Chapters "Avian, you sure you're alright with taking that out for me? You know how cold it is outside," Scarlette asked, concerned.
"I'm fine , Scar. The art building isn't but 15 or so minutes away, and I know it's worth it for your amazing art," Avian said. She was tasked with the job of taking Scarlette's art piece to the Kolari art contest, of which she herself could not attend because of work.
"Ngh.. I know. I'm sure you'll be fine, but you know me, I gotta worry about every little thing," Scarlette chuckled. Avian nodded, rolling her eyes and smiling.
"Either way, I gotta get going soon. Mr. Iri probably wouldn't enjoy me being late again," She said finally. Avian nodded, picking up the canvas of which she was to deliver to the contest.
"Good luck!" Scarlette called, picking up her light brown saddlebag and trotted her way to the door. Avian waved quietly, until Scarlette was out of the small cottage, and sighed.
"Now I just gotta get through this cold.."
-~*{-}*~-
"Alright, thanks! I have work tomorrow as well, right?" Scarlette asked, standing at the door of the coffee shop of which she worked.
"Yes, you do," Mr. Iri said, nodding. "Please don't miss this time, you've been gone much too long, especially with such little workers at the moment,"
"Yes, I know," Scarlette sighed. "I'll be here. Well, goodnight!" She said finally.
"To you as well." He smiled. Scarlette opened up the door with one hoof, trotting outside and shielding her eyes from the wind and snow. Her eyes set on her small cottage, her eyes tracing and following the hoofsteps in the snow of which Avian had walked.
"I hope she got it there on time," Scarlette mumbled to herself. She pictured the young mare walking in the cold, and shuddered. "I probably didn't win anyway. Some of the ponies in Kolari have some serious talent,"
She walked up to the door, opening it and smiling at the feeling of warmth through her mane and on her fur. She kicked the door closed with one of her hind legs, walking further into the cottage.
"Avian! You home?" Scarlette called, expecting an answer. What surprised her is that there was none.
"Avian! " She called again, but raising her voice a little. Still no response. Her mind was telling her to worry, but her body told her that she was still at the art show, looking at the amazing art.
"Yeah, I shouldn't worry," She told herself, letting out a sigh. "It's just my nature to be worried over silly things like this."
She walked into the kitchen, preparing to make a small dinner for herself while she waited for Avian to arrive. She wasn't the best cook, but whatever she made, Avian would always enjoy. It was never perfect, or anything like their parents' cooking when they were little, but it was always 'fine'.
Scarlette hummed herself a tune, flipping her daisy sandwich in the frying pan before letting it fall back down onto the surface. Once it was toasted to perfection, She grabbed herself a plate, and placed the meal onto it. Scarlette revolted at the crude plate she was using, but with her life, she always had to deal with what she had. Ever since her parents' death, anyway. They were a bit poor, and with Avian just barely not old enough to work, had to live off the minimum wage of the coffee shop she worked at.
'But whatever happens, I guess it always goes back to 'Just live with it,' ' Scarlette thought to herself, sighing as she took a bite of her food.
-~*{-}*~-
The next morning had rolled around, and Avian still hadn't showed herself. Scarlette seemed to have looked around the entire house, trying to find her.
"Oh my Celestia, where could she be.. " Scarlette said to herself, checking every room in seemingly every place. Scarlette looked to the door, and a million thoughts ran through her head. Maybe she was taken? Did something happen at the contest? Did she even make it to the contest? All these ideas were floating around in her head like butterflies trying to escape a condensed space.
"Avian! Please! If this is a joke, it isn't funny anymore!" Scarlette yelled shakily. With one more glance around the house, she decided to explore around outside to see if she could find her, or anyone who knew where she was. She grabbed her hoof-knit scarf, messily putting it around her neck before going out into the seemingly endless snowstorm.
She began to walk the path Avian's hooves had followed, yet they were barely visible since the amount of snowfall last night. Her scarf blew behind her, flying wildly and collecting snow in it's small creases.
"Avian..? Anypony..?" Scarlette called. Now she wasn't just calling for Avian, but somepony to guide her through the snowstorm. It seemingly felt endless, falling and falling, collecting on the ground. It felt like the world was against her, the snow falling just to keep her from where she was going. She knew her way around Kolari, did she not? And if so, why was she so lost?
A few minutes passed, and Scarlette still hadn't found buildings, or, practically anywhere. Just endless, bleak snow. She sighed, laying down in the snow and taking a quiet breath, shaking. She had accepted defeat, and now was just waiting for an escort back to her home.
