Not even on her birthday did her teacher gave her a break.
“Traditionally, your mother would have thought you these spells,” said Stygian as he escorted the eleven-year-old mare to the training grounds. “But, circumstances being as they are, we’ll make do with what we have.”
The sun hadn’t even risen when they arrived at the plain. The cold cut through the many layers of clothes her father made her wear, Starlight shivered miserably and it was through to pure discipline that she didn’t wine nor complain about it. Starlight followed the old unicorn, even as they walked past the training grounds and uphill into the forested area that surrounded it until they reached the top of the hill did they finally stopped.
“What is this place?” Starlight asked, looking down at the town that seemed so small in the distance. They had really walked a long way.
“It was here that your mother first learned magic, and her mother before her, and so on for generations ever since Sire’s Hollow was founded,” Stygian said and was quiet before continuing. “I have been teaching you the magic that opens up your senses if there’s something in this place, anything at all, you should be able to feel it and maybe learn from it.”
Starlight looked at her teacher and then at the hill that they stood on. “I think I have been here before…”
“Yes, your mother would bring you here when you were very young,” Stygian said and urged her to stand closer to the center. “Now, as we practice, cast the spells I thought you.”
Starlight bit her lip nervously but nodded. She closed her eyes, her horn glowing a soft periwinkle and the world faded like an afterthought. She didn’t know what to expect and the uncertainty of it all terrified her, she wished Sunburst were there, or Sunset, or her dad, but the one she longed for the most was…
…something soft fell on her withers and drew her closer to someone, sharing their familiar warmth with her, she snuggled closer to her gratefully and smiled up to her mother, who looked down at her with gentle blue eyes.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, pumpkin,” said the older mare. “How about we finish this song, so we can go home and see daddy?”
Starlight nodded and gazed up at the night sky, reciting with the help of her mother the words she knew by heart even if it was the first time she spoke them.
Alone in the night
On a dark hill
With pines around me
Spicy and still,
And a heaven full of stars
Over my head,
White and topaz
And misty red;
Up the dome of heaven
Like a great hill,
I watch them marching
Stately and still,
And I know that I
Am honored to be
Witness of so much majesty.
Her magic was released in a beam of light, her most powerful burst of magic in her young life, where it hit the sky and formed a dome over the waking village, creating a spectacle of glimmering lights that dance in the sky. Blue, green, yellow, red, and purple lights rained down on the village and every pony watched them in awe, stepping out of their homes to enjoy them.
“You did it Starlight!” said the old unicorn with a smile that made him seem so much younger.
“I don’t understand,” said Starlight, massaging her horn which stung slightly. “All that the spell does is make pretty lights, did I do it right?”
“You did it perfectly.” Stygian walked closer to the filly and pointed at the happy villagers. “Your mother created many spells and enchantments but this one was her favorite because winters are so harsh in this little town she wanted to do something that would cheer them up during the cold months, I thought that spell had been lost when she passes on, but now that you remembered it you will be able to continue your mother’s legacy.”
Despite the cold Starlight felt a warmth growing in her chest, where it reached her eyes and made them watered as she looked at the happy ponies of Sire’s Hollow. It was happiness but also melancholy that made her heart flutter, happiness because she was able to cast one of her mother’s favorite spells but also sadness that she wasn’t there to see it. But she also felt pride at what her magic could do. If she could continue working on it, following her mother’s footsteps or even forging a new path for herself, helping the ponies of Sire’s Hollow as the future head of the village or maybe just a simple teacher, she would be happy.
She wanted to continue to learn all she could about magic, for as long as she lived.
As Starlight gazed at the lights shimmering in the sky, she thought she felt something warm on her flank, but she ignored it even as it cooled down and her cutie mark appeared on her skin.