> The Chronicles of Ravensong
>  by Ravensong
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Midnight blue, that deep color of the sky in the depth of night is rather like a raven’s wing, it is black and it is blue. The colors intertwined like lovers to where you can no longer tell where one starts and the other begins. That was the shade of the small filly’s coat. That color which got her ridiculed and mocked by the others in school was her shame and now her savior. For with it Ashe blended so well into the night that the dark one just passed by her in her hiding place.

But how would a filly, so young that she still had no cutie mark, find herself deep within the Everfree forest hiding from “it”?

It all started a month ago when her father, Cinder, was murdered. He made his living by harvesting the exotic flowers outside of Equestria and bringing them back to the delight of all who saw the rare beauties he found. It was good bits, but it was still hard going. Her mother, Hearth, had died giving birth to the filly and her twin, Ember. Her twin died as well. She loved her father but she and he had their problems. His love gone made it hard for him to show her joy. Half her soul gone made it hard for her to show anything. The only bright color in their lives was those flowers he brought back.

That and her eyes but she didn’t know that, not yet.

The teasing started almost immediately on her first day in school. They called her soot, they called her gloom, and they even called her freak. In silence she took it, never a word in her defense or to the teachers did she utter. And even the teachers had trouble not calling her those names either. She was a Pegasus that could not fly; her wings had no feathers, just the same velvet, midnight blue as the rest of her coat and black mane and tail.

When her father went to work, Ashe could skip school. She loved it when he was gone and she could be in the silence of their house. It was one of those days that she found the letter. She couldn’t read it all, some words just eluded her. But she did understand just enough. Her father had borrowed bits from someone called “Skull” and was past due. They said they didn’t want the bits anymore, but that they would take it from his hide. It sounded bad, so Ashe hid the letter and went to find her father.

She found him, but too late. Skull found him first and she hid as she watched claws tear and heard screams echo in her ears. She hid as Skull laughed, a black cloak hiding its form, bone white mask covering its face. She hid as they used magic to wield claw-like weapons to murder her father. And she hid as they left him with promises to find his freak of a daughter. Morning came and still she hid. Same the next day and the next, hiding became second nature and thus her salvation. She became thin and tired. She started to get desperate but each time she tried to leave the forest, she saw it. Skull still hunted her and so she hid.

Then she was found…



* * * * * * * *

Ashe woke up to a darkening sky and pain. Pain?! The little filly started, her featherless wings fluttering uselessly as she tried to identify the cause of her pain. Again, something sharp hit her and Ashe let out a small shriek.

“CAW” Peck. And she saw it. A large dark bird was near her and its head darted in again for another stabbing peck. Ashe’s eyes widened in alarm and she pranced away. In response the bird flew up then back down to land at her feet.

“W-what are you?” Ashe whispered, backing up a few paces. Then on instinct her head turned as she scanned the area for Skull, her muscles tensed and ready to bolt.

The bird seemed to clear its throat before it actually spoke in a hoarse voice. “Friend” it chuckled, “I’m your friend, if you’d have me.” Ashe went zipper-lipped, her pale blue eyes almost glowing luminous in the moonlight. The bird again chuckled. “Aren’t you tired of running yet?” It asked her.

“You work for Skull don’t you?!” Ashe whispered, than she ran. She ran as hard and fast as her little legs would carry her which wasn’t far since she hadn’t eaten well in a month. She collapsed in a dark glade, tears running down her muzzle. The sound of soft wings and a shadow landing before her brought only a soft sob from Ashe as the bird hopped into the moonlight.

It quietly wiped away her tears with the soft feathers on its head. “No, my kind has a bad enough rep. Nothing in Equestria or beyond would make me work for that goblin.”

“What… are you?”

“I’m a raven. Not to be confused with a crow, nasty dirty birds.” The raven laughed again, such an odd sound coming from a bird and yet so comforting to Ashe that she started to smile. “Come on, it’s too bright here and you aren’t safe yet.”

Ashe nodded her head and got up, her legs shaking. “I’m Ashe, what’s your name?”

“Grazioso” The raven said, hopping a few feet away, toward the wood.

“Gra…zee…oh…so?” What’s that?” Ashe asked as she dutifully followed.

He sighed, “Grazioso, it’s a music term used to indicate that the passage or entire composition is to be played gracefully.”

“Oh,” Ashe said, walking after him into the forest. “But, why would you be named after music… you aren’t musical are you? That sound you made to wake me was pretty harsh.”

Grazioso laughed again. “We ravens don’t sing for anyone but we are all named after that magical sound known as music. If it’s easier, just call me Graz.”

Ashe nodded her head and the pair moved on in silence for a short time. The night was bright with the full moon, pearl and silver where the light was and solid black in the shadows. Ashe shuddered as nightmare memory flooded her thoughts. The black and white night marred by the ruby tones of freshly shed blood etched into her mind and she again heard the screams of pain and terror. Just as her body gave an involuntary shudder at her last memory of Cinder her memory became real and fear overtook sadness in her thoughts. A shadow detached itself from the deeper shadow of the night just as clouds passed over the moon, dropping the silvery night into the darkness of a grave. Pain blossomed in Ashe’s flank as the shadow passed by her and a harsh cackle echoed around her and Graz. She turned toward the pain in time to see the ruby of her own blood on the ground. A shriek and the shadow passed again, and again pain exploded along her body. Graz took flight with a harsh “CAW” circled her once then cried “RUN!”

Ashe bolted, the goblin’s laughter following her. “Run run little pony. Makes the meat just as sweet.”

She ran blindly, small sobs erupting from her from the pain in her sides and she knew she left a trail of ruby red for Skull to follow and there wasn’t a thing she could do about it, except keep running. Vaguely she heard Graz’s cry of “Not that way!” but too late, the ground disappeared from under her hooves and down she tumbled, over and over down the steep hill to Celestia only knew where. Each tumble brought more pain as her body cut a swathe through the briars and undergrowth on the hill. Her legs, chest, and face were their own melody of pain from the cuts that some small part of her mind just knew were going to scar. The rest of her mind just screamed that she didn’t want to die, yet still she fell and rolled.

In the blink of an eye it was over. To Ashe she had fallen for ages and her body agreed in a cacophony of pain. She looked up to see what had stopped her fall and the sight that met her eyes caused her to shudder, her eyes to roll back, and she went limp in a dead faint. Graz landed with a soft sigh onto the skull of the creature whose body had stopped Ashe’s momentum. There he stayed watching over his friend until she woke. And the dragon skull just grinned into the moonlight.


*****


Ashe woke up to the warmth of the newly risen sun, the surrounding area a riot of blurry colors until she blinked a few times to clear the dust of the night away. As the colors swam into focus she gave a small yelp and scurried backward away from the giant skeleton before her and right into the waiting thorns of a rose bush grown wild. She yelped again and a small black ball on top of the dragon skeleton’s skull started and Graz fell to the ground with a harsh squawk.

“Graz?” Ashe tottered over to him. “You okay?”

“Oh, fine.” He ruffled his feathers. “Never better. Why couldn’t you have run the other way… Zecora’s cottage was just a short way away.” Graz sounded mournful as he looked about himself. His eyes narrowed, the full implications of their location taking hold.

“Zecora? Oh no, no. No no no no no. Don’t you dare fly off to her either. I already lost… lost my…” Ashe’s voice dropped into a barely audible whisper “Daddy” She sniffled. “Don’t you dare involve any other pony in this.” Ashe looked around her and felt her heart drop even lower.

Skull hadn’t followed her down the hill for very good reason. She was at the bottom of a very large crater, filled up with the skeleton of an extremely large dragon and a massive amount of wild growth and what seemed to be ancient ruins. At quick glance, the only way out was to fly. Skull couldn’t fly. And neither could she. Graz noticed her gaze and the sudden droop to her ears. He flew to her and started to inspect her many wounds. “Could be worse… you’ll live.” He looked closer. “Huh, fate has a sense of humor, you’re gonna have some pretty scars.”

“Don’t remind me. Please.” She trotted over to the edge of the crater and up the hill until it turned vertical. Try as she might, she kept sliding back down. On the third try she stomped her hoof in frustration.

Graz cocked his head to the side. “Isn’t there anyone you want me to fly to for help?”

“No.” Ashe replied. “Skull already took everyone and I don’t want anyone else hurt ‘cause of a… freak… like me.”

“Freak? Oh no child, you are far from a freak.” A female voice sounded out, or sounded in. Both Graz and Ashe looked around trying to find the source of the voice but it came from all around them or inside their heads, or even both. Ashe sat down in shock and Graz took flight, scanning the area for the source of the voice.

Ashe looked to Graz as he came back in a flurry of wings. He landed on the dragon’s skull again and cried out, “Who said that?” He twisted his beak this way and that. “You friend or foe?”

“And if I was a foe, what would you do?” The voice came again.

“I… would… peck out your eyes!” Graz tried to sound braver then he felt.

The laughter that followed shook them to their very bones and felt like it came from their bones. Ashe noticed the roses moving. No, they were growing. The voice was affecting them as well and they grew wilder with each laugh. Wilder and more beautiful than any flower Ashe had ever seen before. “Graz, it can’t be a bad voice… look at the flowers.”

“Well, I’ll be.” Graz fell silent in shock. Then he looked down at the skull that he perched on. “Heliotrope? Is that you?”

“Yes, mystery solved. Here I lie yet here I am awake now. What an interesting filly.” The voice seemed to fade with the last syllable and Ashe looked at Graz in confusion. Graz sighed and settled in for a very long story.


*****


Ashe, so tiny compared to the skeleton she was near, laid down on the ground surrounded by a riot of roses. She stood out like in stark relief against the pale bone and colorful flowers, her coat a deep blue so dark it might as well be black and her mane and tail even darker, her pale blue eyes growing luminous in the bright light of day as Graz talked.

He was just a fledgling when he had met Heliotrope, a dragon already ancient then, and he had been awestruck by her. She had been a friend and mentor to the raven, who struck an odd picture next to her pearlescent scales. In the bright light of day she had gleamed white with shades of blue and pink and palest lilac but at night she had glowed blue and purple. She was wise and kind. But she was also shy, more interested in the magic of the land and life then in the greed and corruption of her kind. It had shocked Graz to learn that Heliotrope could not only hear the music of his kind, but she could make it as well. He told all this to Ashe, about the secret songs of the ravens and of Heliotrope’s song, ancient and beautiful in a cadence that kept time with the land itself and even the stars.

It was all beyond Ashe but she tried to understand. The music Graz spoke of was beyond her but part of her positively ached to hear it. To him, the air itself was a constant melody and each flap of his wings was in a way part of that sound. In the end she cried, her useless featherless wings tucked hard to her sides as if to hug herself, and Graz hopped close to her, his beak pressed against her cheek to give what comfort he could.

She woke just after the sun had set, the moon casting her soothing light over Heliotrope’s skeleton. Ashe wondered where Graz had gone to and had just started thinking about trying to make some sort of shelter out of the ruins nearby when a hard and wicked laughter floated down from the top of the crater. Skull was back and he knew she was down there. She hid behind one of the massive bones and shook. It was only a matter of time before Skull found a way to climb down. She just knew it. And then he would hunt her and his laughter told her plainly that he would not kill her quickly. How long she hid, she didn’t know. Graz still hadn’t returned, but Heliotrope’s kind voice came back to Ashe. No words, just a soothing hum that lulled Ashe into a dreamless sleep.

Near midnight Graz came back, laboring with a basket of apples and with his tail feathers completely ruffled, two missing. He woke Ashe and as she ate tried vainly to fix his mangled tail. “’at ‘appen’d” She crunched at him, unable to stop eating long enough to even ask her question. He wondered how long it had been since she had eaten well.

