//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: The Darkness Begins // Story: Astra (Story 1/9) // by Spikey_Wikey //------------------------------// Chapter 3: The Darkness Begins Dark clouds loomed in the sky as Clover trotted toward the castle, the crystal heart packed tightly into her saddlebag. Well, perhaps crystal was a bit of a stretch. The heart was mostly stone now. It had been nearly a year since the Windigoes had been banished, and though initially life in the Crystal Empire had been good, the atmosphere of the place had become ominous and gloomy. Clover shook some water off her hoof as she stepped in a puddle just in front of the castle. It was a strange sight to behold at times, mostly due to its design. Most of the castle was comprised of a giant crystalline tower that stood on four short legs, all reaching up to join together at the top. Clover walked in, unquestioned by the guards. She was a close personal friend of Queen Platinum, after all, and so was well known around the castle. Well, sort of, anyway. The six ponies’ friendships had suffered heavily ever since migration to Equestria had finished. They had all become very busy with their duties and hardly had any time to spend with each other. Private Pansy had moved to the outskirts of the empire after discovering she had a love for animals. Smart Cookie had decided to start a farm, as well as oversee the production of other farms. These, too, were located on the border of the empire. Clover had taken up residency in a house along one of the streets that ran to the center of the empire where the castle stood. In it were all of Starswirl’s books, as well as any other of his possessions she managed to bring with her. Commander Hurricane insisted she lead the weather team, to which the other five ponies agreed. Chancellor Puddinghead was in charge of land development and exploration, and Queen Platinum took the throne of the castle, dealing with public relations and things of that nature. Queen Platinum. Clover was glad that the Princess had decided to change her title. It was more fitting in her opinion and sounded more mature as well. Of course, the fact that Platinum had a pony she wanted to impress may have had something to do with it as well. Raincloud was a simple pegasus. His name had seemed rather unorthodox to Platinum at the time she had met him, but as she got to know him, she had found herself liking him more and more each day. They had met when one of the pegasi groups was migrating. Raincloud had grown fatigued from trying to carry too many of his possessions at once, but his stubbornness prevented him from landing and walking. He crashed into the ground, or what would have been the ground if Platinum hadn’t been standing there. He had apologized profusely, quite sure that the unicorn Queen would banish him, but something about Platinum had changed a lot. She was no longer as snobbish and unforgiving as she used to be and had almost laughed at the thought of banishment. The two were getting along marvelously, and Clover was sure it wouldn’t be long before they became engaged. Clover now approached the doors to the throne room and opened them slowly. “Clover? Is that you?” There she was, sitting on the throne, sorting through dozens and dozens of small rolls of parchment. “Yes, I wanted to show you-” “Whatever it is dear, please do it quickly. I’ve fallen behind in my work and have even less spare time than before, I’m afraid.” Clover nodded. This was how it was now. They were all too busy with their own work to spend any time with one another, and top of that, the whole empire was suffering from what Clover could best describe as a plague of depression. There was always a sense of foreboding in the air and despite their best efforts, the weather team could only make the clouds disappear for a few minutes. Overall, the mood was very grim, and it seemed as though it would never end. “Here.” She pulled the heart out of her saddlebag and placed it on the floor. Platinum gasped and ran over to where Clover was standing. “What happened to it? It’s just a chunk of rock now!” “I have no idea,” Clover said, and she hated the fact that this was true. She turned away from the heart. “It happened shortly after the migration was complete. I’ve spent months trying to fix it, but nothing I’ve done ever worked.” She looked out one of the stained glass windows. As usual, the sky was overcast. Clover rested her forelegs and head on the windowsill. “Can’t you feel it? That sense of gloom that’s taken over the whole land? It’s really put a damper on everything, even our friendships. I feel like none of us are as close as we used to be.” Clover watched as the trees