Of Libraries, and Random Encounters. [20monkeys] [Dead]

[Grimoire]

The Canterlot archives was possibly Faded Memorie's single favorite place in Canterlot. A singular space dedicated to nothing but knowledge, documentation, and information. From history, to the insignificant, random, facts about many aspects of life and the times. Today was an off day, Faded had no classes to teach today, and his students would be out and about doing whatever it was they did on days off, making friends, having fun, foalish games. The same things he himself had once done as a young colt. He was however no longer a young colt, but a grown stallion with his age beginning to show in the fading colors of his mane. It didn't bother him however, he considered the greying of his mane more badge of wisdom. Having lived a good long life so far, and hopefully, a good long life to come.

Right now however these simple things we're not on his mind. He was just here for some reading, he referred to it as a 'little light reading' but he wasn't too sure on what exactly he wanted to read. So at the moment, he had four books splayed open, each with his characteristic deep blue aura of magic holding them each open and aloft before him. His eyes glancing across the pages of each of them, almost as if reading them all simultaneously. He wasn't of course, but he was reading parts of each in turn. Going back and fourth between them, one of these books would be more interesting than the others and he would eventually stick with that one.

Right now however he had yet to pick one, but he had narrowed it down to just three of the four, the second in line snapped shut with a clap of pages, and floated off seating itself back in place on the shelf. With that he began to trot away from that shelf towards the large tables in the back of the vast library that comprised this segment of the Archives. He read as he walked, shuffling the books out of his way occasionally to make sure he wasn't going to run into anything before reburying his muzzle into the books.

[20monkies]

Raven Feather couldn't remember the last time she had made a trip to Canterlot. It was one of her most least visited areas of Equestria. Still, she could not deny the fact it held many ancient artifacts and history that helped mold the future of this world. It was also the capital, where Princess Celestia lived and ruled alongside Princess Luna. Every pony seemed to at least appreciate the fact they had a wonderful ruler and leader to look up to.

She was vulnerable, though. As much as she hated to admit it - she needed to come to Canterlot and seek out it's resources. She didn't enjoy walking through the city streets and seeing stuck-up unicorns and ponies gossiping the latest trends and fashions, their own vision of 'chic' and 'desirable'.

She was a silver pegasus wearing a black hood that covered mostly her entire body, shielding the saddlebags she carried and embroidered at the hemline with silver and red thread in feather motifs. Raven had a glossy jet black tail trailing on the ground behind her, and a mane that swept across half of her face with icy blue eyes that appeared chilling and mysterious to onlookers. Perhaps she even looked intimidating and out of place. A little black cat padded alongside her, and meowed up at her owner.

Raven looked down at her cat and smiled more warmly than her appearance made it look, stopping in her tracks.

"I know it has been a long journey for you," she spoke, "but we had to come here. You and I both know that it's whats best. Besides, where else can we find information about my mother?" The cat seemed to bob her head in agreement and Raven Feather turned to look at the facade of the Canterlot archives.

"Well, at least we're here. Lets make the most of our time, then." Red hooves clopping against the marble stone interior, she looked around at her surrounding. The place was heavily guarded from the public, only trusted students and ponies were allowed entrance. Raven had been here once upon reference of another, and was easily granted access into the archives.

Pushing down her hood, letting her hair cascade down and over her shoulders, she shook her head and gestured her cat to stay close.

"Just don't go on wandering and getting lost. This place is magnificent, and huge." It was true - a vast resource of information easily accessible to any pony that wanted to find anything.

Music. She needed to find the section that contained articles or information on music.

Moving silently through the library, she kept her eyes peeled and followed the signs that indicated each section by number and a brief description. What she didn't realize was the stallion that was buried muzzle deep inside his books.

Raven was just about to turn and say something to her cat, when she meowed out and she was bumping head first into the unicorn.

She groaned just a little bit, rubbing her head tenderly.