“Nothing that won’t grow back.” He mumbled trying to keep her from worrying.

“You got caught stealing, and from the rope marks, a certain Apple family pony almost caught you.” Heliotrope giggled. Graz didn’t answer, only grumbled to himself.

Ashe swallowed the last of the apples and licked the juice from her lips. Then she looked at Heliotrope’s body. “How do I get out of here? That… that… goblin… he knows I’m here.” Graz stopped his muttering and looked at Ashe with sorrowful eyes.

Before he could say a word, Heliotrope broke in. “You fly.”

Ashe extended her featherless wings. “I can’t”

“You are a Pegasus. And you can.”

Graz coughed, worried and not sure how to proceed when Ashe beat him to it. “I… was born without useable wings.”

Heliotrope laughed, but her next words filled Ashe with an emotion she had never felt before yet lifted her up and nearly made her laugh in excitement. “It is in your blood and I will show you how.” Those simple words, they brought Ashe hope.

The continued taunting by Skull over the next few days gave her determination.


*****


Graz tried to help her but he knew all he could do was be there and cheer her on. Only she could find it within herself to do the things that Heliotrope tried to teach her. She listened with more attention than she had ever given anything before in her short life. She listened as Heliotrope explained to her things that had taken Heliotrope herself centuries to understand.

How the world was connected. How magic and life and death were all tied together. How life and death were two sides of the same coin, held together by magic, and how the world itself and the sun and moon and stars were tied together by that same force, magic. She explained that dragon magic, unicorn magic, all types of magic come from this one singular source. And she explained how anyone could tap into it, in their own way. Even ravens, for they tapped into it with their music. Finally, she explained to Ashe that for her to be able to fly, she would have to learn to tap into a magic older then blood and bone. And for all the explanations, Ashe was still willing to try.

So Heliotrope began to teach Ashe. The lessons were hard and Ashe cried herself to sleep most nights, Graz holding his beak to her cheek in comfort. No matter how hard she tried, she just could not seem to hear the magic. She could not feel it. And so, nothing changed. Until she woke one night and looked to her left and saw herself, but not herself.

It was Ember. The shadow of her twin was exactly like Ashe in every way but one. Her eyes were orange while Ashe’s were sky blue. Ember smiled and in that smile, everything that Heliotrope had been telling her clicked. Ashe understood. The ruins and roses in the crater where she laid suddenly burst out in song. She could see the music, hear it, and feel it. She leapt up, sending a startled but not yet fully awake Graz sprawling, and turned toward her twin. But Ember was gone. Ashe stopped, wondering if it was a dream than shook her head. No, she knew it had not been a dream. It was that same magic that Heliotrope had told her about. Ashe skipped over to a now grumbling Graz and kissed his head.

She trotted over to Heliotrope’s skeleton and smiled. Just as Graz was about to ask what was going on, she opened her mouth and sang. Graz’s beak dropped. Not a sound left the raven as he listened to his friend sing. But not a pony song, she sang a raven’s song. Two things then happened at the same time. A flash of light played across her flank as her cutie mark appeared, a raven in flight with two sparkling notes on either side of it. The other though, eclipsed the cutie mark’s appearance. One star, than another and another, started to fall. They showered down and around Ashe, and the light seemed to entangle in her mane and tail until the black sparkled and danced in the moonlight. She reared, still singing, and the light surrounded her featherless wings. They shifted and moved, then elongated, splitting and stretching until they were completely different. Instead of featherless stubs, dragon’s wings graced Ashe’s back, a blue so dark they were black and studded with the light of the stars. Her scars did not fade but the coat over them lightened to a cream color, so that her legs, chest, and cheeks had swirls that shone like beams of moonlight.

Graz was speechless as he heard Heliotrope shout “Now fly, Ravensong, now FLY!”

And Ashe, now Ravensong took flight. In that moment, adding her music to the song of the wind in the sky. 
> 1:  The Phoenix's Grove
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


 The Chronicles of Ravensong
The Phoenix's Grove



It was glorious!  The wind in her mane and the sun on her back, sensations she had never felt before yet were oh so wonderful!  Ashe, now Ravensong, reveled in the pure joy of flight.   Grazioso, her raven friend, soared by her side.  He cackled with laughter and her laughter was a chiming bell beside his.  The Everfree forest spread out below them, Equestria a blanket of shades of green and gold and the royal palace a glittering jewel on one horizon and on another, beyond the forest, mists showing hints at lands beyond.  The currents of the air traced their glowing tracks before her, updrafts, downdrafts, high streams and more, creating a map in the sky as busy as any made of the ground below.  Raven knew she could pick any one of those glowing tracks and it would take her where she wished to go.  

She twisted, her starlit dragon's wings hammering at the air, and snatched Graz in mid wing beat.   He let out a harsh surprised caw as she pulled him into a power hug.

“Thank you, oh, thank you!”  she cried out, letting him go.

His wings fluttered fast as he tried to stay airborne.  “Didn't do... anything.  Don't DO that!”  He panted.  “I'm not as maneuverable as you.  How are you DOING that?!”

“I don't know!  But it's awesome!”  She squeaked.

Graz shook his head and caught a new air current, moving away.  Raven followed, laughing as Graz grumbled about crazy ponies.  Yet the sun was warm, the sky was clear, and he couldn't stay mad long.  He started to laugh with her and they flew along, happy as could be.  Graz thought about Lio, the dragon who had died and yet still talked to Raven and him.  He silently sighed, she had helped Raven so much, but losing her was such a loss.  She had been one of the rare good dragons.

His thoughts were interrupted by a strange twanging noise.  Then a flash of brilliant orange, vermillion and gold roared past him and smacked straight into Raven's chest mid wing beat!

She let out a small scream as the ball of flames knocked her back and over, her wings flailing in an attempt to stay airborne.   The flames suddenly spread out, tangling with Raven's wings and a second scream joined her's.  The two shapes dropped before Graz had even enough time to call out to his friend.   He dived after, the canopy of the Everfree forest closing in on them.

Through her sudden panic, Raven realized that the flames weren't hot.  They didn't hurt.  She looked wildly around for any air current that would keep her and the flaming thing from crashing.  One flashed and glowed and she took it.  Her wings billowed out and with a THUMP, they came to a stop.  Her wings hummed as she treaded  the air, her hooves just brushing the top leaves of the trees.  She took stock of what was going on.  The thing that had collided with her, was a bird.  A bird on fire.  That... wasn't right.  Was it?

“You okay?”  She asked.  It went stock still and the flames died away, leaving a hawk like bird nestled in her hooves, but instead of browns and blacks, it was shades of orange and vermillion with golden eyes.  It opened it's beak and let out a complex series of notes, a truly beautiful melody that made Raven gasp and Graz pull up short as he drew close.   A small flash of light, flames glowing around the bird's head for a moment, and suddenly the bird's song was words.

“Help me, please, help my babies!”


*     *     *


They landed in a handy clearing.  An overgrown trail passed through the area.  In the direction of Equestria came the sounds of a creek, the laughter and bubble of the water a cheery and inviting sound.  In the other direction though, the Everfree forest closed in on the track.  It grew dark and as she looked that way, Raven shivered.  Did it feel colder?  Was.. that direction radiating cold?  Raven shook her head and looked back at the pair of birds.  

Graz was stuttering.  Actually stuttering!  Raven giggled.  They both gave her a disapproving look.  She blushed.  

“B-but... you're... you're... a... wow.  You're actually... a... “

“Please... you have to help me”  

Raven sighed.  “Yes, Graz. She's a phoenix.”  She turned to the crimson and gold bird.  “What's going on?  What happened and why did you fly into me?”

Graz shut up, but he kept staring at the phoenix, jaw open.  Meanwhile the phoenix turned golden eyes to Raven.  “They're... it's... I can't get to my babies!”  It sobbed but then pulled itself together.  “I can't get to them.  Please, you have to help me”

“I will.  Look.  What's your name?  I'm Ravensong, but just Raven will do.”  She grinned, hoping to give some cheer to this distraught mother.

“Ph.. Phyra.”  She took a deep breath, briefly ruffling her feathers.  “I'm Phyra.  And my nest is that way”  She pointed with a wing down the trail deeper into the forest.  “It's... it's a Solifugus and it's cut me off from my clutch.  I... I tried to get to them... but... I couldn't.”  Phyra lowered her head and groaned.  “I... couldn't...”

Raven hugged her tight.  “Well, I don't know what a... Sol...if...ug...us... is but we will help your babies.”  She gave a very pointed look at Graz.  “Won't we?”

He seemed to snap out of it.  “We will?  Oh!  We will!” 

“Yes, we will.”  Raven said firmly.  She knew what it was to lose parents, she wasn't going to let this mother lose her children.  “Come on Graz... and Phyra, you wait here while we check out what's going on. Please.” She added quickly before Phyra could object.  “We don't want it to know we're there.” 

Phyra sighed.  “Okay... you're right.  Be quick, please!”  She took off and flew into a nearby tree, hiding as best as she could in the branches.

Graz hopped a few times after Raven as she started walking down the track into the gloom.  He took wing and landed on her neck.  “Wait... a... moment.”  He said when they were out of earshot of Phyra.  “Did she say... a Solifugus?”  Please tell me I heard that wrong.”

Raven sedately walked along a few more steps before replying.  “No, that's what she said.  What is it?”

Graz was silent for a while, the gloom drawing around the pair like a blanket with only the occasional bright shaft of sunlight spearing down between the trees.  The chill intensified.  Raven shivered, and broke Graz out of his thoughts.  He fluffed his feathers.  “Well... here's a clue.”  He landed in front of Raven and pointed with a wing.

The forest gave way to another clearing.  Raven gasped with the cold that blasted her and her breath came out in a haze of ice crystals.  The clearing was covered with webs.  They draped the trees and undergrowth, a veritable maze of webs.  A tree stood in the center of the clearing, tall and alone, with Phyra's nest embraced securely in it's branches.  The nest sparkled and shimmered, coated in webbing.   She could barely make out the flowers and moss around the place, they were so coated in webbing and frost.  Raven hesitantly reached out a hoof to touch a nearby rose,  and touched instead a piece of web.  It burned with cold.

In the same moment that Graz opened his beak to give her a warning a voice addressed the both of them.  “Do.  Not.  Move.”  It was a silken voice, male and deep.  The harmonics of the voice told of dark places and the chill of the night in deep winter.  It cut though flesh and froze blood.   “I see you.”


*     *     *


Raven shrieked and bolted.  Or tried to bolt.  Her hoof was stuck fast to the web and the burning chill seemed to be radiating up her leg.  As she struggled the voice started to laugh.  It echoed around the frozen clearing and spoke of hopelessness and the inevitability of death.  Raven's struggles lessened as she started to shiver uncontrollably.  Graz let out a harsh caw and took off.  He circled quickly back around to Raven and zoomed in on where her hoof was touching the web.  Just before he would have connected, he pulled up sharply, wings beating the air furiously, and let out another, primal call.  The frost melted back, then started to grow again.  Graz screeched again, harder, and the webbing snapped.  Raven shook herself, nabbed Graz out of the air, and took off, running as hard as she could out of the grove.

In spite of Graz's muffled complaints, she kept running.  She smashed through the limbs of a fallen tree and jumped it.  On the other side, she slowed, limping.  Her leg was so cold that she could not feel it.  She let go of Graz and tried to catch her breath.  “Wh-wha?”  was all she managed to get out before collapsing onto the ground.

