//------------------------------// // Excerpt: Foalish Times // Story: The Memoirs of Star Swirl the Bearded // by Mani-Roar //------------------------------// “I’m going inside your mind…” Savvy Scoop stared blankly at Star Swirl. “Not exactly.” “But that's literally what you just said.” “In a sense.” Savvy looked at the swirling light orb sitting on the round table. “Did you not say, just a moment ago, that we needed to enter your thoughts to get the full picture of your past?” Savvy pretended to follow Star Swirl's logic, but it all sounded like unicorn babble to him. “Or perhaps, more accurately, I'm bringing my thoughts to you? Savvy sighed and slumped in his chair. “Ok, I’ll bite on this one. How are you supposed to bring your thoughts to me?” Savvy set down his notes and folded his arms. “With the orb of course.” Star Swirl pointed to the luminescent sphere. “I thought you said that thing just records sounds. How is it supposed to get you inside my head?” Savvy let that idea roll around his brain for a moment. “On second thought, I don't think I want you in my head.” He tapped his skull. Star Swirl shook his head. “We won't be inside your head or mine. Our minds will be inside the orb.” Savvy sighed. “My mother always said that if I got caught up in unicorn mysticism, I'd end up with my brain in a jar.” Savvy rubbed his temples. “Not your brain, my young friend. Just your mind.” Star Swirl smiled. “No offense, Star Swirl but I’m a journalist. Your philosophical semantics are lost on me.” “In that case, you won't understand enough philosophy to register any existential dread from an out of body experience. Sensational!” Star Swirl clapped his hooves together in celebration. “No, sensationalism is my job. And I'm gonna need you to explain to me in layman's terms exactly how this is going to work before I agree to it.” Star Swirl rubbed his snowy beard. “Hmm, but if I am to be exact, then it wouldn't be in laymen's terms.” Savvy smacked his hoof against his face. “You know what mean, old colt.” Star Swirl tapped his hoof against the chair cushion. “How did your first submission go? Was it as damning to your reputation as you feared?” Savvy took a deep breath. “Well it definitely got some push back, like I feared. But it sold more papers than any other piece this year, so my editor wants more of where that came from.” Star Swirl chuckled. “My boy, if they thought the slightly troubled past of my dear, dear Clover was controversial, wait until they see what I have in store.” Savvy couldn't help but grin a little. If nothing else, Star Swirl sure knew how to entice an aspiring journalist. “Don't worry yourself too much about the mind thing. I assure you it's painless.” Star Swirl pointed to the glowing orb. “Both of our collective consciousness shall be temporarily held inside the orb. You see, in addition to storing sound, it can also store thoughts and experiences. Once inside, you will be able to view my experiences as they happened to me. You will see and hear all that I saw, but we will not be able to affect or interact with that which has already transpired. We will also have the privilege of communicating with each other as we view the past.” Savvy took a moment to consider the implications of sharing thoughts. “And we're not just going to do a regular interview because…” Savvy trailed off. “Because, there is so much to see and so little time see it. Besides, I tend to ramble with my anecdotes and stories. This is sure to spare you a great deal of boredom.” Star Swirl's horn flashed green and caused the orb to levitate. A golden streak of magic that looked like static electricity surrounded the sphere. “So, Savvy Scoop, are you prepared to see the truth?” Part of Savvy wanted to run out of the room. None of this was in his contract or job description and conducting an interview in such an unorthodox fashion was more than enough grounds for him to refuse. But even as his heart pounded and a cold wave of fear shivered down his spine, he knew that no amount of trepidation would lead him to refuse. “Ah hell, truth is what I’m in the business of.” Savvy shrugged. “Besides, mom always said anything worth having is worth risking.” Star Swirl raised his brow. “Didn't your mother also warn you not to get involved with 'unicorn mysticism?’” “Yeah but she also married a unicorn, so what does she know? Just zap me already before I change my mind.” Savvy saw a flash of light that erased the room he was sitting in and replaced it with unending emptiness. All sound and was removed from his senses. He no longer felt the chair he had been sitting in nor could he perceive which direction the floor was in. He was weightless and floating in void space. Soon the silence was replaced by what seemed like the sound of a beating drum and the moving of water like a flowing stream. His mind panicked as he quickly reasoned that with the absence of any and all other sound, he was listening to inner workings of his own flesh and blood. The tempo of his heart beat rose into an accelerando like the climax of an orchestrated symphony. His breathing echoed like the hollowing of a hurricane wind. He flailed his hooves about but to no avail. He made no perceivable movement in any direction. It felt like he was drowning in a vacuum of nothingness. “Is this the existential dread you were talking about?” His own voice was so loud that it hurt his ears. He instinctively covered them with his hooves and resisted the temptation to scream in terror. He closed his eyes and tried to get his mind off of the emptiness. Anything at all to distract him from the sheer weight of non existence. When he opened his eyes, he was standing in his home. Not his current home, but the home he grew up in. He hadn't lived here since he was 8 years old. Everything was exactly as he remembered it. The walls, the carpet, the furniture, the pictures, the book shelf, and even his toy box. But what was more perplexing was the decorations. A