Chapter 3: Discoveries
Umoya lifted her right forehoof and thrust it to her left. Then she mirrored the action with her left hoof. She spun until she faced Star Swirl’s right and flung a forehoof forward and a back one backwards. A strong breeze began to pass through the stadium. She jumped up into the air and twirled, landing back on her hooves. She then raised her front, right hoof into the air.
Star Swirl heard a rhythmic beating. She lifted her eyes and saw that a pair of antelope at the back had levitated over a wooden drum each and began to beat them with their forehooves, filling the air with music which added to the shakers attached to their hooves.
The rest of the antelope joined in with Umoya’s dance, lighting their horns and matching her movements perfectly. They waved their forelegs in an arc and then twirled them.
Star Swirl noted that the sky was rapidly darkening. She looked up to see clouds filling the sky as they grew and puffed out in a billowing field of growing cotton. The clouds turned from white to a hue of grey which bordered on black as they thickened and rolled in the sky like a living, growing creature undulating in its coils and oozing a dark blanket of tar.
Star Swirl’s skin tingled and her nostrils filled with the scent of a busy weather patrol.
They reared up and clopped their forehooves together. Lightning flashed and thunder roared. As they twisted through the air and performed feats of acrobatics and sudden thrusts of their limbs, the wind roared, clouds grew and further flashes of lightning punctuated the scene. They thrust their forehooves forward one at a time at increasing speed as the wind became more intense and the clouds covered up the last of the sky. They all jumped into the air and then rapidly tapped their hooves on the ground.
With that, a torrent of water dropped in a cascade that drenched the land bbelow as Star Swirl jolted in her seat and her head darted about to take in the entire scene.
“Impressive, isn’t it?” asked Isihlangu with a smirk.
“Yes,” said Star Swirl breathlessly as she nodded slowly. “And fascinating. I’d be writing this down if I wasn’t afraid of getting my notebook wet.”
Isihlangu smiled smugly. “Our Queen chose dominion over the air. She is even better at this than another glimmering springbok would be.”
“She’s certainly proven the capabilities of both herself and your tribe,” said Star Swirl as she stared at the dancers, her eyes sparkling. “I can’t wait to learn more.”
(/)
After the dance, Isihlangu led Star Swirl through the short, waxy shrubbery to Umoya, disturbing insects as she went. A locust jumped out of her way before she accidently stepped on it. They squelched through red mud as they went, passing short patches of grass so hard they seemed to be made of twigs. The air smelled of rust, clay, hay and sawdust. She looked at the bright patterns painted over the whitewashed walls of mud. The stadium, unlike the rest of the buildings, was not thatched, but open to the sky and small brown birds flitted overhead between trees with large white thorns and feathery leaves, ones with flattened foliage and ones that looked like they had been swollen and turned upside-down. Piles of boulders lay in random heaps where grass grew among and over them. A large, grey bird with a long, curved beak called out, “Aww-ee-aww!” before landing on the ground and digging for worms. A giant, orange cricket-like creature with spiky legs oozed black ichor when Star Swirl walked passed it before jumping away. The doors were flanked with large, spiky aloes and bushes with furry leaves.
“Thank you, Isihlangu. I can look after her for now. You’re relieved,” said Umoya, waving a hoof in dismissal.
“Thank you, your Majesty.” Isihlangu bowed and left.
“So, how did you find the performance?” asked Umoya. She shifted her hooves to face Star Swirl, disturbing insects as she went. A locust jumped out of her way before she accidently stepped on it.
“I thought that it was amazing,” said Star Swirl as she leaned forward with a large grin until she was on the tips of her hooves. “It was fascinating the way that you could control the weather through dance.”
Umoya smiled. “Thank you. It’s nice to be appreciated by someone who is technically not one of my subjects. We may not have cutie marks, but that doesn’t make us talentless. I’m actually pretty good at weather manipulation. Comes with my seat on the Cosmic Council.”
“Which seat is that?” asked Star Swirl.
“Ariel,” replied Umoya. “I chose to become the glimmering springbok of air. I may not be able to fly, but I can jump. And when I dance, that’s good enough.”
“I see,” said Star Swirl. “Could you tell me more about how you use your dancing to manipulate the weather?”
Umoya sighed. “I’ve heard a bit about what Equestrians can do. At first glance, our magic may seem similar to that of unicorns, but it’s not as clear cut as that.”
“What do you mean?” asked Star Swirl as she leaned in.