outside swayed in the breeze. Sighing, she turned around. The heart was gone. In its place was a small pile of dust. Clover, now in a panic, ran over to Platinum, eyes wide. “What did you do? What did you do?!” “I…I…nothing! I looked up when you were speaking, and when I looked down again, it-” She was interrupted as the doors flew open with bang, and a sobbing, yellow pegasus flew into the room. “What is it? What happened?” asked Clover as she landed. “It’s…it’s the animals. They’re all gone!” *** Clover sat down at the table of a small kitchen inside the castle. Private Pansy was to her left, and Smart Cookie was to her right. Platinum sat directly across from her, the other two sitting on either side of her. The pile of dust that was once the crystal heart had been scooped up into a bowl and placed on the table. Clover was now staring at it as she heard the sound of rain come from outside. “Something must be done about this,” Platinum said. “Where do we start? We’re dealing with a lot of different problems here, and they all seem to connect somehow…” Clover answered. “Whatever do you mean, darling?” “Don’t you see? Haven’t any of you noticed what’s been happening outside?” Commander Hurricane looked at her. “Oh, of course not. I only lead the weather team. I’ve got no idea.” Clover rolled her eyes. “I don’t mean the weather exactly, although that’s a contributing factor. I mean…haven’t any of you felt the atmosphere? Think about how you feel whenever you walk outside.” Chancellor Puddinghead was the first to respond. “It feels really, really, gloomy, like the world forgot how to be happy and laugh.” “Exactly, and this began happening shortly after the migration finished. That’s the first problem. The second problem is-” “Uh, if I could just say something quickly,” Smart Cookie cut in. “I’m just wondering why I’m here.” Platinum gave her a puzzled look. “Why, you’re here because you’re our friend, and one of the founders of Equestria as well.” “Yeah, but…this just seems like something that more…royal ponies would talk about, not somepony who supervises the food supply.” “Perfect example right there,” said Clover. “Problem number two: our friendships.” Commander Hurricane broke the long silence following that statement. “Uh, I’m not the only one who’s confused, right?” Clover sighed. “It’s true, everypony. Our friendships, whether we all see it or don’t, are fading.” She turned to Smart Cookie. “You are one of the six founders of Equestria and hold a very important place in the government of the Crystal Empire, and yet, you don’t even feel you deserve to be at a meeting with the rest of us! And I’m willing to bet you’re not the only one.” She turned now to Private Pansy, who looked down a little guiltily. “Oh, um…I…no.” “That’s Private Pansy, though. She-” “Commander,” said Platinum warningly. “All six of us have a right to be at this meeting. We are all friends.” “Then why aren’t we acting like it anymore?” asked the Chancellor. “I miss those few days where we spent time with each other and laughed and had fun.” Platinum tried to reassure her. “We’re simply too busy, that’s all, darling. It’s nothing to get upset about,” but the Chancellor shook her head. “Nuh-uh. Something’s not right anymore. It’s like our friendships are…are…” “Dying,” finished Clover, and the Chancellor nodded, her eyes slightly wet. “Um, what if…what if we had more help with our jobs? Maybe that…could give us more free time?” asked Private Pansy. “Speaking of jobs,” said the Commander as she turned to Clover. “What exactly is your job? What do you do as a founder of Equestria?” Clover was slightly taken aback. “Well, I run a library, and I do research. If it weren’t for that we wouldn’t even be having this meeting right now.” “Oh, great, good thing you do research then, otherwise I might be doing my job now or something.” “Hey! That’s-” “And what about you?” she said, turning to Private Pansy. “What is it that you do? Something with animals?” Private Pansy shrunk back, unable to answer. “That’s not fair, Hurricane!” said the Chancellor. “Her job and mine go hoof in hoof! It’s very important that while we’re expanding and exploring our land, we respect the wildlife that’s out there. All of our jobs have meaning, and it’s very rude to think otherwise!” “Well, your job just got much easier, because all the animals are gone now!” Private Pansy looked at her with tears in her eyes, and Clover put a hoof around her. “There’s no need for yelling,” said Smart Cookie. “We should all just stay calm and-” “Stay out of this!” said Commander Hurricane. “Don’t yell at her! She didn’t do a thing!” said Platinum. “Everypony be quiet!” yelled Clover as a loud clap of thunder