A young stallion thinks he is on his way to becoming one of the leading minds in magic theory. Then his life falls apart as he is stuck with the burden of his autistic younger brother.
A young stallion named Highstar thinks he is on his way to becoming one of the leading minds in magic theory. Then his life falls apart as he is stuck with the burden of his autistic younger brother. But will it be the end of his career or exactly what he needs to stay sane?
“Hey mom! I'm heading out with Wink to practice magic, I think we got another break though in the time spectrum!” I yelled to to my mom as I headed out of our quaint house in Canterlot while passing my brother without thought opening the door with my horn in a hurry.
“Don't forget to say 'bye' to your brother, Highstar.” My mom scolded sharply flipping her long golden mane out of her eyes stopping me mid trot as I looked at my autistic brother in shame.
He was the same color as me, a dark auburn with a black mane, and practically my twin except for the difference in age. He was 7 years of age with the mentality of a 4 year old and I was 21 and on the path to a huge magic break through. I felt I didn't have time for trivial matter such as this but my mom was harsh and it was easy for her to remember something small as a fuax pas like this.
I looked down and put on my best fake face looking him in his mirror like green eyes.
“I love you Wind Breeze.” I stated blandly.
“I lo'er you broer!” He said smiling and rushing up to hug me.
I felt genuine guilt every time he touched me, a sadness I tried my hardest to hide as I felt nothing but his simple affection on me even though his intentions were nothing but love.
Yet...
Yet I treated him like an infection. An infection I wanted nothing to deal with.
I patted him on the back slowly, signaling the time for hugs was over. He pulled back from me with a wide buck toothed grin covering his face and his emerald eyes lit up with the simple happiness he had gained from his favorite pony in the whole wide world.
My mother smiled, satisfied with our interaction and began lifting another plate up out of the sink with her magic and washing it slowly whilst humming to herself.
I took that moment of acceptance in stride and hurried out the door quickly, hoping to catch Wink before he got to the new salon known as “Logic & Cake” so we may be able to find a booth and discuss my new idea before we grabbed a cup of coco and waited for some crumb cake as usual.
Just as I was beginning to lose hope of catching up to him, I rounded the final corner and found my long time companion already in line and sighed in relief. I walked up next to him and immediately began to discuss my theory on how one could relive the past with the right applications in the throngs and mechanics of magics hitting the explanation right before our warm chocolate beverages arrived to our booth.
While I was having the time of my life enjoying the company of my companion stallion; my mother was at work. She had just convinced my brother to get out of the bathtub and had toweled off his body before putting him to bed and wishing him good night with a mother loving kiss before a silent apology she made to him. After words she went to her empty double bed and tried her hardest to not break out in tears, failing and curled up into ball attempting to muffle her tears and cries of pain and loneliness.
She was living in her own trapped version of hell. Feeling nothing but guilt for bringing this foal into a world were people like him were subjected to a social “quarantine” for not being a normal healthy pony.
She shoved her hoof in her mouth wiping the tears of pain on her pillow as she thought back to what the Doctor had told her when he had been diagnosed.
“Miss Heather, we would like to preform some tests on your son when he is older. He is showing early signs of autis-...” The tan Doctors young voice began to muffle and grow silent as she zoned out and her vision grew blurry of the check up room on her three year mark of giving birth.
Then she remembered my voice, her older son asking the doctor a question.
“Is there any magical treatment for autism?” My young eighteen year old voice asking as I saw my moms focus break and turn to the young foal she was holding in her hooves.
“No, the brain is a very sensitive organ. Even if someone developed a way to fix a specific issue it can sometimes just be a result of unlucky genetics[*1]” He said looking down adjusting his wide rimmed spectacles.
At the end of that conversation my mom always took the genetics part as being her fault. She constantly blamed herself for his defect and had to be prescribed heavy doses of medication to keep her from spiraling into a pool of self hating depression.
And on that night it wasn't enough.
I came home promptly at midnight, happy that my friend couldn't find a flaw in my theory and suggested we experiment with it on the weekend and attempt to put it to practice. I whistled softly locking the door and dropping my keys into a bowl before gingerly stepping my way up the staircase to my room.
On the way there I noticed something was off as I passed my mothers room. I saw the door was open and saw the moonlight reflecting off of something pooling on the ground. My mind didn't register what is was until I stepped inside, heart beating faster and cold sweat beading down my legs as I saw a letter opener on the floor and a note with two words hastily written in blood with an ink pen.
“Mom... No. Mom!” I yelled removing the blanket off of her and laying my head on her chest listening for a pulse.
There was none.
I cried out, tears streaming down my face as I foolishly kept repeating her name in hopes she would hear me. After thirty minutes of this I slide down the side of the bed, fully covered in my mothers blood and looked at the note I was clutching.
It said two words that spoke more pain then I could ever understand.
“Now son, was your mom taking any medication for her depression?” the mustached officer asked Wind Breeze and I, notebook held in hoof and pencil enveloped in magic jotting down notes as I answered with the exact type and dosage amount. My little brother had no clue what was going and was upset at the new faces and all the ponies trying to touch him so he had gravitated toward me leaning on my shoulder while crying in confusion.
“Bro'er, want mom! Where mom?” he asked me franticly, his voice crackling causing the policepony to reach over and attempt to comfort him.