“Follow me,” said Umoya as she flicked her head. “I’ll tell you as we walk through towards my indlu ...” She hesitated and shook her head. “I believe the Equestrian word is ‘palace’? Though it’s really just a much bigger version of every other dwelling here unlike Equestrian palaces.”
Star Swirl shrugged. “It fulfils the function of a palace even if it’s unusually round and short.”
“Thank you,” sighed Umoya.
“We’re going to walk through the rain, though?” asked Star Swirl.
Umoya smirked and raised an eyebrow. “It’s hardly a vicious storm.”
“Right.” Star Swirl nodded.
Umoya began to pronk forward and Star Swirl trotted next to her, her hooves sinking in the mud.
“Like unicorns, we have horns to focus and extend our magic beyond our bodies. But in practice, that’s mostly just telekinesis. Most of the magic we cast only affects our own body. We have to dance to enhance our magic enough to get other effects. Even then, that’s mostly weather manipulation.” They travelled past thatched huts and springbok citizens returning to their business.
“I see,” said Star Swirl as she walked around the thin-leaved bushes. “Fascinating. It sounds like the dancing manipulates the threads of arcane energy to create the desired effects. So, the test with the rocks involves magically manipulating your bodies?”
“Yes,” replied Umoya. She pointed at the split rock as they walked through the training field. “A springbok is not normally physically capable of doing that. Once they are able to channel their magic into toughening their body and strengthening their muscles enough to do it, I know that they’re ready for the dangers of being a soldier.”
“Wow. You all have to dance to get maximum use out of your magic? And you can magically enhance your bodies? I really have to write all this in my book! I was wondering though. Isihlangu said that the buffalo use magic as part of their arrangement to stay with you. And that they need their bells to cast their spells. Could you tell me about that?” The bush made way for tall, yellow grass.
Umoya shrugged. “Sure. If you want to know about that. You’re welcome to speak to them about it as well. Like us, they need an enhancement to use their magic to its full potential. However, they use bells instead of dance.” They got onto a dirt path which circumnavigated the farms.
Star Swirl lifted a hoof and tapped her chin. “They use bells to enhance their magic?”
“Yes,” replied Umoya. “As do wildebeest, I guess.”
“Vill-duh-byeest?”
“Yes,” said Umoya. “The wildebeest may technically be antelope like us, but they have a lot in common with cattle, including the ability to enhance their magic with bells. Our dances are more unique.” Chickens scurried around on their left.
Star Swirl lifted her eyes to the bells which hung from her hat. “Soooo ... bells can be used to enhance magic?”
“Some types at least,” acknowledged Umoya with a nod. “With us, the shakers work better.” She lifted a hoof to show off the shaker attached to it.
“Hmm...” Star Swirl tapped her chin. “I wonder if that’s the reason Star Swirl the Bearded wore bells.”
Umoya lifted her head and frowned as they passed the buffalo. “I’m sorry. I’m a bit confused. Aren’t you Star Swirl? I see bells, but no beard and I’d think you’d know your own reason for wearing them?”
Star Swirl smiled slowly and awkwardly. “I suppose that I can’t fault you for not knowing who he is if I can’t even get most ponies to remember. He was my greatest ancestor. I am named after him and wear a hat of the same style in honour of him. I’m hoping to earn a title of my own one day, but for now, it’s just ‘the Hundred and Forty Seventh’.”
“That’s a lot of Star Swirls!” said Umoya as they veered away from the farmland and towards a large building.
“He lived a long time ago.” Star Swirl shrugged. “Gives a lot of time for them to accumulate.”
“Well, I wish you luck for your goal.” Umoya nodded. “Well, it seems that we’re just about here. An interesting topic of conversation does make the journey seem shorter, does it not?”
Star Swirl nodded. “Yes. I still want to learn more though!”
Umoya smiled and nodded. “That can be arranged.” She pronked over to the large entrance which was being guarded by two springboks. One with a red stripe and one with a familiar, yellow stripe. They bowed at the approach of their Queen. “Udonga, you and Star Swirl already know each other, right?”
“We’ve met, your Majesty,” replied Udonga.
“Excellent!” Umoya smiled. “You can be her guide from now on! I’d like you to take her back to the buffalo and let her interview them about their magic for now.”
Udonga grimaced and slowly lifted his head. “And who will be the second guard to the palace while I’m away, your Majesty?”
“I’m sure that one guard will be enough with me here for a short while.” Umoya waved a hoof dismissively. “I’ll move another guard in to replace you as soon as I can. And don’t worry about Miss Swirl either.” She rolled her eyes. “She’s from Equestria and is a scholar. Not an elite soldier or assassin. Besides, if Safety really thought one of his ponies could take me on, don’t you think he’d rather send them after Zaida? I’m actually enjoying the fact that I’m getting some decent attention from a member of another tribe for the first time in a decade.”
