The North Star

by Frostjack

Chapter 3

The sun was bright and the wind was fair as Starlight greeted the morning from her window! "What a beautiful morning! I gotta a feeling nothing could ruin this day!" She said with all the gusto a foolish mare could have. For in that instant a sudden rainbow trail zoomed past her spinning her dizzy.

"Starlight! Apple Acers' trees are dying!" Starlight trying to regain her balance looked at all three Rainbow Dashes.

"Whos dying?" she asked as her friend came into focus. only to be shook violently by the pegasus.

"The trees Starlight! The farm is withering away!" the tone of her friend scared her more than her words. She never seen Rainbow Dash this upset before. Starlight followed Rainbow Dash to Applejacks where the whole Apple family was outside inspecting there crops and trees.

"Why Ive never seen anything like this before." Applejack said to her brother. "All these trees were fine just the other day!" She spotted Rainbow and Starlight coming up to the farms gate. "Hey you two. Thanks for comin Starlight. I would have called on Twilight but I hear shes outta town." Starlight put a hoof on Applejack's shoulder in comfort.

"I know she'd drop everything if she knew." Twilight was attending a royal sumit across the sea with Luna and Celestia. They wouldn't be back for another week. "What happen here?" She looked at the hills that once were lush and green now turned black and sludge like. "And what is that smell?" She covered her nose.

"We think thats the roots rottin. Who knows how far they travel." She put her hat over her heart. "How could this happen Starlight? What could have done this?" Starlight didnt know the answer. She saw how Big Mac was tearing up and how Applebloom was "Doctoring" one of the trees. With a stethoscope. This place once held the blessing of natures bounty and now it looked, cursed.

"Wait a minuet." She said putting a hoof to her chin. "Thats it!" She yelled. "This place is cursed!" This outburst didnt seem to amuse the Apples one bit.

"Dont remind me." She said flatly.

"No I mean, if it is cursed we might be able to un-curse it!"

"How do you recon we do that?" Granny smith interjected. Starlight remembered that Twilight still had the book. In the three and a half weeks she had it she rarely saw Twilight without it.

"I know a guy." She said slyly. "Just gotta give him a call!" And with that, she teleported back to the castle. Scouring her room for the crystal she remembered the last time she used it. That was almost a month ago. She always meant to call again but she didnt want to bother Polaris and his sister. She assumed they would call her first. "Aha! Found it!" She brushed dust off of the crystal as it began to glow. "Hello? Polaris?" The light grew dim. With a huff she rubbed it again. "HELLO! ANYPONY THERE?" She shouted at her necklaces. A voice was heard from it. "Polaris is that you?" A brown unicorn was seen in the picture.

"Staright? Hey how are you?" Stella answered.

"Oh hey Stella. I wish i could say im doing good but we have an issue!" the seriousness in her tone caught Stella's attention. "What do you know about cursed lands?" Starlight began to inform her about the farm. After listing to her Stella ran to a stack of books searching through them.

"It sounds like a curse of rot." She said.

"Well that doesnt sound very good."

"Yeah no. In some cases it can spread miles and miles. Depending on where the farm is it could affect your town."

"How do we stop it?" She asked.

"You dont." Starlight's expression turned to worry. "I mean to say WE do! Ill send Polaris your way as soon as he gets back. He'll take care of it." A sigh of relief came from Starlight. Not trying to sound too interested she asked another question.

"Where is your brother?" She asked trying to play it cool.

"On a date."

"What!?" Starlight said a bit to loud for her own taste. "I mean wow! Thats great! Really, great." A snicker came from the crystal.

"Im just kidding. That boy couldn't get a date if flew in his soup. Dont worry."

"Worried? Whos worried? I most certainly not worried about Polaris having a date." Her expert speed at which she said this did little to convince Stella.

"Sure girl." Starlight began to hope Stella couldn't see her blush through the crystal. "Try to contain it by planting fresh flowers around the farm to contain it. Its not a permanent fix but it should do the trick til Polie gets there."

"Thanks Stella your a life saver!"

