//------------------------------// // The New Apprentice // Story: The Lost Legends of Equestria: Star Swirl the Bearded // by Silver Inkwell //------------------------------// The apprentice arrived five minutes late, typical of a new first year. “Sorry that I am late sir,” the boy said rushing in, “I-,” “I don’t care for any excuses that you may have for me, THERE ARE NO EXCUSES IN MAGIC OR SCIENCE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?” “Yes, sir,” he said nervously, “My name is Stardust Shine.” “Do you know what time it is, Mr. Shine?” “Uh five after the hour?” “Is that a question or an answer?” “An answer?” Star Swirl looked at him with a deep angry cold cruel glare. “An answer,” he said more resolutely. “And do you know what time you should have arrived at?” “On the hour? I mean, on the hour.” “Yes, and therefore you are late, I don’t like late students, do you want to know why?” “Yes, sir?” “A late student is a sloppy student, a sloppy student is not fit or worthy of my mentorship and teaching, so now then, can you please tell me what you will do in the future in order to prevent this from happening again in the future?” “Make sure that I take time to have time?” “Yes, that would work, now then pull out your journal and supplies, which I hope that you have for a wizard and student must always have them ready.” “Yes, I do sir,” he said pulling out his journal and supplies ready to learn and write. “Good then,” he said looking more closely at his student to see that he was completely black, but his hair was golden yellow, but his eyes were the only things not black and they were silver and that his cutie mark was a simple silver star, “Write this down for your first lesson and moral: Always be on time.” He did so and then Star Swirl looked at it and said, “Don’t expect every lesson or moral to be so easy, I want you to learn on your own without my help, and every week I shall take your journal away to examine what if any entries that you have and what they say and mean and I hope to not be disappointed by them or you, now then before we go any further can you answer me a few simple questions that I have made to test your knowledge and intelligence?” “Yes sir!” Stardust said. “I’m glad to see that you have your manners at least, write that down as another lesson or moral. Now then, can you please tell me what the difference between a gem and crystal is exactly?” “One has power or magic contained within it, the other does not.” “Very good then, now then, can you tell me why order and chaos are the same thing?” he said. “I honestly don’t know the answer to that, sir.” “At least you are honest, the reason that they are the same is because order is just a word and idea for contained chaos that you can ‘control’. But the idea of control and power and order and chaos and knowledge are all illusions just like coincidence and chance and luck. Sometime things may appear that way or seem like one thing or way or another, but in reality they are different. Do you understand what I am saying here?” “Yes sir,” he said writing it down. “Good boy, you’re learning, but do you have any questions for me before we go any further with our lessons?” “Yes sir, why is there an empty chair in this room?” Star Swirl turned to the chair where Pearl once had sat in. “Did Celestia not tell you about that night or the accident?” “No sir, she just said that something happened to you that made you this way, that made you sad and angry and caused you lots of pain and sorrow and despair because you lost some pony very dear and close to your heart.” Star Swirl sighed very heavily and deeply and then sat down, “Her name was Pearl, and let me tell me of my tale up to this point…” “…And that’s my story,” he said finishing up. “Wow, that’s a lot,” Stardust said, “If I had known I wouldn’t have asked, but then again I wouldn’t need to ask, you know what? Forget that I said that.” Star Swirl for one ever since he had lost Pearl, well he smiled. “Do not worry my apprentice, I trip over my words too, now on with the lessons,” and with that said he continued to teach his new apprentice. Stardust did quite well and advanced very fast in his lessons soon surpassing his expectations and made Star Swirl proud and even could make him laugh and smile, but only for a moment before his cold cruel hard nature returned once more again. “Will you ever smile and laugh again sir?” Stardust asked one day. “Not unless she returns to me, and I told you to call me Comet, there’s no need to treat me like your superior when we are becoming very god and close friends, besides, I call you by nicknames all the time, Mr. Star.” And with that said they both smiled and laughed and soon Stardust finished his learning and left to become his own wizard, one of the night and darkness and shadows and dreams, and Star Swirl even gave him the gift of immortality too when he asked for it, but he did try to warn him. “Are you sure you want this?” he said, “It has its cost you know.” “My family is dead and I have no friends except you, I am very sure.” And with that said he drank it and became immortal. And they remained very good and close friends ever since then.