Udonga nodded. “Apologies, my Queen. We merely wish to ensure your safety. Your request is acknowledged and will be fulfilled.” He turned towards Star Swirl. “Are you ready to go, Miss Swirl?”
“Yes.” Star Swirl nodded. “The sooner I start, the better. I’m eager to learn more.”
“Right. Let’s go then,” said Udonga. He pronked towards the centre of the city and Star Swirl followed him.
They kicked up clouds of red dust as they travelled across the dirt paths. As they brushed against the yellow grass, flies buzzed around them.
Udonga pronked over to one of the buffalo cows. “Molo, Dabula,” he greeted her. “This is Star Swirl. She wants to ask you about your magic. Queen Umoya has given her permission.”
Dabula widened her eyes and blinked. “All right, Miss Swirl. What would you like to ask me?”
“Um ... Well ... I was wondering ... May I see your magic?”
“What would you like to see?” asked Dabula.
“Anything!” cried Star Swirl as she leaned forward and her eyes widened.
Dabula shrugged and then began shaking her head.
The bell around her neck rang with the shaking and her horns began to glow.
A rock lifted in her yellow aura. The rock then rumbled and crunched as it slowly moulded into a miniature replica of Star Swirl in a series of compressions and settled on the ground before the earth pony.
Star Swirl, whose head had followed the rock’s every movement, stood still and continued to stare. Her jaw hung slack and her eyes were wide. “Fascinating,” she breathed. She lifted her head, bit her lip and tentatively raised a hoof. “Could you also make one of a unicorn stallion with a long beard wearing this hat?”
Dabula smiled and moulded another rock with her aura of crunching rock-sculpture.
Star Swirl’s grin slowly widened as the legs formed and the horn sharpened to a point. Her teeth glinted in the sunlight as the wide brim of the hat was shaped. She quivered as tiny balls swelled on the hat to represent the bells. She stared at the sculpture. “I,” she gasped, “have my very own miniature Star Swirl the Bearded! This is so awesome!” She lifted the figurine in her hoof and said, “Don’t worry, Clover the Clever! I, Star Swirl the Bearded, shall save you from those hungry rock beasts!” She lifted her gaze back up to Dabula. “Could you also make one of Princess Cel—“ She paused and cleared her throat. “Sorry about that. This is an important, dignified meeting regarding important magical research! So ... you can do more?”
“Depending on which spells you’ve learned,” replied Dabula.
“So, it’s similar to unicorn magic?” asked Star Swirl.
Dabula shrugged. “Well, we don’t have special talents, but yes, there are similarities.”
“But you still need protection provided by the springboks?”
Dabula raised an eyebrow. “We’re not invulnerable just because we can cast spells.”
Star Swirl lowered her head. “Of course. But you still submit to Queen Umoya’s authority even though you aren’t springboks?”
Udonga frowned. “What’s this about?”
I’m just curious!” Star Swirl insisted.
“Yes. We submit to her authority,” replied Dabula. “The most important of the golden-hooved cattle lives all the way in Cowprus. We’re outside her jurisdiction.”
Star Swirl nodded slowly. “All right. Another thing that I’m wondering about is the fact that I’ve seen cattle wearing bells in Equestria. But they don’t use them for magic, as far as I’m aware.”
Dabula nodded. “From what I understand, bell-based magic became something of a taboo there after Grogar.”
Star Swirl shuddered at the name of the Sapphire Ram. “That makes sense.” Bells would have a reputation for being used in evil rituals after his tyranny. The way he used them to capture members of other races would understandably associate them with slavery. “I should have made the connection. May I ask the rest of your herd about their spells?”
“Go ahead,” replied Dabula.
(/)
The Sun was low on the horizon when she eventually returned to Dabula. “Thank you so much, Dabula! This is all so fascinating! I’ve got plenty to write in my book already!”
Feel free to come back,” said Dabula.
“Thank you!” Star Swirl grinned. “I’m sure I will! But I’ve got a lot of writing to do already. And I’d like to visit Queen Umoya again before I start.”
Udonga rolled his eyes. “Okay,” he sighed. “I’ll take you.”
“Thank you, Udonga.”
They headed in the direction of the palace.
“You know,” began Udonga, “you’re asking a lot of questions about us, but we haven’t learned much about Equestria from you. Is it true that the Cosmic in charge of death lives there?””