“A Solifugus.  It's... well.  It's a type of spider.”

Raven looked over at Graz sharply, eyes wide with fear.  “What type of spider TALKS!”  She whispered shrilly.

“The same type that spun the webs in there... why'd you touch it?”

“I didn't mean to.  I didn't know that was web.”  

Graz sighed.  “It's okay.  Let's get that leg warmed up and decide what we're gonna do.”  He hopped over to Raven and nestled down onto her outstretched leg, fluffing his feathers in an attempt to heat her leg up.

“I.  Thought I was gonna die.  Graz?”  She whispered.  Her eyes drooped.  The exertion and the injury to her leg were taking their toll and sleep was overtaking her, her words slowing down.  

“Hm?”

“Thank you.”

A little over an hour later she woke up.  Graz was still on her leg, fast asleep with his head tucked under a wing.  Her leg looked none the worse for her ordeal.  She could feel it again.  It was sore and felt like it had been stuck into a fire.  She shook her head and decided to wake Graz up.  She gently pushed at him with her muzzle.  He stirred, fluffed up in the chill night air, and looked at her.  

“How you feeling?”  Graz asked her.

“Okay.”

“Good, go back to sleep.  In the morning, when the sun is up again, we'll try again.”

Raven nodded.  “Graz, you don't have to.”

He chuckled, “Yes, I do.”  Graz looked her straight in the eyes.  “My family would never forgive me if I gave my word and did not keep it.  Even worse to break my word to a phoenix.”  He shook his head.  “I would rather die than break my word.”  He said softly.

“I understand.”  said Raven, not really understanding.  “Tell me about your family.”  She laid her head down on the ground and peered at him.

“Ah Raven, you don't understand.  But that is okay, you will one day.”  He laughed.  “My family.”  He sighed.  “I'm young for my kind, it's just me and my mother.  Dad went on patrol one day and never came back.  Well.  Let's see.”  He paused, thinking.  “I'm from a place that we call Corvid.  It's on the other side of the Everfree, at the base of the Amarantine mountains.  We call ourselves Corvids.  Some folk think all ravens are Corvids, but that's not true.  Only us from Corvid.  It's... something about the place we live.  Remember I talked to you some about ravensong?  What Lio named you after?”

Raven nodded.

“Well, only ravens that can sing the ravensong live in Corvid.”

“Oh.”  She thought for a moment. “Do... you think some day... I....”  Her voice dropped even lower.  “I could meet your mother?”

“Of course you can.”  Graz gave her as close to a smile as his beak would allow.  “I am sure she would love to meet you.”

“Yay.”  Raven whispered and drifted back off to sleep. 


*     *     *


The first golden rays of the sun sent hesitant lines of light though the morning mists of their hiding place.  Raven fluttered her eyes open and peered blearily about her.  Graz was nowhere to be seen.  Her ears swiveled around as she listened for him.  In the distance came the sounds of a stream.  It was likely the same stream that danced past Phyra's hiding place.  And among the bubbling laughter of the water came Graz's grumbling.  Raven got up, tested her sore leg and found it sound, and wandered toward the sound of Graz's voice.

She found him perched precariously on a rock in the center of the stream.  His beak would dart into the water and back out, as though he was searching for something.  He grumbled again about the cold water.  In and out, his beak went as Raven watched.  Twice he pulled something shiny out of the water, but Raven couldn't tell what the thing was that Graz placed carefully on the rock beside him.  Finally her curiosity got the better of her and she called out softly to him.

He looked over at her.  “Morning.  One moment.”

Raven nodded and settled down next to the stream bed.  She sighed, her mind occupied with Phyra, her babies, and that thing in the grove.  She was at a loss as to how she was going to help the phoenix and her family.  Especially since the very voice of the thing scared her so much.  She was so preoccupied that she didn't notice Graz until he dropped two items onto the ground in front of her.

“Put those on.” Graz said, bringing her back to present. “Your ears.” He clarified.

It was what looked like a pair of earrings, but made so that the part that would dangle would just almost hang inside her ear.  And though that was strange, the dangle was even more strange to her.  She thought earrings were pretty baubles, but these were mere stones.  Just stones.  With holes in the center.  “O...kay.”  She said, uncertainty coloring her voice even as she put them on.

“They are for protection.” Graz said.  “Long as you have those on, the Solifugus won't be able to make you despair.”

“Oh.  But, how can stones with holes do that?  They don't look magical.”  Raven shook her head, feeling the stones bounce around inside her ears.  She just knew she looked stupid.

“It is... um... old magic.  It lets you hear what is real.”  He looked embarrassed and almost shifty.     

Raven noticed it.  “What are you not telling me?”

Graz looked down.  “Not right now.  Later, I promise.  Let's go rescue some chicks!”  He looked back up at her and gave a grin.

She nodded her head and her face was set with grim determination.  Graz fluttered up to his familiar perch on her neck, and together they headed back to the grove.

Raven walked sedately a little bit then sighed.  “Graz, what is our plan?”
“Well, for one, don't touch the webbing.  And... I have no clue.  I've never had to deal with a Solifugus before.  They were just... a tale.  To scare hatchlings.”

“Did any of those stories say how to deal with them?”

“Um... fire?  But we don't have fire and the phoenix couldn't stop it.”  Graz fluffed up in frustration.  “If it stood up to a phoenix's fire, what can we do to it?”

“Well.”  Raven shook her mane, making Graz fan his wings to keep his balance and smoothing out his feathers in response.  “Do you think you could get the webbing away from the eggs while I distract it?”

“Maybe?”  He thought a moment, “If there aren't to many webs over the eggs, I could.” 

“Then we have a plan.”  Raven said, breaking into a trot.


*     *     *


Just out of earshot of the grove, Raven slowed.  She moved as silently as she could, slowly inching her way to the edge of the trees.  It took all her willpower to keep from shivering in the chill that held the grove hostage.  She looked all around, trying to spot the Solifugus.  Graz fluffed up again, trying to stay warm.  Ice, webs, and more ice covered every surface, and the suffering of the plants was plain to see.  Moss was turning brown and flowers were wilting.  Raven stifled a sob for the beauty being destroyed by the cold.   Still she kept looking for the cause of it all, the Solifugus.

Then she spotted it.  The creature clung to the center tree in the grove, just underneath the nest.  It was large, as big as a pony.  It's carapace was white and blue, studded with ice and frost.  The legs were milky clear, like ice.  Eight frosted black eyes ringed it's head, and prominent mandibles with sharp claws on the end each dripping with what looked like liquid ice.  The Solifugus was spinning more icy silk webbing, while it cast baleful eyes about the grove.  It was obviously alert, watching and waiting.

Raven shook her head slightly and pointed with a hoof.  Graz nodded and hopped from her neck to a nearby branch, free of webs.  She unfurled her wings and took flight with a loud WHUMP.  The Solifugus stiffened, fully alert, and watched her hover just inside the grove.  It started to laugh.   “Back again?”  It's frost laden voice lashed out at Raven but the expected chill did not spear into her as it did last time.  The rocks!  They were working!  Raven felt her courage rise and she winged closer.

“Yep I am!  You don't belong here!”  She called out to it, trying her best to sound as rude and bullying as the other fillies and foals in her old school.  She failed at that, but still managed to annoy the spider.

“Who are you to speak to Cilrick in such a manner?”  The spider dropped softly to the grove floor, mandibles twitching with anger.

“I am Ravensong.  And. You.” She punctuated the word you with a hard beat of her wings.  “Don't belong here.”  She zipped back out of the grove to a tree laden with pine cones and snatched as many as she could carry.

Cilrick the Solifugus laughed, clearly thinking this annoying child had run, and started back up the tree.  Raven winged back silent as an owl and, once in range, lobbed a pine cone at Cilrick.  It thunked solidly, square on it's head.  Cilrick flinched in surprise and turned, red entering it's frozen black eyes.  “How dare you!”  It hissed, full attention firmly on Raven.

Graz took that moment to skirt the edge of the grove to the other side of the tree.  He headed up to the nest and felt his heart drop at the sight that met his eyes.  The eggs were covered.  The golden eyes barely showed under the layers of white that coated them.  Cilrick hissed and sputtered, drawing Graz's attention.  Raven was pelting him with pine cone after pine cone.  She would stay in one spot just long enough to draw the spider close to her then she would zip away to another location.   Now was the time.  If he was gonna get to the eggs it was now.  He took a deep breath, concentrated on the song, and let loose as strong a blast of magic as he could.   The frost started to melt.  His heart rose.  It stopped melting, less than half of the eggs uncovered.  His heart sank.

Cilrick stopped and turned.  He looked straight at Graz and started for the preoccupied bird.   Raven hit him with one, two, then three pine cones.  He kept going, to Graz and the eggs.  Raven screamed out. “NO!”  Graz looked up, just as Cilrick crested the edge of the nest, and in his shock skipped a wing beat.  He dropped and touched a piece of the webbing.  His eyes went wide as he struggled, but frost was starting up his feathers and up his wing.

Cilrick laughed, mandibles moving eagerly.   The claws dripped more liquid ice as he murmured.  “Time to die.  But don't worry, the cold only burns for a short time.”  His voice was laced with the same deadly chill that first ensnared Raven and now crept into Graz's heart.  

“GRAZ!”  Raven screamed.  She had one last pine cone.   She drew back to throw it, but her eyes blurred with tears.  Her friend.  Graz was her only friend.  No, he was more than that.  He was family!  Something deep inside her reared it's head and sniffed at her total desire to save Graz.  The warmth of summer blasted into her heart and through her lips and she sang as she threw the pine cone as hard as she could.  It burst into flames as it flew through the air at Cilrick.

It hit the Solifugus square in the thorax and stuck.  There was a massive WUMP and the flames grew, engulfing it.  Raven and Graz both had to look away from the sun-bright flames.  In seconds it was over, the chill gone.  In it's place was the sweet fragrance of flowers and the sound of water dripping.  Both opened their eyes and looked around.  All the ice and webbing was gone, and a large puddle of water surrounded the base of the central tree.  There was no sign of Cilrick.  The green was coming back into the moss, and the flowers were straining for the light. 

Oh such flowers!  They were everywhere.  Roses climbed the trees and hung in curtains over bushes.  Every color of the rainbow was somewhere, in the ground or growing out of rocks.  Flowers were hiding in bushes or twined around trees. The place took Raven's breath away at it's beauty.

Graz looked from Raven to the puddle to the nest of eggs and back again.  His jaw dropped.  “How... how...”  Was all he could manage.

Raven shrugged.  “I... don't know.”  She looked at the eggs herself and saw four golden eggs.  They looked none the worse for the ordeal.  “You okay?”

He nodded, jaw still open.

“Er.”  She was starting to feel uncomfortable with his reaction.  “Should we go get Phyra?”

Graz's beak snapped shut.  “You're right.  Yes.”  He gently poked at one of the eggs.  “I'll stay here, just in case, and you go get her.  Okay?”

“Deal.”  She grinned and flew off.

He gently fluttered down to the puddle and looked closely at it.  For a brief moment he saw one of the spider's baleful eyes form.  It looked at him then disappeared.  Graz took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and darted his beak into the liquid.  It was unnaturally cold, but he persisted and pulled a disc of metal on a cord out of the puddle.  The liquid seemed to try to hold onto the disc, almost desperately.  The moment the disc left the water, it seeped into the ground.  No trace of the water or the spider were left.  Graz looked at the disc, shuddered, and tucked it away for safe keeping.

