Chapter 1: Llamrei's Seat (How Star Swirl Met A Princess)
No pony is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Equestria is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each pony's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in ponykind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
--John Dun
Scoltland. The pre-classical era.
A unicorn colt sat alone on a rock in the hills outside of Edinspur, randomly kicking pebbles as he watched the moon rise in the darkening evening sky. Down in the village his parents would be wondering where he was, but he didn't care. He'd been in a fight, had been beaten up, had limped off thinking angry and hurtful thoughts. Again. And, like every time this happened, he had run off to someplace high up and alone, where he thought to himself that he was too good for this one-cart town, that someday he would be somepony special, respected, admired, even feared.
Those sorts of thoughts were milling around in his head as he rubbed the scrape on his side, his face locked in a scowl, filled with anger he couldn't express. Until he heard a voice behind him.
"Do you mind if we join you?"
He turned with a jolt. He hadn't heard anything walk up behind him, hadn't seen anypony approaching on the path down below. "Who's there?" he asked, before his jaw fell open at the sight of the pony behind him: an Alicorn, taller than the tallest stallion in the village, with a dark blue coat of fur and a mane that glittered with the light of a thousand stars. A Princess of the Realm, standing right in front of him, speaking to him.
The unicorn was not the most refined or sophisticated of colts, but he was no fool. Under the gaze of the Princess, he immediately fell down in a bow, and waited silently.
Princess Luna stood still and looked at him for a short while before he realized she was waiting for him to respond. "Oh... Yes your majesty, I mean, no, I don't mind," he managed to say in a thin, frightened voice.
Luna turned her head to the side, and said, "Leave us," and from the shadows behind her four pegasi in black armor – the boy had not seen them a moment before - flew up into the skies and vanished out of sight, without making the slightest sound. Then Luna stepped up beside him. "You may rise, there is no need to stand on ceremony."
The boy got up. "Yes, your majesty."
"Please, call me Princess Luna," she said, looking down towards the village. "Is that where you live?"
"Yes, Princess Luna."
"The gaslights in the streets look rather like stars, don't you think? So quiet and still, no movement... Like a beautiful painting. But we would rather it moved." She turned an eye on the boy. "What's your name?"
"Um. Star Swirl."
"Well..." Luna stuck out a silver-slippered hoof. "It's nice to meet you, Star Swirl."
The boy put out his own, tiny-by-comparison hoof, and shook hers. He nodded uncertainly.
Luna had spent some time thinking about this moment. Luna was a Princess of Everhold, ruler of the night, one of the two most powerful, most revered creatures in all of ponydom. Kings and emperors had bowed to receive her blessing. She had faced down dragons in their own lairs. She could stand before a crowd of thousands and not be intimidated, weigh matters of life and death in a court of justice without hesitation or uncertainty. None of which, it suddenly became plain to her, was the slightest bit helpful when it came to being friendly to a colt and putting him at ease.
An awkward silence ensued as the two of them stood there, unable to think of anything to say.
"The weather," Luna said, "is pleasant this evening, is it not?"
"Err... Yes, Princess Luna."
They were quiet again.
Luna could feel a drop of sweat begin to form above her left eye. Star Swirl was beginning to fidget nervously. "This never happens to my sister," Luna muttered under her breath, "how does she do this so easily?"
"What?" Star Swirl asked.
"Nothing," Luna said. "So, um. Do you... Would you like to..." He looked at her nervously. "Nothing. Never mind."
Both of them could see the awkward silence potentially stretching out into infinity before them.
Luna looked around, desperately searching for something worth pointing out. A thought occurred to her. "This place looks familiar... That mountain peak on the horizon, and that bay there... We have been on this hill before, a long time ago. Your village wasn't there back then."
"This is Llamrei's Seat," Star Swirl said.
"Yes, that's right!" Luna said. "I remember her! She was a grand mare, queen of the earth ponies."
Star Swirl blinked. "Llamrei was a real pony?"
"Certainly she was. She fought for Canterlot's independence from the lords of Saxpony and refused to accede to the Manegeld."
