Live A Life, or Forge It

After reporting to a patrol of guards the presence of an intruder in the guest room in the Palace, I went back to bed with a proud smile on my face: one of my brothers was captured; now Diana and Enrico were left to stop.

I woke up an hour later than my usual routine of sleep, thanks to the fight that I earlier in the night, so I needed to hurry, in order to not miss the “appointment” that I established with the filly that was endangered last night.

And so I did: I covered the smell of my sweat with some rosemary oil that I found somewhere in the bottom of a drawer; drunk said oil in hope of covering my bad breath; and put on some wear clothes left by the diplomats that once occupied the room where I was in.

By the end of that process, looking myself at the mirror near my room, I looked like a pack rat from the sewers, and turned into a pony.

Since I didn't liked it, I put off my clothes, launched the out the window, and cleaned my fur soaked in oil with the blanket.

When I finally undone what I did before, I ran behind the servers already in motion for carry the breakfast in the dining room: in the process, I ran over accidentally three serves, who, after sniffing and shrugging away the food they were carrying, the returned back to the kitchens for take another dish of the  wasted food.

After that run, I entered in the fine dining room, with the table already set; and everyone already sitting down, and eating: Celestia, who greeted me with a small wink; Luna, who welcomed me with a “Hello, my dear guest Venicio !”; a lilac unicorn filly with a light blue mane, that I recognized as the one that I saved the night before, who did the gesture of come near here, on her right side, since the left was already occupied by... Cadance ? And near Princess Cadance, Shining Armour ?

That was unexpected.

The fact that the filly was, supposedly, daughter of Shining Armour and Cadance, not their presence at all.

But I stopped my surprised reaction, and politely greeted everyone know in the room:

“Ave, Magna Caelestia, luxfera et correx Equitis Humi cum sorori Luna noxfera; ave, Reginam Mi Amor Cadentia, amoris regina, co-rex Crystallo Imperium cum vir Armatura Fulgente; Pannum Crepuscoli et Augenti Crepucoli filio, ante dux Regalis Praesidiae.

Tuo nomen, parva puella, filia Cadentiae et Armaturae Fulgente , non congnosco: mihi licet tuo nomem quaero ?”

Well, the result was... interesting, to say at least.

Shining Armour seemed mostly surprised to see me, since I was the same foal that had received a deny from him for taking some defense lessons: now I was in front of him in the Royal Palace,  a place that, in a normal situation, I should not be  in.

The filly looked at me with curiosity mixed with happiness, and asked to her mother Cadance what I just said.

The pink alicorn said: “He asked what is your name, sweetie”: after saying that, the alicorn looked at me fascinated, like if she was praising silently my knowledge of the Latin.

I blushed a bit to the idea, then I move on, and I proceed to sit down.

And so, while I sat down near Cadance's daughter, she asked:

“What's my name, you ask ? Well, my name is Indiva, nice to meet you. What's your name ?”

I bowed slightly while taking two slices of bread: “My name is Venicio. Nice to meet you in a more relaxed situation, Indiva”

Cadance looked at me and Indiva with a slightly look of doubt, then she said:

“More relaxed situation ?”

Indiva talked to Cadance:

“Yes, mommy: Venicio stopped that monster that tried to attack me last night !”

I slightly bowed towards the pink alicorn, and said: “I really did, madam”

Cadance looked at me quizzically, only for then saying:

“Sure, I believe you...”: by the tone of her voice, I could tell pretty surely that she wasn't convinced at all by me and her daughter.

Not that it mattered: after all, the only one that should know all the truth  behind the assault is Celestia.

After saying so, I started to eat the sandwich made with mushroom ham and salad, while Indiva kept me bombarding of questions: she seemed quite excited of having me near her, and, somehow, I understood her: after all, she was just a five years old unicorn filly that was saved he night before from an attack, how she could react differently ?

Anyway, when I finished to eat, I said:

“Sorry, Indiva, I was too much concentrated on eating for hearing you. Could you please ask your questions again ?”

She asked:

“First, I asked your age.”

I said smiling: “The theoretical, or the real one ?”