"Oh, please forgive me. I am so sorry, I was not looking where I was going. I was too distracted."

[Grimoire]

It happened rather abruptly, at least for the acorn brown stallion. He had lowered the books out of his view to make sure there was nothing in his path, and raised them back in place. Returning to his reading, he had just read an interesting line that read, 'When war is declared, the first casualty is truth.' A fitting statement, one that tended to ring true. No matter where or when, as war breaks out it breaks everything around it. Both sides will have their reasons of course but victors tend to write history.

The impact wasn't exactly great, or enough to knock over the large Unicorn, however none the less the ordeal startled him from the concentration required to read, walk, and levitate multiple items at once. It also left him blind, the world around him cut off into darkness. His eyes were shut and the small round lensed glasses that usually perched on his muzzle lay on the floor a few feet away, the clop of two books rang out the otherwise quite place of study. And probably the most worrying of things was the fact that the center book that he had had his muzzle so thoroughly buried in at the moment of impact had become impaled through its spine on his horn.

"Buh... what..." an elegant start, as he attempted to make sense of the situation.

"Oh, that's no good... no good at all.." The usually bright sound of his trottingham accent came out rather dejectedly.

The sapphire glow of his aura sparked into life from his horn and then slowly enveloped the book stuck to said horn. With a gentle tug and a slight sound of paper tearing just ever so much more the book came free. His vision blurry from the lack of his glasses he blinked a few times and frowned, the world was now back in view and he could now see the gape in the book where his horn had previously been. Through the hole he could see a silver pony, rubbing her head with a red hoof.

She apologized, and he smiled, though a bit sheepishly.

"Oh, dear, I am sorry as well, it's my fault. I've been too busy, busying myself with these books, I really should take better care of where I am going."

He began looking around a bit, his eyes slightly squinted as he searched for his glasses, not really daring to move his hooves, for fear of stepping on them.

"Ahh blast it all, where did they go...." He muttered to himself.

A well known problem for those with poorer sight. When you can't see without your glasses, its hard to see where they are when you didn't specifically put them there.

[20monkies]

Thankfully the impact was nothing serious to both mare and stallion. But the same could not be said about the book Faded was reading.
The clattering of metal and glass, followed by the thuds of heavy weight books led Raven Feather to look down at the ground and then back up. After having massaged out the slight bump forming on her forehead, she noticed a book lodged in the stallions horn. She would have giggled or laughed at such a sight if she weren't concerned about the incident at first hand.

"Are you alright?" She asked, as the other used his magical aura to remove the book from his horn. "I really am sorry about that. Here, let me help you." Raven Feather bent down to assist in picking up the couple of books that had fallen by their hooves, and noticed the pair of glasses.

Gently, she lifted them up, dusted the glasses gently with her cape and held it out for the other, smiling.

"I believe these are yours." Her words gentle and warm. "Would you like me to take these books for you anywhere in particular?" For that moment, Raven seemed to have forgotten her own purpose here now instead helping out this stallion. She still felt a little silly that she hadn't been aware, as alert as she normally kept herself everywhere she went. The least she could do was help him out.

"I don't mind at all, really." Glancing at the title of the book, she had to do a double take and blink back up at him. "Fascinating."

[Grimoire]

It took Faded a moment to notice the glasses she was offering to him, but when he did his eyes brightened up nicely. He smiled and cleared his throat just a little.

"Thank you, I'm fine. I didn't hurt you in the crash did I? I seem to have a habit of running into people lately." A sad but true realization. He was more concerned with her well being anyway, his hearty build made him awfully resilient to such happenings.

Plucking the glasses neatly from her offered hoof with his magic, and levitating them carefully over an onto the bridge of his muzzle he enjoyed the moment of the whole world coming back into focus. Everything sharpened and what was before the vague resemblance of a pony before him was now a clear image of silver and black.