"So does that mean that the stories about Marelin and Sir Prancealot and Morgan le Neigh are all-"
"Somewhat exaggerated," Luna said, "but broadly true, yes. You know those stories?"
"My granny used to tell them to me before bedtime," Star Swirl said with wide eyes. "My favorite was the one about Marelin and the dragons under the mountain. Did that really happen?"
In answer, Luna simply knocked her hoof on the stone, twice. A few moments later, Star Swirl felt the ground beneath him shudder, and heard a deep, dull thudding through the stone. His jaw dropped. "That's... that's... no way! You're joking!"
"We give thee our word, we jest not," Luna said with a wry smirk. "Though it helps that they can hear me from afar, they are not directly below us."
"That's amazing..." Star Swirl said, looking up at the princess with awe. "Tell me more! Who else was there?"
"Well..." Luna said playfully, "who's your favorite pony from the stories?"
"Oh..." Star Swirl paused, and frowned.
"What's wrong?" Luna asked.
"Nothing, it's just... my favorite was actually always Morgan le Neigh. But if she was real... she was evil, wasn't she?"
"Hmm..." Luna looked up thoughtfully. "That was a long time ago. Things were very different back then. Things were changing, and Morgan... didn't like the changes. So she fought back. Change can be very frightening, and when ponies are frightened they do foolish things. So yes, she did things she shouldn't have. But that was not so clear at the time, and the stories were written a long time afterwards, by ponies who did not remember Morgan for what she had done right."
Star Swirl listened intently.
"Why was she your favorite?" Luna asked.
"I guess it's because of the magic," Star Swirl said. "There's Marelin, too, I suppose, but even though she had all that power and knew the future she never, you know, really did anything much. Morgan would come up with great plans, and act them out, and the Steeds of the Round Stable would fight her and they'd win, but she was more... fun, I guess, than them. Does that make sense? Even though she was bad, and she lost, she was still more... I don't know..."
"Compelling?" Luna asked.
"Maybe," Star Swirl mumbled. "I mean, compare her to someone like Galahoof, who was the greatest pony in all the land but was just so... flat and boring, you know."
Luna made no reply, but only watched the boy in his contemplations.
"What are you doing here in Scoltland anyway?" Star Swirl asked, and quickly added "Princess Luna."
"My duties cover all of ponydom. I just happened to be passing by, when I saw you. You looked so lonely, sitting there by yourself... And I thought perhaps you'd like somepony to talk to." She turned her head and looked at the boy. "What about you? What are you doing up here?"
The boy looked down sheepishly, picking at the ground with a hoof. His anger, completely forgotten at the sight of the Princess, crawled back into his thoughts. "I was just in a fight with some other colts. They pick on me because I'm the only unicorn in the whole town. All the earth ponies are bigger and stronger than me."
"And you came up here, so far out of your village?"
"Not far enough," the boy muttered. "When I get angry, I just want to get away. Nopony else comes up here, at least not at night."
"Are you not afraid of the dark?"
Star Swirl thought for a few seconds. "No. Not really. What's to be scared of? There's wild animals out in the woods, I guess, but they're there in the day as well. Good things don't go away with the sun. And some neat things only show up in the dark."
"Do you think so?" Luna was intrigued. "What manner of things then?"
"Like you," Star Swirl said, and Luna turned away to hide a faint blush.
"There are a great many more things than us that only come out at night," Luna said, and looked up at the starlit sky. "The other colts bully you?"
Star Swirl nodded.
"But you can do magic, can you not? Does that not hold them off?"
"I can't really..." Star Swirl muttered, not looking up. "There's nopony to show me. My mom and dad are earth ponies. They don't even remember the last time there was a unicorn in the family, it was before their grandparents were born. They don't let me do any magic in the house... or outside... or at school. They're embarrassed, I think."
She sat down beside him. "You will learn," she said.
The boy glanced down at his village. "I don't understand anypony here. They all talk about harvesting hay and making it through the next winter and building a house to live in next door to their parents as if it were the greatest thing in the world. None of them can see past their own muzzles. I want to go see the world, do great things, and be somepony."
"You don't have any friends?"
The boy turned his face away and didn't answer.
"No?"
"...I'm used to being alone," Star Swirl said.
