//------------------------------// // Dinner Talk/ Conversation // Story: The Lost Legends of Equestria: Star Swirl the Bearded // by Silver Inkwell //------------------------------// Eventually there was a knock at the door waking him up from his rest. “The King, I mean Cosmos, he requests your presence at once now.” “Oh, that’s good,” he said exiting the room, “The food is here now.” And with that said he left the room and went on his way following the guard to the dining room which was almost as large as the front throne hallway room. But it still was quite very impressive nonetheless however. “This is very lovely, quite indeed,” he said, “But where do I sit exactly?” “Oh, we’re not eating here at one of the square tables,” he said, “Come, let me show you where we really are dining tonight, it just might shock and surprise you,” he said leading him down another hallway to yet another different room. “I seriously doubt that,” he said, “I may not be as old as you, but I have seen quite a few things and I know that I will still see yet many more too.” “You’re probably right,” he said, “But then again, perhaps maybe not.” And with that said he opened the door to reveal a large round circular table. “Oh,” he said, “What is this doing here exactly?” “This is where me and my family eat every day when nobles or royalty aren’t in the dining hall, and the table is round because every pony in the family is equal when they have to share their thoughts, feelings, ideas, hopes, fears or dreams, and while we may all be different and unique and special and odd and unusual in our own little tiny way, in a family we are all also equal as well.” “That’s really nice, and I am shocked and surprised to hear and see it here.” “Well then, thank you, my family will be arriving here shortly along with the food so please wait, I have to gather them all up for this time now.” “Of course,” he said, “I do not mind waiting, I am immortal after all.” Cosmos blinked in shock and surprise, “You’re going to have to tell me more about that later on, but for now I’ll just be going now, okay and alight then?” He nodded and with that said Cosmos left to gather up the rest of his family. It took quite a long while before they finally came in and during all that time he found that counting both the floor and ceiling tiles was really quite interesting. “I’m sorry,” Cosmos said sitting down at a random spot but next to his very lovely and beautiful wife (he assumed it was and was later on proven right), “Did I keep you waiting very long? My family can be hard to gather at some times, especially the little young ones, they’re so wild at this age.” “Oh you didn’t keep me waiting that long,” he said, “But did you know that there are exactly 46,002 tiles on your floor and 50,210 on your ceiling?” “No, I didn’t know that, did you count them all out yourself?” “Yes, yes I did, but tell me this, how old are you and your children?” “Me? Well me and my wife here are about thirty-five thousand years old, and the children here are just about seventeen thousand years old each.” If he had anything in his mouth to spit out at Cosmos he probably would have, luckily enough however he did not since the food still wasn’t there yet. “Holy Faust,” he said, “I can’t believe that, but I do have to say that you all look good for your ages, me on the other hoof, I’m just about forty-one or so, but I am immortal so one day I will eventually be just as old as they are right now.” “Yes, one day you will, but that is not today now is it? And in case you were wondering why they are so small, well the reason behind that is that we don’t age or mature at the same speed or pace that you normal regular ponies do. To compare imagine that one year of your lives is a thousand of ours. And also generally they don’t grow up fully until they have earned their cutie marks which these two haven’t yet, and they still have the mental maturity and age roughly about the same as a teenager, which makes life just great for us.” “I see that you are also an expert in sarcasm,” he said, “And this clears up things a lot, thanks, but where the hay is our food supposed to be right now?” “Oh, I’m sorry, chefs, please bring in the dinner,” and with that said a simple yet still elegant meal was brought in for them to dine on. “Let us begin to eat and feast!” Cosmos said digging into his food. Star Swirl really wasn’t that hungry but did decide to eat since it looked good. And when the delicious meal was finally done the chefs who had prepared and served it took away the dirty plates to be cleaned up in the kitchen. “Now that our dinner is finally done now, let us please hear your story then,” Cosmos said anxiously leaning forward on his chair. “Well of course, but I do have one last final quick question before I begin.” “Yes, what is it exactly?” he said. “Firstly, I never got all of your names, and secondly, why is there an empty chair?” he said pointing his hoof to the chair that was still untouched. And once he had said this the mood and atmosphere around and in the room suddenly turned dark and sad and he could have sworn that he felt a very cold shill in the air even though his magic always kept him at just the right heat. “I am sorry, forgive my manners and rudeness,” Cosmos said, “This is my very lovely and beautiful wife Galaxia who is Queen, the white one is Celestia and the other is her little younger sister Luna, and finally, the empty chair, that used to hold the place and position of a friend of ours who was like a daughter to us, her name was Winter Frost, but her tale is for yet another time. “Come, tell us your story now and let us hear of all that you have done.” And with that said he did so and when he was done they gasped in shock and awe and wonder and surprise, “I can’t believe that you did all of that,” Celestia said, “And I also can’t believe that you found the way and secret to being immortal without becoming an Alicorn, I mean how is any of that possible?” “That is a very good and great question to which I do not have the answer to sadly enough, but all that you need to know for now was that it was magic.” “Well of course it was, do you think that I am silly?” she said. “Well I really don’t know, I heard that you had the maturity of children or teenagers still so I would still say that you are, just a bit however.” “Hey!” she