She looked me widely: “You have two ages ? Wow, how interesting ! How you could have two ages anyway ?”

I chuckled:

“It's a VEERY long story, and I feel that this is not the right place for talk about it since it's... a bit sad story”

She frowned: “Oh, sorry about that, didn't mean to”

“No worries, other questions ?”

“Why you are here ? I didn't knew that every pony could enter in the Palace of  Celestia”

That was a stress-test of my alibi:

“Well, you see, I was picked up by Luna”

I pointed at the blue alicorn looking at me adoring:

“After a VERY bad dream. The details, however, are not to be discussed there”

Indiva looked at me bewilded, like if I was revealing to her a very shocking truth about her past, and asked:

“Really ? Sooo.. you arrived there for having a nightmare ?”

I nodded, then I gave a quick look to Luna, in order to see if she was going to blew up my cover... again: the blue alicorn was hinting a gesture of “not true” towards Indiva, before stopping herself mid-act, and returning to eat her breakfast.

Good: she knew what game I was playing.

I finally answered to the lilac filly:

“Yes, a nightmare. A very bad one indeed”

Then Indiva asked:

“Sooo... if I have a bad dream, sometimes Princess Luna will carry me in her bedroom ? Wow ! And for how long you will stay there ?”

I chuckled:

“I have no idea, puella mea”

After saying that, I saw that everyone finished the food: since I had nothing left to do, I went away, bidding goodbye politely to the ponies there present, and went back in my room, in order to think what to do.

After around one hour and half, while I was reading a book found on the bookshelves, I heard a knock from the door.

Since I was quite absent-minded, I just said:

“It's open”

The door opened, and, behind me, a fast trotting sound came.

Soon after it, my bed shook up,and, near me, a lilac shape appeared, and said:

“Hi, Venicio ! What are you doing ?”

It took me a while to understand that was Indiva.

I answered:

“I'm just reading something for pass time. What brings you there ?”

Indiva smiled:

“Oh, nothing, I'm just curious about you, and so I came her to find some answers: do you want to answer to them ?”

“Of course: go ahead”

Indiva rolled towards me, and asked:

“So, you said that you are here because you had a very bad dream the night before... and, in exchange of that, what do yo need to do ?”

“Nothing at all, apparently, since we are foals. I don't know about adults.”

Indiva nodded:

“Alright. So, if I start to dream something of really scary, Luna might pick me up, interesting...

My next question is: why you talk like my mother with some special kind of grown-ups ? I never saw anypony using such way to talk outside the 'formal situations', whatever they mean”

Indiva didn't knew that I was Latin.

Predictable.

But... she doesn’t know what  “formal situations” are, and she doesn’t discern a totally different language from a WAY to talk your native tongue ?

That was a bit weird, considered the ambient where she grew up.

Anyway, I answered:

“The 'way to talk' that your mother uses is actually a totally different language: the Latin.

Now, you don't see it usually spoke because it's, actually, a dead language, since no one has it as native tongue, but it's still used in the diplomacy, the arts, and politics”

Indiva looked at me confused.

Not the confusion like “What are you smoking for saying this bullshit ?”, but “What are you talking about ?”: apparently, my exposition wasn't suited for children.

Well, at least I knew that explain it without considering the kind of person in front of me wasn't going to carry me anywhere.

The lilac unicorn spoke:

“Sorry, I didn't understood: what are you talking about ?”

“Apologies. Let me reexplain it: what your mother uses for talk with some adults isn't a 'lingo', but a totally different language: the name of said language is Latin.”

I awaited to see if she wanted to know why she never heard a single word of Latin in the streets, but only in the royal palace, either hers in the Crystal Empire, or in Celestia's in Canterlot.

She asked it:

“Oh, I understand. But, let me know, why I never heard it spoke by anypony that I know, either in school or in the gardens, but only in the Palace, only with certain adults ponies ?”

“It's hard to explain, Indiva, but I will do my best to explain it.

Imagine that the language is a water mill with a river moving the wheel. Do you imagined it ?”

Indiva nodded.

