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// Chapter 17: Meditation 
// Story: Dreamwalker Dash 
// by Fluttercheer 
//------------------------------//

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Away from the friendship school, at the other end of Ponyville, twigs and leaves got shoved to the side as a creature moved through the thicket of the Everfree Forest. It was a restless walk, fitful and at a high tempo. The breath of the creature was going strong. A wheeze happened here and there. Pain made the creature faster, but at the same time weaker. There was a wound before, a scar from old times that had been ripped open again, but now the wound was even deeper. Guidance could maybe help with it, the creature thought. Not cure it, but make it more bearable.
Somewhere in the deepest thicket, Luna stopped to catch her breath. She gazed through the branches of the trees that obstructed the view of the night sky and searched for the moon. The sky was hardly visible through the dense canopy and only very little of the moon's light found its way into the forest. She had the ability to cast an illumination spell, but her mind was in wild turmoil, flinging from one thought to another, and she could not concentrate enough for spellcasting. So the restless night princess had to find her way in the darkness. It wasn't difficult for her trained eyes, but nonetheless, she longed for the light of the moon.
Luna continued. There was a glimmer of hope in this forest, she knew. Words that could soothe her, spoken from old lips. Words of a mentor. When she saw the orange glimmer through the branches of a bush a couple yards away, she knew she was there.
Luna edged her way ahead. She broke through the bush and stumbled forward onto the clearing with the remaining strength she had in her shaking legs. It wasn't her body that gave out, but regardless of that, she couldn't keep herself up anymore. The weary princess sat down next to the fire to rest.
She was alone. The pony she had hoped to find, and who she needed, was not here. But this did not bother her. She could recover from the encounter and from the previous night here, and once he returned from his watch, she could bring clarity into her predicament, into the prevalent question that dominated her mind, or at least find comfort and reassurance.
The fire crackled and fizzled and her eyes got drawn to it, sunk deeply into the flames. Her breath became slower while she stared, the flickering flames offered no answer, but they brought distraction for her tormented mind. Luna didn't want to look away from the fire. Her body became heavier as her perception disappeared in the campfire.
“It is a quiet night again, but not in your mind, if you seek me out.”
Suddenly, the fire was smaller. How much time had passed? Luna looked up. A piece of wood, wrapped into a white aura, landed in the flames. The fire fizzled louder, flared up, and burst to new life again. Opposite of her sat the pony she had been waiting for.
Starswirl added another piece of wood and the fire grew. “It is cold tonight,” he said.
Luna did not feel cold. Not on the outside, at least. Her heart, however, was being gripped by cold fear. “Starswirl.....” she began and stopped again. A shiver went through her body. She tried again. Nothing. The words didn't want to come. Luna looked away. Maybe this was for the best. She carried guilt and maybe talking to her mentor would only increase it. How could she predict the outcome?
“You made a mistake.” Starswirl looked at her. Instead of judgement, there was warmth in his eyes. “But it was long ago and you have learned since then, became a different pony who makes wiser decisions, so speak freely.”
His gaze seemed to drill into her, but it was not unpleasant. “Did I?” Luna shifted her eyes at him. “Have I made a wise decision, Starswirl?”
“You have an apprentice now,” Starswirl said calmly, seemingly ignoring Luna's question, but picking it up at the same time.
Luna's eyes widened, while her pupils shrunk. “How do you know?”
“It's not hard to find out,” the wizard replied, a smile playing around his lips. “A trot through town, listening to the conversations of ponies, especially to the young ones. Not everything needs a spell.”
“Was it right?” Luna looked at her mentor, seeking confirmation and fearing rejection.
“Does she have what is needed?” Starswirl answered with a question of his own.
“Yes. I think she does. She is strong, in body and in mind.” Luna lowered her eyelids and looked into the fire again.
“Good. What happened long ago was a tragedy. But the past is in the past.” Starswirl conjured two grey, metallic cups from a bag next to him.
Luna looked at him again, her head moving slightly faster now. “Really? Is it?” Luna asked, a foreboding feeling coming over her that her words passed on to the wizard.
Starswirl didn't respond. His magic hovered the two cups, now filled with a brown liquid, over the fire. Only as the liquid began to boil, he talked again. “A heavy burden is on your mind regardless. Tell me about it, Luna,” he prompted.
“I..... I might..... I might have.....” Luna shook. She took a deep breath and forced the words out of her. “I might have seen him.” As the words had left her, she was shaking stronger.
Starswirl floated one of the cups over to her. It trembled slightly, but arrived safely. Luna took it into her own magic.
“Him.....” Starswirl repeated the word that still lingered palpably in the air. His eyes were wide, as well, now. “No, impossible,” he then said, after being in thoughts for a few moments. “His powers were certainly strong, we can't deny that. But not strong enough for more than a thousand years time.” He lifted the cup he held to his lips and sipped from it before he continued to speak. “What did you see?”
“The beast..... They call it 'skinwalker', but.....” Luna trailed off and looked into the fire again, too terrified to finish the sentence.
“Transformation,” Starswirl said, taking the burden off her. “The ability to shapeshift..... It is reminding of him. He never used his powers for good. If he were still alive, I am convinced he would bring more pain. But he did not have access to a millennial life.” Starswirl's gaze deepened, thrust deeper into her skull. “He is dead, Luna. Nothing more than dust in a grave now. Or, perhaps, at a place where he faced powers bigger than his own. He won't come back.”
“Dust.....” Luna whispered. “I fear, dust has become his home now.....” Despite their nature, the words found their way into Starswirl's ears, over the quietly crackling fire. They sat in near complete silence. “I have received terrible news, Starswirl.....” Luna continued, a little louder. Her eyes kept staring at the flames, frozen and numb. Then a tear trickled out of each and slowly ran down her face.
“Your guilt is still strong,” Starswirl took note. “It haunts you again. The beast brings back the past..... but not in the way you fear, Luna. There are many wicked existences in the world. You see them yourself, Luna, in some nights. Sometimes, they create more wicked existences, by passing on their madness to others. Whatever you heard, whatever news you received, the deed is not his doing. There are many who are capable of crimes.”
“How can you be so sure.....” Luna looked warily at Starswirl now. “His own doing..... I know it is his.” Suddenly, there was new energy in Luna. She rose from her resting place, harshly putting down her cup in the process. It fell over and spilled its content. “I have all the details I need to know it's him. I must go and stop what is happening. There is no time to explain. They need me.”
Starswirl nodded, stoic and without moving his body from his seat or his eyes away from Luna. “Go and find out, Luna. Find out who is behind the crimes you discovered. Then, you will see that the past is dead.”
Luna stared at her mentor, disbelief in her cold eyes. She turned around, without saying a word, and headed back into the thicket. She traced the way she came from, without ever looking back.
The old wizard watched Luna until he could not see the glow of her horn anymore. He sighed. “I hope you won't find what you are looking for.”
Starswirl looked up at the moon and his thoughts went far away.