Before I could tell the officer to stop Wind Breeze pushed the outstretched hoof away from him and began to scream “No!” shrilly hiding behind me. The officer pulled back confusion covering his face as he looked at me.
“Sir, I told you he has autism. He doesn't like strange people touching him.” I told him slowly, trying to hide my embarrassment behind my long mane as my brother began to breath normally. His voice went to a soft whimper as I took off my overcoat with my magic and slicked it over him, showing my mothers blood still visible in patches on my body.
Our home was covered in investigating ponies and one Canterlot guard who had been off duty nearby. The initial response was to look for a murder and any evidence that could point this to another source but they came up empty hooved and began to take my story more seriously; shortly after comparing her writing with her expense notes she had kept accurate her entire life.
I let my mind drift to my next move as I had always done and began to calculate what I would have to do to keep Wind Breeze fed and happy while maintaining a steady home for him to live and me to continue and advance my studies.
“Mr. Breeze, are you going to be capable of taking care of a foal with mental disabilities?” The officer with the thick blond mustache asked me bringing me back into focus.
“Sir, I have a PHD in metaphysics, magic theory, and am qualified to teach. My brother will not be a problem.” I said with confidence as green eyes narrowed trying to hide my anger at what was going to come next.
He sighed and flipped back a page on his notebook. “You stated earlier that you have been unemployed for over two years following your graduation. You have no income.”
I stomped my front hoof on the ground in anger causing my sibling to jump slightly. “Officer Rhine, I am unemployed by choice! I could trot down to any university and they would hire me on the spot!” I yelled clenching my teeth together in a grip that could tack hide.
“Riiight... Well I'll give you a week to find a job before the state will get involved with that.” He took that moment to pull out an odd manila folder that had my mothers name on followed by a string of numbers. “You do know that because of your late mothers service in the guard her funerary service will be covered for, right?” he asked.
My thoughts after hearing that slammed to a screeching halt.
“Mom... was in the guard?” My jumbled head put together slowly.
That was when I realized I didn't know much about Heather Breeze, the strong woman who raised me all by herself and gave me every opportunity to succeed. When I was young she got the Bits from Celestia knows where to enroll me in a program for gifted unicorns. I remembered back to my test; which was turning a rock into an orange and I had passed with ease, eating up the attention of my peers and taking my seat next to me best friend in life, Wink.
Without her help I would not be who I was today... But we were still very distant.
I remembered coming home from class one day with my saddle bags full of books to a plate full of cookies and a note that said she would be coming home soon from work. I never asked what she did for a living because at school I would hear rumors that other colts and fillies parents were doing some shameful things for money. So even when my brother was born I never questioned what my mom-
Heather
-had done for a living.
“Yes. I knew that.” I lied keeping a straight face as best as I could.
Before he could remark on my lousy veiled falsehood the off duty guard marched up and began talking to him. His face went blank and nodded.
(“Hey... Rhine. I remember Heather telling me that her Will and Testament was in the hooves of Princess Celestia. She wanted it to read off by her...)
“Oh and another thing Mr. Breeze, your mothers Will is in holding by Princess Celestia. You will have to bring your brother with you when you are summoned to the palace. If Mr. Jotting is correct you might have room for the night there.” He stated stepping toward the door.
I turned and looked toward my brother and grabbed him gingerly and we followed the officer and guard to the palace. The streets were desolate at this time of night even for a royal city. The sound of our hoof falls echoed across the stone streets as we made it closer to the palace.
“Bro'er... where mom?” Wind Breeze asked again, his voice quivering.
“Breeze... Moms in a better place.” I responded slowly, trying not to think about the amount of her blood that still stained my fur.
“Beh'err place?” He questioned. My brother may be autistic but he wasn't dumb. He just had problems communicating and annunciating 't' sounds specifically and liked things a specific way.
“Yes, better place.” I assured him. He looked down and began crying softly making me feel like an inch tall.
His eyes still red from crying began to gloss up. I could only imagine what he was thinking but I knew what I was.
“How dare her!” My mind screamed in frustration. “She not only left me and my brother but the worst fetching part is he will never understand why!”
Then I thought about it more looking down in shame. “Who's fault was it that she felt down and couldn't do a thing about it? I should have been then for her more instead of holding my little brothers invalidity over her head...”
I may have been a bastard in name but I did not realize I was one in act untill then.
This ironically wasn't my first time inside the gold and white palace. I went to the Gala last year in hopes of acquiring funding for my magic research on viewing historical figures from as fair back as Star Swirl the Bearded and further depending on the inert *magical aura of the pony in question. Sadly that venture did not turn out too well for me as it was thrashed (in a most lovely and spectacular way I might add) by six out of town mares from a small hamlet called Ponyville not too far from Canterlot.
However the palace looked a lot more lonely without a parade of ponies inhabiting the huge and glorious halls and gardens filled with magnificent statues. Only the same royal guards looking practically like a mirror image of the others filled the palace now.
“Wait here,” Investigator Rhine commanded as we reached the doorway of Princess Luna and stepped toward the pair of guards with his badge out before they confirmed his identity and let him in.
We paused outside the dark doors with a huge crescent moon covering the center. I looked toward my brother and he yawned deeply trying his hardest not to pass out standing up by leaning on me.