banner hung from the ceiling that read, “Happy 8th Birthday!” Streamers hung from wall to wall. A stack of birthday presents sat on the dining room table next to a chocolate cake with chocolate icing, his favorite. Everything about this house, this moment told him that this was the home he was born in and this was his 8th birthday. But that was impossible. He was a full grown stallion and this day happened years ago. His mother entered the room. She looked younger and taller than the last time he saw her. She had a shorter mane cut when he was a foal and liked to wear a red bow by her left ear. She looked at Savvy and smiled, but was obviously trying to hide that she had been crying. Savvy remembered this day all too well. He remembered the bike he got for his birthday. He remembered how upset his mother was on that day. He remembered crying into his birthday cake and his mother politely sending the guests home as they arrived for the party. “Savvy,” His mother's sweet and somber voice haunted his memories. “Savvy I'm afraid I have some very bad news.” He wanted to be anywhere but in this house at this moment. She reached out and took him into her embrace. It was surreal to Savvy because he could sense her touch like it was happening to him, but at the same time felt removed like he was only observing from the vantage point of his own body. “Your father won't be able to make it for your birthday.” She rubbed the back of his head the way she used to whenever he was distraught. “That's ok mommy,” he heard his childhood voice say. “I’ll wait until daddy gets home to open his presents.” His mother tightened her grip on him and burst into tears. “Oh honey,” she wailed. “He’s not coming back, he’s never coming back.” Savvy could tell that his foal self was trembling. “But why, mommy. Why can't daddy come home?” “Stop!” Savvy’s full grown adult voice shrieked. “No more, I don’t wanna see anymore,” He screamed and covered his eyes with his hooves. When he finally dared to peer through, he was standing in what looked like a dark corridor. Across from him was the ever stoic Star Swirl the Bearded. “I’m sorry for your loss. That must have been a very painful day for you.” Savvy was still breathing heavily. His anxiety had left him drained and angry. “That was private. You had no right to pry into my memories,” Savvy pointed accusingly at Star Swirl. “My dear boy, I did no such thing. You activated that memory yourself. I did not pry so much as you imposed.” Savvy felt betrayal with each labored breath he took. “I thought you said it would be painless.” “Physically painless, yes.” Savvy sat down on the imaginary floor of the corridor. “Are you sure you’re a wizard and not a lawyer?” Star Swirl grinned “Who said I wasn’t both?” Once again, the world around Savvy Scoop vanished from his view and was replaced by a new facet of reality. He found himself at foot of a dark valley. The moon was so large its light burst through the clouds surrounding it and backlit the towering mountain casting a shadow on the village below. The humble town sat in the middle of the valley sandwiched by the mountain’s silhouette and the seemingly endless forest that stretched across the horizon. The sleepy town had only a few lanterns lit in the occasional window. A gentle breeze blew through the streets making almost no sound in its wake. The vision of Star Swirl's past led them to one particular cottage near the center of the town. The lantern oil still burned brightly, revealing a tall stallion contentedly writing away on his scattered parchments into the night. Inside this dedicated stallion's home, the single light source cast his shadow over to the bedroom doorway where a young foal stood watching his father slave away at his desk. “Papa,” the youngling whispered, rubbing his eye. The father paused his writing hoof mid sentence. He faced his child and smiled tenderly at the boy. “What are you doing up at this hour? I thought you went to sleep hours ago.” The foal stepped over to the foot of his father's chair. The little one’s fur was a deep oak brown and his matted mane was white as a sheep’s coat. “I couldn't sleep. I thought I heard something outside my window.” The father reached down with his hooves and lifted the little one into his lap. “Is that so? What did you hear exactly?” The foal shook his head. “I'm not sure. I've never heard a sound like it before.” The father tapped his child gently on the head making his son giggle in response. “Well how would you describe this mysterious sound?” He tried to mimic a howling ghost with his last two words. The child was grinning ear to ear. “Well some ponies in town say that there is a specter in the woods that only comes out at night. I was afraid that the specter was at my window.” The father shook his head. “Now, now, my boy, don't make baseless speculations. Answer the question. Describe what you heard. Every inquiry in existence has a reasonable answer to it.” He nodded to his colt. The boy looked out the window to the town street, considering his answer carefully. “It was like the wind but louder.” “Louder in what way? Like a large gust of wind?” The colt shook his head. “No, more like something was in the wind.” “Like something was flying?” The child's eyes went wide. “Like a specter!” The boy shouted. His father shushed him with his hoof to his mouth. “Come on now, Star Swirl, there are many creatures that can fly that aren't specters. It could have been numerous types of birds or a bat or even a Pegasus pony.” He rubbed the child's already messy mane. “Why would a pegasus fly by a unicorn village at night?” The young Star Swirl inquired. “Perhaps he got lost on his way home. Maybe he took a wrong turn at an eastern cloud.” Star Swirl the youngling laughed. “We should give him a compass.” Star Swirl offered. His father smiled. “Now that sounds like a neighborly thing to do. If he happens to knock on our door and request assistance, I think we will do just that.” He