Luna's head dropped. She sighed. "As am I," she admitted after a long silence. "I know how it feels."
Star Swirl looked up at her with wide eyes. "But you're a princess," he said. "You must have ponies wanting to talk to you all the time!"
Luna snorted. "Talk to me? Perhaps, when they want something from me. Then they flee as soon as they have their answer, be it yeay or neigh." Her voice grew dark as she fell into her own thoughts. "Believe me child, when you are surrounded by those who will smile to your face and curse you behind your flank, then you will know what it is to be alone..." Luna bit her tongue. Star Swirl was staring at her with shock. Well done, Luna. Try to cheer up a young colt, end up showering him in your own complaints. You earn your crown every night, you do. "I'm terribly sorry, I should not have said any of that, it was unworthy of me. Please forgive me."
"No..." Star Swirl shook his head. "That's okay... I just hope you don't feel alone now."
"No. Not alone." Just guilty.
She looked up at the night sky. The moon was high above the horizon now. The boy thought he saw a faint shimmer around her horn, then followed her sight, and both of them sat quietly for a while looking at the stars.
"I... have a confession to make, Star Swirl," Luna said nervously. The colt looked up at her, puzzled. "This actually isn't the first time I've seen you up here."
The unicorn watched her silently, unsure. "What do you mean?"
Luna bit her lip uncertainly before she began to speak. "I've flown by here many times, and I've seen you sitting here often," she said. "I started wondering why you'd be up here alone when everypony else was asleep, and I'd take a closer look. And you always seemed so lonely. It made me sad to see. Some nights I would land here and just... wait, and watch to see if you'd come. And when you did, I'd think about coming out of the shadows and saying hello, and... then I'd turn back, and leave." She nervously scratched the dirt with a hoof, and Star Swirl was shocked and confused to her the uncertainty in the Princess's voice. "So that's it. I'm sorry, I never meant for it to be such a... contrivance."
After some seconds of silence she mustered her courage to glance to the colt's face. She expected to see fear in his eyes, and confusion, and that at any moment he would turn and run in terror at the thought of the Princess of the Night stalking him like a wolf.
What she saw was him staring at her blankly.
Star Swirl was indeed frightened and confused. Not, mind you, because the Princess had been watching him from the shadows; that meant nothing to him. But to see her, a Princess of Everhold, looking so vulnerable and frail, as though she were afraid of him, of what he might think of her, was like watching the world turn inside out.
"Um," he gently put a hoof on her shoulder and tilted his head. "Are you alright, Princess Luna?"
Luna was taken back by the question. "Well, child, I... I've been watching you from the shadows like some fairytale monster. Doesn't that frighten you?"
Star Swirl furrowed his brow, and shook his head. "Maybe it would, if it were somepony frightening. And my mom would yell at me if she knew, I guess she'd be scared. But you're not scary."
Luna was stunned at his answer. Star Swirl bit his lip and his eyes widened, and quickly he continued, "I mean, you could be scary, you're a Princess, I'm sure you can scare anypony you want if you try..." He stopped at the sound of Luna laughing.
"I'm sorry," the Princess said again, wiping a tear from her face. "For laughing, that is. But don't worry, I'm glad you're not scared of me. You have no reason to be, I promise you."
They sat quietly for a while, looking at the stars, and this time the silence was not awkward.
"Star Swirl?" Luna said.
"Hm?" the colt looked up at her.
"Would you like me to teach you a little magic?" She smiled. The look of excitement on his face was answer enough. "Very well... Breathe deeply, and concentrate on your horn." Luna willed her magic to life, and extended her aura to envelop Star Swirl's horn. She felt the magic lying dormant within him, sleeping, waiting to be awoken. "Now relax..."
It was an old trick, but not one that was much remembered anymore, to invite another magic-user into your own mind. There were risks involved. Minds could be split; minds could be taken over. But Luna had control, and carried the colt's consciousness into her mind, placed him behind her eyes. "...and watch."