rumbled through the sky. The bowl rattled lightly on the table, and all six ponies fell silent. Clover nervously cleared her throat. “I rest my case. On to the third problem: the crystal heart. As you can see, it’s not a crystal anymore. I don’t really think there’s much else to say about it, other than the obvious fact that we have to fix it.” The other five nodded in agreement. “Any ideas?” asked Commander Hurricane. “Well…as I said before, these problems seem to be all connected, and we know the cause for most of them.” “Most of them?” asked Platinum. “Yes, that’s right. The crystal heart’s destruction is, I’m fairly certain, a direct result of our diminishing friendships, and that is a result of the fact that our time is being taken up doing our absolute best to work through this whole bout of misery afflicting the Empire. However…” she paused and looked at all of them. “What caused that in the first place?” They sat in silence for several moments before Smart Cookie spoke. “Uh, I don’t think any of us know. Why don’t you just tell us?” “I can’t,” replied Clover. “I don’t know what’s causing it, either.” “Then why are you asking us?” said Commander Hurricane. “Well, I thought there was a chance one of you might have an idea, but I guess what I’m trying to say here is that for a problem like this, one we don’t know the reason for, I think the best thing to do is just solve it.” “Get rid of the depression hanging over the empire? How exactly can we do that?” asked Platinum. “Oh! Oh! I know! I know!” said Chancellor Puddinghead. The other five looked at her inquisitively. “We can have a party!” Clover slapped a hoof to her forehead. “Chancellor,” she began. “If the six of us just have a party, I don’t think that will-” “No, no, no, no, I mean everypony! Everypony in the Crystal Empire!” “Darling, that’s…well, actually…” Platinum looked at Clover, who nodded. “That’s actually a really good idea. If we have some sort of gathering where everypony in the Crystal Empire can attend, it might at least get them to feel happy again.” “Where would we have this party?” asked Commander Hurricane. “Everywhere! It could be one big party inside the whole Crystal Empire!” “Like a fair, right?” asked Private Pansy, who hadn’t spoken since the Commander’s outburst. “Hey,” said Hurricane. “I’m sorry for before. I shouldn’t have-” The Private held up a hoof to stop her, and then looked at the Chancellor. “Like a fair?” “Exactly!” she replied as the Commander sat back in her seat. “When would we have this fair?” asked Platinum. “I can’t think of any better time than the day the Windigoes were defeated last year,” replied Clover, and the others nodded in agreement. “So, it’s settled, then,” said Smart Cookie. “We’ll host an all-day fair to get these ponies’ and our spirits back up. Just one question: what will we call it?” “I think that’s rather obvious, darling,” replied Platinum, gesturing to the bowl. “Right,” said Smart Cookie as she gave a small smile. “We’ll call it the Crystal Fair.” *** It took a week to complete the necessary preparations for the fair. Commander Hurricane and the weather team had done their best to control the weather as much as possible, and promised to continue all the way through the duration of the fair. Chancellor Puddinghead had been placed in charge of the décor, making sure the streets looked welcoming and festive. Queen Platinum had dealt with the public, making sure as many ponies knew about the fair as possible. Private Pansy, still a little upset about the animals, had decided to brainstorm ideas for activities and events the fair could hold, Smart Cookie was in charge of the food, and inevitably this left Clover to oversee everything. Fortunately, things went according to plan, and everything was ready on the day exactly one year after the banishment of the Windigoes. Now the six friends stood underneath the tower, a crowd of ponies eagerly awaiting one of them to speak. The pile of dust had been placed on a pedestal and covered with the bowl so it wouldn’t blow away. Clover slowly stepped forward to speak. “Hello, everypony!” she began. “Welcome to the first annual Crystal Fair! We’ve decided to start this tradition to celebrate our good fortune and success at starting our lives over in our new land!” She glanced over at her friends. “But most importantly, we’re here to celebrate the friendships we’ve been able to make with each other, despite all our differences, because we made this empire what it is! All of us, working together as one!” The crowd cheered and stamped their hooves in approval as Clover finished. “There’re games, refreshments, and other fun stuff to do here as well. Have fun, everypony!” As the crowd