All of a sudden, hoofsteps rang in Scarlette's ears, the snow crackling under other's hooves. Scarlette looked up, in hopes of finding someone who knew way back her town. Stood in front of her was a tall pony, covered in silver armor with a sword on his back.
"O-Oh, thank Celestia I found somepony," Scarlette said in relief, smiling. "I came out here to find my sister, Avian, and I got lost in all this snow, and..."
He looked down at Scarlette in hesitation, sighing. He looked her the eyes, mouthing, ' I'm sorry,' stepping back. Scarlette was slightly confused, until he suddenly turned around, kicking with one of hind legs, knocking her out cold.
"Grian, I found a new one," A deep voice said. Scarlette was being held tight, in the grasp of chains, a magic aura surrounding her. She couldn't see, but she knew was no longer in the snow, and was now back into warmth of a home.
"Ah, good. Thank you, Jason. I always know I count on you," Another said, presumably the Grian character from before. He had a slight British accent, but Scarlette payed no attention to it. She had other problems on her hooves.
"Also, Jason. please free her from the chains, I hate when you seemingly torture them," Grian said again. Scarlette's mind raced, wondering what he meant by the comment. Wasn't the whole point of capturing her tormenting her?
The chains were loosened around her, and the blindfold taken off. Scarlette blinked her eyes open, looking around. It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the bright lights, but she immediately noticed the stone walls, red carpet, and large, golden throne. It was laced with purple swirls, and a golden crown was carved into the top. It seemed so formal- this was nothing like her mind imagined it being.
All or a sudden, a pony walked up to her. Scarlette narrowed her eyes, not recognizing the pony before her.
"Hello, my name is Grian. Yours?" He asked, holding a hoof out to help her off the ground. She got up, looking at the pony. She knew she recognized him, but from where she didn't know.
"S-Scarlette. W-Where are we..?" She muttered. Grian looked at her, his blue eyes burning into her.
"Where we are is no matter to us right now. The real problem is if you know this pony or not."
"Wh... AVIAN!"
-~*{-}*~-
On the other side of the room, Avian stood, shaking. Scarlette gasped, mouth agape. She was here as well?
Avian looked over at Scarlette, smiling. "S-Scarlette! It's felt like so long I last saw you.." She said quietly. Scarlette nodded, looking around.
"Wh-where are we? And what happened to get you here?" Scarlette asked.
"Uh.. I was walking a-along the snow, when-" Avian started, but was stopped by the guard.
"Quiet! The king must choose one." He said, his scratchy voice making Scarlette shake in fear.
"Jason, please.." Grian said again. While he sounded like he was conveying emotion with his words, his face told otherwise, as he was a blank slate. He cleared his throat, looking over at her and Avian.
"One of you ponies must stay in this castle for the rest your lives. The reasoning will be conveyed to you later. I'm sorry for this." He said finally.
"F-F-For the rest of our lives..? A-Avian isn't old enough to go on her own! She needs me! " Scarlette yelled. Grian looked at the ground, obviously regretting his decision take them in.
"I'm sorry. I can't do anything about it. Avian, I-" Grian started, but was stopped.
"N-No! I-I volunteer myself, don't take Avian! " Scarlette shrieked. Grian looked over, and Avian ran over, surprised.
"S-S-Scar! N-No! " Avian yelled. Grian just sighed.
"Scarlette, will you take Avian's place..?" Grian asked. Scarlette nodded.
"N-NO! " Avian cried. Scarlette cringed at sight of it all, but she couldn't let him take her, no matter what.
"Then it's settled. Jason!" Grian said, stamping his hoof on the ground. Jason trotted over to Avian, grabbing her.
"You got real lucky there, kid," Jason muttered, but Avian didn't listen.
"P-Please! I'll do anything! Anything, I swear! Scarlette! " Avian yelled. No response was given, as Scarlette was shocked by the extreme abundance of information given to her, that she was stuck in her place. Seemingly instantly, Avian was dragged out of the room, screaming and crying.
"A-Avian.."
-~*{-}*~-
A couple minutes passed, and Scarlette already felt like an empty shell rather then a pony. Her soul was shattered, Avian had meant everything to her.
And they had to take it away.
"S-Scarlette..? Hello..?" A voice said from in front of her. She glanced up, expecting to see Grian, or even Jason, but this was a pony she had never seen.
