Time, that force which moves inexorably forward. I have spent my entire life attempting to solve this mystery of the nature of time, yet I have found that even now, I am no more knowledgable than I was when I was a young apprentice. It remains ever elusive, out of ones control. For those who attempt to study time will discover that time can be a cruel mistress, showing you things that can be, yet at the same time you can never achieve.
Starswirl the Bearded gazed down at his writing, finding it inadequate, as he did with many things lately. He sat crookedly upon his desk, peering through a thick pair of glasses and scratched the long white beard he had become famous for. Of to his right, a single candle which had melted all the way down to the hilt was the only source of light in the dark study, a rather fitting metaphor for the stage of his life he had reached. Of course, all knew Starswirl the Bearded as the Greatest Unicorn Mage in all the history of Pony-kind, the prophet, the Bearer of Wisdom, all knowing, infallible and a full host of titles and praises which in these late years now seemed increasingly hollow. He’d like to be able to say that he had lived his life trying to do good in this world, to ensure that those who followed, like his dear pupil Clover the Clever, and the new rulers of Equestria, Celestia and Luna, and that they would bring order and prosperity to all ponies. Yet the world did not need him anymore, they moved on with their lives, and thus Starswirl spent his days within his manor. His only visitors were young unicorns wanting to hear the odd quote of wisdom from the Great Starswirl the Bearded.
Yet for all the wisdom and knowledge that Starswirl had attained over the years, his heart still ached; it had ached while he was receiving all the accolades from the rulers of Unicornia, it ached whenever Clover praised his wisdom and ached all the while when the ponies celebrated the founding of Equestria. It ached for his friends, who’d he’d come to love, and was never able to duplicate in his time. Yet most of all, his heart ached for the one who had lit the fire in his belly and driven him to stop being a troubled, arrogant show-pony and actually do something worthwhile with all his immense magical talent, the one who had shown him the power of friendship and love and harmony. Yet for the sake of order, for the sake of maintaining the proper flow of time, Starswirl the Bearded had remained behind to guide pony-kind into creating a harmonious society. He had done so for his friends, who were yet to be born but at the same time he missed with all his heart and all his soul.
Trembling, Starswirl the Bearded wearily made his way to his rocking chair by the fireplace, and summoned over a dusty old photo album, which he had kept with him all these years, and one that he refused any-pony else other than himself to gaze at. There was a practical reason for this, as cameras and photographs did not yet exist in this period of time, but also that allowing any others to view these photographs would disrupt the order of time itself.
Letting out an agonizing sigh, Starswirl opened the first page, and that first photograph brought out a weary smile. There stood a young, strong and endearingly foolish unicorn stallion with a dark clue coat and an icy blue mane, with that distinctive cap and cape billowing behind his back, raised up on his back legs with his front hooves fully extended outwards as he amazed the captive audience with his magnificent tricks and flashy spells.
“Come all ye ponies… Bear witness to the awe-inspiring magic of the Great and Magnificent Starswirl Lulamoon…” Starswirl sighed fondly. That feeble effort to recapture his former self for even that brief moment led to a short episode of coughing. Indeed, while the Lulamoon herd lived on through his sister’s descendants, the pony that was once known as Starswirl Lulamoon was long dead, replaced by the stoic, wise but distant Starswirl the Bearded, and facing the physical end of his days as well.
With a heavy heart, he turned the page. There was yet another photograph, and once again Starswirl the Bearded gazed at his more carefree, mischievous younger self, and why was he that way? Why, because he was posing with his closest friends!! They’d shared all the good times and the bad, gotten into trouble but always pulled each other up. Yet because of the nature of time, because of its indomitable will to ensure the proper order of things, Starswirl would never see them again. Worse, he would never be able to find out whether they got married, sired foals of their own and lived out their lives. Thus no matter how many admirers and well-wishes he received, there was nobody that he had ever been able to entrust as a friend. It just wasn’t the same anymore…
Starswirl wondered why he kept doing this to himself, especially in his old age where these photographs from the future further and further receded into his past. Yet he couldn’t stop periodically viewing these photographs from time to time, to remind himself of what once was, and if not for the tyrannical order of time, what could have been.
With a trembling hoof, he turned the page again, to view the last photograph. There, Starswirl Lulamoon in his Gala outfit stood proudly and perhaps a little bit smugly next to a beautiful mare, the one who he had come to adore more than all the others and had left the most glaring hole in his heart of all.
