Chapter 7: One Lifetime Ago

Silence Unbroken Chapter 7: One Lifetime Ago

By: Midway Bridge

Fitting Music: Across the Night Sky

A cutie mark represents a pony’s talents as an image.  Most of the time the images were a literal interpretation for their talent, but for those with surreal, figurative, and intangible talents a more symbolic mark is usually found.

Silence's cutie mark was different than most.  To the casual observer it was an ornate mirror.  Unlike most cutie marks, the mirror actually reflected the light around him, and a hazy reflection of his surroundings could be seen in it.  Silence found it most peculiar.  Not that there was any light where he was currently walking.   He felt no novelty or grandiosity from the mark.  it was just a foreign stain on his coat, reminding him of the boiling feelings he felt.  Anger.  Distrust.  Hurt.  Love. Forgiveness. The strongest feeling he felt was uncertainty.  He was uncertain of what was, is, and what is to come.

Silence trudged through the Everfree forest, all four of his legs ached for rest.  He was hopelessly lost.  Silence cursed himself for his stupidity in not keeping track of which way he went.  He thought if he just walked in the direct opposite direction he would come back out.  He was horribly wrong.  He marked a few trees by scraping their sides with stones, when he came across a tree that already had a scratch on it he realized he was walking in circles.

It was hard to tell through the thick canopy of leaves but he knew it was growing dark and he had no form of shelter.  He also knew there may be foul creatures that come out at night capable of doing somepony harm.

Silence willed himself not to panic keeping him mind under control by not thinking about the 'what if?' He had two options.  Continue trying to find a way out, or to find shelter.   Both of which required him to keep on moving to do so he decided that he'd stop by shelter if he found it but would keep walking otherwise.

He got a crazy idea.  If he could climb one of the trees and look around he could find the nearest way towards town and easily go from town back home.  With that plan in mind, he stopped at a tree that he assumed had study enough limbs to support his weight.

He found a foothold and started his accent.  Silence made slow progress, careful to test the capacity of each limb before using it.  He looked down.  He was about 50ft in the air and still had a long way to go.  A fall from this high up could prove fatal.  Silence got a queasy feeling and he forced himself to close his eyes and think of being someplace else.  He wasn't afraid of heights really, or even falling.  It was what happened after falling from high places that scared him.  He pressed onward, scaling the tree's bark and limbs.

When Silence arrived at the top he expected a better view.  He could barely make out anything but a sea of trees and the top few rays of the setting sun.  Against one area near the horizon there was a small sea of lights.  That must be Ponyville which was about North North East, from where he was.  Using the moss that grew on the north sides of trees as a makeshift compass he could make his way out of here.  Things were looking bright for the dark hours soon to come.

Silence in despite his newfound hope was just as careful on his decent as he was during his climb.  The tree creaked and Silence stopped.  Fear froze him to the spot.  He listened carefully to the sounds of the wood surrounding him.  The creaking stopped as he slowly removed his hind leg from the weak branch.  Safe.  He tried a different branch this time even slower than the last.  No creaking.  Removing his right foreleg from the branch above he smoothly placed it in a new foot hold made out if a small hole in the tree.  He heard a quick snapping sound and felt his left leg slip from above.  The sudden gain of weight was distributed mostly to the one branch closest to his center of gravity.  That branch too gave way and Silence felt himself plummet down to the forest floor.

--=======--

"Agh, my head," Silence moaned.  He didn't recall the exact moment if impact with the ground but it definitely left a reminder on his head.  A fall like that should have killed him.  He found himself in an unfamiliar bed.  "Where-"

"Hush now my injured friend, careful that your cuts aren't opened," said a strange voice.  It had a very distinct accent that Silence soon placed as Zebrican.  He looked over and sure enough there was a black and white stripped pony standing over a bubbling cauldron.

"Many thanks to you friend," Silence said in a foreign tongue.  Silence knew how to speak the Zebrican language fluently, because the travelers spent an entire year in that continent.  That year was the most frightening year of his life; Zebrica was full of predators that wouldn't think twice before killing.  The Zebras who lived there were a hardy type and had a rich culture.  Despite all of the dangers of their world, the Zebras were some of the friendliest equines Silence had ever met.

"You speak my native tongue, a feat that can only be accomplished by some," the Zebra continued in Common Equine (English).  "When I set out for my walk today I did not know I'd meet a fellow foreigner in dismay."

"How can you tell I’m not from around here?"

She sighed. "Most ponies treat me with upmost reprimand.  I do not blame them for being afraid of what they don't understand."

"Potion making is a dying art," said Silence eyeing the cauldron suspiciously, "most societies just rely on magic to get things done."

"What about you young unicorn, do you use the gift in which you were with born?"

"Alas it is not my decision to make, my magic abilities are rather lacking."

"Is that why you got this book?" asked the zebra pointing to 'A Basic Guide to magic for Unicorns in Need,' "I hope you don't mind if I stole a look."

"Not at all.  What are you called?" asked Silence.

"Zecora is my name; I ask of you the same."

"Silence Silvertongue."

"Of your travels you must be wary, but what brought you to this forest that's so scary?"

"I needed to think, and to be away from all of the mess of a life I have, and all of the questions."

"Perhaps the answers in which you seek can be found in a place much less bleak." She chuckled to herself warmly.  She must be somewhere close to Silences age.  19 years perhaps.

"In hindsight your right but I'm glad to have came here, I got to meet you someone who seems to understand what it's like to be different."

"You are different you say, but I wonder why?  Is there more to you than what meets the eye?" she raised an eyebrow in interest.

"I'm apparently something called a remembrancer."

"I am not familiar with this word.” She had a confused look on her face.  “Sounds to me like something quite absurd."

Silence cracked a smile.  "It kind of is.  But enough about me, I should be heading back home."

"There are many creatures that reside, in the shadows it is best that you stay inside."

"But my family will worry about me," Silence said, “I need to get home.”

"Better to have them be left in doubt, than to give them something to worry about."

Silence thought for a moment.  It was the truth, he didn't know the way back, and venturing out now could cause some sort of injury or what not.  "What should I do?"

"You can stay here if you wish; I can provide a soft bed and a warm traditional dish."

"I really don't want to impose on you, but thank you for your hospitality."

