The forest wasn't all that ponies thought it was..... They feared it because of the creatures that resided within..... They did not think to look there to find beauty and enchantment in it. They didn't think to look past the trees, through the forests comforting wind, and listen for the sound of music unknown to pony ears.
I walked past a wilting flower, and looked at it sympathetically. I touched it lightly with my horn and it slowly came back from near death. I walked ahead to hear my sanctuary calling to me. I floated over to the sound, calmly flapping my wings. I entered my home, that I had stayed in since that night. I held back my tears at the memory of that heartbreaking eve......
I clung to my mother. As we ran, I saw my father trailing behind us. We came to a glowing tree, and I looked at them, confused. Mother looked to have tears shine in her lovely eyes, while I could tell father was trying to hold back his own. My mother put me down and walked over to the shining tree. She pointed her horn at the knot of the tree, and it started to glow brighter. An opening appeared, and she looked at me. She knelt down to eye level, and cried as she stroked my face. She kissed my forehead and I gave her a sad smile, knowing something was going to happen. She looked at me, looking miserable,
"You'll always be my little songbird....Sirena"
She picked me up and stepped inside, with father right behind her. She put me down again, and looked at me seriously. I looked up at her, ready to listen intently.
"Sirena, this.... is your responsibility, until the time comes for you to return home...."
She indicated the room. I looked around the room, more confused then before. It was glowing with an aqua aura, and it had only one table, with a glowing ball, the source of the glow. It was made of blue strings, entertwined with eachother to make itself. There was a comfortable looking bed to the side and fruit grew in one corner. I looked at my parents.
Father came forward and his horn started to glow as he concentrated. A box appeared and he levitated it down to me. I took it, and looked up for permission. They both nodded, and I carefully opened the box. There were two things that were in the box: a note with the royal seal, and.... I pulled out the second item in wonder. Mothers pendant. I looked up at her with astonishment. Mother would never give someone her pendant unless..... My voice almost yelled in anger and sorrow as I realized.....She was saying goodbye. I started to cry and they pulled me close. My sad tears turned to tears of fear as I heard growls not too far away. My parents heard it too, and father went out, pecking my cheek goodbye, even though I reached out to him. Mother stayed, looking frantic at me. I hugged her leg, and felt her hold me tightly. Tears weaved through my hair as she cried. She gazed at my face once more before, leaving with a sorrowful goodbye.
"Remember, you'll always be my little songbird.... Always..."
With that she flew off, along with father, leaving me behind to cry.....
Tears streamed down my face as I remember their faces. Fathers always calm and loving, strong and fatherly, while mothers was kind and gentle. Mother always was there for me when I was upset, but that night.... she just left me. I , unwillingly, remembered what the Songs did to me.... Showing me how my parents died...
I was sitting in bed, when I heard music coming from behind me. I groaned as I realized what the music was. I got up and turned towards the Songs, calling to me in the middle of the night. I watched a vision form in the enchanted strings.
My eyes widened when I saw my parents, laying in bed with my older sisters beside them. Father and mother looked so sickly I'd swear their skin was green. Mother looked to be shivering, and father looked to be hotter then the sun. Celestia came foreward, looking ready to cry, but, knowing Luna, she was staying strong.
"Mother...Father....Please.... Is there anything we can do? We aren't ready for you to leave...."
I soon understood why they looked sickly, and immediantly tried to look away, and run to them, but something prevented me from doing so. Father looked at Celestia, and beckoned her closer. Luna stayed put, not wanting to come forward until told to. I commanded my hoofs to run out to them, but they did not respond. I was forced to watch the heartbreaking scene. Father looked at her with a proud smile.
"You were ready before we were ill.... Celestia, you will be a wonderful ruler.... I'm so proud of you.... Take care of your sister....."
He closed his eyes and spoke no more. Celestia cried into his chest at losing her father. Luna soon looked at mother, who looked like a leaf in the winter wind. She beckoned Luna come forward now. Luna obeyed, and looked at mother, more worried now then before. I cried out at fathers limp body laying there, and tried again to get myself free from whatever kept me from my parents side. And again, my body gave no avail to my minds orders. I screamed in frustration and sadness at the vision before me. Mother stroked Luna's face, as she did mine when she left me here.
"Your fathers right, Luna..... You will both be wonderful and true rulers..... Both of us are so proud of you..... Be good to eachother.... Never.... Never lose sight of what's important..... My dear daughters...."