"Thank you. I can nary see a thing without them... Whole world turns to fuzzy blobs." He folded the damaged book, and pointed a hoof off towards the back tables. Where at the moment nopony else was sitting.

"I was headed back there to sit down... and well, avoid doing exactly what I just did..." Scratching the back of his neck lightly he chuckled a little halfheartedly. With that he would take a few steps in the motioned direction. "I've been trying to pick a book to read, and have been narrowing it down. I started with about twelve. I'm down to three now."

"I'm Faded Memory, a teacher at the academy, you are?"

He turned to look back at her smiling as he did while making a relatively vain attempt and smoothing down the ruffled fur of his chest.

[20monkies]

Tracing a hoof across the faux-leather bound cover of the book she was admiring, examining the detailed stitching along it's spine, Raven Feather was lost in deep fascination. She did not know why the stallion was reading material about war, or whatever it was that he was considering as a research or leisurely activity, but she knew a beautifully bound book when she saw one.

His voice snapped her attention back to reality, where the stallion had finally placed his glasses upon his muzzle and was equally thanking her for the helping hoof.

"It is no trouble at all, really." She felt around her head and smiled warmly. "I'm fine. No damage done." Crystal blue eyes followed his gesture towards the table where he was heading to.

Ah. She just past there without realizing it herself. The archives had many old scrolls and books and shelves upon shelves spilling with information to those who were granted the highest entrance to view them.

"Started with twelve? I'm surprised it isn't the entire library itself." she laughed softly, without realizing she was. It was a rare sight, when she laughed or anything of the sort. "I suppose your choice has been narrowed to two, considering that one has been... damaged." Her cat, Black, clambered onto her back and meowed into her ear, which twitched from the whiskers tickling her skin.

"Faded Memory. It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Raven Feather. Not a teacher at the academy." She responded, unsure of how to place herself in terms of reasoning for her being here.

She hesitated a little, only to turn and carry the books to a table, gently laying the two out on the surface, spread equally between two seats. Raven stared for a moment at the books as the cat jumped onto one of the books, nudging at the covers with her muzzle.

"I did not realize how lost one could get in this labyrinth. I was in hopes of searching for information, but am unsure of where to start." She thought, since he was a teacher, he must know, right? A little more nervously, she tucked up her hood around her face, tendrils of hair trickling down to shade her.

[Grimoire]

"Well, actually I just narrowed it down to one." He smirked, rubbing his hoof over the damaged spine.

The book was damaged, but not beyond hope, his horn had pierced through the binding. And mussed up some pages, but it was not a lost cause, at least not to somepony familiar with books, binding, and the like. It would take a little time and a few materials, but he was sure he could fix it.

"The pleasure is all mine." He nudged the damaged book further into the center of the table, and took the remaining two into his magic grasp. "I should put these back, lest in my clumsy hooves anything should happen to them as well." He smirked a little, only the tinge of a blush crossed his features for the briefest of moments before it faded and all was normal again.

He smiled at her descriptor of the archives, it truly was a labyrinthinian library of sorts, without at least some knowledge of it's structure, it could be somewhat daunting to find anything. Unfortunately, even if you knew approximately where you needed to be, it could truly take some time to find exactly what you were after. If only for the sheer volume, of volumes of information.

"Well..." He nodded for her to follow as he set out to shelve his two books. "I can probably help, if you tell me what we're looking for. At least narrow down the search to a few rows, or even a single set of shelves." As he spoke he walked passing a one of the ceiling high shelves, then doubling back and peeking his head into it to read the title of a book, almost tempted to grab it before shaking his head and continuing on to the next shelf where he replaced on of the books.

"So. What do you need to find?" he raised a brow and adjusted his glasses to better see, they were a little looser fitting on his muzzle since the impact and would need to be readjusted.