“Hey Wind. We're about to meet royalty and I need you on your best behavior. You understand?” I asked softly as the guard on the left turned his head looking at the faint stains on my chest.
“Yea... un'ers'and,” He murmured sitting on his hindquarters as I heard a sharp 'ahem' in front of me. I looked forward and saw as the same guard that had looked at me used his horn to levitate a wash rag. He looked down at my chest, causing his gold armor to shift slightly with a 'clink', and then back up. I grabbed the rag from him and began to clean my chest and neck, passing the cloth back to him and thanking him.
“Can't look like a ragamuffin in front of the court Highstar,” My mind echoed in my mothers voice, causing me to shiver slightly like someone had stepped across my grave.
It was at that moment that Rhine stepped out and motioned with his hoof for us too follow. I looked back at my brother and he was snoring softly using my back as a head rest. I sighed and allowed a smile to creep for a second before levitating him on my back and obliged the investigator by following him in.
Princess Luna's room was filled with black long flowing drapes on the walls and the ceiling was filled with a magical glamor that mimicked the constellations of the outside stars, slowly moving on the dome shaped ceiling. I gasped silently in awe of the accuracy of the spell before moving on toward the royal blue and black glimmering pony careful not to disturb my sibling on my back.
“Ah, we have been expecting you Highstar and Wind Breeze,” She dictated in the traditional royal third person she was famous for, her voice like black velvet flowing in my ears. She was very beautiful with her sparkling dark blue mane flowing on her back but at this moment I couldn't fully enjoy her pressence.
“Princess Luna,” I bowed deeply following decorum and maintaining eye contact behind her face. The action caused my brother to stir slowly and the princess's eyes went to my brother and softened.
“We-” she said before sighing, her gaze shifting from her bed to my brother. “-I think you should let your brother sleep whilst we talk of this dark matter.” She said picking up Wind gingerly with her magic embrace while setting him gently on her chamber bed before sliding the curtain around it to soften our voices to him even more.
I nodded, approving of her action as a tray of coffee and biscotti filled with pistachios and dark chocolate chips was served on her black and white round marbled coffee table by a royal waiter before he left the room.
I looked at the coffee and sighed, knowing I was going to have to refuse because of a stomach sensitivity to caffeine so I opted to grab a biscotto and chew on it softly dwelling on the night. It was about 2 o'clock and the moon was almost on the horizon line.
“Highstar, we knew your mother. She was an excellent guard and a wonderful pony. We also know that she kept the fact of her duties as one a secret from thee. Why did thou lie?” Luna asked me as she levitated a cup of black coffee to her lips drinking the nectar in slowly while never leaving eye contact with her piercing dark blue eyes.
I exhaled slowly and averted my eyes from the princess toward the open balcony. After a moment of hesitation I finaly decided to tell her the truth. “I didn't need anymore accusations of murdering my own mom. I thought it would look suspicious if I didn't know my own mothers occupation. Truth is I was too afraid to ask and hear an answer I couldn't accept,”
[*I had discovered earlier on in my studies that every single type of pony and even most beasts have a sort of magic footprint called an “aura”. Religious ponies call it there “soul” while others like Zebra's from foreign lands call it there “akasha” from beliefs saying that it was the first element created. I have no proof of either theory except the fact that whatever it is, it exists.]
After talking with the lunar princess for an hour more she suggested I go to sleep. She would wake me when the dawn had arisen and take her bed back from my brother and I. At first I wanted to argue with Princess Luna about sleeping in her bed but I didn't get much opportunity to do so, having zero caffeine in my body and the sound of the goddess humming a sleeping glamor didn't give me much of a chance to argue my case.
And I slept on the princess's bed with no fear, only dreams of the past.
~~~
I remembered running in the fields outside the city, giggling with joy as a young foal enjoying the feeling of wheat stalks brushing across my body as I ducked in the brush, hiding from Wink's detection spell with an illusion of my own. I imagined my body as nothing but the single stalks of grain blowing in the wind and my horn glowed with magic. I saw the stalks grow out of my skin and cover up the hole I had made by laying in the grain crop and smiled as I wove the *fabric of the other wheat stalks with the ones around me.
“Winker's will never find me now!” I giggled before going into a mediative state to absorb every sight and sound of my surroundings.
Before I knew what happened I was grabbed by the scruff of my neck and hoisted out of the field at a galloping speed by a guard off duty, his flowing white mane and blue grass eyes filled with disappointment as we raced toward the city.
As soon as we were inside the gate I was set down by Wink who looked like he had already gotten his lecture .
“How many times do I have to say this to you Highstar, foals are not prohibited outside of the city without adult supervision! Would you really want me to have to explain to your mother that you got taken as a snack by a passing drake?” The guardpony I had know as Garlic scoffed me and I hung my head low in shame.
Thats where I lost the hyper realism of the dream and began to think in abstract ideas.
Was that guard asked to keep an eye on me when my mother was working?
If so, was it out of respect or was there another reason?
Could he have been my and my brothers father?
I tried my hardest to picture him and found that it was difficult, I kept going back too those two details; white mane, green eyes. I pictured my mental image of Garlic harder and saw nothing else and began to get frustrated with my lack results and finally saw something I wasn't looking for as I replayed the events again.
