Many do not know or even do not remember the very first ponies. I'm talking about the G1, the very first generation. Now the phrase "My little pony" is often accompanied by the words "friendship is magic" or a lively discussion of the phenomenon of "brony." But then there were the 80s. My little pony was a simple "girl toys" that could win the hearts of millions of kids. I was among them, but I was already a few decades late. I remember that I bought a DVD then (it was 2009). The cartoon was created in 1981, but stayed afloat for 6 years, ended in 1987. Yes, there were many sweet and pink scenes for girls in it, but the cartoon could also boast with a large number of monsters that the pony fought with. Many heroines were simplified and had almost the same character. Only a few had some peculiarities. Among them was Wind Whistler. Of all the ponies, this heroine was the most sensible, so it seemed that she was older than the others. There were a lot of characters, but it was she who got more screen time. Until now, Wind Whistler is the most beloved hero for me.
Running into her sister had been the best thing that'd happened to Lyra all day. Her heart had felt crushed and emotions had been in turmoil ever since she had seen Spike with those gems. She is glad that she had family around to help her out even when it was accidental.
Minuette had been right, of course. She usually was. Ever since they were fillies, Minuette had been the calmer of the two. Which was surprising given how excitable she could get with her friends. Even the wildest of personalities can have their serious sides she figured though.
It was silly of her to think that a simple little gem would be enough to get Blacklin's attention. What was he going to do with them? Same with flowers. Roseluck was his alpha, he could get all the flowers he ever wanted from her! No, she needed to go bigger with the jewels.
She needed to get something that would hit on a personal note for him. A jewel or item or something from his homeland that really would drive home just how much he meant to her. An item that couldn't be refuted.
The question that was left then was "what?" What could possibly be found that would do that? Well, the only place she'd find that answer was the library of course. She just hoped that it was Twilight who would be in. While she had nothing against Wind Whistler, she truly didn't want to deal with that annoying know-it-all other mare.
She runs as fast as she can towards the library, heart feeling lighter than it had. A solid plan, or at least something like it, and the will to go through with it does a lot to get the body moving and mind focused. She was a musician, dammit. When something fell out of synch, you don't panic! You focus, find the beat again and adjust. Flow with the rhythm and slide into place once more.
Thoughts run through her mind as the possibilities flood her consciousness. Ancient relics of his family, unfound gems of great power, fancy jeweled wing decorations! Something. Anything! As long as it showed her dedication, that's what was important, right? He'd love it and release what the mistake he made was then!
She comes to a screeching halt in front of the library, nearly passing it by in the process. Not even giving pause to fully adjust herself fully, she bursts into the building.
"TWILIGHT! WHERE ARE YOU?! I NEED YOUR HELP WITH SOMETHING!"
Her breath comes in harsh pants as she looks around frantically. There was no sign of the purple unicorn anywhere. Again.
"Twi? For the love of Celestia, where are you?"
She takes a few steps forward and looks around once more.
"Twilight isn't here at the moment." The cultured and smooth female voice catches Lyra off guard and she stumbles back a few steps. A quick glance reveals a familiar light blue pegasus with pink mane and tail coming down the stairs.
"She's currently out on a date and asked not to be disturbed at all," the pegasus continues. "And please stop yelling. Bright Eyes and Scootaloo are downstairs studying currently, Miss Heartstrings."
"Oh, Wind Whistler, heh, sorry," Lyra feels her cheeks grow hot in embarrassment. So Twilight wasn't there. Wonderful. The one time she really needed her help and the stuffy unicorn goes off on a-
"Wait, did you say date?" She asks, cutting her own thoughts off. "Who is she-" No, there was no time. Twilight's love life wasn't important, her own was!
"Never mind," she says with a wave of her hoof. There were more important things to discuss. "Okay, she's not here. Fine. Maybe you can help me then."
Whistler's head tilts slightly to the side and she blinks slowly. No response, as if silently encouraging the unicorn to continue. Something Lyra was more than willing to do.
"Do you know of any kind of special gems or anything gem-related things from the Griffon Kingdom," she asks. "Like relationship related things."
Whistler raises a brow at the unicorn's request.
"Okay, sounds odd, I know," Lyra admits. "I have a reason for it though! Honest! Just, don't want to go into details right now. Too long. Just, do you know of anything like that?"
Sounded odd indeed and she knew it. The unicorn mare can only hoped that Wind Whistler didn't press farther. She really didn't want to try and explain that it was for Blacklin and detail about what just happened.
The silence that followed her comment causes Lyra to begin pacing in place. Was the question truly so out of place? No, just something that required a lot of thought. Yeah, that was it. Whistler just needed some time to go over all the options, that's it. It made sense, really. Even Twilight would be hard pressed to recall anything that had to deal with the Griffon Kingdom. The only ones who would really know were the ones she couldn't go to.
Whistler remains silent as she walks over to a shelf. With a practiced eye, she scans over the exposed book spines before finally stopping on a worn looking tome. Ever so gingerly, she uses her wings to take it down and carry it over to the center table. She then motions for Lyra to join her.
The unicorn mare blinks before nodding slowly and does so, joining Whistler as the pegasus opens the book. She flips through a few pages before placing her hoof on it, pointing out an image. It was a sight to make Lyra's eyes grow wide.
Perfection wasn't the word she would use, but it was certainly close. The book depicted a statue of a gryphon made of gold embracing a unicorn made of silver. Both were encrusted with topaz, amethyst and sapphires. The gryphon's eyes made of emerald and the unicorn's made of ruby.
"It's called The Divine Lovers," Whistler says. "According to legend, it was created as a gift to the first governor of Shetlearn nearly a thousand years ago. It's said to bring it's owner prosperity and true love."
She shrugs and gives Lyra a wry smile. "Of course, that's just simple legend. I doubt it even exists or if it does, is nothing like this."
Lyra couldn't take her eyes off the image. It was exactly what she had been looking for. Though something about the location made her tilt her head a bit in confusion.
"It's supposed to be in Shetlearn?" She asks. "Why does that sound familiar?"
Whistler laughs and shakes her head. "Because that's where Blacklin ended up when he ran away for that month," she says. "Though, this would be the original Shetlearn. So I doubt you would be able to go there and find it in some open store."
Lyra tapped her chin in thought. If that is where Blacklin had gone, then that meant the train would travel there as well. She remembered that he had returned to Canterlot first by train before coming back home. If that was the case. . .Yes! She had even more to go on now.
"That's perfect!" She gives Whistler a tight hug, grinning widely. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Wind Whistler, you have been a big help! I gotta pack!"
She bolts out of the library before the pegasus can reply. Her mind already going over what she would need for the trip. Two weeks at most. That was all she could afford. Of course she'd let certain ponies know about leaving. Unlike Blacklin, she wasn't going to be completely impulsive. Minuette and Bon Bon deserved to know without question.
She gave a light hop as she headed back towards her home, determination and giddiness running equal through her veins. A plan and the will to go through with it. Even if it resulted in nothing, she had to try. It was too much not to!
