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Taken In

by Speedy Quill

Chapter 12: A Lack Of Information

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A Lack Of Information

I had underestimated the amount of books in Celestia’s library. And I had also not foreseen how many of these books would be in Old Ponish. I’d had to go to the main library and find whatever books I could that taught the language. That venture only made me doubt my ability when I found out how big the main library was. How was I ever going to get through all of these?!
After spending four hours learning a new language, I had continued my way through the stacks.
All in all, it took eight days to finish the private library. I had learned the entire, detailed history of Equestria. And quite a bit of magic theory. If only I had still had a horn. I would have loved to test some of the magic I’d read about. There some real doozies in these old pages.
I walked out of the library and sighed.

“One down.”

I walked along the corridor, admiring the art, architecture, and tapestries. I realized that I recognized many pieces from my reading. The design of the castle was reminiscent of early Equestria. It made sense that it would be that old since the princesses had ruled for so long. There were several paintings by the renowned Brush Stroke. These pieces were priceless now! And the tapestries! The fact they had survived this long was a miracle. These were from the First Age, before Celestia and Luna had come to power.
I continued down the corridor, pausing regularly to test my knowledge. I was on fire! But as I continued, I began to notice a common theme; Celestia and Luna. Not as the subjects of the pieces, but as a reminder that they had been alive during the creation of many, if not most, of these beautiful works. I stopped walking and thought long and hard. My reading had told me about their rise to power and their rule since then, but nothing of their past, or of their status as alicorns. In fact...there was not a lot of information on alicorns to begin with..
This troubled me. I felt like I should know more about the species if I was to be helping them more often. But there had been next to no info in the library.

At least..the private library.

Of course! Maybe what I was looking for was in the main library! I would begin my research immediately!

’Gurgle’

Right after lunch..

___________________________


I had eaten extra so I would make sure to have the necessary energy for my new task. I approached the library entrance and took in the sight again. So many books! There was easily ten times as many books as there were in Celestia’s collection. Now I just had to start shifting through the knowledge. I found the beginning of the alphabet and picked up the first book. I cracked it open and flipped through the pages. A few minutes later I set it back on the shelf and picked up the next book. I could feel my brain starting to process the information. Because alicorns were the only thing on my mind, it decided to speed the process up so that I could find what I wanted to know faster. I found myself beginning to read faster. And faster. Soon I was flipping pages faster than I thought I could read them. On investigation however, my brain could easily recall what had been on the page. My talent was improving!
The sound of books sliding on and off the shelf filled my ears. I was reading beyond any level that I thought had been possible for myself! Whatever bit of changeling left in me that was helping, I willed it to go faster! I was reading books in less than a minute! I finally reached a point where even my brain finally put its limit. I sped through the As. Then the Bs. Cs, Ds, Es, and all the way to the Ks! I was halfway through that letter when I felt a hoof touch my shoulder. I jumped. I’d completely forgotten I was in a public place. Of course there were other ponies.
I turned around to find Celestia standing over me.

“Are you okay Shade?”

“Of course! Is there a problem?”

“The staff here saw you several hours ago. And they noticed you haven’t moved much since, besides a few feet further down the shelves. They said you were...being rough with the books?”

“Preposterous! I’m very careful. You know I love books!”

“I know. I figured it was a misunderstanding. I thought I’d check on you all the same.”

She looked up and down the shelves.

“Where did you start?”

“A. Where else?”

“I thought you had said that it would take you a lot longer to get through this library.”

“I know! My talent is really kicking into gear now!”

“I’m glad to hear it. But why don’t you take a break and come to dinner? Butter Whisk said he was excited to hear what you thought of his choice of entree.”

Dinner. Had it been so long already?

“Oh. Yes. I guess I should eat. Thank you for coming to get me. I might have stayed here all night otherwise.”

“I’m sure you would have.”

She led the way back to the castle. I couldn’t help but talk a mile a minute. I described some of what I’d learned so far. She smiled the whole time. I think she was more amused with me than anything. I was acting like a filly who just got their cutie mark!
We reached the dining room and I beamed at the selection before us. A delicious mixture of fruits, vegetables, and apple desserts! My stomach began making noises and I dug in. Luna joined us a few minutes later and we ate in silence for a while. Celestia finally spoke.

“Shade? Did I hear you correctly earlier that you’re keeping an eye open for information regarding alicorns?”

“Did I? I guess I must have on our way here. Yes. I was hoping to better understand your kind so that I could be of help if the need arose.”

Luna chimed in.

“Alicorns are a difficult subject. We do not take study of us lightly. Only Twilight and Starswirl have ever delved into the topic. And Twilight doesn’t count now.”

“Yes I know. I'm really not interested in any secrets, I just was hoping to learn about your biology. Alicorns live for so long, and their magic deposits accumulate so much more than the average unicorn. And only one was ever born as an alicorn! You’re an interesting species.”

Celestia smiled.

“I’m glad you’re so curious in your search for knowledge. But Luna does have a point. There are some things that we prefer not to share. By all means, explore the biology all you want. That information is readily available upon your request. And I suppose a small amount of alicorn magic theory wouldn’t hurt. But please be warned against the knowledge pertaining to our immortality. It’s not that we mean to hide anything, but I can assume that means you’d want to know about our past. From before we ruled Equestria.”