"Oh you are too kind, I assure you that I do not mind." she poured out some of the cauldrons contents into an ornamental wooden bowl.  The orange broth gave off a lot of steam.  She brought it over to him.

"Thank you." Silence took the bowl.  "Do you always have to speak in couplets?"

Zecora smiled. "Is it really such a crime to speak in words that always rhyme?"

"I suppose not."

--=======--

After the meal Silence was set up to sleep in Zecora's bed.  Silence originally protested but the zebra seemed keen on making him sleep there.  Zecora had said that she'd sleep elsewhere but she never settled down.  She would mix ingredients in the cauldron while singing folk songs from her country.  She would always cast expectant glances at Silence who was pretending to be asleep.

"You know ponies tend to breathe when they sleep.  What bothering thoughts do you keep?"

Silence didn't realize he was holding his breath.  He let it out in one big sigh.  "It's just that everything in my life seems so different now.  My mother who raised me didn't give birth to me, my father made a deal with Death, and I'm apparently some sort of sideshow freak who can read into other ponies’ pasts.  Not to mention I think that I met somepony special who I don't know if she likes me.  I'm so unsure what to do."

Zecora remained silent.  Se mulled over everything the grey stallion had told her.  "Very high your issues seem to climb.  Perhaps you should handle one problem at a time.  Your mom not giving birth to you has an easy solution, tell her that you don't care whether or not she is a substitution.  Let her know that she will always have your affectionate love, and that there is no other mother that you think of.  As for your father it was his decision to make, how it affects you is up to debate.  Your love interest is really no business of mine, you should just and things will unfold with time."

"Hmm…" thought Silence.  "I suppose that’s good advice."

"It may not be the best, but go to sleep you need the rest."

Silence said nothing but rolled over in the bed and soon enough sleep took him away from his worries.

--=======--

Silence walked out into the forest clearing and took in a deep breath of air.  He left the house before his hostess awoken.  He did leave a parting gift just like he had been raised to do.  He left a small sum of coin for her to have.  Silence would have left more but it was all he had carried with him.

She had pointed out the way to town the night before. He walked down the clear-cut path certain now of where he was going.  He decided he could try to read a bit of the book along the way.  About 20 pages into the book it stopped giving its explanation and theories of how and why magic works and started listing basic spells.  One of the spells was a levitation spell that was much easier to cast than the one Silence already knew.  While it was less strenuous and required less concentration to maintain than the previous one, but it was limited to small objects and short distances.

Silence immediately tried it out on the book.  After a few failed attempts, it floated effortlessly next to him.  The fact that he overcame a spell that he was known by all in the Travelers to botch filled him with delight.  The small taste of achievement left him ravenously eager for more.  A simple page turner spell allowed Silence to flip pages without having to drop the book turn the page and recast the levitation spell.  He never thought that magic could be this great.  In the 18 years of his life magic finally seemed to click for him.   Perhaps it was related to him getting his cutie mark.

He flipped through a few basic spells to see what else there was.  He noted it listed the rest of the spells by category, or rather formally called schools of magic.  Since he was unsure as to what each school was he decided to defer back to the beginning of the book that went into great depth on magical theory and study.

"Chapter 2: Schools of Magic

Practical magic can be broken down into what are called Schools of Magic.  Schools of Magic are the logical ordering and categorizing spells and fields of study.  Usually a unicorn is highly skilled in one or two schools of magic, or sometimes skilled in parts of a few schools of magic.  This usually relates to the unicorns cutie mark and talents.  While many scholars disagree on the amount of schools and what qualified as a school of magic, there are a few that are widely accepted.

Natural magic, or magic that each pony, be it earth, pegasus, or unicorn, possesses at birth.  The most common example is the phenomenon that pegasai can walk on clouds as if solid ground.  This effect can be duplicated with the cloud walker spell (pg.48).  Natural magic can be observed in some forms of life outside of equines.  Most non-equine magical creatures have limited magical ability but some rare species of dragons are capable of magic of similar caliber to that of a unicorns.

The school of Manipulation, or more commonly known as basic magic, is a school that has its basis around telekinesis, illuminating spells, and some smaller scaled spells that alter the physical environment or in some cases the user.  The school of Manipulation is unique in the sense that all unicorns are capable of using it regardless of their cutie marks or talents. (For more info on cutie marks effects on magical abilities see chapter 17).  There are a few scholars who regard the school of Manipulation as simply a unicorns Natural magic.”

Silence made a mental note to check chapter 17 before reading on.

“Combat magic houses all of the offensive and defensive spells for use in magical duels.  While participating in duels to the death is banned in Equestria and it is highly regarded as uncivil by society, the teaching of Combat spells is allowed in some schools and private study.  While most spells can be applied outside of combat, the use of a few outside of self-defense or defense of a third party is considered a felony.  This text advises strong caution when dealing with combat magic and starting with other schools first.

The school of Restoration is one of the most commonly practiced schools in Equestria.  The use of magic in medicine was used in the Pre-Equestrian times and is long thought to be the oldest schools in existence along with Combat and Manipulation.  Since spells for medical use is the most practical use for Restoration it is sometimes called the school of Healing.  Medical practices that use magic are constantly evolving and refining techniques making Restoration one of the most prominent fields of magical study.  More complicated Restoration spells are required for more specific ailments.  Take note that not all illnesses can be cured through spells including degenerative diseases, cancer, and most physical impairments.  In extreme cases of medical emergency it is simply easier and safer to heal the conventional way.

The school of Summoning is divided into two main areas, creating something from magical energy, and conjuring something specific from the magical planes.  Summoning is one of the least studied schools due to the process taking a very long time and being incredibly taxing.  A unicorn requires complete concentration throughout the entire process otherwise the construct will dissipate or return to magical energy.  There are a few branches of summoning magic that are considered illegal, such as summoning living creatures and necromancy.  Some of the summoning spells require rituals or arcane preparations.  These spells are extremely difficult to master and can be easily mishandled resulting near unpredictable consequences.  It is highly recommended by this guide to not study Summoning as there are usually more practical and safer ways of using other magic.