"W-What's your problem.." Scarlette muttered. She did not feel in the mood for conservation at the time.
"H-Hello. M-My name's Clouded Sky, b-but some people just call me Sky.. a-and.." He tried to say. He must have seen the terrible condition she was in.
"Ah.. a-Alright.. Please, just let me leave this place and let me go back with Avian, I'd do anything.." Scarlette said. Her voice was a bit hoarse from all the screaming she had done not long beforehand.
"Oh.. I-I'm not here to talk about that.. I- uh.. just wanted to.. talk. Show you around the castle," Sky said. Scarlette took a hoofstep closer in wonder.
"Show me around the castle..? This is a castle?" She asked. Sky nodded. "Y-Yeah. Y-You might of heard of it.." He started. "W-Welcome to.. Solun. The Solun Kingdom."
"Solun.. Solun.." Scarlette repeated. She knew she had heard the name before, but where, she didn't know.
"Uh.. I think you'll know after I show you the library. F-Follow me!" Sky said. Scarlette seemed hesitant, but went along anyway as she basically had no choice.
Sky led her up a staircase, until he reached a room with four hallways connecting it, counting the one they were in. Scarlette examined them, noticing that each was labeled with a different direction, the hallway they exited from labeled 'South'. Sky motioned toward the East hall, shaking his head.
"We're all forbid from going down the East wing, and that includes you, Scarlette," He said. Scarlette tried to peek around and look at it's contents, but Sky pulled her back.
"..It's because the prince stays down there. That's his room. The only ones allowed are himself and Jason, since that's his guard." He said finally.
"Jason.. is that the pony that brought me here..?" Scarlette asked. Sky nodded. Scarlette thought about this fact, nodding and continuing along her path.
"The South wing is where we came from, and that's where the throne and dining hall are. The North hall has the essentials, like the library and medical room, and the West hall is all the rooms. We persuaded Grian to let you stay in the same type of rooms we stay in, so yours is down there as well," Sky said. He began trotting down the North hall, and Scarlette followed close behind.
"And.. Here's the library," Sky said finally. Scarlette walked in, examining the room. Once she finally got a look around, she stepped back. The library was enormous!
"A-Are all the rooms like this..?!" She asked in shock. Sky thought for a moment, then nodded. Scarlette obtained a large smile on her face, running to the closest bookshelf and scanning through them. Sky laughed quietly, walking down another hall of books, the glare in his eye showing that he was looking for something. Scarlette took no mind of it, her eyes darting back to the bookshelf.
All of a sudden, a book had caught her eye. It was labeled as 'Sakura and The Thunderbird Stone,' and was printed in a font that seemed almost like writing over typing. She grabbed it off the shelf, smiling as she walked over to check it out. She placed it on the table, looking at the pony before her. He had a very distinct feature; two dark brown stripes on his ears. Scarlette turned her head in confusion, but he turned around, jumping in surprise.
"Oh, hello!" He said, smiling, but she could still tell from his rapid breathing that he was still a bit frightened from the shock she had given him. He grabbed a scanner, opening the book with his magic and checking it out for her. He handed it back, smiling.
"T-There you go! That's a really good series, and if you want to get into it, we have the rest.." He said. Scarlette nodded.
"I would assume so, It looks like you have almost every book in pony history here!" Scarlette said. The pony laughed, waving a goodbye. Scarlette waved back, heading back into the isle that Sky entered. She found him, as he was searching through a specific section of books. All or a sudden, he smiled, flying up and grabbing a small book.
Sky laughed. "Here it is!" He flew back down, the book in his hooves. Scarlette picked it up, reading the cover. Once she read it, though, she was frozen in place.
By reading the cover, now she knew why she was here. She knew where she was, who Grian was, and almost everything leading up to this point. The book's cover had read..
'The Legend of Solun.'
'In Kolari, there are many mysteries ponykind cannot explain. They all seem so surreal, so unrealistic, yet so true. Solun can be described as one of these great mysteries.
Once upon a time, in the deepest snow, the kingdom of Solun will reveal itself. Only to those who know it and it's secrets may enter, others rejected. Grian, a pony prince, and the current owner of the kingdom, hides a secret many ponies cannot explain.
He is half changeling.
The story begins thusly- a pony with the name of Grian was set to become the next ruler over the large pony kingdom. An evil townspony that goes by the name of Akvo, wishes also to be crowned royalty. She tries to fight Grian, but ultimately loses. However, this isn't the end of Akvo. Far from it.
