//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: "Mr. Star" // Story: Chain of Dreams // by Hippocrene Artifex //------------------------------// Gold Star and Purple Shade were running through the forest when a muffled sound caught their attention. They had been running, trotting and walking through the forest they ventured into in their quest for Canterlot when the sound twitched their ears and made them both stop and look at one another with apprehensive eyes. It was just a couple of hours ago that they stumbled across Shade’s old home only to find her mother no longer there with evidence strewn around suggesting that she too was captured by the changelings. Though the sound they heard was not the buzzing noise they had come to associate with the changelings, it did not make them feel less fearful than they already were and yet they still had to go on. With a mutual nod, both mares lowered themselves to the ground and crawled in the direction of the sound to ascertain its source. They crawled as silent as they could until they came to lay behind a line of hedge brush, that was formed by wild bushes, but the sound, which seemed more like a loud and frustrated whisper than any other sound, was still indiscernible with its source standing next to the river with its gentle murmur. Before them, there was river bank. The starry night sky peeked through the dark ceiling of the forest and lit the river in the middle like a large and irregular skylight that was nonetheless a relief from the black canvass that was the trees above and it’s winding branches and over-flowing canopy. Both sets of eyes looked around wildly for any form of movement but nothing was seen. Gold was on the verge of rising up and walking out when a hoof poked her in the ribs. Looking sideways at Shade, who had squeezed her head through the bushes, she saw her companion point the same hoof directly towards the river bank. Following her gaze, Gold looked upon the river until she finally saw it: there, near a boulder, a filly was standing with her flank to them. Before they could start to wonder what a filly as small as the one before them was doing in this forest at such a time, a small glow illuminated her head. The glow was of teal color that came from the front of her head, telling them that she was a unicorn of bluish coat and dark red hair but her form was not alone that was illuminated. Just in front of the filly, the mares could see a colt who seemed to be sleeping with half his body in the river and fringe of black mane levitated from over his face. Once again, Gold and Shade were scared: were those changelings in disguise? But the trace of magic upon her horn suddenly extinguished, bringing the darkness once again, and then a huff of frustration reached their ears from a tiny voice. “Oh, come on!” Shade looked upon Gold with questioning eyes but the latter merely shook her head and rose to her hooves. The hedge before her rustled as she crossed it while Shade followed her with unbelieving eyes until it came to her that she ought to rise to her hooves as well to join Gold. With the rustling sound Gold made, the filly sprung up and stood before the colt with her hooves slightly parted as if she thought to defend him from unseen dangers. They were obscured by the shadows of the forest but, when they emerged under the sky, the filly turned her head in their direction and gasped audibly. The little filly appeared much more frightened, but her features fell into mild trepidation when she looked at them both. For many moments, Gold and Shade gazed upon the filly. She was shaking slightly and appeared on the verge of bolting away from the scene, but Gold, with her heart softened at the state of the desolate filly, put on again her winning smile and took just a step forward. “Hello, there...” It took her a stretch of time to do so, but the filly before them answered, “Hello...?” with such uncertainty that it made Shade chuckle lightly. Gold pushed on slightly, “Are you alone out here?” “Um...” Snare tried to answer, though with apprehension twisting her face in worry, “I ain’t supposed to talk to strangers...” “And you’re right,” Gold Star replied with innocence, “So why don’t we remedy that. Ahem, my name is Gold Star, and this,” gold Star gestured in Purple Shade’s direction, “is my friend Purple Shade.” Shade just waved nervously at the mention of her name as Gold continued. “What’s your name if I may ask?” The little filly looked very apprehensive of continuing her conversation with the older mares, but the disarming smile that Gold Star wore made it impossible for her to consider either of them a threat. “My name, is Snare.” Gold Star perked up even more at having won a bit of the filly’s trust, “Oh, that’s a pretty name. Is it short for anything?” The filly named Snare shook her head, “No, it’s just Snare.” “It’s still a wonderful name all the same.” Gold let out a light-hearted chuckle. “Well, Snare, I know we may look like strangers, but we only wanted to ask you a question. You see, we’re from a little town called Ponyville from the west and we actually ended up getting lost on our journey out here. We were wondering if you knew the way to Canterlot. If you do, would you mind helping us out by giving us some directions?” Purple Shade frowned; they were heading north-east already in a direction that will take them directly to the mountain