The school of Transfiguration involves changing something in the world around you into something else.  Typically nonliving objects are used, but sometimes spells can be used on living creatures (see Animus-transfiguration). Most changes aren't permanent and usually undo themselves over time.  Transfiguration is sometimes lumped in with the school of Manipulation due to its similarities, but since not all unicorns can learn Transfiguration spells it has been labeled as a new school.

The School of Enchanting is a type of magic that applies magic to a material object.  The magic becomes imbedded in the object giving it the effect of whatever spell you desire.  A common example is a talisman that wards off harmful magical spells.  Enchanting usually requires knowledge of other schools in order for more complex enchantments to be used.”

Silence wondered what schools of magic he would be talented in.  But where did his gift fit in?  Maybe the book had something about that too.  He continued reading.

“There are other disputed schools of magic that are under consideration as a new school of magic.  The reasons these schools remain disputed is due to overlapping of other accepted schools or lack of research and magic spells.  The list of disputed schools are as follows:

Disputed Schools:

-Alchemy

-Prophecy

-Scrying

-Animus-Transfiguration

-Chantation / Music

-Transdimensional

-Time Warping

-Legacy

-Cosmos

-Planar

-Perplexion / Undifferential

Each disputed school is expanded upon in chapter 15 through 25 as well as why the school remains disputed among scholars.

While there are disputed schools there are a few magic schools that are banned by the Third Old Tri-acheal courts in pre-equestrian times.  Not much is known about the old Tri-Archeal Courts other than the laws that were passed down from them.  It is a popular belief that they were formed in an attempt to unify the three tribes under one common law."

Silence wasn't entirely sure what the Old Tri-Archeal courts were, he wasn't well rehearsed in Equestrian history.  Most of the books Mr. Loosebindings had didn't cover Equestrian history outside of Old mare tales, and he had even fewer books on Magic.

"Use of Forbidden Magic is considered a criminal offense due to their violent or unforgivable nature."

Silence didn't bother to read about them, he skipped ahead to the chapter Manipulation Spells since they can be learned by almost any unicorn.  His hoof got caught on an open root causing him to trip onto the ground and face plant into  the book he was reading.  After mumbling a few angry thoughts under his breath Silence decided that he shouldn't read and walk anymore.

He closed the book and levitated it behind him.  He observed his surroundings.  He was at the edge of the forest and at the end of the small dirt path that widened into a full road.  Ponyville loomed only about a half a mile away.  He decided it would be best if he went directly home instead of loitering around town, so he deviated from the path and tried cutting through the apple orchard.

The orchard was much more pleasant than the forest.  There weren't any creeping vines or muddy muck to step in.  There were only evenly spaced trees.  Vibrant red apples hung from the tree, gleaming in the morning sun. Silence resisted every urge to pick one and eat it since he didn't have breakfast.

The sound of a voice startled him.  He was initially worried that the voice was directed at him since he was technically trespassing.  But it was too faint to be yelling.  He listened closer to realize it wad coming from up on top of the hill.  Curious he trekked up its side to see the voices owner.

"The Decision," the voices said.

"Time was running out.

That's what made it so precious."

The voice was definitiely familiar.

"A decision must be reached before it passes you by.

But both choices were just as enticing to choose."

Silence saw the hint of a fire red mane blowing in the light breeze from behind an apple tree.  He turned around the tree to see a golden coated mare eagerly reading a book.  It was Page.

"Both choices were equal in every way,

But different all the same."

She recited the poem from the book aloud.  She read slowly and paced herself to digest each word as she spoke it.

"How does one choose their path?

Does one leave it to chance, to fate, or to reason?

Does one listen to their heart their mind or their soul?

That is for you to decide.

All there is to say is what’s life without a risk?" she paused.

"Just take a leap of faith and be set free," Silence finished for her."

She jumped at the sound of his voice, startled by the unexpected visitor.  She whirled around to see who the unannounced guest was.

"Hello.  Silence was it?"

"Yes, that's right."

"What brings you out here to Sweet Apple Acres?"

"Troubling thoughts and my four legs,” said Silence, “you?”

"Oh I love to read here," she said looking off unto the distance.  "It's always so peaceful, and quiet except for when the wind rustles the leaves."

"Yes, I always like to find a secluded place away from all the drama of life."

"It's nice to be away from everything and everyone."

"Perhaps I should go then, let you get back to your reading."

"Oh, I was hoping you could stay," she said.  "I mean it's just that-" she was starting to redden into a cute blush, "-it's not every day I meet a fellow reader.  Did you know that poem?"

"Yes, it's one of my favorites, although I originally read it in French."

"You speak French?"

"Yes, I speak many languages.  French, Istallion, Czech, Zebrican, Arabic, and many more."

"I envy that,” said Page putting the book down on the grassy hillside.  “It must be nice to read books from other parts of the world."

"All books are filled with the knowledge if their people, their memories, their hopes, and their dreams.  When someone reads in a different language you are essentially exploring a culture from within.  You learn how the author thinks and feels, it’s like talking to them."

"Sometimes talking to those around you can be just as exciting,"

"Indeed." Silence wondered if his feelings were obvious to her.  His eyes wandered to her cutie mark it was an open book.  It took him a while to realize what he essentially was doing; eyeing up her flank.

"Do you like it?"

"Um…" Silence averted his eyes with embarrassment.  His cheeks started to burn.

"The book you borrowed." She gestured to the book that was levitating next to him.

"Oh." Silence cursed at himself in his head for thinking in such a profane way.  "Yeah the books pretty girl.  I-I mean pretty g-good.  The books good."

Page laughed.  The sound was like chiming golden bells.  It made Silence that much more embarrassed.  He uncomfortably dug at the ground.

"Sorry.  I stutter sometimes when I speak," apologized Silence.

"I think it's kinda cute," said Page.

"Really?  I-I don't think so.  It gets worse when I'm nervous."

"Are you nervous now?"

"A bit,” Silence admitted.  That was a lie; he was incredibly nervous. He was sweating like crazy.  He hoped Page didn't notice how anxious he was right now.

"Why?"

"Well," he let out a deep breath, "I don't want to look like a fool around you, but that's all I feel like when I am."

Page giggled again.  "That's so sweet."

"Well I have to get going my parents are going to be wondering where I am."