[[sorry sorry sorry for the delay, but.. convention of awesomeness]]

[20monkies]

Raven Feather watched with a curious gaze as the other used his magic to levitate the books and proceed to gesture her down the aisle. Further into the labyrinth of scrolls and books. She hesitated just for a moment, realizing she had spoken a little too much, too frankly, so soon with the other. But what else could she do? There was no other pony around, and this was the only pony around. He seemed familiar with the archives, at least, if he knew where he picked up his books from and where to return them.

“Of course.” She commented, smiling a little as she followed Faded Memory. “Is it fixable?” She asked, unsure if he would be able to read through the pages that were mussed and slightly damaged. Her heart had sunk just a little, feeling badly for the book itself. There were near ancient texts here in the archives, and just the thought of one being destroyed – because it was slightly her own fault too – was a little devastating.

As the other peeked his head into one of the shelves, she thought about his offer. How much information was she willing to relay to him, without revealing too much? She was a bit secretive, if not, quiet often times unless she knew a pony well. And mares were more comforting to be around than stallions. Especially when a stallion was a unicorn, such as Faded.

Looking from side to side, she gazed at the titled lined up and down the hall. So much information. Could she find what she needed? At least a hint of something? Anything?

“Music.” She replied, looking at the other with a more serious expression. “Instruments, or musicians. Even a list of craftsponies. I’m sure there is an archive, somewhere, or a consensus.” She wondered, gazing off to the top of the high shelf.

[Grimoire]

"The book? Yea, book bindings aren't too hard to fix. The puncture was pretty clean too." He tapped his horn lightly as he turned down an isle to shelve the final book, turning back to her as it slid into place. The soft glow of his horn would fade as the book settled into its home.

"Not the first time I've got my horn stuck in a good book." He chuckled a little. "Useful thing, but gets in the way sometimes."

"Music?" he paused a moment thinking as she continued speaking. "Well, books on individual instruments and combinations of such, would be..." He looked around a bit trying to remember. "In the same place ass..." He continued looking. "Well they would be that way." He pointed off in what seemed to just be a random direction. "As for craftsponies, those references would be in with other vocational materials."

Sitting back on his haunches one forehoof across his chest, the other tapping his chin. The action only lasted a few moments before he would drop back down into all fours and take a few steps. "If your looking for somepony who is at least recognized for their craft with musical instruments, there are a few references I can think of this way."

He motioned her to follow. "There broken down between types of instrument, so that might help narrow your search a bit. If you have a name specifically that your looking for, the index cabinet in the musical arts section might help as well." Faded gave a confident smile as he looked back at her. "Music is such a fun thing, shame I never really had a talent for it."

[20monkies]

Thankfully, the book wasn't damaged beyond repair. She would have been heartbroken if it was. There was always a way to fix things, and she assumed he could do it with his magical abilities - being a unicorn made everything much more convenient.

As Faded told her of the direction they needed to go in, Raven Feather tucked up her hood tightly around her face and nodded her head. Listening to his thought process, and running through the list of subjects she had just presented him with. At least he knew, or figured, what she might want to be searching for.

She could make it a bit easier for the other, and pausing for a moment, she smiled.

"I'm sorry I have made it difficult for you. I'm just not sure where exactly to start looking. I've searched other libraries but many have nothing much in terms of history, or craftsponies." She followed after him as they started to walk in the direction. Hoping, with all her heart, that they were going the right way.

"Flutes." She mentioned, stopping in her tracks. Her eyes dimmed, seriousness washing over her expression. "Wooden flutes." Her face disappeared under her cloak, a saddlebag hiding beneath, flap opened as she dug through before pulling something out.

It was an intricately carved wooden flute, with floral designs winding around the length of the piece.

"Specifically, the pony who made this." Maybe it was a long shot, throwing this information out to the other. Perhaps too much, too suddenly.

"I would understand if you don't have the time. If you are busy. If you just show me where to look, I am sure I can do the rest of my work without disturbing you." She wasn't being rude or mean, not in any way. She just didn't want to get in the way of another from doing what they needed to do. Her cheeks blushed, holding the flute close to her chest.