“Yes,” replied Star Swirl as she walked through the long grass. “Her name is Plutonia.”
“So ... can she like ... summon armies of undead or something?”
“Actually, it’s part of her duties to prevent that kind of thing. She actually got in a lot of trouble a few centuries ago for neglecting that duty. She had her title stripped. Since then, she’s taken her duties very seriously and she’s not allowed to use the resources of the dead against the living. That even includes knowledge.”
“That’s a pity,” said Udonga. The palace now occupied most of their view. “If it wasn’t for that, murder cases would be solved very easily.”
“Fortunately, murders are very rare in Equestria,” replied Star Swirl.
Udonga nodded. “Point taken.”
The wooden doors of the palace were massive, towering over even Umoya. The red-striped buck had been joined by a pink-striped one.
“I’m bringing Miss Swirl to speak to Queen Umoya,” Udonga announced.
“Right,” said the red-striped buck with a nod. He cracked the door ajar and slipped in. After a moment, he flung the doors open and said, “The Queen is ready to see you.”
Star Swirl took a look around at the large space and the brightly coloured and sharply angled patterns which decorated the room as they entered. She was surprised to see that the throne on which Umoya reclined was made of wood.
“Well?” asked Umoya. “Did you enjoy yourself?”
“I did. Thank you,” replied Star Swirl as she bowed. “That was one of the reasons that I wanted to speak to you. To thank you. It was fascinating to speak to the buffalo. I’ve got a lot more material for my book. For which I’m really thankful.”
“You said that that was only one reason. What about the rest?” asked Umoya as she raised an eyebrow.
Star Swirl grimaced and she brushed the floor with her hoof. “Well, as much as I appreciate the chance to study buffalo and springbok magic and want to continue doing so, I still want to study the magic of other tribes as well. I wanted to ask if I could visit the other tribes.”
Umoya frowned. “That’ll be difficult. We’re technically trying to hide you. And we can’t be certain how the other tribes will react.”
“Can’t you arrange something?” asked Star Swirl.
Umoya furrowed her brow. “Maybe. I’ll certainly try. I’m sure it’s possible, but I’d like to think about how best to do it.”
“Then thank you,” replied Star Swirl.
(/)
Further north, in a large stone castle, upon an enormous bed, lay a gigantic zebra with stripes of many colours and a purple cutie mark of a stylised brain within a calabash. He was adorned with golden jewellery and wore the traditional white, wide-brimmed royal headdress with a red feather sticking in its similarly-coloured band.
A pair of attractive zebra mares approached him from either side. They began to knead his muscles and rap their hooves against his back as he moaned in pleasure.
One of the mares glanced awkwardly at a stallion who was facing them. He was brown with green stripes, had a question mark for a cutie mark and wore almost as much jewellery as the king himself.
Besides him, the only other zebras in the room were a pair of guards at a small door to another room.
“Um, your Majesty? I know that you want us to massage Ziro as well, but might it not be better to massage you both at the same time rather than separately?” said the mare in Zebrish.
The other mare winced at the newbie’s suggestion.
The King raised his head and glared at her. “No!” he roared. “We will each get the FULL, UNDIVIDED attention of BOTH of you! And you will not TOUCH one of us while busy with the other! Is that understood!?”
The first mare recoiled and seemed to shrink. “Yes, your Majesty. I’m sorry that I made such a stupid suggestion.”
“Good! Now get back to it!”
The double doors to the outside opened and Zaka walked in. The doors were guarded by two warthogs, one of which was khaki and the other of which was rust, in black armour and four zebras.
“What, now!?” asked the King.
Zaka bowed. “My King, I’m sorry to disturb you, but I thought that you would like to know. Our analysts have finished checking the figurines that Safety Net gave us. They were made in Zebrica, from Zebrican rock, using Zebrican tools. Safety made some modifications to try and hide that. His attempts, while impressive, were no match for Zebra science.”
The King scowled and jumped to the ground and walked towards Zaka. “So, Safety Net LIED to us!? We cannot allow such a precedent to stand! Find out what they brought on that airship and confiscate it! And also punish the earth ponies for defying us! Bring Zembea in case they need some encouragement to cooperate.”
Zaka winced. “Zembea? Are you sure that that is necessary, my King? I’m not too fond of—“
“If they are uncooperative, use him. Those are my orders. Or do you wish to defy me?” the King growled dangerously.
Zaka bowed again. “Of course not, your Majesty. You are my King. Born destined to lead us. To bring the zebras to a new level of greatness. Whatever you say is right by definition. What are your other orders?”