"Wait." Page stood up so they were almost at eye level; Silence stood just a bit taller than her. "When will I see you again?"

Silence mustered all of the courage he could.  Here came the question.  "Are you-you d-doing a-any-" Silence was choking and he knew it.   He tried to recite the speech exercise in his head but none of the words came to mind.

"I'm open tomorrow after 5:00.  I think the Travelers who came to town are having some sort of festival at nightfall."

"I don't know..." said Silence.

"Common, take a leap of faith."

"Alright then."

"It's a date.  Well not a date date but a date between friends."

"So I'll see you then?"

"Yes, just come to the library."

"I'll take my leave." Silence did a sort of head bow thing but remembered that these ponies didn't do formal departures either.  So halfway he just scratched the back of his head in an attempt to smooth it over.

"Bye."

Silence trotted off with a newfound bounce in his step.  He hummed a happy tune that he didn't know the name of.  Normally that would drive him up a wall but he didn't care.  He had a date.

--=======--

Silence walked into the camp, everyone was busy getting ready for the big festival that Silence learned they were going to host in Ponyville.  He was eager to help but his joy diminished when he saw his father in complete distress.

He found his father rapidly discussing matters with the Trail Master, who was the leader of the group.  When he saw Silence he gave out an obvious sigh of relief.  He finished talking with the Trail Master then galloped over to Silence.

“There you are!  I had the whole camp looking for you!”  Augur hugged his son.  "Are you alright?"

"I am sorry father, I acted rash last night and I should have composed myself and controlled my feelings."

"Don't be too hard on yourself, you came back and you are ready to talk about it now, correct?"

"Yes, it would be best if we did.  But first, how is mother?" asked Silence.

"I'm unsure.  She seems worried to death, but strangely keeping it all to herself.  Usually she confides to me these matters.  Could be the hormonal imbalances from being pregnant but I do not know."

"It may be best if I speak to her before we discuss everything else."

Augur nodded in agreement.  “I’ll wait out here.  This seems more like something between you two.”

Silence parted the drapes that served as the tents door.  His mother was seated on a chair by the small fire pit dug out of the center of the room.  In the fire pit was a dwindling flame that receded slowly back into embers.  His mother sat there motionless and didn’t notice his entry.  She was staring off into the flame mesmerized by its flickering movements.

“Hey…” said Silence startling her from her thoughts.

She looked up at him and started to water in the eye. “Hello,” she said.

It took Silence a very long time to comfort his mother.  She was a teary mess, and grieving for not telling Silence the truth these many years.

"How could you ever forgive me for the lies I told?" she sobbed.  "I'm just like one of those evil step-mothers in one of your books." she bawled into her son’s shoulder.  Her heaving sobs shook him.

"It wasn't your fault, and I'm not angry with you.  You will always be my mother to me." he kissed her on her forehead.  "I forgive you for anything you wish me to."

"You are a great son," she sniffed.

"I was raised to be one." He wiped the tear off of her face.

She smiled warmly.

--=======--

"That was very well handled," admired Augur who apparently eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Wait… when I touched her why didn't, 'it' happen?"

"I’m not sure, perhaps it doesn’t always work. I know very little about our heritage other than what my father told me, but we are part of a very old lineage."

"What makes this 'gift' any different than a simple memory spell?  I've read about them and some of the more complex ones can scry a vision of the past based on memories."

"This is no scrying sort of magic.  Scrying requires you to project memories onto a surface.  This is literally reliving the past, or re-experiencing the past events.  Or so my grandfather told me."

"Did your grandfather have this…'gift'?"

"No, but his grandfather could.  So your great great-great-great-grandfather was also a remembrancer.  Apparently it skips over a few generations,” said Augur. “The gift is always passed through the firstborn of each generation.  Coincidently it's strange that as far back as anyone in my family knows the firstborn was always male."

"That's either highly unlikely or suspiciously magical," observed Silence.

"My thoughts exactly."

"You said your grandfather told you of this?"

"Yes each member is tasked with orally transmitting information down the lineage and keeping a certain artifact under watch."

"An artifact?" asked Silence intrigued.  "What is it?"

"You'll see it when you are ready.  The artifact is passed down from father to son with the information that is needed for those who are remembrancers. Unfortunately my father didn't believe the whole thing as he had no talent in the field, so my grandfather had to tell me the whole thing."

Silence sat and listened.  It was a lot to take in but he figured all would be explained in good time.

"My grandfather told me of other side effects besides that of remembering past events."

"Side effects?" asked Silence.  He was beginning to think that this 'gift' of his was starting to sound like a medical prescription.  That worried him deeply.  "You mean like symptoms?"

"Heavens no, well, maybe…They can be.  They’re what we can think of as other abilities.  Legacies if I understood correctly."

"Go on…"

"Each remembrancer has a unique gift.  The abilities get stronger as the lineage descends; increasing exponentially as each generation passes its traits to its followers."

"Come again?"

"You inherit the Legacies of past remembrancers."

"But what kind of abilities?  Do you know anything about them?"

"I heard of a few… not all of them were good ones,” Augur reminisced.  “Are you following me with all of this?"

"Kind of, it's a lot to take in really.  Makes my head spin thinking about it."

"Explain it back to me so I know you understand.”

"We live in a family who has this 'gift'," said Silence drawing air quotations as he said ‘gift.’  "The genes pass down the family tree along with the information regarding it, and an 'artifact'.  Each dominant carrier or 'remembrancer' as you call it seems to have their own unique attribute or skill that also passes down the generations, including the ability to see other ponies’ pasts." Silence took a breath before continuing.  "Did I miss anything?"

"That basically covers all of it."

"This seems more like a curse to me."

"To some it was, they never had contact with anypony for fear of having a troubling vision."

"Was that because they couldn't control it?"

"Maybe.  For you it seems It doesn’t happen every time, perhaps you suppressed it somehow."

“Is that possible?”

“I guess.  We’ll have to find out,” announced Augur. “Let’s see if we can find out what makes it happen and then work backwards from there.  Here, let’s do this inside where we are less likely to disturb the others.”

--=======--

“Are you ready?” asked Augur.  A tinge of anxiety was evident in his voice.

