The Last Scribe of Muse
Rogue Shadow Angel
(Cosmic Star)
Picture by: Anon
This is dedicated to those who read that had or are going through the hell of being different from everyone else and punished for it. Though we may all seem we are 100% flawless, we aren’t. You shouldn’t be ashamed of who you are, flaws and all. It just makes you 20% cooler when you do!
This is for those who helped me along the way thank you for proof reading it for me and encouraging me to actually continue on with this.
This is also dedicated to those who had pushed me through the hard times and continue to support me and what I enjoy doing. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and beyond.
~ Rogue Shadow Angel (Cosmic Star)
On a cold winter night in Canterlot just happened to be the most chilling temperature in centuries, both a young gardener and guard were making their rounds. The young gardener was trying to protect the plants of what little wasn’t already dead by the wind's chill like if the windigos were trying to make a comeback. The guard was making his rounds, locking and checking all the gates before they sent their troops in to keep warm, so no pony would have to freeze to death in the cold while trying to protect the ruler of all Equestria. Still, even in the deafening wind, they heard a cry among the gates from a shadow trying their hardest to get in. Who would in the name of Celestia try to get in the castle at this time of the year, in a storm no less? Those who wanted the princess dead wouldn’t even dare try in this weather; they would be an ice sculpture by morning.
The guard went to check it out in case of some pony being stupid enough to try such a thing. The gardener and guard met up at the gate, looking at each other rather confused and wondering why there was a wailing cry in the middle of the twilight hours of the evening. They both looked at the gates to see an illuminated horn giving out, with a faint sigh.
A wise voice came out of the wind, startling the two ponies as it spoke, “Is everything alright? I came out here myself to see if things were as bad as I’ve heard.”
“Princess Celestia!” The female unicorn addresses the alicorn with surprise.
“Easy Lily Blossom and Sol, I just sensed something amiss in the air and thought I would come personally check it out.” The sun princess said, shivering in the cold wind despite the fact she wore a long coat.
Breaking through the wind once more was the noise of a foal. Celestia pin-points the sound, and the lump in the snow next to it, her eyes filled with tears when she realized what it was.
The unicorn looks over to something snuggled next to her and then up to Princess Celestia, “Please… Don’t… Let… it…en-“
Sol and Lily see what their leader sees and both gasp, witnessing the poor unicorn at deaths door. What could have caused this? More so, why was that unicorn here doing here of all places? Was there something going on and they didn’t know about it?
Princess Celestia quickly picked up the lump, reviling a foal from the deadly snow with her warm magic and levitates it over to the couple. “Take the foal inside the castle as quickly and quietly as you can. Don’t let any pony see it. I will come and see you when I am ready. I have a personal matter to attend to with this…”
Lily Blossom looked at Celestia with a bit of concern about the sudden urgency in the sun Goddess’ voice. Whatever it was, it had to be important to if a royal princess was lying at the castle gates. She was a young mare, but knew better than to stick her nose where it didn’t belong, especially in matters that her husband, Solus, was informed about. The young mare didn’t know much about the world outside of the Canterlot walls but, by the looks of it, she didn’t want to. The pony had a filly of her own and a husband to look out for without having to add more on her plate with her full time job as the lead Gardener.
Once inside, the three and the foal were in Celestia’s private quarters. This was a serious deal; none of them knew what was going on. Celestia, for one, looked really shocked to see one of her own out there laying on the ground. Confirmed ‘dead’ on the scene when they arrived, every pony could see the princess was holding back her tears to put on a brave face for her confused staff. Lily Blossom was glad she still had her only child’s foal items still stored away in case, for Solus and she would need them again. She never thought that they would be used to serve a purpose for a royal baby.
As Lily was preparing the young princess to be warmer, and get the obvious newborn set up with better dressings other than a simple blanket, she sighed, wondering to herself, “Why would a princess, whom no pony even heard of, come to Canterlot of all places? And why come with a newborn that’s only a few days old at best…? It’s just so strange.”
As Lily was getting the fussy foal out of the wet blanket and into something warmer despite the shrieking and wriggling of the little one, she noticed something different.
“Love, you might want to look at this.” Lily looked over to Solus, almost in a hurried tone.
The old Pegasus guard captain looked in shock, almost disbelieving it. “We need to tell the Princess at once.”
“I already know my little ponies; I already know.” Celestia said in a hushed tone, her guard down.
The two looked at their princess with a very confused look, “How… did.” They both said in unison.
The millennia-old mare looked at her two best servants with a stern face. “What I am about to tell you will not leave this room and if it does, it will be a matter of not your lives' stake, but every ponies’ in this empire.”