A single bolt impacting were I was sitting in the wheat milliseconds after I was pulled up. If I hadn't been yanked right on time from that bolt I would have hit in the head and known no more.
That brought up one only more questions.
Why was I the target of an assassin?
Why couldn't I remember an event like that until just now?
Was my memory wiped at one point and just recovering?
That thought seemed trigger another hidden event in my memory. I had woken up later that evening hearing some argument downstairs in our house. Sneaking downstairs in the large doorway before the kitchen I heard the sound of glass shattering and yelling.
“Garlic Bread! I told you to keep a better eye on him while I was working! If he had been harmed in anyway...” She stopped to growl as I peaked inside to see how the guard was taking this abuse and had to stifle a laugh.
He looked extremely bored as he reached across the kitchen table and grabbed another wine glass to fill for my mother.
“Relax Heather, I had it handled. The little guy almost had me fooled with an illusion of the two running around the outskirts of the city but when they ran through a cart and kept going thats when I realized that Highstar was an extremely clever little... guy,” He laughed filling the glass and touching up his own before sliding it toward my mother.
She exhaled slowly before grabbing the glass and slowly lifting it up to her lips for a moment, savoring the white zinfandel she loved at nights.
“Garlic. You are my most trusted friend from childhood. When we both came to this city I had no idea I would be hired as an assassin for the Celestial Order of the Sun,” She murmured looking toward the sink window that was lit with the light of a harvest moon.
“And when you found out I was with child you offered to be a godfather... selflessly and not with a moment of hesitation. I remember being a young filly and shooting down your offerings of love. Why? Why did you do it?” She asked looking Garlic in his dark green eyes and I watched as the stallions face turned to a beacon of sorrow.
“Heather. I love you. I always have and knew I needed you in my life. And I was prepared to do anything to keep you in my life,” He said in a voice filled with pain that I couldn't understand as a child.
My mother sighed and moved next to him, wiping a faint glimmer of a tear from his eyes and kissing him on the cheek softly before hugging him tightly. He took her embrace fully wrapping his head around her neck tightly before pulling away.
“I love you too my dearest friend.”
~~~
I woke with a start with Luna slowly saying my name, cold sweat dripping from my body as I looked to my brother. His place on the big velvet mattress was empty and I began to panic.
“Luna, where is my brother?” I asked worry scratching out of my dry throat as she laughed.
“Wind woke up as soon a my sister did enter the room.” She said passing a glass of ice water toward me and I took it gingerly before chugging the whole glass down and thanking her. She laughed with joy that is almost impossible to describe, before yawning sharply.
“My sister is in the dining hall down the stairs from my tower. She has your brother with her,” She finished barely before yawning again causing me to get up and gently help her lay down in her bed.
“Good morning Princess Luna,” I whispered softly as her eyes closed.
“Good morning Highstar, pleasant... day...” She mumbled before falling asleep.
I saw myself out of her room quietly and headed toward the stairs I had to descend to make it to my brother and the princess.
“Celestial Order of the Sun?”
[*I had discover at a young age how to falsify my appearance and even avoid magical detection by weaving the fabric and magic of the surrounding area into my illusions. It is how I discovered the phenomena of magic being in almost everything only to discover that great minds like Star Swirl had already wrote and did research on such subjects.]
After a brisk trot down the stairs I found the dining hall with relative ease. Breeze was seated right beside Princess Celestia eating his usual breakfast of oatmeal plain. I was glad to see him being well behaved and safe. I decided to sit right next to him grabbing a slice of toast from the ala carte style breakfast.
The sun goddess took note of me and slid a cup of hot chocolate toward me as she sipped her own cup of coffee with cream. I thanked her and we ate in silence, savoring the delicious foods we had chosen for our selves.
It was my brother that broke the silence when he raised his hoof and looked at the monarch with the bright gleam of an idea in his emerald eyes.
“'Pincess Cessia? Milk?” He asked hanging a lip down and looking absolutely adorable.
That caused the silence to be broken with a bout of laughter as the maître d' who was observing this brought out a glass and poured him a stout glass of milk before going back to his duties.
“Highstar your little brother is quite the treat,” Princess Celestia commented as my little brother began to drink the glass slowly, getting some of the delicious cream on his nose.
“Your Highness... He really is,” I said sighing looking toward the solar monarch as she took another ginger sip of her coffee. I waited for her to finish her drink before I decided I needed to get down to the reason we were here.
“I was told you had my mothers will,” I asked testing the waters. Now it was her turn to sigh as she looked down at her empty cup with no way to buy time.
“Check” I thought darkly, remembering using this trick to prevent other nobles from buying more thinking time and forcing them into a decision right there and then. But of course she had been around for thousands of years and knew her way around the politic game. She simply grabbed the pot of coffee and decanter of cream with her magic and poured herself another cup before answering.
“We cannot continue yet. There is one other member we are waiting on,” She explained with grace and tact while stirring her drink.
Just as she finished another pony walked into the hallway at a slow dragging pace. He looked like he hadn't slept the previous night and his dark green eyes were filled with the red veins of crying and sadness.
“Ah, Garlic. Glad that you showed up,” Celestia stated as Garlic sat down besides me.