Star Swirl watched, though he had no words to describe what he was seeing. He saw the night sky as Luna saw it, not empty and cold but glorious and full of life. He knew the number of the stars, saw the intricate orbits they rode across the heavens. He saw the wild galloping course of comets and meteors plotted out over many decades. He saw every cloud, every wind, every drop of rain, every possible bolt of lightning waiting on her beck and call. He saw the moon, her chariot, her bond, the very manifestation of the covenant between ponykind and the Princess of the Night, and felt the connection between them as the Princess alone could feel it. A tug, a twist, a turning of her head, and the moon responded, taking the ocean waters and a myriad sensitive minds with it in a silent and slow dance that almost nopony ever saw.
"Star Swirl?" she said softly. "Can you hear me?"
He answered, and although the awestruck, open-mouthed mumble could not be identified as anything remotely like a 'yes', Luna took it for one.
"Now, can you reach out with your thoughts, and feel what I'm doing?"
He nodded soundlessly.
Luna's lips curled up in a smile. There's an idea for a night to remember, she thought. "Star Swirl... hold on to my mind, and follow my lead." And her horn glowed more strongly as she began to pull the moon along its course across the heavens, with the unicorn colt sharing the sensation in every detail.
That was when Luna began to feel that Star Swirl was stepping beyond the link she had opened for him, deeper into her mind, and taking control of her magic.
Her surprise quickly turned to terror. I lowered my defenses and permitted an outside presence entrance to my mind, she thought. How could this untrained colt possibly know how to do this? Have I fallen into a trap set by one of our enemies? Are hidden warriors waiting in ambush to capture me and carry me away, without my full powers to defend myself? Battle arts honed over centuries of training rushed to the front of her mind, prepared her to strike back against any attacker, this colt first of all. There it came – a movement at the edge of her vision! She whipped round and instantly adopted a battle stance to be ready to strike-
It was no attacker that had moved. It was a star.
Luna's fears poured away in a second, as shock at what she was seeing turned to entrancement. In the night sky, the constellations were moving. The Twins galloped across the heavens, chasing the Filly, who escaped by leaping through the stream poured out by the Water-Pony, a river of stars that gathered together in her urn and then ran in a brilliant dance down to the horizon. There was the Charger, calm and regal, stepping lightly into view before turning, as if to face them, and with a courtly gesture bowed. Other star signs moved into view, from the night skies of distant lands. The Wind-Waker griffon flapped its wings, and opposite it the Dragon King blew flames that shifted in the wind. The Sea Serpent coiled and uncoiled, spun and twirled, then stretched out straight and swam away.
The constellations fell apart, as each individual star broke away from its fellows and mingled with visitors from distant corners of the cosmos. They swarmed and whorled and spun, forming new constellations, far vaster than the familiar ones, held them only for a few seconds at a time, then turned again to form something new.
Luna tore her eyes away from the spectacle to look at Star Swirl. He stood unmoving, his mouth open, his breathing ragged and wild. Luna knew that young and untrained unicorns, especially those with strong magical potential, could be caught up in surges of power, such that their horns and eyes would glow with sharp white light as the magic forced its way out with more energy than a foal could control. Star Swirl's horn and eyes were not glowing. Instead, his horn drew in shadows that swirled and spun around it, like thin clouds rushing past the full moon in a strong wind, and his eyes were as black as the night sky above, and filled with points of piercing light.
After several minutes of watching the stars perform for them, Star Swirl's head dropped and a bead of sweat fell from his face onto the dust. Luna felt him pull back out of her mind. When he raised his face again his eyes were normal. Above them, as suddenly as they had begun, the stars slowed and were still, returning perfectly to their accustomed places.
Luna collected herself enough to draw a breath, and said, "How on earth did you do that?"
Star Swirl swayed gently side to side, then dropped down on his haunches. "I think... I thought I could... understand them. Speak to them. The stars. I think I... asked them... told them where to go... and they did." His mouth widened to a smile, and he began to laugh, weakly, at the thought of what had just happened. He looked up at Luna. "Did you like it?" he asked, pride fighting exhaustion in his voice.
"It was amazing," Luna said breathlessly. Thoughts were rushing through her head. There is more to this colt than meets the eye. Was it only coincidence that I came here? Why did I notice him, and wait for him? She found she did not know. She shivered as she felt something older and more powerful than she rushing over her like a wind. The breath of destiny, she thought. She raised her gaze to the stars, and felt them try to speak.