set the child back down on the floor and patted his back. “Now off to bed with you. You need your rest to keep you strong.” The lad reluctantly started making his way toward the bedroom doorway. “But what if it really is a specter?” He shivered a little at the thought. His father looked at the ceiling thoughtfully. “Perhaps, it's not impossible. But then again, very little is impossible. What if the mountain breaks and falls on the village? What if the rivers rise and flood the streets.” The young Star Swirl looked even more troubled by these new possibilities. “Star Swirl, the point is we can't waste our time worrying about the worst of outcomes. Otherwise we paralyze ourselves with fear. The best we can do is prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and act only on what is and not what may be.” The child nodded. “Goodnight, Star Swirl.” He turned back to his work and began writing from where he left off. “Goodnight, father,” the foal walked out of the room. Savvy Scoop looked around the bedroom. He and the very much fully grown and aged Star Swirl appeared to be standing in the modest home, but the father and son they both witnessed had paid them no mind. “They can't hear us,” Savvy stated. “Correct,” Star Swirl replied, “These images we see are the past. They are what they are and nothing we do can change the course of that which has been.” He turned to look at Savvy. “However one could certainly write a very detailed book on what they see and hear here.” Star Swirl nodded. Savvy grinned. “Alright, alright I get. This is better than an interview, I’ll admit it. You were quite a cute kid.” Savvy pointed to the exiting child. “Are you surprised? We were all small at one point.” “Yeah that's true, it’s just not something you always think about, I guess.” Savvy looked at the father at the desk. The stallion wrote furiously. “Your father certainly worked hard. What did he do?” Star Swirl cleared his throat. “As many fathers are prone to do, mine made more time for his work than anything else.” Savvy cocked his eyebrow. “Is that something you blame him for?” “It's a part of him I am most grateful for to this day. A proper work ethic is the lifeblood of a wizard.” Star Swirl held his head up proudly. “So are we done here or are we supposed to just watch you go to sleep?” “Oh who said I went to sleep that night?” Star Swirl gestured to the doorway. The two ponies found themselves upstairs in the bedroom of young Star Swirl. The lad was tossing and turning in his bed. His eyes wide open, he slapped his bedding with his hooves in frustration. Suddenly, his head turned toward the window. The moonlight was bright and golden in his room, but for a split second, something had passed through his light casting a brief but discernable shadow in that tiny amount of time. He studied his the view out his window diligently, waiting for the shadow to pass again. He looked out over the forest. The trees swayed ever so slightly in the night breeze, but something seemed off. Occasionally, it looked like a tree would move out of sync with the others for a moment. The difference was barely discernable but it was enough to peak the curiosity of the young foal. He unlatched his window from the sill and pushed it open. Carefully climbing onto the sill, his horn lit up. He closed his eyes and jumped from the house. However, instead of falling to the ground, he gently levitated down to the grass and leaves below. “Impressive magic for a foal your age,” Savvy remarked. The two stallions watched as the little foal ran off towards the woods. “Weren't you just terrified of the specter a few minutes ago?” Savvy looked at Star Swirl the elder. “Every child has fears, but I always found curiosity to be a far more powerful motivator.” They watched as the scene around them shifted from the house to the edge of the woods. The child Star Swirl ventured into the tree line. He ran as fast as he could over branches and roots, looking up to the moon for any sign of the specter. He kept going for some time, making haste deeper and deeper into the forest. As exhaustion caught up with him, he took a moment to rest on the forest floor, leaning his tired body against a large oak tree. He took in heavy breaths as he stared intently at the moon. Then as quickly as from his bedroom window, the shadow flew in front of the moon again. This time it paused to hover in full view of the moonlight. The foal's eyes grew wider. It was no specter that appeared above him. It was a pony, but unlike any he had ever seen before. She was tall and her frame was staunch and sturdy like an earth pony. Her wing span was massive, wider than any pegasus he had ever seen. A unicorn horn pointed out of her forehead, longer than what was usual for any normal unicorn. Her fur was a darkened blue like the evening sky and her mane was translucent with sparkles that reminded the youngling of the stars. Her cutie mark was painted like a spotted dark cloud with a crescent moon in the center. “It's an angel,” the foal whispered. The regal creature took no notice of the child down in the forest below her. Her eyes glowed white for a moment and her attention was placed elsewhere. She flew off into the midnight sky. “Wait don't go,” the little foal cried. He froze for a moment as he heard a howling sound not too far behind him. Afraid that a wolf was on his trail. He ran in the general direction that his angel flew away. His eyes were glued to the moon, praying that her figure would grace his vision again. Without looking where he was going, he tripped over a root and tumbled to the ground. But instead of coming to a stop, he rolled down the sloping terrain in front of him. Gaining speed as he rolled out of control, his eyes flew to the back of his head as his skull concussed on the hard unforgiving ground. Unconscious and helpless, his flailing body reached the end of the slope and careened of the edge of a cliff falling toward the uncanny valley below.