“Alright. Now, you know that, as long the water flows, the mill grinds the wheat.

Now, imagine that the water is the number of ponies using it. Imagine that the strength of said water is the number of ponies having it as native tongue, meaning that said ponies use said tongue commonly with family members.

As the time passes, a new tongue creates itself, or it's canceled by wars, and so the people having it as native tongue starts to dwindle.

Reached a certain point, no one has said language as mother tongue anymore... yet someone still knows it, and decide to use it a certain field.

That's the case of Latin: no one has it as native tongue, but the ponies of a certain social level will know it”

Indiva said:

“And how you can know it, if I am in the social level that knows it, and yet I don't know it ?”

“It's called 'education': my parents taught me this language now, I won't need to learn it later”

“According to you, will I have to learn this... 'latin' ?”

I laughed hard:

“You are a royalty. Of course yes !”

She blinked to me three times, and said:

“So, you can teach me ?”

I blushed:

“I can, but it's  a VERY long thing, and it actually requires two years of study. But I can give you the basis... plus, I don't know if you can read and write...”

She proudly smiled:

“I can ! I am a very intelligent filly !”

I chuckled, and started with the first  declension.

Meanwhile, in Ponyville...

It was a tense situation: Venicio disappeared, and no traces were found.

The day before, when I woke up, I remembered the eerie presence of a blue horned figure watching me during the night, only for then leave me without say anything.

When the sunrise with the pink fingers arrived also in my room, my first thought was reach Venicio's bed, and talk about what happened during the night.

But, as soon I reached the bed with my tiny hooves, I  saw that Venicio wasn't there.

At first I thought that he was at the bathroom, so I just went downstairs.

But when also Applebloom went down, it was clear that something was wrong: Venicio always woke up before everyone else.

And stay in the bathroom for so long wasn't properly a sign of good health.

In fact, as soon I saw that Applebloom had a worried expression, I understood that something wasn't right.

The yellow would-be carpenter pony asked to me:

“Bernarda, did you saw Venicio ?”

I answered  negatively without saying a word.

When both I and Applebloom realized what it meant, we were left speechless.

After two minutes of pure shock coming from both parts, I  said:

“I hope to see him again: he is the only human that I know there, and he seems to know the key to escape from there...”

Applebloom hugged me, and said:

“We will find him. But we need more time: wait until this afternoon, and we will discuss about it.

Now it's time to inform Applejack”, and she did, as soon the orange pony arrived downstairs.

Applejack went, rightfully, crazy about finding Venicio, and said that she was going to visit all her friends for ask them if they had found Venicio somewhere.

I hoped that they knew where he was.

Unfortunately, Applejack forbade me of exiting from the house, telling me that it wasn't the moment for do it.

It wasn't the moment for what ?

Look for my brother ?

Well,maybe, since I was just a little filly, my “help” was going to be worthless anyway.

So, anyway, a tense morning, full of thinking and fears of what could happen if I lose him, passed, and so a tense lunch.

Soon after eating, Applebloom gave me the sign of follower her in her room for talk about the research.

When I entered in the untidy, and yet orderly, room of Applebloom, the owner lifted me wither her mouth, put me on bed, then sprawled on the bad near me.

That done, she said:

“Alright, here's what we have gathered so far.

First of all, Applejack's friends don't know a darn thing about Venicio's position, as Applejack saw.

This means that he might be everywhere now.”

I said a bit unsure:

“Venicio isn't a true foal... that, if I don't remember wrong: he surely didn't exited willingly from this house, considered the threat of his brothers...”

Applebloom commented:

“You are saying ha he might got kidnapped ? Well, that would be a possibility, buuutt... what kind of stupid kidnapper would take a foal from a FARMER'S HOUSE, knowing that the parents aren't likely to pay much for their son ?

The kidnapper should know both about humans and Venicio's secret.

In the actual state of the things, the only ones that have both qualities are me, Twilight, you, and Silver Spoon.

Now, Silver Spoon actually healed the wounds that she opened in my years of Grade School, and actually became a decent friend with me.

But she is a fanatical scholar: maybe she kidnapped him in these last years because...”