The two nodded. Sol, knowing that this is serious business since it requires it to be kept secret, stood attentively. Lily meekly nodded, not understanding what she has to do with this exactly. Celestia looked over at the foal that was resting peacefully now, despite being frozen earlier.
“The princess you came across was not dead, at least when you found her. Just in the nick of time, too, for she was at Death’s door. You see, they are from the fallen empire called, Muse. How do I know it’s fallen? If the acting ruler has fled then that means the empire will crumble if it hasn’t already. She risked her life, and her foal’s life, to get here for a chance that her newborn would survive. The Muse Princess was way beyond the point of saving when we got there…”
Sol spoke up, “Permission to speak freely, your highness?”
Princess Celestia nodded. “Granted Sol, what it is?”
“If there was an empire in trouble, why couldn’t we have interjected? I mean we could have saved it before it came to this. The fall of an empire is not good for Equestria, Princess Celestia!” Sol belted out to the point Celestia was sure half of her kingdom could hear her Guard Captain.
Still, Celestia didn’t flinch or raise her voice. She nodded, agreeing with her loyal Captain, “You have very great points, Captain Solus Flare. It’s a shame your actions would come a millennia too late. It might have saved us from this current situation, but it’s probably just my wishful thinking.”
The old war stallion blinked and then sighed. “You tried to help, didn’t you?”
“I lost over hundreds of my sister's and my own guards when she was still here with us, before Nightmare Moon showed up.” Celestia sighed as she got up and walked around the room.
Lily spoke up finally. “Princess, this doesn’t help us with our current problem, the foal. She is like you… I don’t know what we should do with her!”
Celestia looked up to the moon, sighing. “She’s the last line of a royal tradition. The Muse Empire was a proud and creative place once, known for their music and writings. They were mostly composed of poets of olden times, though now they are lost in time. I doubt very few pieces of their work have survived through the few hundred years of lies, torture, and fires. The point is this foal is to remain here… after all it is her mother’s dying wish. I should honor her last wish when her others were burnt in flames.”
Sol sighed; he had heard horror stories through his times of being in war. The old soldier spoke of the horrors with a disturbed tone in his voice, “The stories were the mares were made to do unspeakable things and sold off to whatever pony wanted them for a good price as slaves. Foals, if allowed to live, were put to work often working to death, if not tortured beforehand. The royal family’s guards were killed off one by one until…”
“The prince gave his life to give his one child a chance at a life that neither he, nor his wife, would ever have. The stories are true Sol, they are very true.” The sun princess whispered.
“Before she passed in the gardens, telling me the stories of why she was here, she gave me this…” Celestia pulled out a note with dried blood on it.
Celestia quietly read it out loud to Solus and Lily:
“Dear sweet sisters,
My kingdom has fallen in shambles. I know you could do nothing in the end and I’m sorry for the lives that were taken from you and your subjects in our war so long ago. We lost not only them, but everything. I feel horrible for their loss was only in vain for they fought so hard for what they believed in. I don’t blame you, but now I’m in exile. My new born foal bares no name; I did not have time to give her one. She won’t remember where she was born, the place that is now overrun with the vile that corrupted my peace. He was a high ranking guard in my military long before I came into power a few hundred years ago. No, I don’t want my daughter groomed and primed to retake my throne, the golden age died a long time ago. So this is my empire’s destiny to go down in those flames along with it in a more modern time.
The empire is better off like the Crystal Empire forgotten with time and one of legend in its prime and glory. Some things need to be forgotten and I’m more than willing to do this with my own kingdom. I don’t want the shame on you, Luna, or my special little angel. Yes, I’m sure you noticed by now that she is both born of wing and horn, how I do not even know. A rare birth indeed, I blame it on the pure genetics of my unicorn blood and her father’s Pegasus blood. I think… she was a mistake… but she’s here and I cannot see my little girl grow up… I’m a horrible Mother for this dear sisters… Please don’t shun me for this.
I know she’ll want to know about her past, myself, and her father but please, whatever you do, don’t tell her where it is. It's only fair she knows about her heritage for it will come naturally to her with age but when she is old and mature enough. I don't want her youth ruined by such tragedy as mine once was. I won’t be around much longer; this note is in case I die from my wounds. I’ve lost so much in my life, and... I'm afraid... I cannot go on any longer. I have nothing more to give this world, beyond my daughter. I cannot give her the life I feel she deserves, one I did not have. The wounds are fatal and please, my dear sisters, don’t bother reviving me. You need your magic for your own empire. My time is done here; I have served my purpose whatever that may be in the long term of the world I am now leaving behind.