She let out one last breath before becoming like father, still as stone. Both Celestia and Luna cried out at losing both our parents. I screamed and finally got free from whatever kept me in place. I collapsed to the floor, letting my tears flow freely. The vision dissipated in the strings and I growled, furious at what the strings had done. I wailed in agony as the picture of my parents, on their deathbed, gone forever, fresh in my mind.... I turned around to the strings and cursed them for their cruelty at making me witness something like that, and not letting me see it in person.... I got no sleep that night, for the memory was too sad and heartbreaking to want to sleep with the knowing that my parents... were dead......
I wiped off the tears, knowing crying wouldn't bring them back to me. It has been 1,010 years since that night, and I was only ten when they left me here, twenty when they.... passed on. I am 1,020 now , and I understood what my responsibility was more then I did then. Even though they left me here instead of keeping me with them, I needed to understand they did it out of fear and love all at once.
I went to one of my drawers and found the note they had left me with mothers necklace, which I kept on at all times. While I read the note for the hundredth time, I, instinctively, touched mothers necklace in remembrance. Even though I felt hurt and angry at them because they left me here, without warning, the necklace was dear to me.
Our dearest daughter, Sirena,
Please understand we love you with all our hearts, but it was foretold that one of our three daughters must be the Keeper of the Songs of Destiny. Celestia needed to raise the sun when she was older, and Luna the moon and stars. We did not wish to give up you, honestly we didn't. We loved you more then anything because you made us smile with your music and your laughter. We had no choice, but please take care of the Songs of Destiny, we cannot let anything happen to them. The Songs are powerful so, when you hear music coming from within, a foal has a destiny that needs weaving. A single string glows when it's someone's destiny. When it glows, weave it into the trees branches. Know that we love you so much and that you will come back to us when the tree glows gold.
With all our love, your Mother and Father.
I heard the music again and put down the note and looked into the swirling songs. I saw an image in the spirals of the ball, and began to weave. An earth pony filly, that had just been born, with blue hair, and a sky blue coat. I took the string that glowed bright and weaved it with another, the other who's destiny had part in this fillies. I carried it outside and weaved it through the branch that the song was beckoning. It melted into the tree, making the destiny complete. I went inside to see the fillies parents looking lovingly at their little one. I growled in envy. I looked away quickly, trying to force the tears back. I knew it wasn't the fillies fault for what my parents did, but I couldn't help but feel a little hate towards the filly. I saw the filly smile while asleep, and I didn't want to look at the picture any more.
I walked back to the dresser , when I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I stared at the mare inside, and sighed. I looked nothing like my parents, nor my sisters who looked at least a little like our parents. I, on the other hoof, had eyes of gold, hair and tail like water, and coat like an ocean at sunset, a slightly green cyan. I looked away from the accursed mirror, not wanting to remind myself that I had nothing, but a few personality traits from my parents.
My sisters..... If I knew my parents, I knew they would have erased all memory that I was ever there, to ease the pain of losing me. I did become upset when I first realized they'd do such a thing just to remove the pain, but I did miss my sisters immensely. Luna, with her calm demeanour, but was fun at times. And Celestia, with her sunny behaviour. An enemy tear escaped my eye as I thought of them. I heard a rumbling coming from the tree and I quickly looked around. The blue glow disappeared and a bright gold took its place. I gasped and remembered the note.
"When the tree glows gold.... Come back to us when the tree glows gold...."
I stood there for a few seconds before grinning widely. I grabbed my saddlebag and packed my things: the note, some food, hairbrush, and warm clothes. I was about to leave, when I remembered my responsibility. I turned to the Songs of Destiny, and carefully placed them in my other saddlebag. Carrying both bags out, I took one last glance at my home for years.
"Goodbye...."
I whispered before leaving with joy and excitement rushing through me.....
"I'm coming home..... I'm coming home, my sisters...."
I ran through the forest, wearing a huge smile on my face. I was going home.... The idea made me more excited with every step. I slowed down, thinking I could spare my energy for home. I saw the edge of the forest and stopped dead in my tracks.
My ears twitched as a sound came from ahead. Staying in the forest for a millennia, I had honed my hearing and sight, so to not be caught off guard by any threat. I saw a figure approaching from the darkness that clouded me from sight. I flew straight up and landed silently on the nearest stable branch of a willow tree. I looked through an opening to see who was there.