"No problem my gal, just call us whenever. Polaris and I miss talking with you." Stella smiled as the picture began to fade. Starlight felt terrible. Making new friends just to call them when she needed something. Hopefully after all of this she could make it up to him. Them! Both of them! She shook the thoughts from her head and popped back to Apple Acres to tell her friends about the solutions.

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"And your sure this'll work?" Applejack cocked an eye at Starlight planting flowers. The flowers which were healthy and fresh began ever so slowly to wither after just being planted.

"Darling if Starlight says the flowers will work then the flowers will work." Rarity said in her designer one of a kind gardening attire. "Now tell us about this mysterious colt coming to our town." She said turning back to Starlight completely stopping from replanting the flowers

"Hes just somepony I met in Fillydelphia." She said smiling to herself. "Just a friend."

"Well he dosent sound like 'just somepony' to me! Hes coming all this way just to help us with our, ahem, issue. And it sounds like hes doing it free of charge!"

"Him and his sister study curses for a living! Its practically a hobby for them! I think your reading too much into it Rarity."

"He was the one that gave you that purdy necklace wasnt he?" Applejack chimed in.

"Yes thats a lovely crystal! You dont just hand out free jewelry out like that. He must be quite the smitten kitten!" This caused Starlight to grow a shade pinker.

"Enough guys! Lets just finish this before he gets here." She huffed.

"I get it! Gotta doll yourself up for your 'friend' huh Starlight?" Applejack joined in on the teasing.

"No!" She lied. She hadnt seen him in about a month and she wanted to make a good impression on him what with it being his first time in Ponyville. Yes that was definitely it!

"Look darling there is nothing to be embarrassed by. From the few things youve told us about him he seems like a nice stallion, and from the way you act when we tease you, it seems you know that as well." Starlight opened her mouth to refute her but she stopped herself.

"Maybe your right." She finally admitted. "He seems nice and all but i dont really know him. How can I like somepony I dont even know?"

"Its called a crush Starlight." Said AppleJack bluntly. "You have had a crush before right?"

"Yes, and maybe that crush will turn into something more. But you cant find out if you keep smushing it down." Starlight hadn't considered that.

"Maybe Ill try to be a little more honest with myself in the future." She said slyly. Rarity looked at her pocket watch and gasped.

"Well I hope the future is soon! His train arrives in less than an hour!" She began to push Starlight towards the gate. "You run along now and get ready, Applejack and I will finish with these flowers." Starlight tried to object but was cut off by a 'tut tut tut' from Rarity. As she left to clean herself up she was glad for her friends being there to help her, even when it came to herself.

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As the train came over the hill Polaris could see Ponyville in the distance. He couldnt believe after about a month of nothing she calls him out of the blue. While he was out for Celestia's sake! Though he was thankful for his sister. He would have been helping the Doughs till late tonight if she didnt barge in out of breath like she did. And to think of it, he was in a rush too! He checked his hair. "Goodness I look like a mess" He was wearing his favorite gray hoodie and his saddle bag filled with most of what he would need to deal with this curse. The thing her was nervous about was seeing Starlight again... Which was... Confusing to him to say the least. For some reason any time the door chimed in there shop his head would whip up as if he expected her to come through the door. He started waiting in his room after there encounter for like a week. Just staring at the crystal. His appetite lessened and his sleep was erratic. He though he was sick or something. Yet when voiced his concerns to his sister she just laughed and laughed. Her advise was to watch a few Rom-Coms at the movies. Which helped oddly enough. He hoped seeing her again would make this nagging in his brain dissipate and he could go back to his simple life of laying low. But still he was so very nervous. He noted the sweat on his hooves as the conductor walked by.

"Ponyville Station up next!" The conductor yelled. The train came to a full stop as Polaris grabbed his bag and made his way quickly out toward the station. Smoke filled the air from the train as he looked around.

"I knew I should have brought my crystal." He said to himself. He looked around trying to find her. No such luck. He began to worry. 'Maybe theres more than one station in Ponyville?' His thoughts were interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.

"Polaris?" asked the lightly colored unicorn. "Is that you?" Polaris turned around.