He looked up from his task just as Raven and Phyra came back into the grove.  Raven landed next to her friend with a question forming on her lips.  Phyra went straight to her nest.  She gave a cry of dismay that caught both Raven and Graz by surprise.

“Where's my fifth baby!?”


*     *     *


Raven totally forgot her question and both her and Graz sprang into action.  They scoured the grove, looking for the fifth egg.  It was nowhere to be found.  Phyra sat on her nest.  She refused to budge, refused to let the rest of her clutch out of her sight.  Finally, Graz called a stop to the search.  He sent Raven out to find some thing for Phyra to eat.  Once Raven was gone, Graz went to Phyra and showed her the disc.

“Phyra...”  He pointed to the dark metal.  “Do you know this?”

Her eyes filled with tears.  “They took one didn't they?”

Graz nodded.

“How did... you kill it?”  She asked him.  “I didn't think Corvids had that much power.”

He sighed, “We don't.”  He looked off after Raven.

“Your friend.  She's a pony.”  Phyra said gently.  “She couldn't have done it.  She's not avian, even if she was named after your song.”

Graz was silent, lost in thought.

Phyra followed his gaze.  “Who named her?”

Reluctantly he whispered one word.  “Lio”

“Oh.”  She paused.  “Then my thoughts go with her.  So young.” 

Phyra did not have time to explain, at that moment Raven came back.   She carried nuts and berries, flicking her tail irritably at an irate squirrel hanging to her tail, angry at it's loss of nuts.

She landed, a final flick sending the squirrel into the underbrush, angry chattering describing it's arc of flight.  Then she dumped the food into the nest near Phyra.  “It's what I could find.”  She said.  Her blue eyes were red rimmed, she had obviously been crying.

Before Phyra replied, Raven went on.  “I'm sorry.  If we had come by sooner.  But we didn't.  So.”  She took a deep breath.  “I don't know how, but we'll do everything we can to find your fifth egg.”

Graz gave his friend a proud look.  Phyra smiled.

“Well, we start at my home.  We'll need supplies and I know we can get what we need there.”  Said Graz.

Raven grinned widely.  “We can!  I get to meet your mother!  YES!”  She lifted off and did a flip in the air.  Graz shook his head and said fair well to Phyra.  Than he took off after his friend.

As they disappeared into the forest mists, Phyra whispered to her remaining eggs.  “Lio picked well, I think.  Yes she did.”
> 2: City of Glitter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


The Chronicles of Ravensong
City of Glitter


They flew side by side, both lost in thought.  Raven kept thinking about Phyra and her lost egg.  What were they going to do?  How were they going to find it?  Where do they even start?  Graz seemed to think they'd get some answers at his home.  She smiled at the thought of meeting his mother.  Somewhere, deep inside, she secretly hoped she could be her mother too.  But then her thoughts would turn back to Phyra.  Round and round her thoughts would go as time and miles passed beneath their wings.  Graz started to lose height, and Raven lowered with him.  Her hooves touched down in a field on the far edge of the Everfree forest, near hills that built upon themselves to become mountains.  She looked about, but saw no city, no home.

“Graz?”  She started to ask.

“Almost there.  Just, you know, nice to approach on foot.”  He replied, landing on her neck.

Raven started walking in the direction of his pointed wing.  “Oh.”  She kept walking, head slightly bowed in thought.  They crested the first hill before she spoke again.  “Why?”

Graz chuckled.  “Safety.  Some things come in on wings and if the city doesn't know to expect you, they get defensive.  So... we're being nice.”  

“I think I understand.  What things?”

“Too many to count.  The greater world is full of almost more than you can imagine.  Almost.”

Raven sighed.  “Yeah, I would never have imagined that spider.”  She paused.  “Are there things worse... than that Solifugus?”

“Yeah, sometimes.  But, Corvid is safe.  Like Equestria.”

Thoughts of Cinder and the ridicule of her classmates flashed through Raven's mind, followed by Skull's laughter.  “Nowhere is safe, Graz.”

He looked at his friend, sadness in his eyes.  Then he looked about and noticed where they were.  “Ooooh!  Wait!”  He fluttered down to the ground in front of her. 

She stopped and looked around.  Ahead of them at the crest of the next hill was a formation of rocks.  It stood taller than a pony and crowned at the top was a giant boulder with a hole in the center of it.  Her head tilted to one side as she looked at it, eyes full of curiosity.  Graz called out in the language of his kind and a harsher voice answered.  A large raven, its legs covered with golden rings so that it made a clicking noise with every hopping step, landed inside the boulder and stared down at them.  Raven couldn't help but stare.  The new raven called out again and Graz answered.  Then he turned back to Raven.  “Come on, we have been granted entry.”

“Oh.”  She followed him toward the stone structure.  “Okay.”  They passed the structure and Raven could not stop staring at the rings on the new raven's legs.  It was much larger than Graz and had an air about it that was aloof.  She got the definite feeling that this bird was really not one to cross.  Raven started to wonder what its name was.  

Just as she started to open her mouth to ask, Graz spoke up.  “Look, there's Corvid.”

Raven looked.   Nestled in a basin made of hill and mountain was a city in the trees.  It was a riot of colors and motion.  Haphazard ribbons, streamers, and bits of brightly colored cloth adorned trees and houses like jewels and sequins on a dress.  But those colors paled against the crystals and worked metals that sparkled and shone, so that the whole city shimmered; a multicolored prism.  Ravens wheeled here and there amongst the buildings or just sat perched near statues in quiet contemplation.  She could not stop staring at the beauty and wonder of the place.  Graz nodded and called out to some of the other birds.  He seemed so plain compared to them.   Each had some adornment or decoration on their bodies.  Some had jewels in their feathers, others gold or silver bands on their legs.  There were headdresses and collars and more.   The houses seemed grown out of the trees and the statues looked so old, covered in vines and moss.  But the vines accented and the moss grew in different shades so that they were almost intentional.  There were statues of ravens and a dragon, some bipedal creatures with delicate wings and expressive eyes. 

“Is that?”  Raven gasped and pointed with a hoof at a statue of an alicorn, flowered vines growing around her legs and into mane and tail.  “Is that... Princess Celestia?”  

Graz chuckled and instead pointed at the house that stood nearest to that alicorn's statue.  “That... is mom's home.”


*     *     *


Her name was Cavatina.  She wore sapphires in her feathers that sparkled delicately as she moved.  Her voice was soft and kind.  And she welcomed Raven in with open wings.   Cavatina was Graz's mother and together the only blood family they had left.  

It took Raven a bit to pick up on the sadness.  First off, the home was built more for ravens the birds than for Raven the pegasus.    It was a large home, and so she was able to squeeze in, hunkered down with wings pulled in tight.  She found a spot, laid down there, and tried to move as little as possible as she explored the dwelling with her eyes.  Carvings adorned nearly every surface, embellished with Cavatina's familiar sapphires, that were a feast for the eyes.   Yet, for all the beauty, it dawned on Raven the residents of Corvid were not as happy as she thought they would have been.   It reminded her of the quiet sadness her father had, before Skull took him away, when her family had been under attack.

Graz and Cavatina were talking quietly, about little nothings that had been going on in his absence.   Raven listened.  There were the births, or as they said hatchings, and marriages.  And there were the deaths.  It dawned on Raven that there seemed to be a lot of deaths.  Graz sighed and finally Raven had to pipe up.  “Corvid is being attacked?”

Cavatina shot her son a look and Graz chuckled.  “Mom, I said she was young.  Maybe I should have said that she is observant.”

“Did I say something wrong?”  Raven looked worried.

Cavatina hopped over to her and hugged her head.  “Don't you worry your pretty pony head about a thing.”

“Er...”  Raven's eyes went wide.  “T-thank you.”  She stammered uncertainly.

“Mom... I love you, but that did not help.”

“Hush you.  Go up top and get your collar on, honestly you look scruffy as a crow.” Cavatina turned back to Raven.  “You and I have some things to discuss in private.”

Grumbling, Graz followed his mother's orders and flew up towards the top of the house.  Cavatina tilted her head and looked Raven over.  She sighed.  “You and Graz are so alike.  He lost his father to them too.”  She said softly.

“Skull?”  Raven asked.

“Not that one specifically, but others like him.”

Raven's eyes went wide, twin sky blue sapphires twinkling in her own dark face.  “There are more like him?!”

“Oh, darling, don't be scared.  We are safe here.  Corvid has protections.  But, yes, there are more.  There is never only just one of a thing.”

Raven swallowed hard and nodded.  “You're right.”  She took a deep breath.  “So why is everyone so... scared and sad.”

“I will not lie to you, Raven, but Corvid has ever and always been made safe through the efforts of its residents.  There are... those... who would see our city not exist.  We protect ourselves, but sometimes, there are losses.”

“B-but I don't understand.  Why would anyone not want Corvid to exist?”

Cavatina smoothed down Raven's mane.  “Sweet child, that is a heavy tale for a later day.”  She looked deeply into Raven's eyes.  “And you, need to rest.”

Raven blinked several times then yawned hugely.  She nodded assent and lowered her head to the ground, falling asleep in moments.


*     *     *


There is a space in between sleep and awake where you can hold onto your dreams and still see into the waking world.  Raven hovered there, fuzzily aware of other, unknown, birds coming and going from Cavatina's house.  At one point she was aware of sobbing and Cavatina's soft voice comforting the crier.  That voice lulled Raven back into the embrace of sleep.  Later the sound of doors shutting brought Raven back from the land of dreams and she woke fully up.

She stretched and yawned again.  Smacking her lips she looked about and found a bowl of fruit laid out for her.  She practically pounced it and got down to the business of food.  When the bowl was empty and she was licking her lips, Raven finally fully noticed that she was alone.  The house was so quiet that even her own breathing was loud.   She crawled around and out of the house, trying not to break the quiet stillness.  Once outside she stood up and stretched her legs and wings.   It was quiet out here too.  She thought to herself, “Where is everyone?”  It was not quite dark and not quite day, but Raven was not sure if it was morning or night.  Mist hung about the trees and the statues.   Her eye was drawn to the alicorn statue.  Curiosity overtook her and she went closer to it.   The pale marble was carved so expertly that the statue looked almost alive.  Raven tapped  one of it's hooves.  She jumped back, wings out, as she waited to see if it would turn and look at her.  Raven laughed at her own silliness.  

Her laughter was loud and sounded wrong in the half light.  Raven's wings snapped close to her sides and she looked around, suddenly feeling watched.  Cavatina said this was a safe place, Raven thought to herself.  But if it is a safe place, why doesn't it feel safe?  She started to back towards Cavatina's home when movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.  Just for a second, a pale yellow light hovered in the trees off in the distance.  Raven took a step toward it, than another.  If there was a light, there had to be someone there.

She got to where she thought the light had been, but there was no sign of anyone.   She spun about, looking for what made the light when she saw it again, farther into the trees.  She broke into a trot, chasing after the light.  In between two houses and through some trees and it was gone again.  Raven stamped a hoof angrily.  And there it was again, out of the corner of her eye, the flickering light beckoned.  Raven charged after it.

Black feathers erupted in front of her, and gold flashed.  Raven skidded to a stop and reeled back as wings buffeted her head.  “You fool!”  A harsh voice seemed to yell at her in the quiet.  She screamed.  A wing covered her mouth and the voice hissed “Shut up!”   Raven bucked, but there was nothing on her back.  Panic was rising in the filly and the voice was getting audibly angry.  “Will you shut up!”

A split second before Raven was going to bolt, another feathered figure rocketed into her neck and she fell over, all three figures becoming tangle of limbs, wings, and feathers.  Graz's voice hissed out, “Both of you, shhhhh.”