Please do whatever you can to keep my little one safe from harm. I want her to experience life as I couldn't ever do so while I was alive. As for her title, that is for you to decide what title to give her, but I don’t want her announced to the world before she is mature enough to handle it. I know it will be hard, considering I have a feeling she’d be quite a hand full. She was a real pain in the stomach at times, while I was carrying her. I can only imagine what she’ll be like as she grows older and learns to talk. I’d love to be around to see her grow but… I’m simply too weak to carry on. She is in your care now, Celestia and Luna. My powers were drained keeping her warm against the cold; it was the last thing I could do for her. She is the voice of what I have left behind as silent as she may be. The music she will produce will ring out across for years to come, I just have a feeling. Please keep your promise to give her the melody of the legacy we used to be known for so somehow Muse will live on in some strange way.
I’m sorry it had to come to this, dear sister. I wish it were on better terms; I really do. Please don’t grieve over my husband and me, for we are free now. We will watch over her in the spirit world as much as we can. Please do what you can for her, she is the best thing that ever happened to me besides meeting Harmony.
Goodbye and I hope to see you in the next world provided you ever cross over when and if your time comes.
Forever with you in spirit,
Melodies Charm and Harmony Scribe”
A sob escaped Celestia finally breaking down no longer able to hold her composure. The foal started putting up a fuss and wailed for attention. Lily Blossom levitated the wrapped up bundle and set her next to Celestia. The foal looked up at Celestia and started waving a hoof at her flowing mane babbling at the princess. Lily just giggled at her highness with a soft smile.
“She will be a handful.” Lily spoke up giggling softly.
Celestia looked up silent tears still in her eyes choked out, “It seems so.”
“Princess Celestia,” Lily spoke up and got a brave face on, “if it’s not too much trouble. I wouldn’t mind helping out with the young foal in my off time or when you are busy with your duties.”
Celestia nodded smiling at the idea, “I will have no problems with that, in fact I would love that Lily.”
Sol spoke up by clearing his throat first, “Princess I notice hearing sisters. What did Princess Melodies Charm mean by that if you don’t mind me asking?”
“You mean you don’t know?”
Both of them shook their heads confused.
“Long ago, I had a sister Princess Luna. She was my younger sister and my co-ruler of the land. She ruled the night, and I ruled the day… in the olden days ponies feared the night. They loved the sun and the daylight, my younger sister hated that she was feared. She never got to see what joy her night brought to the ponies when they started noticing her stars. She protected ponies in their dreams from nightmares… until she became one herself. Nightmare Moon was born out of the jealous of my younger sister had for me and the love our subjects love for the daylight. I didn’t see it until I was too late. … It was my doing for her jealousy but I still banished her to the moon for 1000 years. I regret it, but it was to protect the kingdom.” Celestia sighed nuzzling the little foal.
“Basically,” Sol said, “you didn’t tell the foal’s mother about your sister?”
Celestia nodded, “It would break her already dying heart. I also didn’t tell the foal’s mother because she had been through enough, she didn’t need to know that in her last moments. I hope one day Luna will come back to me and her and Music Scribe could relate in some ways.”
“Music… Scribe?” Sol and Lily said in unison.
“Yes, since she’s to be the last princess in a line of the Muse Empire and it’s only fitting to hopefully recreate some of the old hymns of long ago for the modern generations. It’s only fair I give her a name that suited.” Celestia concluded.
Lily looked worried and questioned as nicely as she could, “Princess, what if she doesn’t live up to it? I mean that’s a lot to live up to especially for such a small foal.”
Celestia looked to the moon and smiled a bittersweet smile, “She’ll be whatever she wants no matter what. I just know she’ll be the best at what she’ll do. We can only guide and protect her for so long, until the day she is meant to be shown for who she is. We will do everything we can to succeed in my sister’s wish, that’s an order… but also a request to keep her safe while we still can.”
Both nodded, knowing that this would change their lives forever. They didn’t know how much until much later in Music Scribe’s unique life how greatly affected they would be by her and she would be affected by them.
The small foal let out a yawn with big droopy eyes. Sol’s harden exterior softened as he nuzzles the small foal. Celestia still not sure what to make or think of the new edition to the ‘family’ and Lily looking a bit perplexed about the whole situation.
“Princess,” Lily started asking without even thinking, “Why do you call the foal’s mother your sister; According to my knowledge you only have one biological sister.”
“Simple, we may not be biologically related like my Luna. We are related by a common duty and have to work together closely, so we eventually forge family like bonds. Alicorn society is a lot different than normal pony society is… It’s a bit hard to explain given that there aren’t many out in the open like we are…”
Lily and Solus nod in agreement understanding that things are different with aging and most likely other things. They weren’t sure of what was to happen with the possible attack from an empire with an unknown status of the state of its government, social structure, and who knows what else.
Author's Note
This story has been in the works since 2011 and is constantly changing as i grow as a writer, artist and get to know my characters myself.