My eyes looked the figure up and down. I could tell it was stallion because he was too large to be a mare. I looked closer at his features, and for some odd reason, my heart gave a quick beat, as he became clearer. He was a Pegasus, with ebony black hair and tail, with a streak of crimson red and a coat the colour of the sunrise on a summer day. His cutie mark was a arrow, bathed in flame at the tip, as it seemed. His eyes..... I almost immediantly got lost in them. They were a sea green, looking like waves on the shore to me. I was so lost in them, that I only heard a crack from the branch before I fell to the ground. I rubbed my head as I got up, when I met a pair of worried eyes.
"Miss, are you okay?"
I looked at him, my mouth agape. I gave him a shy smile.
"I'm....I'm fine, good sir, thank you."
He looked at my face and started to look at my hooves and body, looking for injuries. When he saw my wings, his eyes widened as he turned back to my face. His eyes met with my horn, and he looked confused.
"Are....Are you.... an alicorn."
I tensed as I realized no one knew a third daughter of the late king and queen existed. I held the lump in my throat as I thought of the Songs, showing me of their death. I smiled shakily.
"Ye-Yes, I'm an alicorn..."
He looked more concerned now, then confused. He walked up beside me and looked at me for permission. I knew what he wanted, and I gave a nod of approval. He opened my wing to see that it was larger then the average Pegasus. I shivered as his hoof, gentle surprisingly, touched my wing. He let go of my wing, and looked me in the eye.
"How is this possible? I thought there were only four alicorns in Equastria?"
I started to look as confused as he was. Four? From what I knew there were only three, not including myself, that were known: Celestia, Luna, and Mi Amoura Cadenza. I'd have to ask my sisters about that once I got home. I sighed, and looked at him intently.
"Putting me being an alicorn aside, would you be so kind as to escort me home? In Canterlot? I just realized that my front hoof doesn't feel right, and I think I might've sprained it."
He smiled, nodding. Instead of me walking ahead beside him, he scooped me up on his back.
"Oh... You don't have to do that,....um, I'm sorry I didn't catch your name?"
He smirked at me, and I grew concerned why.
"Your hurt so you shouldn't walk on it. And I'll tell you mine, if you tell me yours?"
I sighed in defeat and let him carry me. My name seemed to be forgotten for a moment as he looked at me, expectantly.
"I'm Sirena"
He smiled widely. Looking behind to stare at me.
"That's a very lovely name"
I blushed pink. No one, (Mostly because I hadn't seen or talked to anyone for a millennia, other then a few animals who kept my company) had ever complemented my name, and hearing it come from him, for another odd reason, made my face warm.
"Ok, I've told you mine, now tell me yours"
He smiled, and looked at me with a smirk that made my heart flutter again.
"My name's Apollo"
Again, the insufferable beating of my heart began again at just hearing his name.
"That's a very unique name"
He chuckled.
"Not as unique as Sirena..."
My face burned up again, and my confusion strengthened. What is wrong with me? Every time he speaks it's like a warm caress from the wind. Every complement he gives me, my heart speeds up. Why? I'm not used to not understanding something... Weaving someone's destiny is easy, understanding what is happening when I'm around this stallion is more difficult then fighting a hydra! His voice interrupted my thoughts,
"We are almost to the train station. You're actually lucky, I was heading to Canterlot this afternoon after a walk through the forest, but it's seems I'm going early."
He raised an eyebrow in a joking matter. I scowled, but smiled non-the-less.
We got on the train and my giddiness returned. In a few hours I'll be with my sisters again, my home, everyone. I smiled brightly as I fell asleep....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I looked up at the castle, and smiled more then I ever have. I looked down at my hoof, with the bandage snugly wrapped on. The doctor said it shouldn't take too long to heal, only a day or two. I started to look worried as I walked forward, until a hoof touched my shoulder. I turned around to see Apollo looking at me reassuringly.
"I'm sure your long lost family will love you"
I smiled in gratitude. Without thinking, I hugged him tightly. I soon realized what I was doing and quickly let go.
"Um...thank you for your help, Apollo. I really appreciate it.... Goodbye"
He nodded and walked away. I turned back to the castle, and let out a breath as I walked confidently inside. I walked the halls in silence, remembering the memories that were made here. I soon saw the doors to the throne room, and grew worried again. Apollo's words went through my head again.
"I'm sure your long lost family will love you..."