“As I’ll ever be,” his son answered.  Silence lifted his hoof and placed it on his father’s forehead and concentrated.  When nothing happened Silence became unsure as to if this was the right way to do something.  “I don’t know if this is working.”

“Try thinking about something else; try thinking about a topic that I may know about.  I heard that helped.”

“Alright.”

Silence had a lot of questions that he sought answers to but he focused on just one.  A familiar queasy feeling followed by a jolt of pain centered on his head near his horn.  It was happening again.

~~----------~~

Augur was clutching onto the small infant.  The child was now about year of age.  Augur had no idea how to care for a child.  He barely managed getting by day to day.  He couldn’t pull a wagon and care for the child at the same time so he had either trust Silence in the care of a fellow Traveler, or to have someone else pull the wagon for him. Either way he felt he was a liability to the group.  Today the Travelers stopped outside the village of Tuscany, Istally.  Augur was busy pitching his tent, using his magic to move the framework and pull down the drapes.

“Augur,” said a gruff voice behind him.  The orange unicorn stopped his magic after making sure the tent was structurally sound.  He turned to see an older pony with a graying mane behind him.

“Yes, Trail Master?” replied Augur respectfully.

“There are a few members of this group that feel that you and your son are becoming a burden to the group,” sighed the Trail Master.  “I am not sure of what to do.  You have lived your life devoted to the code of the travelers and yet your break the fourth of the Five Major Testaments.”

The Five Testaments were a part of the “Code of the Travelers”; the rules that the Travelers lived by.  Augur had it memorized by heart, just like the rest of the group.

1. We must never overstay our welcome; we are guests in foreign land and as such we must respect our hospitable caretakers.

2. Arrive and depart our hosts while bearing gifts expecting nothing in return.

3.  Live by the road and travel forward.  Live on the path that is good, for all transgressions divert one from the path.

4.  Leave all regret on the road that is behind you; do not let them become trammels on the journey ahead.

5.  Those that stay behind are left to their own fate.  Do not look back for them.

“I assure you I do not do so knowingly,” responded Augur.

“Of course not, that’s what is tricky about losing a loved one… in their absence we can never truly put them behind us.”

“Are you asking for me to forget her?”

“Augur listen we are a community that cares for you, but you must move on with your life.  Her death seems to cloud your judgment and you remain hesitant when approaching others, and since you’re one of our best linguists we need you to be ready for customers.”

“I will try harder I swear,” promised Augur.

“I want you to go into town and meet someone, talk, relax, become friends, do anything to help you remember what’s good in life.”

“I will do as you ask.”

“Then you are not getting the point.  We need you to be that friendly and cheerful guy we saw that you were back when you first came to us.”

“I don’t think he will ever come back.”

“Why not?”

“Well the love of my life died and I now have a kid to care for-“

“Irrelevant,” interrupted the Trail Master. “Your heart has learned love.  Once your heart has learned love there is no way of going back.  It is a terrible burden that you must bear.  You must tell your mind that you are ready to love again when your heart is ready to be intertwined with another."

"I feel that I am not yet ready."

"You must decide.  Is that your mind or your heart telling you that?" inquired the Trail Master.  "You may not know until you try if you are ready yet.  Who knows?  There could be somepony in that town that you could meet that would change your life forever."

The old stallion walked off, leaving Augur to himself.  There was a soft cry coming from Silence, who was laying in the wagon.  Upon hearing his son he walked over and scooped him up.  He was starting to get too heavy for lifting.

"Hush now, Daddy’s here," soothed Augur.  "Shh, don't cry." He cradled his son.  Soon enough he was fast asleep in his father’s arms.  His soft snores

"What should I do Lily?" called Augur to his deceased partner.  He knew she was gone but it comforted him to think that her soul was still with him.  The thought of her nearly brought tears to his eyes but he was tougher than that.  He was done grieving for his lost wife now.

"You should stop talking to yourself otherwise ponies would think you’re crazy."

"Thank you Mrs. Woodstock, how’s Mahogany?"

"She’s doing fine, and Silence?"

"Quietly sleeping."

"Your child is so perfect.  He never seems to give problems to you.  Most times it's a pleasure to look after him."

"Usually he's no problem at all… it's like he's going easy on me."

"What did the Trail Master want?"

"For me to meet someone,"  Augur didn’t mind discussing such things with the Woodstock family they were the closest family to Augur in the Travelers.

"Ooo,  Mr. Augur Silvertongue getting back into the mix again.  From what I hear you were a bit of a lady killer back in the day."

Augur shrugged, "I prefer to think of myself as a charmer."

"Well you’re not going to find anypony eligible here.  Unless you’re going to buy me dinner, Hardy never tries a romantic dinner anymore…"

"I guess marriage does that to you.  I hate to trouble you, but could you watch over Silence today?"

"It wouldn’t be a trouble at all."

"Great.  Send my regards to Hardy."

“I will.”

The scene changed and Augur was no longer in the Travelers camp, but in the town of Tuscany.  The cobblestone road made loud clopping sounds as ponies went about their business.  The Istallions were eagerly conversing in their own tongue.  He caught snippets of dialogue between friends and family, and all in all it seemed like a small easygoing place.  It was a few hours later in the day and it was practically midday and Augur had gone the whole day without food.  Needless to say he was hungry.  He didn’t know what kind of food was made in Istally but he went into the nearest restraint eager to find out.

The waiter sat him at an old wicker table outside with an umbrella that was tilted in the direction of the sun.  The table was rather large and was able to sit at least 10 members.  It felt very uncomfortable having all the table room and to share it with no one else.   It was around 4:30 so it was much too late for lunch and early for dinner.  The place wasn’t very crowded so a few of the staff members waited for more customers to serve.

A waiter came up to his table. "Buon pomeriggio Signore, il mio nome è Vassoio. Che cosa piacerebbe ordine?"

"Potrebbe dirmi speciali di stasera, cosa sono?" asked Augur in fluent Isatallion.

"Ah! You aren't from around here," said the waiter in a heavy accent picking up on Augur's own.  He then proceeded to list the specials of the night.

"Those all sound good.  Will they all be available tomorrow?"

"No, the chef never serves the same specials at any given day."

"Is it possible that that I could have a bit of every special?"