Oh by Celestia, how it simultaneously felt wonderful but oh so painful to see that photo of that young, gorgeous mare whom was yet to be born, but was so engrained in Starswirl the Bearded’s past. How they had danced and danced and danced that night at the Gala… However, the two great magicians had come from different times, and in order to preserve the course of history Starswirl could not stay in this wonderful future, and thus Starswirl remained, wiser from the experience, but also heart-broken. Yet these photographs represented a frozen moment of time, where the two of them would be forever young, and the pain of loneliness was yet to strike that young blue unicorn. Over these many years, it had been tempting to abandon his duty as Starswirl the Bearded and attempt to bend the fabric of space and time itself so that he could be back with her. Yet every time he had to remind himself; it was not to be, it was never meant to be. How Starswirl wished he could go back to that day, yet wisdom had ultimately won over his heart. Starswirl the Bearded had to show the way, and ensure that the Equestria that he had fought to protect as Starswirl Lulamoon, would come to be. So, he had taken that crushing burden upon his heart, and for so many, many years he had performed his duties.
Yet as the years went by, the pain would never go away… The pain of his love, his other half, trapped in the recesses of time. For many years, he had hoped for a miracle, but now he realized it was truly never meant to be, except perhaps in heaven where the alicorns flew. At the same time, however, he would never have to think about them growing old and frail as he had, for within these pictures they were forever young, full of optimism with their whole lives in front of them.
Starswirl the Bearded turned the page again, and read over the first line of this great adventure that he had never shown, and due to the strict order of time, could never show to anypony else.
"Many...many years from now..." he read out with a soft, but still clear voice, "In the Magical Land of Equestria....
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"There lived a little pony named Twilight Sparkle. She was gifted in the art of magic, so gifted in fact, that the ruler of the land, Princess Celestia, took her on as her personal apprentice..."
"Twilight devoted herself diligently to her studies, excelling in all that she tried, and as the years went by she grew into a beautiful young unicorn, and the Princess could not have been prouder. Yet the Princess noticed that despite all her star pupil's progress, she still possessed a deep hole in her heart, and this need to fill that hole grew more and more urgent as the forces of darkness approached.
Thus, Princess Celestia sent Twilight Sparkle off to a small town called Ponyville, where she was to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. It was in Ponyville where Twilight Sparkle discovered five wonderful friends, representing the spirits of Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity and Loyalty. It was they who showed Twilight to open up her heart to the Magic of Friendship, and it was from these everyday experiences that their power would grow, and would manifest themselves as the Elements of Harmony. Through the light of their Friendship, they defeated the forces of darkness and saved the ponies of Equestria, time after time."
Starswirl the Bearded heard himself sigh as he once again thought about her, feeling that combination of joy and pain, before turning the page, where the illustration of a blue unicorn mare was displayed.
At the same time, many, many years from now, there lived another young unicorn named Trixie Lulamoon, who like Twilight Sparkle was highly gifted in the art of magic. Unlike Twilight Sparkle, the Great and Powerful Trixie was an especially proud unicorn who loved to show off her magic wherever she went. Indeed, all the ponies were amazed by her Great and Powerful tricks, yet as her power grew, so did her vanity and arrogance. One fateful day she encountered Twilight Sparkle, and the two gifted young unicorns would duel one another, yet in this instance, it was Trixie's vanity and jealousy that would undo her, for Twilight had the support of her friends, while Trixie in her belief in her own superiority, had shunned others. Shamed, Trixie fled Ponyville, but the following time sought an ancient relic of great power, the Alicorn Amulet, to emerge victorious.
With this new power, the Greater and ever more Powerful Trixie hoped to defeat her rival, yet once again, she was found wanting, not only done in by the Alicorn's Amulet's corruptive power, but once again by her vanity. Defeated again, Trixie would depart Ponyville, but now despised by all, now seeing that her arrogance had turned everypony away, and thus she drifted... still hoping to find wisdom...
Yet despite these two never intended to encounter one another again, as fate would have it, their destinies would become increasingly intertwined, for waiting in the darkness was a new manifestation of evil... one that would truly threaten to destroy the world, and require them to master not only friendship, but time itself, to save Equestria of the past, present and future...