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// Star Swirl is fading 
// Story: The End of the Beginning 
// by Uncle Knot 
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To my glorious princess Celestia, in the 3rd year of thy reign, my 5th letter

Thy letter has been well received here by Star Swirl.  Thou be most generous to appoint me scribe to Star Swirl.  May I be sufficient to his needs.  

Yet, is this letter that I pen, be from me or him, or perhaps as thou dust suggest a combination of us.  This new responsibility tasks me with the splashes of future events, that your humble scribe hopes to meet.  

Now Star Swirl lectures me on the Crystal Empire.  Did thou knowest?  Star Swirl says the Crystal Empire recently disappeared, yet there is little reference to the Crystal Empire in the library.  My instructions send me to delve deep into the obscure of the Crystal Empire.  Wait this is repetitive, allow me to simply call the Crystal Empire – IT.  It was ruled by a ‘dark’ unicorn named  Sombra, but in a final act of defiance to his slavery the empire vanished.  There be a prophecy suggesting that IT will return, but the detail are obscured and we could not decipher them.

Star Swirl is fading, really fading.  Sometimes he is there and sometimes not.  He has no memory of his vanished moments, and blames it on too many teleportations, so you also have our warning to only use that spell in dire times.  It may be that his repeated use of that spell contributed to his early en-feeblement.  He is aware that his time is short and now has me pen many scrolls without category or index.  He humorously wishes me time to correct this oversight.

When he finally goes and does not return, what would you have me do?  Star believes I could learn magic, but I be only an earth pony, at least in form.  Star Swirl suggests that the horn of a unicorn allows them to focus the magic within to the point beyond.  If I can but focus, it is conceivable I could do some magic.  In any case, there is much to categorize, study, and do here.  As per your earlier suggestion, completed works will be returned to Canterlot.  Thou need open a library.  

I would return to Canterlot, but it seems your magic to transform me achieved an oversight and would present an embarrassment.  There is no cutie mark on my plot, much to my diversion, since I am certainly not cute.  Perhaps, it is because I was a dragon before being transformed, or perhaps in my creation you remembered the ancient days when few ponies had cutie marks, or perhaps being transformed from a infant dragon to a grown pony I skipped the acquiring period.  Yet to ponder, that in only two short generations, almost all ponies, within thy realm, have cutie marks.  This was meant to be and gives me just cause to travel to the northern hinterlands, the western plains and prairies, and the southern jungles and deserts, knowing that in these lands they are many who have no cutie marks. 

As always, I shall maintain my service to Star Swirl, until we both feel he is gone.  Then complete the index for his library, and finally explore the lands beyond.  

With sincerity, your servant and scribe sends his generosity, trustfulness, kindness, humor, and loyalty, Sumponeigh Knot Yew.