“Lets get this over with. I still have some mourning to do,” He said sniffling while trying his hardest to fight back more tears. I looked at him and saw those same eyes I saw in my dream and knew he had felt the same sadness my brother and I felt. I then did something uncharacteristic at that moment. I reached across his neck and hugged him tightly and he returned the embrace.
“Highstar... Wind...,” Garlic started softly getting both of our attentions. “I just want you to know your mom said if anything happened to her to look after you two. I tried my hardest to keep you out of trouble Highstar but I began to think you thought of it as challenge... You're way more smart as a foal then I am even to this day. And Breeze...”
He paused as my little brother gave him his full attention. “You will always be safe and happy if I have to suffer in Tartarus for an eternity,” He finished with a smile that made my brother stand up and hug him too.
As we held each other in place I began to feel something I never had before grow inside of me. I had a father who was there most of my life and I didn't even know it until now... and I didn't feel so alone.
After what felt like a brief moment but was a good two minutes long we slowly released and turned our attentions back to Princess Celestia who was smiling warmly.
“Now that we have everyone here we may proceed,” The deity stated before gripping a rolled up document in magic and unrolling while gently clearing her throat. “If you are hearing this then I have passed on in some fashion of either my own choosing or by accident. I want all of you to know I love you and that is was my own fault for becoming what I was, an assassin-” The princess stopped at these words and looked at us shortly before continuing. “-I requested the princess to read this to you in hopes of she being able to answer any of your questions. I leave my sons with my property in Ponyville that I had paid off in the time of my service, and I request that my best friend Garlic Bread take care of my sons and move with them. With the bits I have earned you three should be well taken care of for the rest of your lives. With more love then my heart can express, Heather Breeze.” She stopped and sighed, wiping a tear away from her pure face before setting the document down gingerly.
We all stood in front of the table looking down trying to keep our composer when I remembered something from my dream and got the courage to ask a question.
“Princess Celestia, what is the Celestial Order of the Sun?”
She looked at me and her expression changed to that of slight shock before returning to her normally regal composer. “Highstar... It was the order of assassins your mother belonged too. She protected the world from dark magics not of this world and it's influences by killing afflicted members before there abomination could spread and ravage the land,” As she finished Garlic walked up beside Celestia.
“Highstar... Your mom was a unsung hero of this land.” Garlic said proudly looking from us to Celestia. “I just think she had problems dealing with her actions. She always hated violence... thats what I think made her perfect for the Order.”
“It was indeed why I chose her. She was pure and always tried her hardest to turn the corrupted unicorns from there chosen path,” the Princess said taking another long pull from her coffee.
I was looking up at a bronze tower in the middle of the wasteland portion of the plains while my flowing white robes embezzled with sword and staff inside a celestial sun blew with my long gold mane in the winds.
My sources had informed me that evil and profane magics were being preformed in this area and I kept coming back to the giant obelisk that seemed to tear its way to the heavens. Every pony and buffalo I asked about the tower said that it hadn't been there more then a week and it's construction was a mystery.
One wise medicine buffalo I heard of in a nearby village claimed to see the damned thing rise from the ground. “It was a horror of dark lighting and crackling shadow as it pierced from the ground, raping the earth and energies with perverse evil as it soared toward the rumbling sky with foal intent,” He claimed, his face going pale while his son held his weakened body up from collapsing before helping him back down gently to the blankets he had barely stood up from.
“How do I know you speak the truth?” I asked.
“Because Miss Heather... it was the last thing I saw before my sight was stolen from me,” He said looking me straight in the face with his glossy white eyes before coughing up dark phlegm filled with blood onto the dirt floor and gasping for air.
His son ushered me out of his tepee as they began to preform his last rites.
He died before the hour was over.
I shivered thinking about his words echoing in my head and began trotting closer to the spire, walking it's circumference and looking for any note of entryway while running my hoof around the hot metal that lined the tower finding nothing.
“Yep... Looks like your going to have to climb this thing,” My brain mocked as I pulled out a spell book from my robe pocket for quick reference.
After a little effort I managed to give my horseshoes a magnetic quality and attempted to step up the metal spire. I was then disappointed as my forehoof didn't seem to want to stick to the tower.
“Greeeat... Whatever type of metal this is isn't magnetic,” I snorted sinking to the sand and began looking through the book for another idea. What I found was immensely complicated and would take a lot out of me.
After drawing a circle in the ground for a base of the spell I withdrew a pegasus feather and pulled my dagger from it's rear leg sheath. After making sure I got the mathematics and geometry of the seal correct I set the feather inside the circle so it was standing up, plumes blowing in the wind.
“Now for the hard part,” My thoughts teased as I gripped the sharp blade in my mouth and stabbed myself twice in the appropriate spots on the back, flinging the blood toward center of the seal. As soon as a droplet of my life hit the feather it began to glow and I felt my body deform as muscle and bone ripped through my torn flesh growing into grey wings that matched the feather.
I cannot describe the horrible agony of acquiring wings for the but know this, it doesn't get any better even after the first time.
After blood began to flow back to my head and I began to see in normal hues instead of blinding white I looked toward the spire and pulled my wings through my robe slits before taking off toward the top.
As I reached the zenith of the tower I began to feel uneasy thinking again about the wise buffalo and his unfortunate death.