[Grimoire]

"Well, the archives here have a whole libraries worth on just such topics... well depending on the size of the library. Trottingham's Library might be bigger than the section, but I've never took the time to actually count all the books."

They continued onwards down the long hall of rows of shelves of stacks of books. As she narrowed down his search by mentioning a specific type of instrument, the flute, and even more specifically, flutes made of wood. As he looked back to her smiling about to say something more she produced one such instrument. Now Faded was not a musician himself, had learned to play a little violin during his youth, but nothing more than simple things foals learn to play while testing the many waters that lead to ones cutie mark.

The particular flute she produced was magnificent and well taken care of that much he at least could tell. He smiled and gave a nod.

"Ah, so that should narrow it down to about 2 books to start with. Unique pieces of craftsponyship tend to have a marking somewhere on the body. We could likely find the maker via their mark by matching it with documented marks." His warm smile widened as he picked up his pace a little, with a more specific target in mind.

It wasn't long before they arrived in the section he was bringing her, the shelves lined with everything from the history of classical music to even newer works detailing the subtleties of modern bass heavy musics. He walked by all of those titles down to the end and standing high on his hind legs reached out with his magic to unshelf two books. each was about a hoofs width in thickness and one of them had a various amount of instruments adorning its cover, the other had a detailed Flute on it turned to show its underside and a mark carefully branded into its wood.

Each of the books was meant to identify the marks left by established craftsponies and the locations they often left their marks, and what those marks often were. As well as similar marks left on instruments that were sadly nothing more than a plagiarized piece of work.

"Here we are."

As he fell back to all four hooves once more he held the two books aloft for her to see. "These will be a wonderful starting place to identify the craftspony. And from there, we can glean more information from other books once we know who we are looking for."

[20monkies]

The archives were indeed very grand on the scale of things, and having this vast variety of knowledge just sitting, ready to be absorbed… well, Raven Feather was always doing her best at gaining more knowledge. Be it through reading, or actually diving head first into the experience.

Indeed, her flute had been well taken care of. It was an heirloom, a piece of her own history and she wanted to keep it preserved to the best of her ability. Thankfully, even playing the instrument every now and then helped keep it in check. If she neglected it, Raven was sure that it would begin to disintegrate without the love and attention she currently gave it. After all, most of these instruments were made with magic and a little magic was always hidden within the engravings of the wood.

"Markings, hm? That would make sense... " She pondered this as she followed after Faded, almost to a quick trot. The echo of the clip-clop of their hooves and their voices seemed the only sounds in the archives. It gave her a bit of an eerie feeling. As if some pony was perhaps watching from the depths of the shadows…

She stopped, inspecting her instrument. She had never exactly thought there could be a marking anywhere on the flute. It was a good place to start, and maybe from there she could continue her lead.

"I never saw any unusual indicators on my flute... perhaps it is hidden somewhere within the design itself..."

Two books, holdout by the other, could be the beginning to her answer.

Raven couldn't help but hesitate momentarily, gazing with some sort of fear at the books. She hoped there was something there, anything. Even a hint of who made the instrument.

What was worse, though? She might as well face her fears and rid of them, to calm her nerves. She might just have to start all over if there was nothing, but thankfully this stallion had helped her thus far.

"I appreciate it. I have already taken so much time from you." She took a hold of the books and stared at the titles. The Equestrian Guide to Woodwind Instruments, and Wooden Flutepony Makers. A hint of a promise somewhere between the pages of these thick books.

Letting out a long held breath, Raven placed her flute atop the books and peered up at Faded from beneath her sweeping bangs.

"I suppose we should go back to the reading area?" As much as she would have loved to sit here in the aisle and research, unburdening herself of her saddlebags and taking the time necessary to read was required. "I'm sure with a little time and patience, I shall be able to uncover the information I seek." She turned around and, looking over her shoulder to see if the stallion was coming back, began to head in the same direction they had come from.