I knew Silver Spoon: it was a good pony, and she seemed so similar to me in many aspects, that it hurt. I also remembered that Silver Spoon was wingless and hornless, or an “earth pony”, as Venicio called them.

I felt so wrong accuse a clearly innocent pony for something that didn't do.

And yet I stood silent: I was too scared for reply, and just heard her rant against Silver Spoon.

When she finished to speak ill of the gray filly, Appleloom told me to jump on her back, and get ready for reach Spoon's house.

After a rather long walk from my house in the fields to Silver Spoon's house, we finally reached our goal: Applebloom ringed the bell, and waited the arrival of a servant; Silver's father, or whoever was in the house.

After a minute, a croaking and yet deep voice asked:

“Who is there ?”

“Applebloom, mister Stamp Spoon. We are her for talk with your daughter Silver Spoon: is she there ?”

Stamp opened the door showing to the world his (bad) shape of a sixty years old:

“Yes, she is in the house. She is studying, but I think that she won't mind a break. Come in”

That begin said, Applebloom moved towards the white door, and entered in the house, towards Silver's bedroom.

The house was, esthetically, gorgeous: the gray  marble floor was almost shining, and gave a sense of luxury to the house; while the red walls covered in family portraits and landscapes improved the overall look of the house; two statues of two equine Venuses stood at the base of the stairs, like two guardians in front of a door.

In that place, I almost felt that, sooner or later, my servant Barbara would come out, since the layout and the decorations of the house were very similar to the ones that in mine.

Applebloom went up on the pine-and-acacia staircase, up to the floor were, supposedly, Silver Spoon was studying.

When I entered in the Library, a strong stench of old ink; cheap wax and such hit my nose.

It felt good: it recalled images of Benedictine monks going around libraries, either copying scrolls, or reading them while walking.

The Library itself recalled at that imagine: bookshelves made of beechwood placed in a circle around the main table; the scrolls and the books on the shelves placed according to the topic, and not the alphabetic order; the candle holders hanging everywhere; the writing desks placed between a subject area and another... all seemed reminding older times.

Anyway, we finally reach the center, where Silver Spoon was studying.

Applebloom sat down on a stool, then said:

“Silver Spoon, I have something to discuss with you...”

Silver Spoon scare jumped, then recomposed, and said:

“Appre Broom ! It iz good to zee iou again ! What bringz you here ?”

The yellow pony put me on the table, and said frowning:

“Give him back to me”

Silver Spoon looked at Applebloom bewilded:

“What ?”

“Don't fake stupidity, Silver Spoon. You don't fool anypony”

The gray pony started to sweat:

“What are iou talking about ? What 'him' ?”

Applebloom face hoofed:

“This farce is stupid: you know that I am talking about Venicio. And that you are holding him captive for whatever reason. That needs to stop: give him back”

“Venicio ? Hold captive bi me ? Thiz iz impozzibre ! Whi I zhould take him awai from iou ?”

Applebloom launched herself over Silver Spoon, picking her neck skin, and I started to tremble, fearing the worse:

“Stop this stupid shit ! Applejack will freak out even more, if she doesn’t have him back ! Now tell me where you hold him !”

Silver Spoon said gasping:

“I... have... no... idea on.... what you... are... talking.... about...”

Applebloom gave a slap to Silver Spoon, then a kick, then screamed:

“I WANT VENICIO, NOW !”

Somehow, I felt the desire to cry.

And so I did: from my eyes, flood of tears exited, and a continued sobbing came from my mouth.

Silver Spoon, touching the hit areas, said:

“Zee ? Iou made Bernarda cri !”

After that, the gray pony went near me, and started to stroke my mane, whispering sweet words to me, words that calmed me down.

Applebloom was unamused:

“You already stole my brother. Do also want to steal my sister ?”

“No, I don't”

I said:

“Applebloom... you should know this... how Silver Spoon could... reach my room if she is... wingless ? She would have done a very strong noise while... coming in our room”

Applebloom face hoofed to herself, apologized to Silver Spoon, and said that the next stop was Twilight's Library.