somehow lead us to a book, which could tell us about their family." The princess stared at Soren once again. Soren tilted his head in confusion. "What now?"

"How did thou know there would be a book about their family line?" Luna asked. Soren shrugged.

"Assumption, I guess. Now where's that Census?" Soren began walking through the aisles once again. The sisters looked at each other before walking behind Soren.

With fifty minutes left until the library closes, the alicorns finally found the biyearly Equestrian Census. Soren saw that it was incredibly organized. It looked to be catergorized by age, then within the age, it's alphabetical. But there was something else: within the age group, celebrities are placed first, then normal ponies. This made it a little easier for them since Octavia's parents were famous. Soren began searching for Violet or Maestro in the Census, but Luna had an idea.

"Why don't you just look for the name 'Nyroc?'" she asked Soren, who was still scanning the pages.

"Simple," he replied. "Since there's a new census every other year, and due to the fact that Nyroc was missing for many years, we can easily say that he won't be in the census." For a third time, Luna was silent, but for the first time, Celestia smiled at Soren's problem-solving.

"AHA! Found one!" Soren exclaimed. The sisters smiled, but their smiles soon faded after Soren's next sentence. "Wait...something isn't right here."

"What did you find?" Luna asked.

"The Census...it says that Violet and Maestro are still living in Canterlot, but Octavia told me they moved." Soren scrunched his face to think.

The princesses waited patiently for Soren to come up with something. With forty-five minutes remaining, Soren finally had an idea.

"Girls, do either of you know where Violet and Maestro used to live in Canterlot?"

"They own a mansion on the edge of Canterlot," Celestia answered. "Why?"

"Because we're paying that place a visit." With that said, Soren began trotting out of the Archives. The princesses looked at each other, and Luna smiled before trotting to catch up to Soren. Celestia also smiled and did the same.

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It was very late in the night by the time the three alicorns arrived at a mansion in Canterlot. The building was larger than most buildings in Canterlot, and this particular one was blocked off by an enchanted gate and wall. Luna explained that the enchantment prevents pegasi and unicorns from flying over or teleporting through. Since the walls use magic, only the strongest of unicorns can break the spell and teleport inside. Lucky for the princesses, they have that kind of power. Although it didn't feel right to trespass on someone else's property, the alicorns knew, deep down, that this had to be done.

"Is everypony fine with us doing this?" Luna asked. Princess Celestia and Soren nodded. "Very well." Luna decided to lead the two as they walked from the gate, down the cobblestone path that leads to the front door. Meanwhile, Celestia decided to ask Soren something.

"Have you been feeling different recently, Soren?" she asked.

"Not really. Why?"

"It seems like a small portion of your personality changed. You're becoming a lot smarter in situations like this." Soren looked at the princess. The alicorns arrived at the front door, which Luna used her magic on to open. Soren found this very peculiar.

"Luna?" His marefriend turned around to look at him. "Was that a locked door?"

"No. Why...?" She lengthened the sound of the last word since she was starting to question things as well. "Tia, something doesn't add up here."

"I'm starting to see that as well," Celestia said evenly. "Let's continue cautiously. We won't find our answers by standing on the doorstep." Soren and Luna nodded, and they followed behind her as they walked through the house.

The inside was fairly messy. All the furniture was covered in a white cloth that ponies put on it to keep the dust off. The lobby was cool and dark, as was the rest of the mansion, and the purple wallpaper didn't help to brighten the place. The alicorns entered a ballroom that connected to the lobby via a hallway. It was there that they saw various instrument cases covered by more white cloth.

"Soren, why are we here again?" Luna asked him. Before Soren could answer her question, another voice echoed throughout the ballroom.

"No doubt looking for his parents." All three of them turned towards the source of the voice simultaneously and gasped after they saw who spoke. It was a brown earth pony with a blonde mane. He was wearing a tuxedo, which covered his cutie mark.

"Maestro?" Celestia whispered.