A day later after attending our mother cremation we headed out toward our new home, a small estate in the countryside of Ponville not too far from a famous orchard and farmland known as Sweet Apple Acres. It was famous for high quality produce -apples being there primary livelihood- and friendly ponies that owned and operated it.
I could see why my mother had picked such a place for raising a family and had a few vague memories of living at this place. It was beautiful filled with so many earthen hues of browns and bright greens with the smell of the fresh air and budding plants in the spring seemed to amplify the senses. I think the only reason my mother decided to move from such a place was when she saw how quickly I picked up magic.
As I unpacked my books from my belongings into the dusty study I had a memory come back to me. I remembered going though the books on the top shelf of this very study and pulling a strange book written in flowing script with notes taped throughout the book. As I turned to a particular page I noticed an odd seal that got my heart racing as I traced my hoof around it. As soon as I was about to murmur the chant on the page my mother had came into the room and took the book away before scolding me.
The next day when I woke up I had a magical seal for a cutie mark, the same seal of knowledge I had seen in the tomb.
I exhaled as I finished organizing the books and decided to see how Garlic and Wind were doing with the unpacking. Our new home was quite large, three large bedrooms that each had a different theme of species of tree -mine oak while my brothers was spruce- with private bathrooms and one spacious guest room that had a view over what once might have been a beautiful garden. It was complete with a full kitchen and dining room that is adjacent to a floor room that had colorful throw rugs set close to a red brick fireplace for cold winter nights.
After a short walk down from the study in the top floor I found Garlic and my brother covered in floor laughing as they both attempted to make a batch of cookie dough. I laughed softly as Garlic drew a curly mustache on my sibling in the powder and smiled thankful for how quickly Wind had taken to Garlic and glad we finally had a solid father figure in our lives.
“Hey son! Get on over here! Were going to need someone who knows what there doing if these cookies are ever gonna to get done!” Garlic called to me as my little brother drew a shaky smiley face on his belly.
“Smile!” Wind said pointing at his masterpiece.
“Wow! Thats good bro!” I complemented him grabbing the open cookbook with my magic and began going over the ingredients. He sat next to me and watched me as I traced the page with a hoof.
“Hey Garlic, did you grab any vanilla for the cookies?” I asked and his face went pale.
“There's... Vanilla in cookies?” He asked and I nodded.
“Well... do you think you could head into town and grab that? As soon as I pulled the flour out Wind had his own ideas,” He said grinning as my brother licked the counter top in experiment finding out that the white powder was grainy and making a sour face as he spat the flour out.
“Sure. I've been also meaning to put in a book order that Celestia authorized me to read. It'd be the perfect time to do it,” I said pulling out the broom besides the refrigerator with some on the fly magic and passing it to him before I headed toward my room and grabbed a couple bits for the vanilla.
Afterwords I had moment of hesitation between thinking about teleporting right to the marketplace or taking a stroll. I decided on the later and headed out the front door along the rock steps of our pathway to a dirt road toward town. I began to absorb all of my surroundings, constantly taking in the countryside and the flora and fauna that came with it until I came across an unusual sight.
“Conflabit! Of all the times for a cart to lose it's wheel it couldn't happen when the gosh darn thing was empty!” An orange earth pony with a blond mane and green eyes with white freckles cursed as she unhooked herself from the harness and adjusted her stetson on her head looking at the situation.
I sighed as I surveyed the scene. The full apple cart had lost it's wheel and was set down cockeyed while it looked like she was in quite a rush to get to wherever she was going.
“Well time to meet the neighbors,” I thought as I stepped beside her and and coughed to get her attention. She turned and there was a look of relief that visibly washed over her face.
“Uh, howdy stranger! You must be the one of the new folk that moved in 'round these parts. I'm ina bit of a pickle and I was wondering if you could help me out?” She asked with a huge grin and slight blush that was almost unseen on her attractive face.
“Sure, I'd love to but I'm afraid I don't know anything about changing a wheel. Just tell me what to do and between us I'm positive we can do this,” I said as she rolled under it and began to lift it level.
“Just slide the hole inna the center on the axle and we'll work onit from there,” She said as I took a moment to admire her strength before I realized how taxing that had to be and grabbed the wheel. She then walked me through the right way to attach the pin and spreaders to prevent the wheel from rubbing. We were done soon after, both of us testing it to make sure it was sturdy.
“Looks like you did a good job for a first timer mister. Whats your name? I'm Applejack.” She said as she walked back toward the harness and began re-attaching herself.
“I'm Highstar. If I may pry Applejack, why are you in such a hurry?” I asked as she began pulling the full cart while I had to accelerate my trot to match her speed.
She sighed loudly with a slight amount of impatience before explaining. “Well the Apple family supplies most of the produce for the marketplace and is known throughout Equestria for shippin' out quality goods so naturally we get 'special' orders of a certain strain of apples ere' now and then. This is no exception, it's just Big Mac is sick taday and I was hopein' to keep this shipment on time and get it loaded aboard the train,” She finished as we began to roll up to town.
“Well this is where we part comp'ny Highstar. You ever feel you need a favor drop on by!” Applejack said pausing again to adjust her hat. I thanked her for her hospitality and began my journey onwards toward the bakery as she began to pull the wagon towards the busy intersection passed the town hall in the direction of the the train junction.