dispersed, Clover turned to look at her friends. “That was great!” said Commander Hurricane. “Really, really, really great!” added the Chancellor. “It was nothing, really. I just…said what I felt,” replied Clover. “Well, I thought it was marvelous,” said Platinum. “Thanks, guys. So, I guess now we just…see to things, make sure everpony’s having a good time?” “Guess so,” answered Smart Cookie. “Come on, y’all, let’s split up.” They each went off in separate directions, except for Clover who wanted to stay by the pedestal just in case anything happened. She laid herself down on the castle steps, staring at the bowl. It wasn’t long before she began to feel sleepy and eventually nodded off. *** Octan was busy roaming the streets of the Crystal Empire, enjoying the festivities of the fair. He was having a wonderful time. The sights, the smells. It was all so exciting! He came to the tower-castle and began to walk under it. As he walked, he looked upwards, in awe of the castle’s structure. He noticed a pedestal with a bowl sitting on top of it and walked over to it. Curiously, he reached a hoof up to touch it, but stopped when he heard a soft snore from behind him. He turned around to face the steps. She was the most beautiful mare he had ever seen. Her violet mane cascaded down her crest and wrapped gently around her neck, a lavender streak running through it. A soft purple coat covered her entire body, down to her tail, which lay across her rear legs. Her head was resting on her forehooves, and he watched with pure infatuation as her chest slowly rose and fell with her breath. Even her Mark was a sight to behold, so mysterious and vibrant. *** Clover yawned quietly as she slowly woke from her nap. She sat up on the steps and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. The first thing she noticed as she looked around was the pedestal. The second thing was that there was a pony staring at her. She opened her eyes a bit wider, too groggy still to really feel anything but indifference about this. “Hey,” she said. “Were you just watching me sleep?” The pony was obviously nervous, his stammered response a confirmation of this. “I, uh…I was, um…” His voice trailed off into meaningless nonsense. Clover shook her head in an effort to wake herself up quickly and now got a good look at the pony. He was an olive-colored unicorn with a dark brown mane and tail. His eyes were an intense dark brown shade and his mane was a cluttered mess, unsure of which way it wanted to face. His tail jutted out in several tufts that formed almost a spiral shape pointing toward the ground. Looking even closer, Clover could see some olive streaks in his mane and tail, haphazardly strewn about. The most important thing Clover noticed, however, was that this pony was cute. Really cute. ‘What are you thinking?’ she asked herself angrily. ‘You don’t have time for things like this! There are much more important matters to attend to!’ Now that she was completely awake, she noticed that the pony was stuttering like an idiot. ‘Oh, no, please,’ she thought. ‘I’m supposed to be assisting with the fair, and instead I’m standing here waiting for this pony to form a coherent sentence. Hmmm...’ Clover walked over to him and held up a hoof to his mouth. “Shh,” she said as she giggled. “I’m not mad. So what’s your name?” Her hoof was on his mouth. The beautiful purple pony had her hoof on his mouth, and on top of it all, she was staring at him with her big, violet eyes. She also seemed to be asking him something. ‘Name? Name…oh!’ “I, uh…I’m Octan.” “Octan. I like it. My name is Clover.” ‘Clover…Clover the Clever? The Clover the Clever? The pony that drove the Windigoes away from the new land and is one of the six founders of the Crystal Empire? This is the pony that was sleeping on the steps?’ Octan was clearly having trouble forming sentences. Clover giggled again as she realized he probably liked her. ‘And doing that probably isn’t helping,’ she realized. She extended her hoof. “Nice to meet you.” He returned the gesture, and both ponies blushed as they shook hooves, Octan in particular. He knew his hoof was trembling and was sure Clover would feel it. ‘Why can’t you just be cool for once?’ he said to himself in annoyance. ‘His hoof is trembling. This is only making him cuter,’ Clover thought, and it was true. His shy, quirky, nature coupled with his adorable looks…as much as Clover knew she should focus on running the fair, she was having a hard time caring. All she could really think about right now was the adorable olive pony shaking her hoof, desperately trying to keep his composure. ‘I wish I could spend more time with him, but I’ve got to make sure nothing happens to the…pile of dust,’ she reasoned. It was still sitting on the pedestal, the bowl covering it untouched. “I’m really sorry. I wish we could go somewhere, but I have something I need to do. This is the first fair, and none of us know what may happen.” “Oh, uh, y-yeah. Okay. No problem. I’ll just, um-” “You can stay here if you want, and we could just…talk or something. Ordinarily I’m okay being left alone, but today isn’t an ordinary day, is it?” ‘Perfect. Now I’m flirting with him.’ Octan looked at her. Was she really doing what he thought she was doing? “Uh, sure, I’d love to.” “Great!” Clover said as she smiled. She turned around to lead him to the castle steps, her tail accidentally grazing his forelegs. “Come on!” she called. “We can sit over here.” He quickly caught up with her, and the two ponies sat down together. *** At first, Clover had quite a time getting Octan to speak. It seemed he was really taken with her, though she’d be lying if she said she didn’t feel the same about him. One thing still puzzled her, however. Octan’s Mark. It was a ball with a bunch of different lines and shapes on it. At a glance it looked like a globe, but Clover couldn’t figure out what it represented. Curious, she decided to ask him about it. “So, about your Mark…what’s your special talent?” Clover watched as his eyes wandered to her own Mark. He was probably wondering the same thing about her. “Umm…” he started, but couldn’t find any other words. After a few more seconds of this, Clover realized what was happening and cleared her throat slightly. “Eyes up here,” she said as she giggled. Embarrassed, he looked up at her. ‘Those eyes!’ he thought to himself. ‘They’re so violet! So…beautiful.’ “I, uh…well, I’m really good with plants and animals, and I know a lot about the sun and moon cycles, too, I guess. What about you?” ‘It’s got to be something with magic, right?’ Now it was Clover’s turn to be nervous. ‘How the hay do you tell someone that your special talent is being an expert spell caster and researcher?’ “I…my special talent is researching and using different kinds of magic.” ‘Hopefully that won’t sound too proud.’ “Wow, that’s really awesome!” He paused for a moment. “But…I think it’s much, much more than that.” Clover tilted her head a bit. “Oh? What do you think?” Octan made no hesitation before answering. “I think you’re the most amazing unicorn ever.” ‘Idiot!’ What in the world made him say that? His leg began bouncing nervously as his heart rate increased with every pang of anxiety. His gaze never left her eyes as he stared at her, trying to keep himself together, and he noticed that Clover was blushing. ‘Great, I’ve embarrassed her now,’ he thought bitterly. Clover could feel the heat in her face. She tried to open her mouth to say something, but couldn’t find the words. ‘What do I say? How do I respond to this?’ How could somepony she just met have such an effect on her? ‘Say something! Do something! Do…no. There’s no way I can do that. We just met! But…’ Clover smiled slightly. “Is that so?” She moved a little bit closer to him and rested her hoof on his. Octan watched in stunned silence as Clove now turned to face him completely, her other hoof now wrapping around his shoulder. Slowly, he began to reciprocate as the two slowly drew each other into an embrace. “Clover! Clover! Is that you? Come over…wait, whoa, what?!” ‘Are you actually kidding me right now?! Why?! Of all the times, it had to be now?!’ Both ponies quickly moved away from each other, and Clover groaned in annoyance as she turned around to see her five friends looking at her. Sighing, she turned back to Octan, who was now looking down at the ground. She lifted his chin up with her hoof. “Maybe next time,” she said. “Come on, let’s go see what they want.” Octan was immobilized. Try as he might, he couldn’t find the capacity to move himself. He heard Clover saying something to him, but couldn’t quite understand what it was. He was still trying to process what had happened. Just then, a strange force engulfed his body and he was lifted off the steps. This was certainly strange to him, but he soon became content with it as he realized that it was Clover’s spell surrounding him. Completely relaxed, he resigned himself to his thoughts and began to reflect on the day he had had. *** ‘Maybe that was a bit much,’ thought Clover. ‘Especially knowing how nervous he is around me.’ Quickly, she picked him up with a levitation spell and walked over to her friends. “What’s going on?” asked Clover. Her friends just stared at her. Commander Hurricane was the first to speak. “Uhh…what-” “That’s not important right now. What happened?” "I don't think-" "What happened?" “Look at the pedestal,” replied the Private. Clover looked and was surprised at what she saw. The crystal heart seemed to have reformed itself and was now floating slightly above the pedestal. It shined a brilliant bright light, and a growing number of ponies began to surround it. As Clover took all this in, she noticed that the bowl was teetering on the edge of the pedestal. It broke into pieces as it fell to the ground. Octan came out of his thoughts as he heard the bowl smash. Remembering that he was still being levitated, he tapped Clover gently on the shoulder. “Um…hey, I-I’m real sorry about before. I couldn’t…” Clover turned to look at him. “Can you walk?” she asked as she lowered him to the ground. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I just…wow, you were making me float…I never knew you could do that to other ponies!” Clover giggled. Octan loved that. It was the cutest sound he’d ever heard. “So, uh, what’s happening now?” asked Smart Cookie. “Looks to me like the crystal heart’s been fixed.” “Do you think it actually worked?” she asked, turning to the Chancellor. “Did we do it?” “It sure seems like it!” she replied cheerily. Clover turned back to look at the Crystal Heart as more ponies arrived to see what was happening. “Wow,” she whispered. Clover suddenly felt a strange warmth go through her. She closed her eyes as she began remembering everything that had happened the past year. Her new friends helping her defeat the Windigoes, the Crystal Heart forming, the founding of Equestria and the Crystal Empire, the migration over to the new land, setting up the Crystal Fair, meeting the cutest and nicest pony she’d ever met. All of these thoughts welled up inside her, and when she opened her eyes again, she noticed that the ponies looked different. There was a sort of luster to their coats that she hadn’t seen before, and she realized that the same thing had happened to her. The streets they were standing on had gone through a similar change and they illuminated as bright as the crystal heart was now, giving off rays of light. Then, it all disappeared as this new energy receded to the center of the Empire and drove itself right into the crystal heart, which began to spin. It spun faster and faster until finally it released a giant burst of energy that expanded to all corners of the Empire. The dark clouds grew slightly brighter as the top of the tower glowed a bright white, and a rainbow beacon suddenly shot out of it. It exploded high in the air and sending its colors shooting out in all different directions. The gloomy clouds disappeared instantly, and a beautiful sunset took their place. As the magic died down, Clover could only stand there in awe, wishing that Starswirl could have been with them to see this amazing sight. Never had she expected anything like that to happen. The crystal heart now floated proudly above its stand, glowing a brilliant white light. Clover turned to the Chancellor and whispered “It worked! Your idea worked!” “Yupp! There’s nothing like a big party to make everypony smile!” “Clover, I believe you have another speech to make,” said Platinum. “Wha-oh! Yeah, I guess I do.” Clover stepped forward into the open where the crowd could see her and cleared her throat. “Everypony, we’d like to thank you all for not only coming to the first annual Crystal Fair, but also for playing your part in making it a possibility! It’s been an entire year since Equestria was founded and our Empire established, and we were able to do it because of your hard work and dedication, and we hope that the Crystal Fair next year will be even better! Thank you again, everypony!” The crowd cheered again as Clover finished her speech. She turned to her friends, astounded at what they had been able to accomplish that day. She opened her mouth to say something, but Commander Hurricane cut her off. “Before you say anything, who is this?” She gestured toward Octan. Clover blushed again. “Oh, his name is Octan. I met him today. We’ve been talking here all day.” “Sure didn’t look like there was much talking going on when we got he-ow!” Platinum had jabbed her in the side before she could finish. “Well, I suppose that’s a wrap then, yes?” Everypony nodded and bid each other a good night, except for Clover and Octan. “I had a lot of fun today,” he said, turning to face her. “Me, too,” she replied. “But…” “What?” he asked. The sun was hanging low in the sky now as night began to fall over the Crystal Empire. Clover slowly walked towards Octan until she was standing right in front of him. “I, uh…” Now it was she who couldn’t speak. Octan looked at her inquisitively. “What is-” He stopped speaking as he felt a pair of forehooves wrap around