"I wonder where that cat has gone to…" she muttered, sighing at Black's disappearing act.

[Grimoire]

He trotted along after her, pleased with the help he was able to offer. Music was a fine thing, and as so far as her little flue was concerned those books were the best bet he could think of as to find the craftspony responsible for its creation. "Hmm well, it is a place of research, perhaps your feline friend wanted to look up something on... mouse traps?"

Aside from the small quip, the rest of their walk was conducted in relative silence. The reading area was now in sight, and laying out on the table where i was left, was the poor impaled book. This was now a task he could see to completion. Mending books was simple, and he happened to have a knack for it. Something he learned young, before he really appreciated books, back when he was still- well no time for a flashback.

"I hope those books help, if not, I'd also note that I am sure someone at the conservatory might be of assistance. Musical types and all that." He smiled and sat himself down with his task before him.

His horn alighted and lifted the book, closing it and turning it, inspecting the damage. It was a rather clean hole. The Most of the damage was done to the binding holding it together. That would have to be replaced, or at least would normally have to. He hummed to himself a quiet little melody, the name of witch he had forgotten long ago, as he worked his magic over the book, pulling some spare leather from his bags, adjusting his glasses he continued the work. Disassembling the book, and meding the cover and binding, using the spare leather much like a catalyst in its repair, the tear in the binding closed slowly, and as it did the title on its spine became legible once more. All that was left was reattaching it to the rest of the book, reapplying the glue, and letting it set. Unfortunately, that would mean he would have to let the book itself set, and delay him from being able to read it. As he did all this of course, he would occasionally give a glance in Raven's Direction, curiously.

[20monkies]

A soft laugh escaped her. Cats researching mouse traps? That was a first! If only her cat had such basic instincts, Raven sometimes wondered how intelligent her cat actually was. Often questioning her abilities when something new presented itself from the cat's actions.

Regardless, at least she had information that could help her garner further details on the flute. And possibly who made it… to lead her in the right direction. Maybe the pony who made it had her answers. It was a long trail from here, but she could clearly picture the steps forward towards it.

"I do hope so, as well. In all of Equestria, I am placing my hope in these. The value of this to me, you may never know…"

As the two ponies reached the reading area, Raven settled herself more comfortably and opened the Equestrian Guide to the first page. It was a thick volume, nearly double in size to the Flutepony Makers edition, but at least it would give her a better idea of what she was looking for.

She placed the flute by it's side and examined it closely. There was nothing unusual about it - neither on the surface nor inside of it. Still, she could be missing a big piece of the puzzle that was prominent right there under her muzzle. Raven began to read through the pages, her attention focussed upon the words.

For a moment, she gazed up and watched Faded mending the binding of the book. It was curious to see, and every so often, their gazes would lock and Raven would dive right back into her own research. She kept pushing her hair back with her hoof, over her ear, and mumbling things to herself. She didn't stay too long on any particular page, since it was mostly a lot of information about the list of different type of instruments made of wood.

She skimmed ahead, making sure to catch a glimpse of the words before she finally landed on the section titled "Flutes". Extensive history and lore was written about the flute's creation and the different methods of creating it over the years. Even the variety of styles of flutes, and how many were now currently in existence. Raven wasn't sure which type of flute she could categorize her own as, since it was a mix of old and new with it's own unique twist to it. It was an instrument that only a pegasus could play with their wings to cover the holes, as long as the flexibility was allowed there.

Raven sat back after a while, taking a short break while shifting her crystal-like gaze towards Faded Memory.

"Well, I have not yet found anything in this book. There are many sections, perhaps one will be helpful to me. If you do not mind me asking, what is that book you mended about?" It was a nice change from what she had been reading the past while, perhaps some 30 minutes since she was lost in her own book.

The Archives had a strangely eerie silence to it, the soft sounds of shuffling in the distance of perhaps another pony looking for information.