“Well she was kinda cute...” I mused blushing and shaking her image out of my head.
“Yeah. Bet she could knock your flank in the dirt too...” I mumbled talking to myself as I approached the Cake's bakery. As I stepped tward the threshold an aroma of baked confections permeated the room; the smells of fresh baked cakes, cupcakes, muffins, strudels and hundreds more of delicious tasty scrumptious pastries in different shapes and neon bright colors reminded me that I hadn't eaten all day and made my stomach growl angrily.
It took almost all of my willpower to keep my tongue from flopping out of my mouth. After a moment of steadying my mind for the task ahead of me I acclimated to the smells and walked inside the door to see a bright pink pony with a bouncing mane behind the counter looking bored.
Atleast thats what she looked like before she noticed me. Her ears perked up and a bright huge happy grin spread on her face that almost looked like it literally went from ear to ear.
“Oh. My. GOSH! You're a new pony! I've never seen you before! Atleast I think I've never seen you before because I know every pony in Ponyville so that must mean I've never met you before because I would totally remember that strange looking cutiemark and... and...” She paused to grab a breath of air before continuing and jumped over the counter to get a better look at my flank causing me to feel blood rushing to my face as she shoved her left eye inches from my side.
“Nope. Never seen that one before. You are a new pony! I have to get a party together now! Hello mister, my names Pinkie Pie! Whats yours?” She asked bitting her lip in what I can only describe as pure undiluted joy and excitement as she awaited my response.
“Uh... Highstar... wait... party? I kinda just came here for vanilla,” I shyly put forth as she stepped out of my personal space and back behind the counter causing me to sigh in relief. That is one aspect my brother and I shared, we didn't like strange ponies touching us or invading our bubble without our permission.
“Well look no further Highstar! You came to the right place, we have just normal vanilla beans, fermented vanilla beans, imitation fermented vanilla beans, intimation vanilla and of course... normal regular awesome vanilla!” She exclaimed pulling the items she listed out from under the counter and setting them down punctuating the various forms of vanilla as she explained them.
“I'll take the 'regular awesome' vanilla please,” I said, with a half smile forming as I was beginning to get amused at this ponies antics, pulling out two bits from my coin purse and setting them in front of her. She sqweed happily and hit the register making it resound with happy a 'cha-ching' and set the bits inside before closing it with a rear hoof kick while setting the other vanillas back in their resting places.
“Alrighty! Oh oh OH! Before I forget where do you live? Gotta know where I'm gonna throw your welcoming party!” She asked harmlessly and my smile faded away.
“About that Pinkie. I don't think a party is such a good idea. My little brother... doesn't react well to crowds and strange faces.” I explained trying my hardest to be polite and I could see her eyes go big and sad -like my brothers- and decided to try a different tactic. “I-I mean you can come over but it's better if you drop on by on your own and meet him first.” I then explained how I live near Sweet Apple Acres and where to find the house and she nodded familiar with the manor that had sat vacant for years. After which we said our good byes and I headed out the door onwards to the library.
In a couple of minutes time I found the tree that the library was in and was on my way to stepping inside as the door opened to reveal a small purple and green dragon that walked passed me.
“Don't even bother man.” He said heading down the street . “She wouldn't see or hear you if you were on fire. Twilights that stuck in a book right now. I'm going to lunch...” I pondered his statement as he walked toward a nearby restaurant.
I walked inside the threshold of the library and I immediately felt at home. The place was lined with volumes upon volumes of books ranging from cooking to gardening and history while smelling of lavender and honey incense that didn't agitate the senses. The inside also had comfortable looking chairs and tables that matched the earthy natural look of the living tree this home was.
I soon spotted the purple alicorn staring intently at a green book, her expression only changing as she bit her bottom lip in impatience turning the page with a glowing burst of purple magic.
“Hello?” I asked testing the waters of her concentration. She didn't even blink as she turned another page.
“I'm here to put in a book request,” I tried again remembering a book I read about buzz words “Princess Celestia authorized me to order a book from the Royal Library and said I should talk to you about it when I got here in Ponyville.” Upon hearing the words 'Celestia' and 'book request' the lavender alicorn looked up from her studies with a look of slight distaste before seeing me.
“Oh, you must Highstar Breeze!” She elated while setting a dry quill inside the book before closing it. “The princess said you would be coming and she already sent the book. But she told me to tell you something before I gave it to you,” She paused for a moment walking toward a desk with a stack or regal letters and grabbing one from the top. “Ahem, 'tell Highstar to socialize and meet new ponies. It will be good for him and his brother'.”
I sighed at this and looked down before muttering under my breath.
“Uh, what'd you say?” Twilight asked in concern.
“Oh... It's just... I never really expected the princess to care this much. I honestly feel like she's treating me and my brother like family...” I said with a warble of guilt trying not to think about my mom.
My mother had said something similar to me when I was younger before I met Wink.
“Honey... you need friends. If you don't have somepony to lean on when you need it life will just be nothing but filled with loneliness.”
“But moooom! All the other ponies are mean!”
“Then look for somepony that needs help. Earn there trust and be there for them and you will have a friend for life.”
The very next day I met a young stallion being forced to eat dirt by an older student of the school. His face was covered in bloody scratches and he was crying while the other ponies laughed at his misery.