"I'll talk to the chef.  Mi Scusi." The waiter disappeared behind into the kitchen.  A few minutes later he came back with a large tray containing plates with all the different foods that he ordered.

"The chef asks for you to pick as many or as little as you like."

"Just leave the tray.  I'll pay for the whole lot."

"Grazi."

He and a few other waiters spread the dishes throughout the entire table and then left.

Each dish looked so good he didn't know which food to start with, so he decided to go from left to right.  The food was delectable and beyond compare.

There was some sort of commotion coming from the kitchen.  There was a rather loud discussion that was going on in rapid fire Istallion.  Augur didn't catch many of the words but he distinctly heard the words "Foreigner," and "money," more than once.

A white garbed pony burst through the door.  Augur assumed that she was the head chef.  She asked him something but said it too fast so Augur didn't quite catch it.

"Um, potrebbe ripetere che si prega di più lento?"

"I could speak in Common Equine of that would be easier for us," she said nearly perfectly.

"If you wish."

"Why order all this food if you obviously can't eat it all? I was expecting a minotaur who ordered."

"Sorry to disappoint," laughed Augur.

"What's your name?"

"Augur Silvertongue, yours?"

"Oliva, or I guess Olive in your language."

~~----------~~

The vision grew dark and blurry until it stopped.  Silence collapsed on the floor panting for air.  His ears rang and eyes were dilated.  The sharp pain was incredibly intense, and seemed to throb with each racing heartbeat.  Silence was damp with sweat.  After reassuring his father he was fine, and suppressing the urge to vomit from the nauseating headache, Silence sat down in a chair to recover.

“You focused on how I met Olive didn’t you?”

Silence nodded and waited to catch his breath before speaking. “You saw it too?”

“Indeed.  It's incredible it felt exactly like it did then.  I felt the hurt and the loneliness.  I had no idea it would be painful.  You don’t look to good, are you alright?”

“Yeah I’ll be fine… I think.  I haven’t done a vision that lasted that long.”  Silence blinked a few times.  His eyelids felt incredibly heavy.  Maybe he could just close them for just a bit.  “I’m… tired.”

“It seems that your experiencing magical lag, just rest up and you’ll be fine before tomorrow,” said Augur.”

“Good, I have a date tomorrow…” Silence passed out before finishing his sentence.

--=======--

"Hey!" yelled Mahogany snapping Silence out of his daze.

"Sorry what?"

"Pass me the sandpaper," she repeated slowly as if insulting his intelligence.

"Oh, here." He gave her the sandpaper and she proceeded to smooth the chairs edges.  It was the chair that Silence was working on but Mahogany insisted on helping him make it, which meant she took over the wood working while he handed her whatever she asked for.

"Ever since you've started hanging out with this girl you've been spaced out all of the time.  It's starting to test my patients."

"I just can't stop thinking about her."  Silence practically slept throughout the whole day yesterday.  Magical lag was staggering.  Today however he was feeling the bubbling feeling of nerve of excitement.

"What's so special about her?" she said not taking her eyes off of her work.

"I'm not sure, the way she moves, the way she talks, her smile, her laugh; I guess it's everything about her.  She's… perfect in every way, and all I'm wondering is what kind of shot a simple guy like me has with her?"

"Don't sell yourself short," said Mahogany.  "I've known you for as long as I can remember and you've always been like a brother too me.  You're one of the best guys I know, and I've seen my share of stallions over the world."

"But I don't know how to do this whole marefriend thing!  Whenever I'm around her I'm at a loss of words, my heart races, and my thoughts trail off.  I can't even think straight!  Even more I've never even kissed a mare!  Let's face it I'm not going to be with her in the end."

She set down the sand paper with a sigh.  "Kiss me."

"I'm sorry what?" asked Silence taken back.

"You want to know how to kiss a girl, well, here I am."

"Are you sure?” asked Silence nervously.  The last time Silence and Mahogany got a little too intimate, even though completely by accident, Silence received a very strong buck to the head. He had a bruise for the better part of a month.

"I'm perfectly sure, just hurry up before someone sees us or before I change my mind."

"Okay," he sighed, "I'm ready."

"First you need to get her in a romantic setting, something that she'll enjoy or whatever ponies around here do.  Make sure you’re about half a hoof reach away." she held out her foreleg and measured appropriately.  She slid up right next to Silence, a bit closer than half legs reach.

"Then you wait for her to look at you,” she said then she turned her head to face Silence.  "Then turn your head so your gazes meet.  Like us right now."

"S-so I'm looking away from her before this?" clarified Silence.

"Correct you don't want to brush off as creepy and watching her all of the time."

"How will I know she is looking at me?"

"Reflective surfaces and peripheral vision," stated Mahogany.

"Makes sense," Silence agreed.  "So now our eyes met, now what?"

"You have to make a move, be the stallion in control.  Mares like that sort of thing.  Move your head closer to hers." Silence did so.  "Closer than that!" she hissed.  She pulled his head a few good inches closer.

"Now wait until she starts to move towards you," she instructed.

"What if she d-doesn't?"

"You make some excuse about there being something in her teeth, then you come to me and tell me what you did wrong for that to happen."

"…Eh?"

"Look, you're smart and well read. You have a wide array of talents, your kind and compassionate.  You’re handsome... no girl in the world could possibly not like you." Silence would have taken this as a compliment but since Mahogany said it at such an intimate proximity he couldn't help but wonder what she was really saying.  Mares always put double or even triple meanings in what they tell others.  His dad had always warned him of that.

"Now when she moves…" continued with the lesson.  She inched even closer.  They were so close now Silence could feel her warm breath on the nape of his neck. "Kiss."

Silence moved closer and tilted his head to the right.  Their lips met.  Silence was hesitant at first, quite confused by all of the emotions he was feeling.  Silence noticed Mahogany had her eyes closed so he followed suit.  She slowly withdrew.

Silence felt a hot blush come to his cheeks.  He averted his eyes from his lifelong friend.  When he mustered enough courage looked at he saw that she too had red flushed cheeks.  It took a while before either could muster enough courage to speak.

"How was that?" asked Silence his voice was trembling due to the pounding of his heart.  He was afraid of what the answer would be.

Mahogany composed herself.  "A bit stiff and rigid... do you want to… um, try again?"

"You don't mind?"