"Starlight! Hey there you are!" he yelled excitedly.

"Sorry I had to, uh finish up somethings." She lied. She may have lost track of time getting ready for his visit but the less he knew about that the better. She gave him a warm hug. "Its great to see you again." She said squeezing him. Unbeknownst to her this caused Polaris to momentarily freak out. But quickly regaining his composer he managed to hug her back. "Come on Ill show you the way to Applejack's." He followed as she lead.

During there walk they talked of things the did in the past weeks. Weather it be studying magic, solving friendship problems, teaching at the only school of friendship in Equestria or basket weaving, that last one being from Polaris, they told each other every fun part about their lives. Polaris was having a bit of trouble concentrating unfortunately. Starlight had done something with her look that caught his eye. Dont ask him what it was, but she was just so pretty today. She was wearing a light blue shirt with purple trim, a black vest and a cute beanie. (Ironically a similar outfit to what she wore back when she visited Canterlot High.) There catching up came to an end as the arrived at Apple Acers. The pair being met by Rarity and Applejack.

"Hello! You ho!" Rarity called out to them. "Over here Starlight." Starlight and Polaris walked over to her friends when the smell hit. Stepping onto the grass a squish sound was heard. This caused Polaris to examine the ground just a bit closer. He put an ear to the dirt and listen. "Is he alright?" She asked to which she was giving a shrug by Starlight. "Ahem hello dear my name is Rarity." She held out a hoof.

"Oh! Im sorry, Im Polaris. Its very nice to meet you." He said as polite as possible. He wanted to make a good impression on her friends. Still unsure why though. "And you must be Applejack." He shook her hoof as well.

"You betcha." She said giving him a more hardy shake than Rarity. "Your the one who fixes curses right?" To which Polaris puffed his chest and proudly said yes.

"So when did this all start?" He asked the orange earth pony.

"Bout a day or two ago i suppose. We though it a pipe must have burst causing the smell and all, but when we dug it up to find out there was nothin wrong with it. Just the land." She tried to hid the sadness in her words but to no avail.

"Do you mind if I take a look at this hole you dug?"

"Suit yourself." She said leading them deeper into the mire that was once farmland.

Once at the hole Polaris inspected the edges around it. Reaching into his bag he pulled out a small carving knife and a clear green stone. "What are those for?" Applejack asked. To which Polaris smiled and said before he jumped in.

"Research!" A thud was heard from the pit as he landed on his hooves. Brushing himself off he inspected the inside of the hole. The hole was at lease 8 feet deep and 6 foot in every direction. The walls were cuvered a fowl smelling mud that he covered his nose when it hit him. Tracing its walls with his hoof. He came across a rot sticking out of the freshly dug hole and gave it a tug. It didnt move. He pulled again. Still it didnt budge. He propped his hind legs into the wall and gave a mighty tug yet still. Nothing. "Hey can somepony help me out down hear?" He shouted above him. And quicker that the other two could register Starlight lept down after the voice.

"Going down!" She yelled as she landed on a nice soft pad. "Polaris? Where'd you go? Its pretty dark in here." A tap on her shoulder gave away his location. Underneath her. "Opps! Sorry!" she said sheepishly. Brushing himself off again he gave a cuckel.

"No worries I needed my back cracked anyhow." She booped him on the shoulder and flashed a smile. "Can you give me a hand pulling out this root?"

"You mean the small one?" She asked. "You needed help pulling out this tiny baby root?" She poked at his biceps to which he giggled at.

"Stop! Im ticklish, and just help me out." Starlight obliged. Using her magic to help pull as he used his strength, the pair fought against the awesome might of this lone twig. After straining there bodies to their max the root finally gave tearing of from deeper inside the wall. "Well what do we have here?" He held up the root toward the ripped end and saw the juices from it floating away a from it back to the wall they pulled it from leaving the root dried and shriveled.

"Im not a botanist but im pretty sure thats not supposed to happen." Starlight said out of breath.

"Agreed. But lets find out what it does mean." He cut the root in two down its steam and placed it on the green gem. He then waved a hoof over it and said some form of incantation. The gem glowed green for a moment and then root cracked in two. "Oh well thats good!" He said chipper as can be.

