Chapter 9 – Swirl it up
Since the spell ended and the grey stallion retreated back to his seat of earlier his head has been buried to his book as the quil strokes his thoughts to its blank pages.
Aura has stood to one side of the room as she watches the stallion's hoof moving through it’s words, but her gaze that she has kept for so long is finally met as Star Swirl's auburn eyes move to her. "Oh...i'm sorry..." He moves his satchel to the floor next to him as he shifts his gaze to the floor, "I got a little lost in this spell...forgi-..."
His words are cut off as Aura shakes her head, "No, Sir.Swirl, do not ask for forgiveness, you have done nothing wrong."
The mare brings her hooves to tap to the floor beneath her as she tilts her head, "Tell me Sir.Swirl why is it that you have changed so much?"
Swirl shakes his head with a slight chuckle as he stares to the mare, "I-I must say I do not understand why a beard is such a big change."
She gives a slight giggle as her voice comes back, "No, that is not what I mean Sir.Swirl..."
The stallion is silent as he holds his eyes to the crystal mare, but to his silence the mare continues, "Just before..." She points her hoof to the stairs as her sweet tone holds, "...Your hooves had the spring of a colt after that spell, your smile that was once so...so warming is now something you hold in, and it makes me want to know why?"
Swirl's eyes lower as he stares away from her, "Aura, the land of Equestria was supposed to be a land of new...a land of change and a land of freedom."
Aura is silent as Swirl's voice continues, "...But what has changed besides the dirt beneath our hooves?"
The hooves that held the book to the table come up as Swirl struggles with his words, "I-its the same petty feuds that keep the land from moving on, its the same inability to bow for another ponies needs."
His hoof points to the window with the lowering sun as he speaks up, "Look Aura, the sun is at whim to Unicorns that decide when the day has ended."
Aura blinks to the slightly raised tone as she smiles softly, "But Swirl, there have been change...look at what King Sombra has done."
Swirl nods his head as he holds his hoof to the window but his eyes to Aura, "Yes..." The tone of his voice comes back down with a sigh as he puts his hoof to his side, "Yes...But even Sombra in his understanding of what truly is needed is powerless for real change."
A smile crosses Swirl's face as he looks over the mare, "Few ponies want to believe there truly is no difference to each race, and the few that do suffer for that belief."
"Tell me Aura, do you know when the Crystal Heart celebration is to be held?"
The mare squints to the words as she shakes her head, "Um...no, word through the kingdom is that Queen Apatite has not decided a date."
Swirl nods his head, "Yes, that's true..." He sighs again as he turns fully towards her, "Queen Apatite has fallen ill."
Aura blinks to the words as she listens to the stallion, "...But not with any normal sickness, the same strange magic that has made this empire join together without the friction it should have met has also started to strain Queen Apatite."
"W-what do you mean ill?" The mare shakes her head with a slight laugh, "Why would King Sombra and Queen Apatite not inform the city?"
The stallion nods his head as his words stem from him, "Because, they both believe like myself that everypony is equal..." He chuckles as he stops his words, "Well equal by magic of course, there are still some things unique to a pony." His eyes hold to the mare's wings with a faint smile as he trails on, "But they have waited to inform any pony because they both wished to make their ideas heard throughout the other provinces of Equestria.” A laugh comes from Swirl as he continues, “Strange their is a unicorn not wanting power, and a pegasus that has left her clouds to better the land bound ponies, however I trust their thoughts because I think the same. But yet with Queen Apatite having a weakened stance and King Sombra spread thin I feel they may not be able to give a powerful enough voice to allow the other three to give up traditions of old and move to one truly peaceful rule.”
Aura brings her hoof to her mouth as she talks, "What kind of illness could do this?”
Swirl pauses as he thinks, but his head comes to a shake as his low voice comes out, "I and they....do not know." He moves his gaze to stare blankly towards the wall as he gives off a slight laugh, "Now I feel I must apologize to you Aura...I have let my mind carry me from your question."
"No." The mare pushes her current thoughts aside as she gives a sweet smile, "You answered my question Swirl."
"I-I do not understand, I thought your question was why my views of magic have changed so much?" The stallion holds a confused stare to her smile.
But she doesn't lose it as she answers. "No Sir.Swirl, I wanted to know why your warm and life loving smile has become so seldomly seen."
To his lightning confusion Aura nods her head as she moves closer and puts her hoof to the book resting on the table, "Sir.Swirl, I see now why you keep your opinions to yourself so much...but you should not be kept from your goal just because of a gloomy looking cloud."
Swirl's smile comes to him as he listens to the pegasus's words, his gaze sets to the journal he was writing in as his voice drops to a deep low, "My dear Aura, my deepest feelings and purest thoughts are two things I have kept from you...for fear of what you might do with them."
Aura gives a little giggle to the words as she hoofs the book towards him, "I do not know why you kept your opinion of this matter locked for so long, you had nothing to fear."
The stallion nods his head as he takes the book from her hoof, "Yes...I was foolish to keep my opinion on this matter hidden."
As the book comes to his hooves he starts to fumble with its pages, but he doesn't get to mess with the book for long as Aura's green-blue hoof rest to it, "Star Swirl, I believe you have had your snout buried in your book for long enough." She averts her eyes from him as she continues, "I will not hold you from the castle any further, your knowledge is needed if what you have told me is true."
Swirl takes his hooves from the pages as the realization to the world around him comes back to its weight on his mind, "Yes, I need to return."
"Good." Aura takes her hoof from the book as she picks her posture back up a little more proper, "Now Sir.Swirl, you will be returning before you leave to retrieve Wispy...will you not?"
"Um..yes yes of course." Swirl rolls his hoof to the words as the mare smiles.
"Perfect, now I will be informed early of your late arrival." A faint giggle escapes her mouth as Swirl starts his reluctant trot towards the door.
"I promise Aura, this day and tomorrow are not the only two days you shall see me."
End of chapter 9