At the sound of Graz's familiar voice, Raven went still and silent.  Something in the distance hissed.  Schhhhhhhhhh.  The harsh, unknown voice softly cussed.  Schhhhhhhhh. The sound was slowly growing closer.  

“We don't have time, it knows we know it's here.”  Graz said.  “Tremolo, get Raven back to my mother's home.”

“Wh-?”  Raven started.

The other Corvid raven, Tremolo, was the same as the guard she had seen earlier when they entered the city.  The gold flash was the bands that were covering his legs.  He shook his head.  “Oh no Graz, you are not kited for battle.  I am.”  He faced the direction the noise was coming from.  “You get the kid out of here.”

“Ki-?” Raven tried to ask, starting to get angry.  She might be young but she wasn't a baby.

Graz interrupted her.  “Tremolo, the city needs you.  And we don't know how many are out here.  You go.”

“But wh-”  Raven started to ask again.

“Death before dishonor!  You know that Graz.  Don't you dare tell me to run away from a fight with a child.”

The hissing was getting closer, and Raven could hear laughter in the distance.  Cold laughter.   Not the icy chill from the Solifugus, but cruel.  She was scared, frustrated, and had enough.   “Not going anywhere.”  She whispered.

Both ravens looked at her as she stood up and set her wings.  Her front hooves were spread and her head bowed, wings slightly out.  “Not running either.”

Graz and Tremolo exchanged a brief look.  Lights flared around them.  Pale, sickly yellow lights just far enough to not be able to see what created the light.  The three pressed together.  “Kid, can you fight?”  Tremolo asked.

“Fight?!”  Raven asked.  “Er...”

Eyes appeared just at the edge of the light.  Large and bilious yellow, oddly shaped, and cruel eyes glared at them.  “Ohhh what a treat, a pretty pony to eat.”  Laughter sounded from out of the darkness.  “Get'em boys!”  

More laughter, and a face came into focus behind the eyes.  It had a long pointed nose along with the cruel eyes.  Untidy hair and even larger ears were a stark counterpoint to the small mouth.  But  it had sharp teeth, like a cat's.   And its skin was a sick pale green.   Fear gripped Raven as she looked at the thing.  Rustling leaves marked the approach of the thing's fellows.  

Raven, Graz, and Tremolo tensed.  They would be attacked at any moment.  Laughter told them that the unseen things were enjoying their discomfort.  Any moment.  The game would pale, they would attack, and a new game begin.

Roaring light erupted behind them.  The light of the sun tore through the woods and bathed everything in harsh illumination.  Raven had to close her eyes.  There were screams then silence.  Behind her eyelids the white faded to dark grey and she risked opening her eyes.  The creature, the lights, all of them were gone.  Not a trace was left.  Graz and Tremolo were looking around in shock.  

All three were about to ask each other the same question, mouths open at the same time when Cavatina flew to them.  “There you are!  Are you all okay?”

“Yes... Cavatina what happened?”  Tremolo asked.

“I woke up and these two were gone.  I had gone outside when the dual princess came roaring through.”  She looked at Raven.  “We need to get back to the city.  Now.”

“Yes mam.”  Tremolo saluted and started for the city.

Raven and Graz followed with Cavatina beside them.  “Um... Ca-”  Raven started.

“No dear, just call me mom.” 

“Er.  Mom.  What happened?”

“I'll explain when we are back inside.  Just know dear, someone is really looking out for you.”  Cavatina said as she herded her little family back to her home.

The others went inside and Raven hesitated just a moment.  She went up to the alicorn statue.  “I don't know if you are of Princess Celestia, but if you are... thank you.”  Raven turned and started into the house, shaking with glee.  “I have a family!”

The door closed.  A voice on the wind, barely audible, spoke to itself and the trees.  “So much to learn, so little time.”  The statue smiled.
> 3: Story of the Veil
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Somehow, by some grace, the rest of the night was peaceful. Raven awoke to the bright morning sun dancing in her eyes. She yawned and stretched, and cringed at the crunching noise as her hoof went through the wall. A loud squawk was a precursor to Graz entering the room where she was staying, and wordlessly pointing with a wing at the hole in her wall. His beak gaped as he tried to say something, anything.

Raven gave Graz a sheepish grin, and said "I am so sorry… I’ll… um…" She took a closer look at the wall and cringed again. "Fix it?"

Graz continued to point and made an odd squeaking noise as his beak  tried vainly to produce coherent sound. Pleasant laughter sounded in the hallway behind him, as his mother made an entrance. "You will fix it." She said. "It will keep your hooves busy." Cavatina laughed, and nudged her son, startling him out of his shock.

He fluffed his feathers and started to leave the room, grumbling all the way. His mother's voice stopped him in his tracks. "And you, my dear son, will help her." She winked at Raven, while  Graz hung his head and sighed.


~ * ~ * ~ <> <> <> ~ * ~ * ~


The mixture was thick, and Raven was starting to have trouble stirring it. Graz supervised and instructed Raven on how to create the mixture that they would use to fix the home's wall. Raven mumbled around the stirring stick, "Wha ha’n’d las nigh?”

With a sigh, Graz hung his head, "This is really something more that mom should tell you about."

Raven spat the stick out and sat back on her haunches. She shot an annoyed look at her raven friend. She took a deep breath, and was about to finally let loose her annoyance,  when Cavatina came outside carrying a bowl nestled daintily between her wings. The sweet scent of the fruit made both Raven and Graz's mouth began to water.

"This is not the manner in which I wished to have this conversation.”  She sighed as she sat the bowl down near the pair.  They dug into the fruit, Graz eating a grape daintily while Raven crunched an apple.  Cavatina poked the stick, now firmly standing upright in the solid mixture.  “Too much sand.” She mused and shook her head.  “This will not work.”  She tugged at Raven’s mane, pulling her toward the house.  “Graz, would you be a dear, I need to speak to our filly.”

Graz looked from the unusable mixture to his mother dragging Raven away and back.  He grumbled obscenely under his breath and took flight to the storage alcove to get another bowl.


~ * ~ * ~ <> <> <> ~ * ~ * ~


Cavatina gave Raven a slight peck, nudging her inside the home.  She closed the door behind them and chuckled.  “I had hoped that we wouldn’t have to do this quite so soon.  But last night, well…”  She paused.

A male voice, smooth and deep, continued the sentence.  “Our hand has been forced.”  Raven’s eyes went wide and she felt a heat raise into her cheeks.  The voice put her in mind of spring.  It evoked the rush of life as new growth pushes to the surface of the soil, the feeling of the first warm rays of sparkling sunlight that caress leaves and call sleeping animals to wake.  She sat, mutely as the speaker seemed to appear from the shadows in the corners of the room.  He hadn’t been there before but it was like he had always been there, that any place he was he would belong there.  It was a stallion, sleek and built for speed, with a mahogany coat and mane the color of new growth.  But his eyes, Raven tore her gaze away and to the ground, he eyes were not normal.  They were black, but not solid black.  They held stars within their depths.

“No need to be dramatic, Fás.” Cavatina said, a hint of annoyance in her tone as her feathers ruffled ever so slightly.

The strange stallion chuckled.  “Cavatina.” He savored every syllable of her name.  “Ever the...” He paused, those unnatural eyes mocking. “correct.” He finished.  “Is this ‘Trope’s replacement?”

A million questions burst into Raven’s head.  ‘Trope?  Heliotrope?  The dead dragon whose spirit had taught her to fly?  How did he know her?  Did he mean her, Raven?  Replacement?  What did he mean replacement?  She bit her tongue and stayed silent even as her mind whirled ever faster.

Cavatina nestled down next to Raven, her manner protective.  “The council has not decided yet.  There is not enough evidence.”

“Not. Enough. Evidence.”  The stallion shook his head.  “You mean they have hidden their heads in the proverbial sand and focus on Corvid’s borders rather than examine this filly.”  His eyes narrowed.  “Tell me, Cavatina, in your heart, is this ‘Trope’s replacement?”

“She… “ Cavatina looked at Raven, almost sadly.  “She has some of her powers.  My son has seen them.  But… she has no training.  She can’t repl-”

“This manner of ascension is not unheard of.  Rare, but there is precedent.”  He nodded.  “She must appear before the Aes Sidhe Council.”

“She’s not ready!” Cavatina burst out.

“Eyes Sheath Council?  What’s that?”  Raven burst out, unable to hold in anymore questions.

Both the stallion and Cavatina stared at Raven.  Cavatina patted her gently on the head.  “Not eyes sheath… Aes Sidhe.  Oh!  There is so much to explain and I don’t know where to start!”

Raven bit her lower lip, wishing she wasn’t causing her friend’s mother this grief.

“From the beginning.”  The stallion settled down for what was going to prove to be a long dissertation.

Cavatina comforted Raven as his words washed over them.  Outside, Graz listened to this familiar story, anger building in him, as he fixed the hole in the wall.


 ~ * ~ * ~ <> <> <> ~ * ~ * ~


His name was Fás Erraigh, but he did not mind being called Fás.  In the language of Equestria, he would be known as Spring Glory.  He was not a pony, just using a form that she would be comfortable with, but he was Aes Sidhe.

Aes Sidhe.  Aos Si.  Daoine Sidhe.

One people.  Split.

At war.

Once, long ago, all the races lived in harmony.  All the worlds were one.  Then the cataclysm happened.  The worlds split.  Resources that were once plentiful became scarce and new races were born.  The resource most changed was magic.  For with the breaking of the world from one into many, magic became fragmented and rare.  Conflict broke out over the usage of magic.  War came to the realms.  In an effort to save the peoples, wise minded beings of many races came together and drew ‘lines’ separating out the lands of their respective peoples.  Equestria would become one of those lands.

The ‘lines’ were a construct, created to protect and limit the usage of that now most valuable resource, magic.  That construct came to be known as the Veil.  It separated worlds.  This is why Raven had never heard of Corvid.  It was a separate world all together.

But a faction of Fás’ people did not agree with the creation of the Veil.  They held that magic was the greatest gift of creation and should not be trapped away and doled out spoonful by spoonful.  To them, it was their birthright to use magic at will.  It was their drive to tear down the Veil.

So, the guardians were chosen.  Usually they were chosen from among the elder races.  Usually dragons, sometimes Corvid, rarely lesser known races.  Never Aes Sidhe.

And now, a pony.  A pegasus.  Raven.

The gift that Heliotrope gave to Raven when she taught the little filly to fly was more than just a gift.  It was also a burden.  It wasn’t just Skull terrorizing her and murdering her family.  It wasn’t just an ice spider attacking phoenix. It wasn’t just the creatures that had attacked Corvid the night before.  It was every world.  The Aos Si had felt Heliotrope’s death.  There was a break in the defenses surrounding the Veil.  It had to be fixed.

Raven had to fill that void.

She was out of time.


~ * ~ * ~ <> <> <> ~ * ~ * ~


She sat there, eyes wide, as the words jumbled together.  It was too much!  Way too much!  She stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence when Graz burst into the house.  He was fluffed up as big as he could get, every feather standing on end, and he hopped right up to Fás’ face.  “Oh no you don’t!”  He fumed, as Cavatina gripped Raven’s foreleg with a sudden fear.  “She’s too young!”

“Stand down.”  Fás glared at Graz.

“I won’t!”

“I said.  Stand. Down.”  Fás stood up, glaring down at Graz.

“No!  She is too young!  Heliotrope didn’t save her for you to send her to her death because she was unprepared.”

“You know the code.” Fás snarled, his green mane starting to writhe like vines.  “Better her death than inaction.”

