As I sat at the cake's bakery enjoy a small snack, I could not help but wonder why it seems I am getting more attention the normal. As I watch a young Pony walk up to me and smile at me, I was utterly confused about what the child wanted. "I want to thank you for what you did, Mister Onyx."
"And what did I do, young man?" I asked in genuine confusion.
"The toys you put up for sale in the toy store are some of the best that anyone has ever seen," he explained quickly, "and they are less expensive than anything else on the market."
I was surprised that it got out that I was the one selling the grandmaster and heirloom toys. "There is no need to thank me, young man, it is something I do to work through my frustration."
He nodded his head before replying, "It does not matter that you do it to work through your frustration it means the world to us in Ponyville."
I nodded my head and replied, "Then you are welcome young man, and I wish you a wonderful day."
I slowly walked up to the cakes and smiled at them while paying them what I needed to pay for the food. I slowly made my way around ponyville before sighing in thought, 'Time to start my next project.'
I slowly start planning out the 3-piece rune suit as I had taken to calling the surprising bland name of rune suit before quickly realizing that three pieces will not work. I need a total of five-pieces of a suit, two for your arms, one for your chest, and another two for your legs. 'Ponies do not wear shoes.'
I started heading towards my house. While planning out the pieces, I quickly decided what I would need to make a dual armband and armor for the arms, a muscle tank top, and too tight pants with leg armor. I was surprised to see Pinkie standing in front of my house but also not too surprised. I had offered a room in my house because I knew she was staying with the cakes; I think misses cake was a cousin or something to Pinkie.
"Hey Pinkie," I said calmly and looked at me with a big smile. I looked her up and down before wondering something, "What are you doing here?"
"I was wondering if your offer was still open," Pinkie asked me with a slight smile. "The cakes are attempting for a kid."
I blinked in surprise before nodding my head I slowly joked, "that does seem like something you do not want to be around, well my house is your house. I should let you know, though, I sometimes forget to wear clothes."
---Pinkie Pie POV---
Onyx told a joke a dirty joke, but now the image will not leave my head. I can not help but picture him walking around without any clothes. "So, what are you working on, Onyx."
He smiled as he carried my bags for me. "I am going to be competing in the next generation of magical armor competition. I am not the only one working on this."
I was confused. "What do you mean?"
"The next generation of magical armor is a big contract that comes every ten years, the least expensive while still being the strongest always gets picked." He explained slowly, "It does not matter if there is a cheaper one if it is weaker even by one percent, the top 3 get placed in front of the princess herself."
I was kind of in awe "this seems like it is imperative. Why am I just now hearing about this?"
"Because only those in the magical forge community know about it, I don't expect to win this one for one reason. My rune language is not complete." He explained calmly before snorting, "I say that, but there is no true completed rune language."
"Wait, if there are no true completed rune languages, why is your so different," I asked him softly.
"Because every time I say complete, I mean the first level, my language has not even completed the first level of runic language." He said in a kind of annoyed tone of voice. "Runemasters are those who can raise a language a single level."
I was curious why he chose to make his own language than "Then why did you make your own?"
"My language is currently the strongest Rune language in existence, but the power in it makes it so unstable. It is fighting me every step of the way to get it to level 1," He said, sounding angry with himself. "And that is why I will not win; my rune language is still in its unstable stage. You remember what I said about making volumes of books."
"Yeah, you told me that they were super important to your work," I said as we walked around the house while carrying my bags.
"When the volumes are complete, I will be allowed to make a play for the most important title to us rune masters, Rune Lord." With slight awe in his voice, he said, "Rune Lords are those who have given birth to a rune language. There has never been a Rune Lord that made it past professional, though."
I was confused because this sounded like something that was heirloom class right off the bat. "Why?"
"Rune Lord get their Grades by the strength of the language they give birth to." He explained with a sad tone of voice before grabbing a pen and writing out six sentences that even I could tell were extremely weak with Magic. "These are the six rune languages without any improvements; this is what they were like at level 1."
I was shocked because I can feel torrents of energy falling off of Onyx Rune creations. "They are so weak."
I was surprised when I heard him burst into laughter. "These are the six main Rune languages of Equestria Pinkie."
I watched him draw the same sentences, but this time they were giving off a masterful level of energy. "These are what the rune master's of Equestria have carefully raised the level's of for over 700 years, and these six languages have protected Equestria from her enemies for a long time."
I was surprised at how vital these six runic languages were and how weak they started at. "How long did it take to reach the current level."
"To get these six languages to level 7 took exactly 700 years most other rune languages have been abandoned. So that Equestria would have these six languages get stronger." He explained, extremely saddened, "There has not been a new rune language in over 200 years. No new rune lords have been born for over 200 years."
I was shocked that a position that all rune masters held as the highest they could reach was left unoccupied. From the way, Onyx is talking, and it sounds like the Rune Masters of Equestria have thrown away their pride as artisans to protect the land. "I want to remind them on why we are rune makers, the takers of magic or as some unicorns call us, the breakers of magic."