complained, but the conversation moved on. “So then girls I think that you have heard enough for one night, bedtime.” “Oh come on dad, can’t we stay up just a little bit longer?” Luna said. “When you can control the stars and night you can do whatever you want, but until then so long as you live in my house you follow my rules.” “Your father is right,” Galaxia said, “Come on now and be good little girls and I’ll read you another bedtime story, perhaps maybe even your new favorite.” The girl’s eyes widened with the anticipation of this great and glorious yet still simple prize to be gained and earned, “The First Alicorn?” Celestia said. “Yes, that one, now go before I can change my mind.” And with that said they rushed off to get ready for bed. The parents both laughed and said, “They’ll never ever really change or grow up fully because they have a bit of a pranking side and nature to them.” And then Star Swirl became curious as something that she had said. “You said that you would tell them a bedtime story of the first alicorn, is that quite right and correct?” he said after they had left the room. “Yes, why?” Galaxia said with much curiosity in her mind right then. “Oh no reason, I was just wondering if it was some kind of fairy tale or myth or legend that could have some real fact and truth behind it, oh, and I would also like to hear it from you even if it is just directed at them.” Galaxia looked nervously at Cosmos but he just laughed, “Oh, please don’t worry about their safety or innocence, I would never do anything like that to hurt them and would never try to put their lives at risk either. They won’t be in any kind of danger or peril and I am not that kind of stallion either, besides, I’ve done things and stuff with my own wife and I would not rather it get complicated with any little tiny young foals of yours, and besides, me and the author don’t even like or read foalcon, I mean that stuff it just icky and gross and disgusting, I mean have you read any of the fanfictions out there? Me and the author haven’t and we would like to keep it that way, and thank you very much for letting me dine and eat with you tonight.” Their faces dropped in a mix of both horror shock and surprise and then he sighed as he slowed down time and turned to the screen, “Sorry for this fourth wall break through,” he said, “But the author just couldn’t resist, and besides, I am a very great and powerful wizard, who is to say that I can’t break all of reality as we know it and then somehow put back the broken pieces together once more again? And with that said he turned back to them and resumed time. “How did you know what we were thinking exactly?” they said. “Oh, that was just a simple little tiny mind trick and spell, really quite simple and easy as it can only interpret emotions, but the ones I use decipher all of your mind completely and entirely covering the whole entire area.” “Oh, well then, that explains a lot,” Galaxia said, “But yes, I do not mind you listening to my voice as I read to them, even if it seems creepy and somehow still sexual, and I don’t want to say anymore for fear of raising the mood.” “Don’t you mean the rating of this story?’ he said. “Wait, what story?” Cosmos said. “Never mind,” he said, “Just forget what I said about the fourth wall.” They looked a bit confused but then decided to ignore his very strange and unusual eccentric mysterious and odd nature and habits too. And with that he followed Galaxia to the girl’s room where she lay down beside their beds to try to get them to sleep with a bedtime story. “Mama, why is he here exactly?” Luna said pointing at him. “Oh, he’s just a guest that’s very curious about the story I am about to tell you, just ignore him and focus on the story and close your eyes and relax, once upon a time in this very land of ours…” “…The End,” she finished up as they fell asleep at last. “That was a very good story,” he said in a very low whisper careful not to wake them up once they were outside and she had shut the door and gave them kisses on their heads and telling them that she loved them very much, “And your care and love for them is really quite amazing and wonderful too. Good job, keep it up and you’ll go very far with those two.” “Thanks a lot,” she said very quietly in a low whisper too, “But I don’t need your praise or compliments, I am fine with just their love alone.” “Don’t talk like that, of course you can accept my praise and compliments, the only reason that you don’t do so is because most ponies just can’t or won’t.” “They do? Huh, that’s interesting, but come now, why don’t you go to your guest room and chambers now and get some sleep and rest now?” “You keep on saying that and it almost makes me think that there’s some kind of devious evil plot to eat me or put me in a bowl of soup when I get there, and just out of pure simple scientific curiosity, you’re not going to do that, are you? Or perhaps maybe I am letting my imagination go wild again instead?” “It is most definitely the second option,” she said with a slight smile and giggle, “Now then off you go, I want to spend some quality time with my husband.” His eyes widened at that statement, “No, it’s nothing like that at all!” “Oh good thing then,” he said with a very deep heavy sigh, “I was worried that the rating might go up for a second there, but thank Faust that it didn’t.” “You keep on using that word,” she said “What word?” he said trying desperately to avoid this situation. “Faust, who is that anyways?” she said very curiously. “Um, nobody important, that’s for sure,” he said lying, “Just forget that you ever heard me say her name, and your husband as well too.” “Well okay then,” she said just going along and rolling with him, “As you wish.” And with that said she went into her own room and chambers and shortly afterwards Cosmos came up after her to do… well… something. “No it wasn’t like that,” he said to Felicia when he got to his room and found her sitting at the window edge waiting for some food and then he went back and got some and then told her his day when she asked him how it went down exactly, “You have a dirty mind for such a noble and wise old creature.” She squawked, “Ah, yes, that does explain a lot, but come now, let us rest, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow,” and with that said they went to bed.