“Winky like boy's! Winky likes boy's!” They mocked as the ringleader began shoving too much dirt into his mouth for him to possibly swallow and holding his face shut with magic. This was a daily thing for him after school and at that moment I remembered what my mother said. I cloaked myself in illusion magic and smiled as I picked up a rock with my own golden telekinesis before shooting it straight at the gray pony holding Wink down. I watched it connect with his lower jaw roughly, spinning him off of the smaller pony.
“Ghost!” he cried spitting blood out before looking around with a louse tooth hanging by the gums from his mouth, unable to see the offender.
I grabbed another rock and repeated, aiming for his feet. He jumped from the impact and ran screaming as the other kids fled in different directions.
To this day I still have no idea if Wink is into stallions, but honestly I don't care.
That day I met my best friend.
“All because of my mother...” I thought returning from the memory feeling tears roll down my face. I reached to wipe it away with my hoof and was stopped as Twilight held it down. She reached with her magic to a nearby box of tissues and wiped it away for me.
“Thank you... I had a moment.”
“No problem Highstar. If you need to talk about anything...” Twilight asked setting the box down gently without breaking her concerned filled eye contact.
“I-I... I'm good for now.”
She sighed with agitation this time and walked over to her desk, grabbing a book shaped brown parcel tied in string. She then sat the parcel in front of me on the desk with a look that said she was thinking on how to deal with me.
“Okaaay, well stop by when I'm less busy with my research.” She said
“Wait.... What kind of research?” I asked trying break the awkward silence and truth be told I have been curious since I walked in.
“Oh nothing really,” She pushing her book over a old musty map. “Nothing you would be interested in.” She said.
“Oh really huh?” I thought to myself her face skrunched up in frustration on her face said otherwise.
“Well... me taking a look couldn't hurt right?” I asked with a half smile growing on my face.
“It couldn't... but-” She gasped as I gently took the parchment from under the tome and gave it a quick look. It had a cave circled in red ink toward the nearby mountain range southwest from my manor.
“Why is this cave circled?” I asked pointing at it with my hoof as I gingerly levitated the map back into it's spot. She walked over to the table and opened a book to a specific passage that was underlined in a very even and define line.
“Funny thing is that the girls and I were at this very cave awhile ago. A dragon threatened not only our town but a major portion of Equestria and we tried to negotiate with it...” She said while her front left hoof rose to rub her chin as a look of deep thought crossed her face. It looked to me like she was thinking wistfully of the past. “If Fluttershy hadn't been there things might not have gone so well. But apparently according to this book there might be a treasure in that cave that might have initially attracted the dragon.”
I peered again at the text, taking the time to read it and memorize before it sank in that it was a quite simple recounting of a legend in the old language. It took awhile reading such archaic letters as Þ(Thorn or “th”) or Ƿ(“w”) but it basically read like this-
Of the races of pony there lies hid after creation four amulets of forsaken power.
One of Gods in thee hands of far light,
One of Air hid in stone temple,
One of Earth locked in chest thrown in sea,
and
One of Magic high in the clouds over Creations city.
Bewarned eager seeker! The powers of evil corrupt.
“And this pertains to this cave... how?” I asked slowly as she laughed. She slowly closed the book and smiled.
“Excellent question! Are you familiar with the Ordinis Caelesti Solis?” She asked.
“Actually a little. Weren't they a group of secular ponies that worshiped Celestia as an all powerful catalyst god?” I responded thinking of the lessons I had in school about early Equine history.
And how my mother was a member of this modern cult/assassin group.
My thoughts took me back to Celestia's palace and the moment she uttered those words before snapping back into reality for her answer.
“Yes, against her wishes... Even at a younger age Celestia was wise... But I digress,” Twilight took this opportunity to pour a glass of iced tea for herself and I before she continued. “This group had a way for referring to things in a particular manner when things involved Celestia. The 'Catalysts throne room' or the 'Solis keep' was the stuff they would say when asked of her location. The even began to refer to early Canterlot as the 'City of Creation'.” I gasped remembering that Creation was capitalized only once and she took a sip of her tea to wet her throat before continuing.
“Upon finding that out and getting it confirmed by Celestia herself I knew there was more to this. And if any of these amulets have powers similar to the Alicorn amulet it's better somepony finds these and either destroys them or at least hides them better.”
“Wait Twilight, whats stopping one of them from being the Alicorn amulet?” I said thinking back to the phrasing. “'One of Gods'? Didn't we just establish that Ordinis Caelesti Solis saw Alicorns as gods?”
“Possible... Though we really have no idea where Trixie got it from.” She sighed with a frustrated look crossing her face as she began to bite her lip and ruffle her wings. I also knew that look sans wings. I got it when I didn't have enough information for a subject and had to resort to speculation.
“Well how about I come down tomorrow and we can work on it? I-I mean if you're comfortable with a research partner?” I stammered remembering about the vanilla and my own parcel as I took my last sip of the iced sweet tea palleting the minty aftertaste.
She paused to consider my offer and smiled shyly.
“I would love the assistance.”
I worked out a schedule with her and set time aside at around noon tomorrow to get to the nitty gritty of research and I left the Library. I felt a new hop and skip in my step as I trotted back to the estate whistling while thinking about the research.