The stars... The stars gave him to me?
She turned back to the colt, and pointed a hoof. "Boy – look."
Star Swirl followed her sight down his side, and gasped. His flank, which had been bare a minute earlier, now bore stars. Dozens of points of light, centered in a circle, which threw off arms as though it were spinning at great speed. He looked back up at the sky, and charged his horn with magic. After a few seconds he frowned. "It's not working... I can't understand them."
Luna chuckled, her lips curling into a smile. "It will come with time." She looked up in silence for a few moments. "They say hello."
"You can talk to them?" Star Swirl asked with wide eyes.
"Not quite..." Luna thought for a second. "Sometimes, I feel that they are trying to tell me things, but don't know how. As though they have something important that they want me to know. Ponies have always believed that the stars know the future." She looked down at the unicorn. "This time it was easy. They were having fun, playing for us."
"Wow..." the unicorn looked up with awe. "What are they saying now?"
Luna looked up. "They are very sad."
"Why?"
"I wish I knew," she said. "They have been for a very long time."
After a brief silence in which they both sat silently admiring the beauty of the night, they settled into pleasant, idle conversation. Slowly the moon moved across the sky, while the two of them sat on the rocky hill and talked together.
Before Luna realized it, half the night had gone by, and Star Swirl was struggling to keep his eyes open. Luna chuckled at the sight. "What a terrible princess I am, keeping a foal up long past his bedtime. I should get you home and in bed before you fall asleep here on the rocks." She looked around. The path down was long, steep and winding, and treacherous in the dark. "This won't do at all," she tutted. Her horn took on the familiar glow of magic, and Star Swirl was enveloped in the aura. Luna picked him up, and sat him down on her back. Then, she leapt up into the air. Star Swirl opened his eyes and looked down, and the tired feelings disappeared, forgotten.
The flight only lasted a few minutes before Luna set down gently in the empty street outside Star Swirl's house. The colt jumped off her back, and ran around to face her, filling her ears with talk about how incredibly amazing the brief flight had been. She smiled, and opened her mouth to say something, but paused. She heard movement inside the house, and soon after the door swung open with a creak to reveal a very angry earth pony mare.
"Star Subtlety Swirl, what in Celestia's name do you think you're—guh!" Star Swirl's mother froze up at the sight of the Princess. In an instant she had picked up Star Swirl and thrown him in through the door, then fallen flat on the ground with her hooves over her face. "Getinsidegetinsideandlockthedoorpleasedon'teatmeI'mnaughtbutastringyoldmare!"
"Hey!" Star Swirl ran back outside, and stopped when he saw the look on Luna's face. Her smile was gone, and she looked down at his mother with cold disdain. She saw him looking at her, and her features softened into uncertainty, tinged with a hint of sadness. Down the street, other doors were creaking open, lamps were being lit, eyes peeked out from behind curtains. Every face Star Swirl saw had fear stamped all over it.
Luna sighed quietly, and shifted into the formal, courtly stance, her face assuming a hard, unassailable expression. She raised a hoof high, took a deep breath and spoke in the Royal Everhold Voice: "Citizens of Edinspur! We have graced your tiny village with our presence, so that you may behold the Princess of the Night!" Everypony in sight jumped and ran back into their homes, slamming the doors shut behind them, pulling the curtains closed and putting out all the lights, except Star Swirl's mother who still lay trembling in the dirt at Luna's hooves. "Right..." Luna said, in a more normal voice. Her face softened again, and her head dropped. "Good night, Star Swirl. We hope you had a pleasant time. We will be leaving now. Fare well."
The Princess turned away, and with a flap of her wings, rose up into the night sky, her nearly invisible companions following her. A cloud passed over them, and they were gone from sight.
Star Swirl's mother peeked up from behind one hoof. Seeing that the street was empty, and the Princess nowhere to be seen, she got up and angrily dragged Star Swirl inside. "Are you mad, you foal? Don't you know who that is?"
"Someone brilliant?" Star Swirl muttered bitterly.