I smiled. I went to the doors for the guards to gape in shock at me. I smiled at them, and they numbly smiled back. Quickly opening the doors, I saw my sisters doing paperwork. Tears shone in my eyes as I looked at how they were so grown up now. Celestia no longer had pink hair, but an aurora borealis look. Other then that, she looked just the same. Luna, however, no longer had her light blue colour hair or coat, it was all replaced with a dark navy coat and starry night wavy hair and tail. I smiled with tears streaming down my face. They soon heard me, and looked up in question. Their mouths gaped, just as everyone else's, and got up in wonder. I smiled at them with pure happiness.
"Sisters....I-I'm home..."
They looked confusingly at me. I understood that my guess what our parents did was true, and I figured out quickly how to get them to realize it was me. I began to sing the song we had all learned as fillies from mother.
"A young colt walked through the forest, with his sister and fellows old, he heard a young mare singing, and followed the sound in the cold,"
Celestia widened her eyes, knowing that no one knew that song except for the royal family. She walked forward a little as I sung the next line.
"There he found the mare, who lives in the willow, he called to her as she listened, from a ring of toadstools red,"
Luna started to come foreward along with her sister, growing more curious.
"Come with me my maiden, come from thy willow bed, she looked at him serenely, and only shook her head"
They both were broken out of the spell when they realized it was me, and ran to finish the verse beside me.
"See me now, a ray of light in the moon dance, see me now, I cannot leave this place, hear me now, a strain of song in the forest, don't ask me, to follow where you lead....."
They cried onto me as I smiled into their fur. They let me go after a while, and looked overjoyed.
"Sirena...... We..... We thought we lost you and.... Everything else is a blur after the night you left"
I sadly looked at them, feeling bad that we had missed so many years together. My smile returned and I tugged my sisters along.
"Why don't I show you something that hasn't been opened in eons?"
They looked confusingly at me, and I sighed in annoyance. It wasn't really anger that I felt towards our parents, more confusion or disappointment. Why cut me completely from their lives by erasing all memory of me ever being there?
"Mother and father took a far too drastic measure with erasing me from your memories...."
I led them down the hallway, looking back at their troubled faces. I came up to a dark hall, with only a dead end that looked cold and lonely. I rolled my eyes at how they disguised my old chambers. They looked as if I'd gone mad. Luna looked concerned at me.
"Mother told us that this place only brought misery and regret...."
I let out a whimper of pain. I walked to the wall and touched it with my hoof. I let a tear drop from my eye as I spoke in barely a whisper.
"Mother.... Father....I'm home..... Let me inside..."
The wall began to crack as I backed away. Slowly, a door appeared from the shadows. I turned to them, with a lump in my throat and them looking at me, worried because of my tears.
"This room only brought misery and regret to our parents, since they left me to my fate..."
I walked into the room, smiling slightly at the memories flowing through my mind. Celestia and Luna walked in, looking around in curiosity and wonderment. The room looked dark and quiet abandoned. Everything was just as I left it. I turned to the one thing I missed for eons, and went to pick up the once prized and treasured object. I turned the key and let it's magic enter my ears and mind. My music box, that played our childhood song and could make my worries fly away in an instant. Celestia and Luna looked around still, searching through the place for answers their minds could not provide. I brought the music box forward and put it on the bed. Mother had given it to me as a present for my 7th birthday, and I never could get enough of the music it contained. It was a simple aqua blue box that was engraved in gold with a picture of our parents on the cover. They looked at it and their eyes seemed to open to their surroundings. They looked around again and Luna said something that made me smile with joy.
"This.... This was where we played.... Other then playing outside, we would always play that one game in here.... What was that game called? Oh yes! "Sisters of Battle"! We used to always try and defeat each other with spells that would only make us laugh! Oh I did enjoy that game so much!"
I smiled at Luna's memory returning, and turned to Celestia. She was looking at my dear piano, lightly tapping the keys. I walked over to her and as she smiled in remembrance.
"You were always the musical one out of all of us.... I remember you sitting here as a filly, pouring your heart into each note.... I remember you trying to teach Luna and I, but we were hopeless at anything musical.... If I remember correctly, you once laughed so hard at us trying to play the song "Some Pony to Love", that you fell right of the bench!"
She gave a chuckle at the memory. I laughed along with Luna. They both looked at me, happiness overtaking their eyes. I gave them both a hug before turning to the door.
"Since your memories of me have returned, I think it's time we talked about things that have happened in the last millennia I was gone. I would like to learn more about this fourth princess I've been hearing about, if that's alright?"
They both laughed and proceeded to the dining room, where we all learned of many things that had happened. But only one thing made me happy, one thought that spoke it all......
"I'm home..."