Years ago, before the years of rule by Clesetia and Luna, the nation of Equestria was seeing a great change. It was only a couple of years seance the first Hearts Warming Eve had occurred. During that time, Clesetia and Luna had been a pointed the Princesses of Equestria. As the years past they had grown older, and while they where very capable, they wanted to let the leaders of the other tribes have their rain, just until their times had ended. With this came, many meetings, and lots of conferences on how to get everypony to get to work together and treat one another with kindness. One of the ponies that would be in this meeting, was Clover The Clever. She was a unicorn, with a white coat, and a green mane. She walked into a cottage that sat deep in the Everfree Forest.
"I've returned." She called, levitating her raged cape from her back onto a hanger that sat inches from the door. In the room she had interned sat an old and gray stallion that seamed to be doing nothing, but with the sound of a quill being pushed and rubbed against a piece of paper.
"Welcome." The stallion greeted. He let the quill fall, making sure it didn't land on the paper, ruining what ever he was working on. Clover was quite puzzled she would usually only get a nod or, the gray pony would just sit and stay quiet. This time, he had said something, and his tone has surprised. He got up and walked towards her. He had a beard that was long enough to hang next to his knees, but dangled just above the floor.
"It seamed to have taken longer this time." The Stallion said. Clover couldn't help but smile at his concern.
"Yes and i apologize for that Star Swirl, we had a shout fight going on with some ponies that have yet to work with one another." The white mare explained. Star Swirl rose an eye brow.
"Mmm, yes well." He paused to turn. With his magic picked up three books and dropped them in front of the white mare.
"You've been slacking in your studies, you need to read these and learn them all." He informed. He then turned once more and walked back to where he sat prior to when he move, and began to write again. Clover looked through the books and let out a sigh. I should have figured She thought. She looked back up to her trainer and smiled. But you just have to love him. At least he said hello She chuckled and took her books to her training session.
"Clever!" Star called still writing.
"Yes, Star?" She called back, poking her head out from behind the wall. The mage stallion grunted and closed his eyes in annoyance.
"I've told you that you will call me Swirl, nothing less." He snorted then opened his eyes again. Clover let out a chuckle and brought her hoof to her muzzle. She knew it bothered him when somepony would call him Star, and it should it was a name better suited for a mare.
"Yes, yes. My apologies." She pleaded taking a little bow. Star Swirl rolled his eyes and sat his quill down once more.
"Come sit, i want to try this spell out, i think i mite have it." He pointed towards a spot on the floor. Clover smiled and trotted to the spot and sat. The stallion then closed his eyes and began to summon his magic. A yellow aura came over his horn. Soon his aura became a thin circle around him, then two, then three, soon he had four different circles spinning around him. Clover looked on in amazement, this had never happened before. She leaned forward in anticipation. With the rest of his power, he cast the spell. A flash came that blinded Clover so she had to look away. The light faded and Clover opened her eyes.
"Did it work, do i have wings!" The stallion asked. Clover, winced and held her stomach. Her eyes shut and she busted out in laughter. Star Swirl looked at her in confusion with his head tilted. She stood up still laughing.
"No." She gave a snicker and pointed to his head. "But you did grow some flowers." Clover began to laugh again, folding one of her legs in. Star Swirl looked up to see that she was right, he had grown two little flowers off of his horn. He let out a grown and slumped to the ground. Clover stopped laughing and looked down to him.
"That's it, i give up." He confirmed, rising his hooves in the air, only to let them drop back down. Clover felt horrible for laughing at him. She knew she had to keep him motivated. She walked over to him and sat on her hunches and his leg with her hoof.
"Swirl, you can't just give up, you've worked so hard, and sacrificed so may things for this." She began to mess with his hair, rubbing her hoof through it, and pulled the flowers off of his horn. He nodded at what she said ,she was right he couldn't give up now when he was so close. He blushed a little at her movements, then he quickly pushed her hoof away.
"Cut that out." He insisted. Clover smiled and giggled. She then got an idea and hopped in front of her mentor.
"Hey, why don't you come with me and my friends to the Summer Sun Celebration?" She asked standing closer to the older stallion then he would have preferred. He took a step to his right, and walked past her.
"No." He addressed.
"Aw come on please?" Star Swirl sat back at his desk. Clover flopped herself over the desk, startling Star Swirl.
"Pleeease?" She put her hooves together as if she was praying.
"No!" He insisted. "I have to much work to do an-" "Hello loyal subjects!" A voice announced. This scared the gray stallion off of his seat. He crashed to the ground, his ink cart following him down and spilling on his head and down to his stomach. The interrupting mare silently laughed but quickly stopped it with a cough.
"Forgive me Star Swirl The Bearded. Here let us help you." The mare called to her magic, taking all the ink on the stallion and putting it back into the cartage it was originally in. Clover helped the stallion up, laughing a little herself. Swirl however, was not pleased, he huffed and trotted up to the mare that had barged into his home.
"Blasted alicorn!" He muttered, shaking his hoof. "Why are barging into my home?"
"I just came to see if you where both going to the Summer Sun Celebration?"
"We sure are." Clover chimed in.
"I never agreed to this!"
"Very good, i hope to see you both there." The white alicorn got out of the window and flew off into the distance. Star Swirl let out a sigh and walked towards the hanger that Clover had her cape at. She looked confused for a moment and trotted up to him.
"What are you doing Star Swirl?" She asked, raising a hoof. "You don't have to go if you really don't want to." Star Swirl levitated his cape onto his back and looked to his student.
"Well, i cant make myself look like a lair to the princess now can I?" He gestured. Clover smiled and hugged him. Then grabbed her cape and galloped outside. The stallion watched as Clover the Clever galloped out of the cottage. He turn and began to put on his hat.
"Come on Star!" She ordered "We are going to have such a good time!" Star Swirl placed his hat in the right formation, and as her heard Clovers last words, he had done something he hadn't before in a long while. He had smiled. He hid it, and headed out the door walking towards Canterlot with Clover, unaware of just how much his life would change on this day.