"What? What is it? Can you fix the rot curse" Starlight was fascinated by the speticale she just witnessed.

"Well thats just it! Its not a rot curse! Its a curse of drain." He smiled.

"A curse of drain?" She asked. "Something is draining the farm? How is this good?" she asked slightly frightened.

"Dont you worry your pretty little head. Im an expert when it comes to these things." He said confidently.

A devious smile crept on her face as Starlight replied, "Oh so you think im pretty?" A question which caught Polaris of guard. Knocking him out of his confidant stance.

"Uh no what I ment was-"

"So you dont think im pretty?" She said pouting.

"NO! I think your very pretty! Platinicaly of course! What I mean is-What im trying to say-" He was interrupted by a fit a laughter from Starlight. He was being played. "Oh why you little." He tossed a bit of the mud they were in at her to which she yelped at. She in turn scoped some off the wall and flung it at him. "WOW! hella rude!" He said laughing as he prepared another mud ball.

"You started you little twerp!" She said smiling as she dodged a mud ball. Her retort was by using magic to splash mud all around him and cover him head to hoof! To which he took like a champ and glared at her who was trying desperately not to laugh.

"So you like to play dirty do ya?" He said wiping mud from his face. He ran up and pulled her into a mud covered hug.

"Ahhh! Ha hah Stop! Its smiley! Gross ha hah." After ample amounts of mud were on both of them a voice rang out from above.

"You two having fun down there?" A southern accent asked.

"Hehe whoops!" Starlight said. "Busted." She teleported them back up above ground covered in mud.

"Just want happened down there darling you completely covered in filth!" Rarity said disgustingly. The pair looked at each other and smiled.

"Oh you know." Starlight replied. "Research."

"But! Ive got good news!" Said Polaris. "Im pretty sure I can fix your farm and put it back to how it was."

"You pulling my leg?" She said suspiciously.

"No way Jose! This is far to important to joke about." His sincerity was refreshing but she wasnt fully convinced. "Tell me Applejack have you introduced any new plants into the farm? Maybe something exotic?" She pulled her hat over her eyes in embarrassment.

"Uh, now that you mention it I may have brought a little something back from out trip to Basalt Beach."

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"Pineapples? Really Applejack and here I thought you were an apple family!" Rarity said teasing poor Applejack.

"Actually pineapples come from the bromeliaceae family which has more in common with a tropical flower than fruit." Starlight said as a matter of factually. "What? Twlight's not the only one who read you know!"

"Look I thought they were a type of apple. They got apple in there name for goodness sake!" Applejack defended. "How was i supposed to know it was some kind of fancy lookin flower."

"Or that the baby tree you planted was cursed!" Chimed Rarity.

"Well never mind how it happened, lets just focus on reversing it." Polaris said focusing on a book while they walked.

"What are you reading?" Starlight asked looking over his shoulder.

"This is a book of magic runes and incantations. Just carve a rune or say some mumbo jumbo and boom! You can fix a curse!"

"Thats what you did in the pit earlier. The mumbo jumbo saying?"

"Oh yeah that was just a simple discovery charm. I used it to activate my purity rune to see if what would happen if I purified the magic from the root, but since there wasn't any magic the root just cracked. Ipso facto: it was drained!"

"Why you sound like quite the detective dear!" Rarity said quite impressed by his reasoning.

"Yeah well we'll see." Applejack said sourly. The four came across a large weeping willow with bright yellow and red flowers that seemed out of place. Its roots were glowing underneath the ground and a pulsating hum came from the trunk itself.

"I dont want to be the one to tell you this dear, but that is not a pineapple tree." said Rarity softly. The tree loomed over them and gave off a loud rustle as if a great gust came through. "Oh its like its looking at us. Can trees do that?"