“She doesn’t.”   A soft voice interjected.  Cavatina silently pleaded with her son.  Graz stood down and she continued.  “She is from Equestria and does not know the code.  She should at least… know that.”

Raven blinked a few times and stood up, shaking off Cavatina.  Her eyes wide with shock, still trying vainly to process the story Fás had told her, she shakily moved to Graz.  She gave him a quick nuzzle then looked back at the strange stallion.  Raven swallowed and stepped closer to him.  She was struck by the sharp scent of the deep forest that surrounded him.  The scent was wild and primal.  It made her uneasy.  She swallowed again.

Graz looked on with mounting horror as Fás shot both him and his mother a triumphant grin while Raven approached him.  He covered his eyes with a wing when he saw her eyes narrow at his grin.

She whirled and kicked, hitting him square in the jaw.  She bolted, out of the house and out of sight.

Fás roared and started to chase her but stopped short.  Cavatina was laughing.

“What did you expect, my lord?”  She asked.  “She is a child.”  She reminded him softly yet ever so firmly.

Graz left to find Raven.  The day had just begun and it was already going to be an extremely long night.
> 4: Leaf in the River
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
Chronicles of Ravensong


Chapter 4


Leaf in the River


Raven ran, powered by anger, until she came to a stream.  How dare that odd stallion tell her such tall tales!  And why did the others seem to go along with it all.  She was confused, everything was jumbled together.  After Skull, the Solifugus, the... things that had attacked Corvid, she didn't think she could be confused anymore.  But instead of things making sense, that... Fás... the things he said had made everything else seem commonplace.  As the confusion rose, her anger drained away.  She flumped down onto the creek bank and dangled her front hooves into the icy mountain water. 

Graz found her there, intently watching the circles her hooves made as she played in the water.  He was transfixed.  It dawned on him, she had gotten bigger.  How long had she been in his care?  A few months?  No... closer to half a year.  Yes, she would have grown.  He made a mental note to ask her how old she was.  Cautiously he approached her.  "Raven?"

She turned her head to look at him.  "Oh Graz!" She cried.  "Nothing makes any sense!"  She smacked a hoof into the water, making a splash that disturbed the nearby trout.

He hopped over to her and patted her shoulder.  "I know."  He thought for a moment, both in silence.  "Maybe, since this is all so new to you... we teach our hatchlings about the Treaty in school... hmmm..."

Eyes wide, Raven shook her head. "You... want me to go to... school?"

Graz nodded his beak yes.

"No. Schools and I don't get along."  She said firmly, thoughts of the bullying back in Equestria firmly in her head.

They sat together a few moments, the only sound the rushing gurgle of the stream.  Finally Graz sighed.  "Please? Wait.  Before you say no again... how old are you?"

She started a touch.  "Um... " Splish, splash went the water as her hooves slapped the stream surface. "I got my cutie mark... when I got my wings."

He blinked twice.  Graz's golden eyes bored into her.

"That wasn't the answer you wanted was it?"

"No."

"Oh.  Okay.  Well... " She sighed.  "Twelve."  Her voice was a barely audible whisper.

Graz patted her shoulder again with a wing.  "Twelve. That explains it."

She looked at him, eyes questioning.

"You got taller."  He did not wait for her to respond.  "Please.  They will be fascinated by you, but they will not treat you badly.  You need  to know this."

She sighed and rested her head on her forelegs.  "k" She mumbled.

"Good."  He got up and ruffled his feathers. "We should get back."  He hopped a few times back toward his home, stopping to look back at her.

Raven picked herself up off the stream bank and shook.  Her star-lit dragon wings ruffled, novas flaring deep within them.  Then she tucked them tightly by her sides, hiding the infinite depths they showed.  She followed after him back to Cavatina's home.  His home.  Her new home.  Both silent, lost in thought.


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They got back to the house to find it completely silent.  Neither Cavatina or Fás were to be found anywhere.  Raven heaved a sigh of relief and went to lay in what was fast becoming her corner of the building.  She found a leather bound book laying there.  "Graz?"  She pointed at the book.

He veered away from the kitchen to see what she was pointing at.  Peering closely at the book, eyes narrowed in deep suspicion, he examined it closely.  Finally he opened it.  He peered at the first few pages, turning them slowly.  Raven could not quite make out the writing on the pages, just a word here and there, but nothing that made any sense.  Then the pages were blank.  Graz closed the book.  He stared at it a moment.

Making a tut tutting sound, he pointed at Raven.  'It's yours.  But I will ask... please do not look inside it.  Not until after you spend a day at the school.  Okay?"

She was confused but she nodded.  "Okay"

Before she could ask any questions or discuss the matter further, Cavatina came back in.  "Oh good, you are back."

Raven looked at the front door in horror.  "Where is...?"

"Oh, Lord Earraigh?  He went back to wherever it is he comes from."  Cavatina shrugged.  "Did you find his gift?"

Graz answered.  "We did.  I've asked her to not read it.  Not yet."

"Why would you ask that, Graz?  He left it to help."

"Because it will only confuse her further."  Graz puffed up.  "Besides, she is going to go to school.  They'll give her the basics, then the book will make sense."

Raven listened to the exchange, worried at what might be in the book and annoyed at being treated like a baby.  She didn't want to have another childish outburst so she sat down and looked at the book.  The leather was old and engraved.  There was silver and gold filigree inlaid in intricate patterns all about the cover, but conspicuously there was no title.  The voices of Graz and Cavatina talking faded into the background as her full attention shifted to the book.  No writing on the spine either.  How odd.  She glanced back up at the pair of Corvid.

"I still don't understand why you are so adverse to her reading the book, son."

"Did you look at it?"  Graz snapped.

"No, it wasn't given to me."

Their conversation faded into her background again, as Raven looked back at the book.  She was so curious, what had Graz seen in the book that had obviously spooked him so much as to ask her to not look at it.  What harm could a book do.  As quietly as she could, she opened the cover.  The first page was discolored, waves and swirls on it from residual moisture from the leather.  She turned the next page.  The title of the book... The Chronicles of Ravensong.  Her eyes widened.  She quietly flipped a few more pages and a name on the page caught her attention.  Cinder.  Her father.  She read a line, then another.  How did anyone know about her father's death?  Raven bit her lip and closed the book.  She was mad.  If someone had known, why had they not bothered to try to help when Skull had attacked.  Who was it?  Was it... Fás?  She opened the book again and flipped farther in.  Blank.  Blank.  Most of the pages were blank.  The last page with text... she blushed.  Detailed her kicking the stallion in the face.  She closed the book again and delicately picked it up and tucked it away.

"Um... Cavatina.  Graz.  Please stop."  She said quietly.

Graz nodded and went back into the kitchen.  Sounds of him rummaging around as he started to cook floated back to Cavatina and Raven.

Cavatina started to fuss over Raven, but Raven stopped her.   "Cava... um... Mom.  He's right.  I.  Er.  I peeked.  I don't understand."

"Shh, hush." Cavatina hugged Raven tight.  "Graz is fixing some food.  We'll relax the rest of the day.  And you'll go to..." She sighed. "School tomorrow.  They don't know everything there but maybe Graz is right."

"Why do you not like the idea?" Raven asked.

"Graz is... a touch blinded, my dear.  When it comes to the teacher."

"Huh?"

"Oh, nevermind.  Why don't you... go see if Graz needs some help."  Cavatina was flustered.

Raven did not ask, she just got up and a subtle flick of a hoof pushed the book farther into its hiding place. She went into the kitchen, ducking slightly to get through the door.


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The rest of the day passed without event.  It was pleasant.  It reminded Raven of her home back in Equestria, only with more laughter.  That night she slept almost peacefully.  The next morning, however, was anything but enjoyable.  Graz roused her early and hovered, nit-picking, as she brushed out her mane and tail.  He finally huffed, grabbed the brush, and tackled the spots that she had not been able to reach.  Still fussing, he hurried her through a quick breakfast of oats.

It was her turn to grouse when he then proceeded to take a full ten minutes to pick out a shiny rock from the garden out back.  "For the teacher."  He said.

Raven sighed with relief when they finally got to the school.  It was not in a building, but in an open grove.  No walls for her to knock into by accident and no roof to make her feel closed in.  She felt better about this already, but not much.  She took a few steps into the grove and stopped, realizing that Graz was still at the tree-line.  She turned back at him and gave him a look.  He didn't notice.  He was staring at a Corvid that had just landed in the center of the grove near a tall standing stone.  It was different from other Corvid, it's feathers had red undertones instead of the blue black that she had become accustomed.  Other Corvid were arriving, adults and blue-grey and black hatchlings.  The black-red Corvid called out greetings to the new arrivals.  Then Raven realized, it was female.  Raven went around behind Graz and planted her nose firmly into his back, pushing him forward into the clearing.

They were quickly noticed.  The black-red Corvid called out to them, but it was most definitely not a greeting.  "Grazioso.  What are you doing here?"  Her eyes narrowed as she hopped angrily toward Graz and Raven.  Raven stopped short, leaving Graz to flutter along in her withering stare.  The Corvid's necklace, Raven noticed, was identical to the one that Graz had put on shortly after they had arrived, but instead of a sapphire set in the middle of the ornate collar, her's held a ruby.  

Graz stuttered.  "D-d-dolci... you look good..."  

"Oh shut your beak you!" She snapped and glared at him.

While Graz just stood there, looking at the ground, Raven studied her.  Another Corvid approached.  They wore gold bands around their legs like Tremolo had, but Raven noticed a slight red undertone to their black feathers.  This one was older than the other hatchlings but still noticeably young as they still had grey patches of down among the sleek black adult feathers.  When they spoke, Raven realized this one was a male.  She was surprised, his voice sounded familiar.  "Mother?  Is something wrong?"

Graz's head snapped up.  "Mother?!" He stared at the newcomer.

"Go back to the class Innig."  The ruby wearing Corvid ordered.  He turned around and hopped away, briefly looking back at Raven and Graz.  "You did not answer me, Graz.  What are you doing here?"

"He brought me."  Raven pipped up, seeing that Graz still had not found a voice.

She looked Raven, really looked at her, for the first time, then fluffed.  "A pony?  What are you doing out of Equestria?"  She turned back to Graz.  "What have you done?" Her voice started to become a touch higher.  Scared.  "The rules!"

"He found me outside Equestria!"  Raven cut in quickly.

"Dolcissimo."  Graz finally found his voice.  He looked quickly over at Innig, who was hovering nearby, then back at her.  "Earraigh has ordered her to the Council.  She's just..." He sighed, silently hoping Raven would not be mad at his next words.  "a child.  Equestria doesn't teach about the Pact or the Veil.  She needs to know."  Dolcissimo started to protest again but Graz cut her off.  "Please, not for me.  For her.  Her name is Raven.  Ravensong."

Dolci's eyes widened a moment.  "Really?  Your name is Ravensong?"

Raven looked down.  "I guess it is now.  My... " She swallowed.  "My parents called me Ashe... but... they're dead and Graz saved me."  She stopped, took a deep breath.  "Please can I listen in to class?"  Raven took a flying leap of faith and when she saw Dolci's eyes soften, she knew it had worked.  Dolci was indeed the teacher.

"Of course you can stay.  How old are you, and what all did they teach you in Equestria."

"Twelve... and.  Um... I....er.... "  Raven couldn't bring herself to look at either Graz or Dolci.  "I never really went.  They... didn't like me so I stopped going."

"Oh dear."  Dolci said quietly.

Graz thought back to when he first met Raven.  How her wings had been useless.  He thought about how children were.  Suddenly he understood why she hadn't wanted to do this.  Pride rose in his chest, that she would face this fear for him.