"That was Night-Mare Moon, the Princess of Darkness!"
"Her name is Luna," the colt said sharply.
"Don't get smart with me, foal. She eats little colts like you whole. Nopony dares go close to her!" She raised a hoof to silence the colt before he could answer. "No arguing! Now get in your bed, and tomorrow we'll talk about your punishment for running off like that. Go!"
Star Swirl stalked away to his room, and kicked the door shut behind him, feeling a little extra annoyance when it failed to slam in a satisfyingly loud fashion. He sat down on the simple straw bed, and laid his head on the windowsill. Outside was the village, and all his neighbours. He thought back to the sight of them all looking with fear and hatred in their eyes on the princess with whom the unicorn had just spent the greatest night of his short life.
He raised his eyes to the night sky, in all its majesty, and to the moon that looked back down at him. He turned back to look at his new cutie mark, and he thought of Luna, and he smiled beneath a sharp and determined gaze. His destiny had been shown to him. In his mind, he vowed that he was always going to serve her, and never let her down.
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This is fantastic! I cannot wait to see more! You have a highly enjoyable writing style, and you kept me interested throughout the story so far!
I have many questions, but I'll keep them on hold, as I'm positive they'll be answered later.
Okay. You have me hooked. I can only imagine where you might go with this, and hope that my thoughts can somehow compare to what you write. You definitely have talent, and I have to thank 2997295, for the blog that brought me here. You have earned a like, fave, and follow from me.
~Sparky
Well, if I were looking for things to gripe about, this doesn't seem to fit in the timeline Hearth's Warming Eve set down, but that could probably be written off as historical inaccuracies or some such. I guess you said "retelling of Equestrian history" too, so yeah.
Anyway, it's well done so far, and seems like it has potential. Must see more before I can offer a stronger opinion. Not sure what to expect from it next, so I'll just wait and see. I haven't really read many stories strongly focused on Star Swirl before either.
Next time those other Colts try to bother him, he can chuck a star at their heads.
3002094
Sooner or later I'm probably gonna add the alternate universe tag, when it becomes pressing to do so. I actually started planning this story before I noticed the relevant details of the Hearth's Warming Eve pageant at all. I'm considering my options.
Anyway, I hope you'll like it as it goes on
Not bad, not bad at all.
As much traction as the Royal Canterlot Voice has gotten amongst the fanbase, I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone use the Traditional Royal Greeting in a fic before. Nice, very nice.
I have a little bit of constructive criticism on the first chapter. If you haven't read the first chapter, dont read this.
I dont get why the pony's are saying nightmare moon. Alright, the whole nightmare moon incident happend and luna was sent to the moon for 1000 years. We've seen all of nightmare moons return and her transformation back into luna via elements of harmony...
Look this is too hard to explain by typing. BASICALLY, The whole "omc, princess luna is nightmare moon!" Thing could only happen after luna was nightmare moon. And assuming the nightmare moon thing only happend once...
I dont really know how to word this (probably because it's 5AM and i havnt slept) So i'll try 1 last time to get it right!
Basically, ponies shouldn't be calling princess luna 'nightmare moon' yet because the whole nightmare moon thing never happened yet. So starswirll's mom is using a stereotype that wont exist for AT LEAST 1000 years! THE END, GOODNIGHT!!!
4000654
I think the author's saying that ponies used to call Luna Nightmare Moon out of fear, and when she gave in to her darker emotions, she chose to take the name for herself.
4263712 I agree with your thoughts.
It angers me that mine lady is treated with such disrespect by commoners. If a nightmare is what they wish for, a night mare is what they shall receive.
I'm definantaly loving this story! There are so many things right and I can't wait to read some more!
4000654 For the purposes of this story, clearly Luna adopted the name and role of Nightmare Moon because that was what the commoners were already calling her.
No pony is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the mane.
if your gonna go for pun go all the way :p
Hm......
That's so fucked up. No wonder Star Swirl had such trouble making connections with others with a childhood like that. Though I AM rather curious what gave him his drive to save Ponykind. Was it perhaps that he felt inspired by Luna and felt her to be a kindred spirit? Hmmm.....