"Magic does not want to be in a rune because when it is in a rune, it is trapped. It can not run free like it wants to," he explained in a somber tone. "We chain it down with our rules and make it follow them. Like a wild animal, we tame it and break its spirit."
I could not help but be saddened when Onyx explained it like that. "How are rune masters accepted in public."
"The general community of unicorns that do not study why we do what we do, well, they hate us on a level that is quite high." He explained with a tone that said he was accepting of their hate and scorn. "We will be the monsters that create the weapons of Equestria. As long as the Princess herself accepts us, we will take any scorn that we must."
For a split second, I saw an army of Ponies in different kinds of robes, all while they are hammering, tailoring, and forging weapons that will protect Equestria from her enemies. In contrast, the various Unicorns and other ponies called them monsters. "We will continue as we have for over 2000 years, Pinkie because that is the only thing we can truly do."
"We will protect Equestria from anything that would threaten its destruction. We will give the warriors of our lands the best armor and weapons they could want. They will want for nothing," he said with a strange tone of voice, and I could feel Magic in his voice. "Because it is the only thing we cursed Ponies can do."
"Runemaster do not truly consider themselves cursed, right Onyx?" I asked in a hopeful tone of voice before seeing it in his eyes, and I could feel it for a split second an entire branch of pony kind that has given up hope of ever being accepted into the very society they protect.
"There are always six magical armors that make it to the end, one for each rune language. even if I do not win, I want to show them that there is still hope in making a better language," Onyx spoke in a somber tone. "That there is still hope of more rune lords being born, to show them the way forward."
As he said this final line, he stood up, leaving me all alone. "Later, Pinkie, I have to get to work on the magic armor."
As I watched him walk away, I could not help it as I burst into tears. I slowly mumbled to myself, "Who can live like that, just accepting the scorn of an entire society."
I slowly wiped my tears and felt something click in my head, "I need to talk to Rarity about this, he has to be wrong."
---time skip 25 minutes carousel boutique---
"…and that is everything Onyx said Rarity. I mean, there is no way that could be true, right?" I asked her in the hope for her to tell me it is not true that, from where I am standing that our weapon makers and armorsmiths are considered trash by the public.
"Sorry, Pinkie, but Onyx did not lie to you whatsoever." Rarity smiled at me sadly. "The Rune Smiths are currently seen as the cursed Unicorns of unicorn society."
"Why are they seen this way, Rarity?" I asked for an explanation that would make sense.
"you know harmony magic that we love as ponies of Equestria," she explained slowly. "It does not like to be in a physical form."
"I know this is what we are taught from grade school," I answered, confused.
"Runes are Magic given a physical form, darling. They are the Magic that we love so much that hates being constrained. Runemasters tie it down and force it to be this one thing. Instead of heading back to ether, they trap it and make it move the way they want by force," Rarity explained in a saddened tone of voice.
"Is there nothing I can do, Rarity? When he talks about it, he looks almost sad but not it is like he has accepted that it has to be this way?" I asked with something close to pleading in tone. With everything I am being told, I am just getting in a worse mood every second.
"keep being there for him, darling," she said with a bright smile "when he hangs out with you, the small things fall away, and he gives this smile that I know means he is happy."
"I don't understand?" I ask in confusion.
"He likes being in your presence, and he enjoys spending time with you. You banish the darkness in his heart, dear." Rarity informs me, "For a runemaster, just being by his side is a good thing. The fact you did not run when you learned what is the dirtiest secret about unicorn kind is a good thing."
I looked at Rarity confused, until it clicked in my head before my face exploded in a blush.
---POV Solar dusk---
That went well. At least miss Pinkie accepted it before the shadow let out an annoyed hiss. 'Runemasters our greatest protectors and at the same time something most unicorns would spit on.'
The shadow hit a tree in anger 'why… can't the normal unicorns accept them.'
He tore a bite out of his jerky in anger… 'not even my jerky taste good.'
---POV Ethereal realm---
Harmony sighed as she listened in on the baby alicorns words before rushing off and checking on the runemasters around Equestria. She watches every one of them slowly worked a magic that is so scorned by a society that it is considered taboo to talk about in public.
She slowly touched each weapon that she passed by, giving them a tiny little kick. 'Just for tonight. Young rune master's just for tonight I will give you a boost of inspiration.'
She felt discords eyes on her before moving to the chess board 'what was that about harmony'
'Some of my best weapon makers. I gave them a small gift just for tonight, of course,' she smirked before letting out a sigh 'it is the least I owe them.'
'Rune makers' discord let out a low sigh. 'It is not your fault what happened to them.'
'But it is discord I want to be free to experience harmony with everything, and with runes, for a split second, I lose sight of everything. I can only focus on that single thing. I let that leak out to the regular unicorns.' Harmony spoke in a saddened tone of voice.