"Well, I will sit you with Innig.  He's one of the older students, about your age.  He'll help you." Dolci was in full teacher mode, and completely ignoring Graz.

Graz quietly left, vowing to be back to pick her up when school would let out.  At the edge of the clearing, he looked back.  At Dolci.  At Innig.  He face intently thoughtful as memories of thirteen years ago flooded his mind.


<>         <>         <>         <>         <>




Raven went to sit next to Innig at Dolci's instruction.  She muttered a quick, shy hello and bowed her head, trying hard to ignore all the stares she was getting.  All the hatchlings were staring, to the point that even Dolci tutted at them to get their attention.  Innig leaned over, "It's okay, they've never seen a pony before."

"You have?" She asked.

"No.  Well, just pictures in books.  Mom won't let me leave the city."  He hushed up quickly.  Class was starting.

“Good morning, class.”

“Good morning, Ms. Dolci” the hatchlings all chimed.

Dolci smiled and turned to the standing stone.  She tapped it with her beak.  There was a soft chiming note that came from the stone.  She mimicked it.  Carvings in the stone started to glow a soft yellow, pulses of light running along the patterns from the bottom toward the top.  When the pulses reached the pinnacle, they flared outward forming beams of light that twisted and bent forming a picture.  It was a large globe with water and land masses that filled the surface and floating white clouds that made slow dances across the surface.  Muted colors; blues, greens, and browns slowly filled the globe.

“Today, class, we will learn about the Pact and the Veil.”  Dolci started.

Innig leaned over toward Raven again, “She was going to go over hinky-punks and how to deal with them today, but she changed it.  Just for you.”

“Oh.”  Raven muttered, her full attention on the globe and Dolci.

“This… is, or rather was, Gaia.  The world we lived in long ago.  There were many different beings that lived here, not just Corvid.”  Dolci nodded toward Raven. “Ponies lived there.  Both of the Daoine Sidhe lived there.  Each of the races that make up the Host.  And the race that none have seen since the Pact was formed.  The sons of Man.

When Gaia was whole, the sons of Man came to Gaia and caused an imbalance.  There was not room for them.  Most of the races of Gaia silently moved over and tried to make room.  We Corvid took to the trees and skies at that time.  The Daoine Sidhe, though, refused to give up any of their holdings for the newcomers.  War broke out.  Daoine Sidhe and Man slaughtered each other in droves.  The fields turned brown from the salt in the blood.”

The hatchlings all shuddered at the description of carnage.   Raven watched, eyes riveted, as the globe turned from blue and green to brown and red. 

Dolci continued.  “Each of the races that had stayed out of the conflict sent delegates to the Daoine Sidhe.  We pleaded with them to stop the conflict.  We pointed out how Gaia herself was dying.  The wiser of the Daoine Sidhe saw the truth to our delegates.  They met with the sons of Man on the fields of battle and the Pact was formed.”

The illusion of Gaia, the globe, expanded and focused in on a field where two sets of beings met under a flag of truce.  Both sets of beings looked odd to Raven’s eyes.  They were similar, yet so very different.  They all walked on two legs, with their front legs hanging down by their sides.  One side was dark and shorter than the other, yet more powerfully built.  The other side, those with the flag, were tall and the air seemed to shimmer around them.  Their eyes were black and lit by stars.  Raven gasped, remembering Fás’ eyes.

“The Pact was this:  Gaia was to be split.  The sons of Man would take the upper world.  The Daoine Sidhe would take the lower.”  As Dolci spoke, the illusion panned back out to show the whole globe which split into two shadow versions of the one.  Several other shadow versions of Gaia also appeared.  “When Gaia fractured to accommodate the Pact, it created more pieces than just the two.  Our Corvid is in one.  The ponies found themselves in another piece that has come to be called Equestria.”  The illusion developed names on different fractured pieces.  Raven smiled at the small piece that was labeled Corvid.  The piece labeled Equestria was a familiar shape to Raven, and part of it touched Corvid.

“Not all of the Daoine Sidhe were happy with the pact.  Nor were the sons of Man.  When it was discovered that it was possible to travel from fragment to fragment where they touched, parties of both peoples started slipping through to attack the other.”  The illusion lit up at each point where the fragments touched.  Corvid seemed to be a hub as its borders lit up all over.  Equestria lit up in a few places.  “When these parties started killing the other races, we came together with the ruling house of the Daoine Sidhe.  We created the Veil.”  Here the fractured image of Gaia shimmered as interconnected walls raised up along all the borders.

“Volunteers of each of the border peoples gave up their lives with their families and people to guard the borders of their lands.  Their only job was to ensure that the magical construct of the Veil would remain intact, forever separating the Daoine Sidhe and the sons of Man.”  Dolci looked right at Raven.  “These volunteers were not immortal, they aged and died.  Some lived longer than others.  It was the duty of each volunteer to find and train their own replacement.  This was important because as a direct result of the raising of the Veil, the Daoine Sidhe split into civil war.  Even the ruling house split.  Those that agreed with the Veil and the Pact on one side, and those that did not on the other.”

“The Aes Sidhe, the Daoine that agree, have stayed for the most part reclusive.  The Aos Si, on the other hand, are constantly trying to find a way through to continue the war.”  Dolci stopped for a moment looking thoughtful.  “So far, the guardians have kept the peace.”   She ruffled her feathers.  “Lunch time, my hatchlings.”  The illusion faded out as the glow drained out of the standing stone.

The hatchlings all broke off into groups, chattering and laughing, as they picked out where they wanted to eat.  Innig stayed with Raven.


<>     <>     <>     <>     <>




Graz went back home.  He pushed thoughts of Dolci to the side, along with questions about Innig.  As he flew, he reached into his feathers and pulled out the metal disk that he had taken from the Solifugus’ corpse.  He knew he had kept it a secret for too long.  It was time to find out if his suspicions were right.  Quickly he landed and ducked into his mother’s house.  Cavatina was home, talking to Fás.  The Aes Sidhe had dropped his pony illusion.  Even sitting in the house, he was tall and had a slender build.  His bronze skin had solid muscle definition without any bulk.    His long green hair was pulled back into an elaborate braid.  All around him, there was a star-lit glow.  Graz immediately disliked him. 

He took a deep breath and announced himself.  Cavatina greeted him warmly.  Fás just laughed.  Typical.  They always laughed.  Graz found himself having a moment of intense pleasure when he saw the laughing face change to one of shock and anger when the disk was presented.

“Mom, I found this on the Solifugus that Raven defeated.”

“She defeated a Solifugus?”  Fás asked.  “With no training… interesting.”

Graz ignored him.  “I can’t translate the writing.”

Cavatina took the disk and looked at it.  She flipped it over.  Then she handed it over to Fás.  Fás studied the disk resting in his long fingered hands.  His mouth twisted in distaste.  “Change is good.”  He said, shaking his head.  “That is what this rune means.”

“It is of Aos Si make.” Cavatina pointed out.

Fás gripped the rune, his eyes angry for a moment.  Then he slipped it into a pouch at his belt.  “Tonight I will go back and… talk… to the maker of this rune.”  He turned his attention to Graz.  “Where did you meet the bearer of the rune?”

“In Phyra’s grove.”

“Phyra?”  Fás asked, not recognizing the name.

“A phoenix.”

“Hmmm.  Then tell me more of the encounter with the Solifugus, please.”  Fás’ eyes danced in a way that filled Graz with anger.  “I would hear more of how Ravensong handled it.”


<>     <>     <>     <>     <>


The rest of the day passed quickly for Raven.  Dolci called the class back to attention and the afternoon was spent learning how to make a healing poultice from common berries and herbs.  The class split into pairs to test their poultices.  Raven sat staring at her mixture when she was tapped on the shoulder.  Inning grinned as she looked over.  “Partners?”  He asked.

She lit up like the sun.  “Yes!”

His poultice singed the fur from her foreleg.

Her poultice bleached out a patch of his feathers.

They were even and parted at the end of the day as friends.


<>     <>     <>     <>     <>


Raven arrived back at Cavatina’s house in high spirits.  She had never had so much fun at school before and found that she wanted to go back.  All thoughts of tomorrow fled her mind when she entered the home.  

She saw Cavatina and Graz talking to a being that she did not immediately recognize.  It was odd, tall and thin.  When it looked over at her, she recognized the eyes.  It was Fás.  

They quickly brought her up to speed on the conversation of the day about the disk.  The more they talked, the more her illusions of going to school and being friends with Innig shattered.  Raven wanted Fás to go away.  She just wanted friends and family.  What she was getting was fairy tales and monsters.  Just as she was about to flump down onto the floor in pure frustration her ears perked up.

“Graz.  Phyra!”  She said.

“It’s okay.”  Graz said, almost automatically.  “She was fine when we left, with her clutch intact.”

“No!  You forgot.”  Raven flattened her ears against her neck.  “Remember, she said she was missing one.”

“Oh no!”  Graz gasped.  “How could I…”  He covered his face with his wing.

Fás pulled the disk from a pouch on his belt and looked at it.  “Change is good.”  He sneered.  “This bodes ill.”

“We have to find that egg.”  Raven said, not sure why it was so important.  What Fás said had made her gut clinch.

“No.”  Graz said.  “You have to go with Fás.  Please, don’t argue.  You need to meet with the council and with other Guardians.”

Raven knew what he was saying was right.  She knew it was what she had to do.  “Could you… please tell Innig that I said bye?  Please Graz.  I had fun because of him.”

It was the last thing that Graz wanted to hear.  He gulped.  “Okay, I will.”  He turned to his mother.  “I will lead the search for Phyra’s egg.”

Cavatina looked from her son to Raven and back.  She nodded.

Raven shot Graz a worried look.  “Can’t Tremolo lead it!”  Deep inside, she knew what Graz was volunteering for was dangerous.  He was family and she could not bear to lose any more family.

“My Ravensong.”  He said, hugging her.  “First tenet you will learn from me.  Death before Dishonor.  We promised Phyra so I will lead the search.  You will learn more about the gifts Heliotrope gave you.  We each have our duty and we much each fulfill it.  Understand.

Raven nodded her head and blinked hard to keep from crying.  “When do I have to leave?”

“Now.”  Fás spoke up.  “We.  Leave now.”  He smiled at her.  Graz fluffed with anger.  Raven was confused.

She got up and went to her corner, grabbed up her book, and stood there forlornly.  Cavatina came over and opened a cabinet nearby.  “I had hoped to give this to you after you had some time to be a hatchling.  Er… foal.  But we are out of time it seems.”  She pulled out a saddlebag with her cutie mark inlaid on the covers.  Cavatina helped Raven get into it and took the book from Raven to slide it into the bag.  “This is home if you want it.”  Cavatina gave Raven a hard hug.

Fás had stood up and was waiting for her at the door.  “You will like Eiru.”

Raven moved stiffly, trying to extend her time with Cavatina and Graz.  “Eiru?”  She asked, “Who is that?”

He laughed, a tinkling musical sound.  “It is not a whom but a where.  Eiru is the land of my people.”

Graz looked at Cavatina as the door closed behind Raven and Fás.  “Do you think…” He started.

She cut him off.  “She will be fine.  She is strong.”

“I hope so.  I hope so.”  He said, eyes full of worry.


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Fás and Raven walked together to a nearby pair of statues.  Both statues were of beings like Fás.  One statue was male, the other was female.  They stood facing each other, arms out-stretched and uplifted with palms touching.  The air between them shimmered slightly.