of Canterlot and the wide river before them told them that they were on the right path. Just as Shade was about to step forward to remind Gold that they found the right way and that they do not need help at that particular matter, the latter turned her head her way and winked to her companion. Shade stopped and kept her silence; the mare next to her seemed like an entirely new creature now and it intrigued Shade. Purple Shade knew how mothers can be caring and loving to children but she never before thought that there might be several ways a mare can actually ‘mother’ somepony and so she sat on her flank to watch a master at work. On the other side, the filly sat on her haunches and bowed her head as she replied, “I can’t help. I’m lost too. I’ve been searching for somewhere to sleep for hours.” Gold clicked her tongue and took a step forward. Snare, who raised her head to look at the mare that was edging in her direction, did not run away from her was a good sign, or so Shade thought. Gold Star spoke then in a different voice—one that was warm, yes, but it also held a firm accent to it—“Now we can’t allow that to happen, can we? I think I have a fair idea where we might find Canterlot and that is by following this river. Would you like to join us as we go to see the Princesses?” Snare’s eyes lit with excitement. The mere mention of the word ‘Princess’ meant the world to her but the fire that sprung within her soul died out just as quickly as it was inflamed and so Gold asked, “What is it? Aren’t you excited to see Canterlot?” “I am!” answered Snare back, “But I can’t go there without Mr. Star.” Looking sideways at the colt who lay unconscious behind Snare, it was Shade who stepped forward. “Is he Mr. Star? Is he your brother?” “No, silly!” chuckled Snare, displaying a childish smile that won the hearts of both mares in an instant, “He ain’t my brother. He came from the stars to grant me my wish. I think he’s is still tired from his journey though, and won’t wake up. But when he does, he will make my wish come true. He promised me!” “He...did?” Asked Gold Star who had by now reached the filly and was looking over the filly to the colt. She did not know what to believe of Snare’s story but one thing was true: wherever they went, they were surely to bring this colt with them. All these troubled thoughts Gold Star hid behind her smile as she looked over to Shade, “Shade? Will you help me get this colt...” “Mr. Star,” Snare corrected. “Yes, ‘Mr. Star’,” Gold corrected herself and went on, “Can you help me get him out of the river?” Still a bit cautious, Purple Shade approached her companion and joined her next to the colt and expectant filly. When they came head to head, Gold Star whispered, “We need to look him over, he may have hypothermia.” “Okay,” whispered Purple Shade back, wondering while she studied the half of the colt’s face that was not obscured by his black mane, “What’s this story about him coming from the stars? He’s a unicorn, not a pegasus so he can’t even fly!” “I don’t know,” answered Gold Star, “But I’m getting a bad feeling about this.” “Why?” asked Purple Shade, but Gold Star merely shook her head and answered as she started pulling the colt from the river and up to the dry shore. “I’m not sure.” But deep within, Gold Star knew. She knew that this colt who was barely hanging onto life felt like a bad omen for them but she could not in good conscious leave a pony to die. She had to reach Canterlot to see for herself what will become of the changelings that swept over her home and, with this new charge, must also see that this colt, who lay on the shore of the river, is taken care of. Once out of the river, Gold lowered herself to her belly and looked up to Shade. “Help me get him across my back, we still have to walk up river.” “Across your back?” gasped Shade and, looking over him, she turned to look upon Gold’s slender form. “But, Gold... he looks about my age but much bulkier than me! H-how will you carry him, let alone walk with him across your back?” But Gold’s reply was most bewildering for she smiled confidently in answer and kicked a pebble with her metal-encased hoof, that Shade forgot about the entire journey since the events of Ponyville until now, as she answered, “Don’t worry. I got this. Now hoist him up and get to Canterlot!” Purple Shade did as she was told, albeit with great difficulty, and pulled him to be draped across Gold’s back and exclaimed when finished, “Hmm. Look at his cutie mark! Is this why you call him ‘Mr. Star’?” Shade looked around, unable to spot the filly “Snare? Snare? Where are you?” Shade was looking around for the filly but almost jumped in fright when she turned her head once more to the cutie mark to see the filly standing atop of the colt herself, brandishing her wide smile at the mare as she continued, “Ooooh, yes,” replied Snare dreamily, “I was wishing at a shooting star and it fell right here and then you two showed up. I just know my wish will come true in no time when Mr. Star wakes up!” “Oh, I’m certain it will,” Gold chuckled as she turned her head back to the filly to smile at her, and she pulled herself up to her hooves as Snare hopped to the forest floor. Together, the two mares: Gold Star and Purple Shade, the filly known as Snare, and the unconscious ‘Mr. Star’ walked on, upriver this time, heading to where there might as well be their last hope.