"N-no I don't- I mean- It’s just."

"And I'm the one who's supposed to have a speech impediment," he laughed nervously.   It was more of a nervous energy that compelled Silence to laugh, not his bad humor.  "Practice makes perfect." He tried to put a sly smile on his face.

"Oh shut up," she giggled punching him playfully on the foreleg.  "Let's try something new.  Here before you make your move, try to her brush her mane like this."

Mahogany pushed the hair around Silence's right ear and rubbed down then side of his face.  The effect was amazing.  It sent excited shivers down his spine and made his whole body go numb with a strange tingling sensation.

Silence did the same with Mahogany's mane.  Her ears went flat and she turned her head into his hoof nuzzling it.  She was enjoying the same sensation that Silence had, perhaps even more.  She closed her eyes and Silence made a decision.  He pulled her closer as he moved his head inwards.  This time Mahogany came all the way and made contact with him.  She pressed her lips firmly against his.  She wrapped her whole foreleg around Silences neck suspending her weight onto his strong shoulders.  It took Silence by surprise he staggered a bit but having pulled the wagon for 2 years now he regained his balance.

She kissed him longer this time than the last.  Much longer; Silence had to take in a breath halfway through.  When she finally released she had her eyes closed and took a few steps back panting for air.  She went the whole kiss without stopping for air, an impressive feat Silence thought.

"Better?" asked Silence taking her out of her moment of ecstasy.

She opened her eyes.  They had a dazed look in them. "Hmm?"

"The kiss.  Was it better?"

She smiled with a lusty grin. "Mmm… much." The way she said it was odd and in a way Silence didn't recognize.  It sent off alarms in the back of his head warning him of something he wasn't familiar with, but he ignored them.

"You alright?"

"Yes.  I'm fine, great really.". She shook her head violently a few times.  The dazed look was gone, as was the stupor of her smile. "I think Page is one lucky mare to have you."

The sudden change of topics was a bit strange and Silence tried to follow her train of thought but came up with a blank.  "Um, thanks."

"Now get going lover boy just act naturally and smoothly, things will work out if you relax." She brushed off his coat a few times and fixed his mane so it didn’t look ruffled.

"Thanks for all of the help."

"It was my…uh, pleasure."

Silence used all of his willpower to stop himself from reading into what she said.  Silence got up to leave before things got more awkward between them.

"Oh and Silence?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't tell anyone about this," she said in practically a whisper.  She had an anxious look on her face.  That was quite rare for her; she was always the headstrong type who lived life without any regrets.

"Don't fret, I won't tell a soul."

"Good," she said with relief.  "Get out of here Romeo or you'll be late."

Silence left while his friend watched him go.  She pressed her hoof to her lips trying to remember what the feeling was like when they were together like that.  She smiled but deep down she was bawling out rivers of tears.  She reminded herself that she was too strong to cry, but if tonight went the way she knew it would, she would never feel that way again for him.

"Why didn't I say anything?" Mahogany questioned herself.  She knew the answer but didn't want to tell herself it.

Those three words.  Those three words that are the most difficult words in the world to say.  Once those three words are said there is no turning back, the speaker has fully exposed themselves and their innermost thoughts are shared with the world.  The wait between those three words and their response seems crushing.  The words that follow can be more so.  They could fill one with joy.  They could cause untold despair.  Those three words when combined in such a way have the power to move mountains, and topple kingdoms.  Those three simple words.

She returned to her carpentry with a heavy heart, slowly chipping away at a shapeless block of wood.  She didn't think she wanted him to be her lover but why did it feel so bad for her to think of him in the hooves of another mare?  A small tear flowed from her eye and splattered on the wood before soaking in.

"I love you," she whispered faintly.

--=======--

Rarity knocked before letting herself into Silences home.  Not like he could vocalize to let her in anyways.  Rarity would have thought it uncivil to barge into other ponies homes but she was feeling rather excited today.  After all she did receive a proper gift and despite being the element of Generosity she felt she never could return a gift of equal or greater value to Silence.  So instead of a gift she decided to show up to his house and at least thank him, and perhaps have a bit of his supposed masterful culinary skills that she heard so much of from Fluttershy.

"Hello!" Rarity called out into the seemingly empty house as she crossed the doors threshold.  She brought a basket filled with picnic items she figured that Silence, Fluttershy, Twilight, and her could go to the hillside for lunch.  "Is anypony home?"

There was a rustling on the couch and the sounds of hooves clopping onto the wooden floorboards.  Silence took a moment to steady himself.

"There you are would you be interested in-" Rarity gasped when she saw the condition that he was in.  "My stars darling what happened to you?"

Silence shrugged then winced when it caused him pain.  The cuts honestly looked worse than they were; it was the slight tint of red in his coat that made him look horrible.

"You need to go to the hospital.  They'll know how to fix you."

Silence reached for a pen and paper. "No, not the hospital, your friend Fluttershy helped me.  I don't think the hospital could do anything more for me." He bushed his coat to reveal the small stitches in his side.

“That’s a ghastly cut you have where did you get it?”

--=======--

Upstairs Fluttershy cowered behind a chair hiding from whatever made the noise that startled her.  When she had enough courage she snuck a peek to see only a small white bunny.  Fluttershy calmed down rather quickly when she realized that it was only Angel who was in the room with her.  She furled her wings and took a deep breath.

"Angel you startled me, you know better than to sneak up on ponies," patronized Fluttershy.  "What are you doing here in the first place?"

He tapped his foot twice then Angel motioned to his ear and drew an X over it.

"Two syllables, and sounds like X?"

He shook his head.  He retried the same motions but this time added a writing motion with his paw after the X.

"Oh, you mean Silence."

Angel nodded.

"What about him?"

Angel thought for a moment about how to convey his thoughts into motions.  Sometimes it was hard to do that with complete clarity.  He did the motions that he used for Silence, and then did a motion that looked like he was opening a book.

"Silence was reading a book?"

Angel shook his head no again.  He tapped under his eyes then, did a book, then pointed at the ceiling, and then did the Silence gesture.

"You read a book on Silence?"

Angel moved his paws till one was an inch apart from the other; a sign that meant she was getting close.

It dawned on Fluttershy, "You read up on Silence?"