Fás paused beside the male statue.  He gestured her through before him.  Raven paused, looking at the statues.  She wondered where she was going and what strange things she was about to see.  Taking a deep breath and pushing aside fears of never seeing anything familiar again, she stepped through the statues with her eyes closed.

> 5. Into the Summerlands
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 5


Into the Summerlands 




        The very air clung to Raven as she stepped through the door between worlds.  For a second she could not breathe, the air was so tight.  Then with a pop, she was free.  Her jaw dropped.
        
Eiru was stunning.  A million shades of green as far as she could see.  Except for the sky.  There every shade of the rainbow danced in an eternal borealis.
        
She and Fás were in a field.  There was no path, only old cairns here and there to mark the way to the nearby forest.  Fás was already past the first cairn, and still moving.  He had not noticed that she was not with him.  Raven looked back, hoping for one last glimpse of Graz.
        
Two standing stones, twins of the ones in Corvid, met her gaze.  The graceful winged, bipedal creatures here, though, were worn yet colorful.  Precious stones were inlaid into their wings, which sparkled and shone in the ever shifting light of this place.  Raven’s ears drooped.  The portal had closed behind her, all she saw was more field.
        
She turned back toward Fás.  He was past the second cairn, still moving.  She broke into a fast trot to catch up to him.  The breeze picked up, carrying sweet and exotic scents to Raven.  She slid to a stop.  The breeze also carried tiny… things.  Raven squinted her eyes and gasped.  They were tiny ponies with gossamer butterfly wings, and every bit as colorful as her fellow ponies in Equestria.  They laughed as they rode the wind, fluttering their wings for more speed.
        
Behind them were tiny winged creatures.  Raven gasped.  They looked just like the statues only very small.  At most, three acorns stacked might equal their height.  They did not notice Raven, they were so intent on chasing the tiny ponies.

They whirled and swirled in the breeze, yelling and laughing.  Raven could not help but grin at their antics.  The moment shattered when Fás called out to her.  She frowned at him and ran to catch up.

“This place is dangerous.”  Fás admonished her.

“You could have waited.”  Raven retorted.  She kicked a pebble ahead of her.

“You should have kept up.”  He snapped back.

Annoyed Raven pranced ahead.  “Not my fault you have no heart.”  She snapped in return.  She kicked out at him, her hooves flashing.  Fás jerked his head to the side, his jaw still hurt from when she had last kicked him.  She laughed and bolted towards the wood.  

        Fás growled.  Of all the possible beings in all the worlds, ‘Lio had to pick one that would be difficult.   He did not change his pace.  This was his home, and he knew she would wait for him at the edge of the forest.

        Raven had no intention of waiting for him.  She quickly changed her mind when four bipedal beings stepped out of hiding and leveled weapons at her.  She sat and slid to a stop.  They were tall, taller than her, standing at around six feet.  They wore leather and wooden armor, their blades made of bone and green stone or wood.  Raven tried to give them a friendly smile but that faded in their stare.  Their eyes were star marked voids, the same as Fás.
        
        He was chuckling as he caught up.  Her ears flattened along her neck at the sound.  But she started as he entered her peripheral vision.  She knew he could change his shape but this was somewhat different.  Fás wore a crown of stars.

The guards took one look at him and saluted, standing to the side to allow him to pass.  Raven stayed close to him.  The suspicious stares of the guards made her skin crawl.

Soon the tree canopy covered them, and the shifting multi-colored light faded into shades of green.  The smell of ancient trees and moss enveloped her.  All Raven could do was follow Fás in mute awe.

They started seeing others, more of Fás’ people as well as other species.  Raven was silently thankful when Fás quietly took to giving these beings names.  Breezies and fairies were what she had seen earlier.  There were also griffons, which she knew.  She was surprised by the oddness of the centaur as they galloped past.  Water spirits were named naiads and the water horses that played in the streams with them were niskies.  Fás explained that there were also tree spirits like the naiads, only they were called dryads.

The sleek, spotted dogs that accompanied some of the Aes Sidhe were called pookas.  Fás explained after one ran up to them and licked Raven on the nose.

Raven had started to relax and enjoy the exotic sights and sounds of this primal forest when they came to a great hedge, a living wall that stopped their progress.  There was a commotion at the gate.  Fás chuckled.  The odd bipedal goat, he explained, was called a satyr.  It was drunk and the guards were not happy.  As they waited for the gate to clear, Raven tried to imagine what was behind the hedge.

Fás leaned over to her and whispered into her ear “While here, do not reveal to anyone your true name.”

She gave him a puzzled look but nodded.  After a moment’s pause she asked, “Wait.  Does that mean I don’t know your name?”

He chuckled.  “That’s right.”

By this time, the guards had ushered the drunk satyr away.  Fás, chuckling, started through the gate.  She shot him a glare and followed.  There was a pain of sadness in her heart.  If Graz was here, he would have explained about the names.  She shook her mane and holding her head high, she followed Fás through the gate.  She wanted more than anything, to make Graz proud of her.  Just like, once, she had wanted from her father.  In her heart, she knew she would rather die than let Graz down. 

All thought fled when they cleared the gate.  In this place, the forest grew with a purpose.  The tree branches grew to together, intertwining in an intricate weave to create a castle of trees.  Brightly colored glass nestled in the gaps to form windows that sparkled in the green shifting light.  They entered together, guards nodding or saluting Fás.  Raven’s wonder grew.  What a first glance was carvings, turned out to be patterns grown in bark.  The interior was white and looked like marble with rainbow patterns dancing around the structure.  But the floor was warm with the life of the living trees.

In silent awe, Raven followed Fás through this fantastical structure until they came to a large room with an equally large curved table.  Fás motioned her to a seat at the edge of the room and left without a word to her.  She sat and watched.

Creatures were slowly coming into the room.  Some took seats around the outer curve of the table.  Others seemed to be messengers, bringing information to those seated and taking information away.  Not even half of the seats had filled when Fás entered with two others of his kind.  One was older, much older, and was listening to Fás talk as they entered.  The other looked angry and turned away rather than enter the room.  The older male seemed to sigh, then he waved Fás away and took a seat at the highest point of the table’s outer curve.  Meanwhile, Fás returned to where he had left Raven and sat down without a word.

She was about to ask who the other two were when the older male called the room to attention.  Raven could not understand what he was saying, but the language he spoke was beautiful.  It reminded her of soft singing and the wind in a field.

This seemed to be a court or council.  Creatures came in when called, discussions were had, and they left.  Fás sat looking bored out of his mind.  A sudden thought struck Raven.  Her earrings!  She rummaged in her saddlebags until she found them.

The talking changed the moment she put them on, the round stones dangling into her ears so that all sound passed through the holes.  Suddenly she could understand.

It was every bit as boring as Fás looked.


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Fás nudged her with his elbow.  She woke up with a start and blushed slightly as he glared at her, wiping drool off his shoulder.  All eyes were on them.  She blushed even more.  Fás stood up and motioned her ahead of him.  Raven gave him a confused look.  He sighed and leaned down to whisper into her ear. 

“You’ve been called before the council.  This is why we came.  Go stand inside the curve of the table.”

Raven’s eyes grew wide and she half stumbled, half walked to her position before the council.  The assorted beings stared at her and she just wanted to hide.  Her knees quaking she listened to the older Aes Sidhe as he addressed Fás.  His answer was to introduce Raven.  “May I present to the council, Heliotrope’s chosen successor, Ravensong.”  Fás stepped backwards, leaving Raven alone before the council.

Silence.  Several heartbeats of pure silence.  Someone coughed.  Finally Raven, not knowing what was required of her, squeaked out, “Hi?”

More silence.  The one who first talked, who walked in with Fás, leaned forward and in kind tones asked, “How old are you, Ravensong?”

“I’m…. twelve… um… sir.”

There was an eruption of noise as council members started talking all at once.  “Too young!”

“We can not entrust the safety of our people to one so untested.”

“Unheard of!”

“Too young!”

Raven felt shame wash over her as the council leader slammed his hand to the table in a bid for silence.  But it was an odd, rustling voice from the entry behind Raven that caused silence to descend.

“If Heliotrope chose her, than guardian she be.”

A slithering sound approached Raven from behind.  She risked a look.  The female that approached seemed to have bark for skin.  Her hair was thickly grown weeping willow branches.  She seemed to wear no clothes, her bark-skin leaving nothing to be covered.  Each foot fall was slow and deliberate.  Tiny roots burrowed into the ground with each foot fall and lifted up with each raise.  Tree spirit, thought Raven, this must be a dryad.

“Guardian Willow.”  Acknowledged the old Aes Sidhe.  “Thank you for joining us.”

“M’lord.” She turned toward Raven.  “We who have lived so long tend to forget, we were all young once.”  She reached toward Raven and with gentle fingers turned Raven’s head so she could look into her eyes.  “But this one is not untested.  Her heart is strong.  Tell me, child, what did Heliotrope have time to teach you?”

Raven whispered, “How to fly.”

“I see.”  A murmur started among the council again, but Willow held up a hand and it fell silent again.  “I will train her, in a place where we will have…” She paused and smiled. “Time.”  She turned and slowly left the room.

Fás rushed over to Raven.  “Follow her!”

Raven gasped and raced after Willow.  She sighed with some half hearted relief when she noticed that Fás was still beside her.  They caught up to the dryad, making her slow way along the hallway outside the council chamber.  

The trio left the palace and proceeded to a nearby clearing.  Willow seemed to sigh as they stopped, her legs sinking down into the soil.  Raven sat down nearby and Fás sat next to Raven.

“Guardian Willow.” Fás started.

“Just Willow.”  She sighed.  “Unless you intend to call your friend by such formal titles as well.”

“No.. ma’am.”  He seemed to falter.  In that moment, Raven suddenly liked him more.  Fás seemed more normal in his discomfort.

        Raven was about to ask why they called her Willow, was it because of her hair when Willow turned her forest green eyes upon the filly.  “Yes, but more because the tree that I am tied to is as willow tree.”

        “Tied to?”  Raven asked.

        “I share my life with my tree.”  Willow simply said.”

        “Is it nearby?”

        “No dear, it is hidden far from this place.”

        Fás finally spoke up.  “What place were you talking about, Willow?”

        She laughed, “None of your concern, little prince.”

        Fás bristled at being called little, but Raven was just made more curious.  “So, what, you’re just going to take her away?”

        Willow tilted her head at Fás.  Raven gave him a curious look.

        “Well?” He persisted.

        “And what concern is it to you, child of summer.” Stated Willow.

        Fás stood up, fuming.  He started to say something, muttered inaudibly under his breath and stormed off, leaving Raven alone with Willow.  She sighed sadly.

        “I am sorry my dear child, but he is… conflicted.  It is sudden, but the longer we take, the more danger we are all in.”

        “Because of… the civil war between the Aes Sidhe and the Aos Si?”

        “Correct.  But never forget, they are all Tuatha.”

        “Oh.”  Raven seemed perplexed.

        “Are you ready to learn, little Ravensong?”  Willow asked kindly.

        Raven was still a moment.  She thought about Graz and his mother.  She thought about Phyra, grieving for a lost egg.  She thought about Dulce and Innig and Tremolo and everyone she had met and had started to care for since she fell down into the crater where dragon’s bones slept among eternal rose blooms.  She even thought about Fás.  What came to her strongest, was when she thought about her father, Cinder.  What had been done to him by Skull.  What Skull had tried to do to her.  And it hit her.  What might Skull be doing to other ponies while she sat there trying to decide if she wanted to travel again.  Her lips pursed and she looked up at Willow defiantly.

        “I’m ready.”

        And the glade shifted.