his shoulders and Clover’s lips press against his cheek. “Let’s have lunch tomorrow, okay?” she said. “I’m at the library.” Octan merely nodded. Then she was gone. It took him a few seconds to realize that Clover had just teleported. As the last of the sun’s dimmest rays disappeared, Octan turned to go home as well, still in slight disbelief that the prettiest, most amazing unicorn in existence actually liked him. *** Clover squinted her eyes as the morning sun’s first light shined through her window. She mumbled a bit to herself as she tried and failed a few times to go back to sleep. Eventually, she gave up and let out a sigh as she sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes. Her ears perked up at a sudden noise from the first floor. Curious, she got out of her bed and left her room. She heard the same noise again. It sounded like somepony was walking around downstairs. She made her way down the steps and noticed that the noises abruptly stopped. “Hello?” she called out, wondering who it was. Slowly, she walked into the kitchen. It shouldn’t have been any surprise to her, but Clover couldn’t help herself. There he was, nonchalantly standing there as if he had been waiting for her. “Starswirl?” He smiled at her as he said her name. “Clover.” Clover hugged him, happy that she was finally speaking to her mentor after so many months. As she let go, she noticed that something wasn’t quite right with his smile, as though he was trying to mask some other emotion behind it. “It’s good to see you again,” he said. Now Clover knew something was wrong. His voice seemed normal on the surface, but carried the smallest hint of grief. “You too,” she replied. “But is everything alright? You seem a little…” Clover’s sentence trailed off as she was suddenly unsure of how to describe what she thought Starswirl was feeling. “I’m perfectly fine, my dear. Don’t worry about me.” He let out a feeble cough. ‘So that’s still happening,’ she thought to herself. ‘It doesn’t seem nearly as bad as the last time we met, though. What could that mean?’ She noticed a book in the saddlebag he was carrying. It was positively overflowing with loose papers. From one of these she could see a drawing very similar to the one she had seen in that book the morning of her first meeting with Platinum. It was the creature that looked like a pony, save for the fact that it had holes in its legs and incredibly thin wings. Starswirl noticed this and shifted slightly, causing the paper to move out of sight. He then cleared his throat. “If I may ask, when was the last time I saw you?” “It was before I met with Princess Platinum. I was on my way there when I accidentally hit you with a rock.” Starswirl chuckled, a seemingly unbreakable habit of his. “Yes, of course…” he muttered. “What was that?” “Hm? Oh, nothing! I was just thinking to myself.” Clover noticed a slight movement inside Starswirl’s saddlebag. She decided not to question it. “So, were you at the fair? Or maybe…” “Oh, no, I’m afraid I couldn’t attend. For some reason I have the feeling that I shouldn’t be seen.” “Well, um…” Clover paused. Was this a test by her mentor to see how well she understood time travel or not? “Starswirl, don’t you remember? You told me you were going to die. I mean, you told me that after you died. Well, after you died from my perspective. I-” “What are you talking about Clover? When did I ever tell you that?” “You…” Clover stopped and thought for a moment. The last time she had seen Starswirl, he knew about his coming death. But now he didn’t. He also seemed much healthier than before, almost as if… Clover slowly took a step back and stared at her mentor and friend, not believing what was happening. “No,” she whispered. “That’s not…how could you…” “What’s the matter, Clover? What is it?” “You…it’s not…you. You’re…” How could he do this to her? She had never even considered the possibility that when he told her she would see him again, it would be with a Starswirl that knew even less than before! And he was healthier than the last time as well, which must mean he was younger. There was only one way to explain all of this. They were time traveling in opposite directions. Well, Clover wasn’t time traveling in the same way as Starswirl, but the basic principle still applied. “J-just a quick q-question.” Her voice was shaking. “Am I going to see you again?” “Yes.” There was nothing added to this answer. No revealing inflection, no emotion, nothing. Starswirl looked at her with concerned eyes, and Clover knew that he had been waiting for the moment when she would understand. “Each time we meet, I’ll know more, and you…” “Yes.” The same ‘yes’ again. Clover struggled to wrap her mind around this. He knew that this would happen, and he didn’t tell her. ‘Might as well clue him in on that fact so nothing gets messed up.’ “You didn’t tell me.” “I never planned on it.” His tone was bitter, regretful. “Wha-what? Why not? How could you do this to me? I thought you’d planned on meeting me more after the last time, your next time, whatever! I never expected…this!” As she said this, Clover remembered her last meeting with him. ‘I’m…I’m sorry, my dear. I am so, so sorry…for everything that has happened and will happen.’ “But you also apologized…why not just tell me, though?” “Because…” Clover noted the growing weakness of his voice, his eyes moistening as more and more guilt welled within him. “Clover, I have no doubt that I’ve apologized to you already, but I have to again, and I am so, so sorry.” He exhaled heavily as he struggled to keep his composure. “It was too painful. I could never bring myself to tell you, so I decided I wouldn’t. That was selfish of me, and on top of it all, you…” He sat down on the floor and rubbed his eyes. Clover had never seen her mentor like this before. A tear ran down her cheek as she began to understand what he was going through. “You…you…I’m sorry. I can’t talk about it. I don’t…” He let out another heavy breath followed by a light cough. “I don’t know how you do it, Clover. You are so much stronger than I am.” “Do what?” Clover was thoroughly confused. No doubt her questions would be answered, but the most frustrating part was not being able to know when that would happen. “Cope with…no, I can’t. I can’t discuss it. It might-” He chuckled again. “It might mess with the sequence of events.” Clover walked over to him and put a hoof on his shoulder. “I understand,” she said softly as she helped him stand up. “Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it when it comes.” Starswirl suddenly pulled her into a hug. “You’re right,” he said. “And it seems your newfound friendship has made you very strong.” As he let go, Clover asked, “Would you like to meet them? Or…can you?” Starswirl shook his head. “Even if I could, I’m not sure I would want to. A pony like me, doing the things I’m doing, I can’t have friends. It would be too dangerous and too…painful.” He looked at Clover sadly. She decided not to pursue this. Instead, another thought crossed her mind. “Um, the last time I saw you, you knew about your death, but when I met you just now…” Once again, her sentence trailed off. “I…I didn’t know. I suppose it serves me right to find out the way I did given everything I’ve put you through.” “It’s not your fault, and you know that.” “Perhaps not, but it makes sense that I should die. I haven’t been feeling well lately. I think it’s all the time travel. Please, Clover, you must assure me you will never use it.” Clover nodded. “You told me in the let…I…no, I mean, I won’t use it. I promise.” Starswirl looked at her for a moment, no doubt deciding whether or not to question the stuttering. “Oh! I just remembered something!” said Clover, attempting to redirect the conversation. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about my son, would you?” Starswirl shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I simply don’t remember. Something very strange happened the last time I met with him. I think the only advice I can offer you is that you teach him the value of love. That, and, I feel like he is incredibly important and plays a large part in many events. Take good care of him and your daughter.” Clover sighed. She supposed she’d have to wait until the next time to find out. “That’s okay, I understand. Thank you.” “Well, Clover, I must be going now. There are still a few things I need to understand before I can help you. Don’t tell me what happens, either,” he said as she opened her mouth to speak. “We don’t know what that would do to the timeline, and me telling you not to say anything was obviously meant to happen. I’ll have to discover it on my own.” Clover nodded. “Understood. But before you go, I just have one more question.” Clover had decided to find out what that creature was. “That drawing on that paper…the pony. It doesn’t look normal.” Starswirl tensed slightly at this, and Clover was sure he was deciding whether or not it was safe to tell her. He must have decided it was, however, as he closed his eyes and gave a short nod. “I’ll tell you what it is, Clover, and then I must leave. You must never tell anypony else. Don’t even write it in a book. You understand?” “Yes.” Starswirl readied his time travel spell, eager to leave, still unsure if he should do this or not. As the spell reached its peak, he said, “The creatures call themselves Changelings.” And then he was gone.