"Pretty sure thats the curse." Polaris said giving Starlight his book. "Can you carve this symbol into a piece of its bark?" He asked walking up to the tree and tearing off some of it bark. "And Applejack and you make a small kindling?" To which Applejack nodded. "All I need now is something refractive." He rummaged in his bag for a moment. "Damn it I left them at home." He complaned. Looking back at the mares who were helping him he asked, "none of you have a crystal on you do you? Maybe a ruby?" With out missing a beat Rarity sprang up.

"You mean like this darling?" She pulled one off of her ensemble and place it in his hoof.

"You dont mind if I keep this do you? I need it to contain the excess energy from the ritual."

"Oh parish the thought. Anything for a friend." She said smiling.

"But we just met." Polaris looked at her sideways.

"A friend of Starlight is a friend of ours." Said Applejack starting her fire. He looked at Starlight who was carving expertly into the bark. She looked at him and nodded in agreement. This made him turn away and smile to himself. A small blush forming on his cheeks.

Polaris used the ash from the small fire and put it into the groves of the carving that Starlight made. He then placed the Bark he ripped off the tree earlier back onto it like a piece of a puzzle and placed the ruby over it as if to hold it in place. He began reciting his incantation. As he was speaking nothing happened. The three mares looked at each other with worry. Then the ruby began to glow in his hoof. The glowing of the roots below them stopped and the humming of the trunk softened. Polaris pulled away and put the ruby in a pouch he carried in his bag. "Alright! It worked!" He said triumphantly.

"What do you mean it worked?!" Shouted Applejack. "My farm still looks like a swamp! You said you could fix it!" She was seething.

"Right my bad I meant the ritual worked." He explained. "You see the rune Starlight carved into the bark was called 'emanate' its used to bring forth spirits. And the ash was used to get its attention."

"Get its attention? How did we get a cursed trees attention?" Asked Starlight.

"Well everything thats cursed is a little alive, having the originator of the curses will imposed on them. So that means they would have there own will as well! And as most things have a tendincy to have a fondness of self preservation it will fear its natural enemies. So what the natural enemy of trees?"

"Termites?" Applejack stated.

Polaris paused for a moment. "Hmm, I didnt think about that one actually." Polaris said to himself.

"Fire." Starlight said getting back on track.
"Right! Fire! So by using ash, a byproduct of fire, and placing the ash inside the grove of the symbol that starlight carved we get its attention. Then I use the ruby as a containment and use my own incantation of drain! Siphoning most of its residual cursed magic into this ruby where it cant escape. Now all we have to do is convince it to stop cursing your lands!" The three mares looked at him like he fell out of sky.

"What are you goin on about? Convince it? Why dont we just chop it down?" Suggested a very angry Applejack.

"Well getting rid of the tree wold permanently stop the drain, the only way for the nutrients to go back into the other trees is if this big cursed one puts it back." Applejack still looked confused. "Its like this." He continued. "This tree for whatever reason was told by somepony to steal life from other plants. You gotta convince it to stop and give the life back to your lands."

"So I gotta make friends with the cursed tree?" She asked skepticly. To which Polaris only nodded. She sighed and rubbed the back of her head as she approached the tree, still humming with life. "Alright now, uh tree. Im sorry about that crack about choppin ya down. I guess I didnt see it from your perspective. I never been a tree myself." She looked back at Polaris who waved at her to continue. She let out another heavy sigh. "Look, Ill make you a deal. You put my farm back to the way it was and ill make sure you stay here for as long as there are apples on this farm. Heck maybe we can have a pick nick here once everything's back to normal? What do ya say?" She reached out to touch the tree and jolt of energy went through her arm. Visions of a unicorn she never seen before laying under the tree in piece were shown to her, and as quickly as they came on, the stopped. The red and yellow flowers turned white and the humming stopped. Suddenly a green pulse came from the trunk and spread into the ground the brown mushy grass grew lush and green with life again. Trees and flowers began budding anew. The curse was lifted. "Ill take that as a yes." She said smiling.

Author's Note:

Alrighty guys thats Ch.3! Another abrupt end i think, but hey im tryin! let me know what you think about how the curse was handled and if you guys were feeling the accents. Because I have no actual idea how to denote them in writing! Anyway Look forward to another chapter soon! Thank you !