Akvo proceeded to cast a spell on Grian, causing him to be turned into a changeling, a secret only his closest friends and family knew.
The only way for Grian to be turned back was to find somepony who loved him truly, even with the knowledge of him being a changeling. Without it, he shall live forever in pain, watching his friends and family die around him, waiting for someone to find him.
And so he waits. '
The story was once again burned in Scarlette's mind. It's a story everypony knew from school, and was an everlasting legend in the mind of ponies.
And she was living it.
"W.. how.. t-this has to be fake! I know it!" Scarlette snapped. Sky backed off, the book dropping on the ground with a loud 'thud'. Sky shook his head, trying to come up with a response, until the pony from before walked over to them again.
"Uh.. sorry to interrupt, but.. this is very much real. You're living the legend of Solun," He said, picking up the book with his magic and placing it back onto it's high spot on the shelf.
"S-So.. I'm just a pawn..?! A pawn for you guys to try to take me to that changeling, and try to get me to fall in love so you guys won't have to deal with the pain of living anymore..?! Fine! If that's all I'm good for, legend or not, I'll walk out of that door and you'll never see me again!" Scarlette yelled. The pony tried to get closer, but Sky blocked him.
"S-Seto.. let her get over it on her own," He said, dropping his hoof back to his side. Scarlette was fuming, but refused to speak again. The next few moments of silence were short-lived, as another pony walked into the room unknowing of what had happened beforehand.
"What's going on here..? I thought I heard something," A pony said, Scarlette didn't turn to look, but the others took a quick peek at the pony.
"Grian! Thank Celestia you're here," Sky said with a sigh of relief. Scarlette turned, seeing the tall pony walk up to her.
"..Scarlette. I'm sorry I'm keeping you captive here, but it is what must be done. You can't just get up and leave! If you could, I would've had you out of here hours ago," He said. Even still, somehow through all of this, he had never shown any signs of emotion. Was it because he was half changeling?
"C-Changelings don't have love.. they feed on it..! ..You don't want me out of here, you want me to.." Scarlette tried to say through her anger. Grian once again stopped her.
"..Please, Scar," He said, but was immediately cut off by her.
"N-No! Avian is the only one that can call me Scar, I swear, I'll-" She started, but Sky grabbed her and put a hoof over her mouth.
"Hehe.. look at the time..! We better head off to bed, right..? Can't wait to see that new room, can you..? Let's get going..!" He said hurriedly, stuttering a fake laugh. Grian just sighed, turning back to the library and grabbing a book off of the shelf with his magic. Scarlette tried to argue, but felt it was unnecessary.
The two ponies walked down the slightly quiet hall, their hoofsteps echoing on the marbled tiles of the castle. Once they reached the West Hall, they walked down to a room, unlabeled, unlike the others with gold-plated nameplates on the center of each.
"..Here we go. H-Head right off to bed, don't go into the East Hall.. and be ready for breakfast in the morning. 9:00 sharp.. a-as the cooks say. Goodnight..!" He said, shuffling farther down the hall, to a room labeled 'Clouded Sky', and entered it. Scarlette sighed, entering her room.
The tiredness she felt suddenly vanished, overridden by shock and surprise. This bedroom was nothing like she had ever seen- king-sized bed, a personal bathroom and shower, marble floors, everything a pony could want.
She began searching the whole way through the room, gasping at each room and enjoying the detail in every aspect of it. It seemed like a dream- or a fairy tale. The bed was overwhelmingly comfortable- Nothing like the run-down bunk bed from when they were fillies that Avian and her used to use.
Upon closer inspection, Scarlette found a few notes posted around her room in various locations. She went up to one near the towels, reading the small handwriting cautiously.
'Towels are restocked every day, so they'll always be there when you need them.
-Grian'
Scarlette just groaned, crumbling the note into a ball and chucking it into the trash bin. Other notes were placed about, but Scarlette needn't read them, as the premise was already pointed out from the object it was placed by. She sat down on her bed, sinking into the mattress and sighing happily.
All of a sudden, she remembered that she was still wearing her scarf, a scarf her mother made her when she was younger. She stripped out of her neck, noticing how tattered and weak it was. She just sighed, placing it on her nightstand and laying down in the bed.
"That was my favorite, too.." She muttered, turning off her side lamp and closing her eyes, letting sleep overtake her.
Author's Note
Finally, I finished this chapter! Also, any constructive criticism would be nice, I'm not sure if I've led this story in a bad direction or not. Thanks!