“You...hit it right on the nail actually. I was looking at some of the art in the castle and realized you two would have been alive during the time periods. I was just curious.”

“Curiosity is not a crime Shade. We understand that knowledge is precious to you. But some things..Celestia and I prefer not to discuss. Unless we wish to.”

“So...maybe one day?”

Celestia’s smile grew soft.

“Perhaps. But know this. Whatever we tell you will be between the three of us. Cadance, Twilight, and Flurry Heart are too young to have garnered the type of knowledge we may share.”

“I completely understand. I don’t wish to hold anything over you. I just want to be able to help you the best possible way I can.”

“I appreciate that Shade.”

“As do I. If we are finished, I have the night to attend to.”

I bowed my head to Luna as she left. I turned back to Celestia.

“You’ve been alive a long time haven’t you?”

“Longer than I care to admit.”

“And you weren’t always an alicorn?”

“Luna and I were once unicorns. Long ago.”

“Thank you for telling me that much. I won’t pester you again.”

I stood up and began to walk towards my room.

“Shade.”

I paused and turned back to the princess. She looked thoughtful. I waited for her to speak. It took her a moment.

“The alicorn race is one only briefly mentioned in books. Even Starswirl didn’t make many notes on us. I’m afraid you’re thirst for knowledge may go unquenched for a while.”

I was a little crestfallen. She and Luna had made sure that not much could be known about them. It was a smart strategy. No known documentation, no known weaknesses or embarrassments. But to have kept from having any written record after so many centuries? How was that even possible?

“I...suppose I can slow down my reading then..”

“I don’t mean to upset you. I just didn’t want you to get to the end and have found nothing.”

“There’s really nothing?”

“Mentions here and there. There used to be more, but I had to do a thorough search after a student of mine had tried to use some information against me. Everything that was deemed too dangerous was put away. And before you ask where, it’s somewhere only Luna and I can access. It pertains to alicorn ascension.”

“You mean how Twilight transformed?”

“Yes. It’s the spells necessary for the change. A powerful magic that cannot be known to any but an alicorn. Do you understand?”

“Of course. If you believe that it is of no use to me, then I shall respect your choice to keep it from me.”

“Thank you.”

That should have been it. I should have left. But during my reading I had found something interesting that had peaked my curiosity..

“May I ask one final question?”

“Yes?”

“What was your name?”

She looked confused. I didn’t change my expression. I was completely serious.

“What do you mean Shade?”

The two sisters brought together the Elements of Harmony. Every pony in Equestria proclaimed them their rulers. One sister took charge of the sun, the other the moon. They were called Celestia and Luna, Princesses of Equestria forevermore.”

She stared at me in shock.

“You memorized that passage today?”

“I memorized the whole book. Hundreds of books in fact.”

“But how could you-“

“An honest guess at first. But I found two similar passages describing your rise to power. Three different authors. All describing you as sisters. And then naming you after you became rulers. It was still a theory until you reacted like that.”

We sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. She stared at me the whole time. What was she thinking?
After five solid minutes, I couldn’t take the silence.

“I’m sorry to have upset you. Goodnight.”

I returned to my room. She didn’t try to stop me.
I collapsed into bed without another thought. My head was still swimming with all the knowledge I had learned today.

________________________


A knock woke me from a wonderful dream. Great. It was probably a guard.

“Who is it?”

Wow. I sounded grumpy.

The door opened and Celestia stepped inside. I went to stand and she motioned for me to stay. She approached the bed and sat at my feet.

“For nearly 1200 years nopony besides Starswirl has ever known that secret. And that’s only because he’s the one that originally discovered Luna and I. Ever since Starswirl gave us those names, we’ve used them. Sometimes I forget that I was a different pony before all of this.”

“Not even an alicorn.”

“No. Luna and I became alicorns because Starswirl deemed that Equestria needed the best of all ponies. He created the spells for the ascension. We hadn’t even gotten our cutie marks yet, but we were given new lives. Up until then, we were just ordinary unicorns. From an oridianry village in the Unicorn Kingdom.”

“Starswirl knew that Equestria needed leaders. And he chose you two.”

“I suppose we had an innocence about us that he thought would make us incorruptible.”

“I’ve read how that went.”

“You are the first to ever make the connection. One that I thought was well buried. Not even Twilight ever took history writings so literally. You’re comprehension is both impressive and terrifying.”

“I’m sorry. You’ve lost sleep over this. You should go to bed. I’ll forget about it.”

“No you won’t.”

“No. I suppose I won’t. But I won’t speak of it again.”

“Thank you Shade.”

She stood and walked to the door. Before she opened it, she turned to me. A tear was rolling down her cheek.

“I haven’t thought of my name in so long..”

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t-“

“Cloud Mist.”

It was a whisper. Her tear fell to the floor as I tried to register what I’d just heard.

“What?”

Celestia quickly opened the door and left. I was left alone, the silence deafening as what she’d said hung in the air.

Next Chapter: A Lot To Process Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 2 Minutes
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