He nodded and pulled a small black book from on top of a desk.  He pointed at Fluttershy used the sign established as 'read' then pointed at the book then signed 'Silence'.

"You want me to read this?"

Angel nodded in approval.  He pushed the book towards Fluttershy.

She opened to the first page but noticed a small entry on the top right corner of the page.  It read:

"Day: 1

November 8th

Status: CO"

"Angel I think that this is his diary we shouldn't snoop into things that aren't ours." although the thought was very tempting and Fluttershy was desperately seeking answers about Silences past, she didn't want to resort to espionage to obtain it.  She started to close the book but Angel shoved his foot over it before she could.

"Angel I'm not going to read this,” she said as firmly as she could but deep down she knew it was unconvincing.

He crossed his arms and began tapping with his foot that wasn’t trapped in the book’s cover.  The two were locked in a battle of wills.  Eventually she gave in.  "I'll read just a little, but only because you think it's important."

She opened the book again this time lifting it up off the ground.  A folded piece of paper fell out of the book and onto the floor.  Curious, Fluttershy picked it up and began to unfold it.  She briefly skimmed over the document.  Her eyes narrowed as she read her face turned from one of complete determination to one of complete shock, to pity.

"Sweet Celestia have mercy on his poor soul…" she gasped.

She heard a voice downstairs as well as the door close.  She listened intently to hear who came in.  It was definitely Rarity's voice downstairs.

"Angel take this paper and book to Twilight, she'll know what to do.” Angel took the book in one paw and shoved the paper in the cover.  He opened a window and hopped out onto the window sill.

Fluttershy quickly prepped herself and walked down as calmly as she could.  She tried her best to act normal.  She knew she couldn't fool her friend Rarity, but she could at least try.

--=======--

Fluttershy came down the stairs to see Rarity was busy inspecting Silences wounds.

"These cuts came from your mirror you say?"

He nodded.

"That's strange because glass doesn't make cuts like this unless it was used as a projectile.  Otherwise the cuts wouldn't be as deep or wide." Rarity's attention to detail was one of the traits she was most proud of, it let her assay situations to an extent that most could not.

"Hello Rarity," greeted Fluttershy.

"Oh good morning Fluttershy.  I must say you did a fine job helping Silence.  You should be a doctor or something."

"No just being a local pet care giver it good enough for me."

"Fluttershy is something wrong?"

"No nothing’s wrong at all," Fluttershy said quickly.  Too quickly.  Rarity caught onto Fluttershy’s lie immediately but decided it was better to not to pry at her right now.

"So where's Twilight?” asked the white unicorn eyeing her friend suspiciously, “I thought she was supposed to be here with you two."

"She wanted to go check on Spike,” answered Fluttershy softly.

"Well I brought enough for a lunch of four…  I was hoping that we could get one in before the big storm the pegasai scheduled for later this week.  Silence do you mind if we all go on a Picnic together?" asked Rarity.

"I'm not too sure if..." said Fluttershy but she stopped before finsihing her thought.

"Yes?" Rarity wondered what could possibly be going through Fluttershy's head right now.

Fluttershy thought quickly. "...If he can go outside with his injuries."  She thought that seemed like a credible reason.

"I could easily just make food here," offered Silence.

"nonsense you've already done so much for us, besides, we need to get you out of the house.  I insist."

"Very well then," he wrote with a nod. “It is very kind of you.”

"Lovely, now let’s get moving before it gets dreadfully hot.”

--=======--

“Twilight stop panicking!  You’re over reacting just a little bit!” hollered Spike trying to get Twilight to snap out of her rampant pacing around the house.

“You call this OVER REACTING!” she yelled, “I think this is reacting the exactly the right amount! Everything has gone crazy!  Silence is a murderer, I think Fluttershy likes him and-” Twilight stopped mid sentence her eyes grew wide.  “I left Fluttershy alone with him in his house!”  Her panic revamped back up and she continued to trot nervously around the room.

“Twilight you’re jumping to conclusions, we don’t actually know if he committed anything,” said Spike who was trying to be a voice of reason.

“You’re right we need proof,” she resolved.  “I’ll round up Rainbow Dash and Applejack and we’ll search for clues-”

"Twilight he must have been already tried for murder, he already has the ‘black mark.’  Just let sleeping dogs lie,” huffed spike.  He crossed his arms and began tapping his claws.

"Who's to say he won't strike again? Who would he go after first?  What if he already has?”

A sudden thumping on the door caused Twilight to jump and scream.

“Spike go answer it!” hissed Twilight.

Spike grumbled something about not getting paid for what he puts up with while he opened the door.  Standing on the door mat was a small white bunny with a black leather-bound book under his arm.  He hopped right through Spikes legs and straight for Twilight.

"Hey Angel what's the rush?" asked Spike.

He simply opened a book and handed a piece of paper over to Twilight.  She immediately recognized the small black book as Silence’s.   She eagerly grabbed the paper and began to read.  At the top there was a title that said "Gloomshade Mental Hospital," in bold typewriter letters.  Under the title was a subtitle that read "Medical Report."

The next few lines worried Twilight considerably.  “This changes everything.”

--======--

Chapter 8: The Festival of Flames

"What do you do if you think you love somepony but you're not sure if they love you back or even if they are safe for you to be with?" asked Fluttershy.

Silence sighed.  "I suppose you could flat out ask them, but I never had the courage to do that sort of thing.  I would subtly drop hints or clues and see how they react."

"Oh, okay." She wasn't sure how to break it to him any more painfully obvious than that besides just blurting it out and seeing what happens.

"I have but one word of advice.  Love is Like a passionate flame.  If kindled properly it is warming and comforting. It can be a welcome home in the coldest of nights.  It is a wonderful thing. But be warned, love moderately and with great caution.  Fire burns brightest only when something else is destroyed."

--======--

Disclaimer: I am not Laruen Faust incognito, and henceforth I do not own MLP: Friendship is Magic. I make no claim for Hasbro’s characters or world. I am just a humble fan fiction writer, nothing more. Please leave your questions, comments, and constructive criticism in the comments below so I can better myself as a writer and enhance your experience as a reader. Also I'm looking for any good moving / sad music to incorporate on the top of the page, leave links below.