5 - Old Man Withers
It was another beautiful morning in Maretime Bay. Sunny stretched out her hooves with an egregiously loud yawn and a rapid smack of her lips. She wore a re-energized smile and pulled off her covers. The sun came through the drapes, seemingly in full force. Sunny had obviously slept in. Curiously, she looked beside her at an empty bed.
“Izzy?” she called out. Hoofsteps clattered on the wood flooring out in the main living area. Sunny sprang out of bed. She slowly made her way through her open bedroom door.
The door to the apartment was half-way open. Sunny’s ears shot up and she rushed forward around the furniture and burst through the door.
“IZZY!” she yelled. She ran out to the veranda that surrounded the second story of the complex, hung a left and looked over the railing. She spotted Izzy below on the dirt street, running towards Horseshoe Wood, swerving around any bewildered locals she came face to face with. She was making good time, too. Sunny fearlessly leapt over the railing of the second story veranda and landed like a cat, then quickly began to chase after Izzy with a vicious gallop.
“WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!” she cried after her new friend. While Izzy refused to relent, Sunny was much faster. The number of heads the pair turned wasn’t unusual, in Sunny’s case, but it was attention Sunny would have liked not to have had given she was chasing after a Unicorn. A Unicorn whose only safeguard was a tight-fitting sunhat, which could no doubt come loose while she ran.
Sunny followed after Izzy through the side streets and alleys that led to Pier Street. At one point Sunny had to squeeze past a couple of merchants meeting in one of the alleys, to which they yelped and hollered after her. It was merely business as usual – Sunny bothering a merchant. Nevertheless, Sunny continued unfettered, and when she broke onto Pier Street, she turned to see Izzy slowing down and hobbling. Sunny grinned and caught up with a cloud of dust behind her.
“Izzy! Stop! What’s going on?” Sunny asked, stopping beside the Unicorn who was doubled over and heaving for air. “Why did you run away without saying anything?”
Izzy shook her head, still in the throes of exhaustion.
“Y-you… you don’t… know anything…”
Sunny cringed with hurt and took a step back.
“What?”
Izzy looked up. Sunny saw a sadness so profound it sent a jolt through her body.
“I remember!” Izzy’s eyes became fearful, and she bit her lip. She continued with a shaky voice. “I remember everything, okay? I’m sorry, but I have to leave!” Izzy closed her eyes, exhaled, then started galloping again with a wince. Sunny chased after.
“Can you please just explain to me why you have to go? How much of a hurry can you BE in?”
Izzy didn’t stop to reply, nor did she waste precious air doing so at a run. Her mane blew behind her like so many strands of silk glistening in the midmorning sun. Gulls pierced the air with the delirious cry of hungry sea birds. Waves gently rested on the shore every so often as the tide came and went. Sailors and fisherponies went about their business. And Izzy the Unicorn was on a mission to leave as soon as she could. Sunny refused to accept it.
Izzy crashed into the treeline of Horseshoe Wood first, followed by Sunny. Izzy stopped, turning every which way as if not knowing where to go exactly. Sunny caught up without a problem.
“Just go home, Sunny!” Izzy protested. She whipped her head around and sounded like her lungs were on fire. There was sweat and dirt on her face. On HER face. Sunny was at a loss for words but managed to bluster out something of a retort.
“Tell me!”
Sunny gritted her teeth and reached out with a determined hoof. Izzy jumped at the touch, but Sunny swung her around and the two met eyes. Both sets of eyes had dizzy pupils. Sunny closed her eyes as she tensed her face, then she exploded.
“YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE ME IZZY! YOU’RE MY FIRST REAL FRIEND!”
Tears formed at the ends of Sunny’s eyes as she panted. Izzy’s face softened into a similar expression of sadness. She couldn’t help that the same liquid shimmered at the ends of her own eyes. Her lip quivered and she looked at the soil below.
“I’m… I’m sorry, Sunny…”
The mares stood for a minute, catching their breaths and processing their feelings. Izzy looked back up with a light smile.
“You’re not going to let me leave like this, are you?”
Sunny shook her head and smiled warmly.
“What do you think, little doll?”
Izzy pouted.
“Hey.”
Sunny tried to hide her giggle with a hoof.
“Sorry, bad joke.” Sunny blinked and looked around the Wood. “Were you looking for something, by the way?”
Izzy nodded and turned around.
“I remembered that I had saddlebags with me when I fell here. I need to find them before I go.” She turned back to Sunny and smiled, a hint of regret behind her amethyst eyes. “Give me a hoof, then we can talk.”
Sunny nodded with a grin.
An hour passed while the two mares searched for the lost saddlebags, paying particular attention to the rockier areas of the Wood. Most of the Wood was on uneven terrain, and at any point Sunny could imagine a delicate thing like Izzy walking out unsuspecting, over a drop, and bonking her head.
The investigation frequently brought little, nosy woodland critters out to watch - squirrels, rabbits, and the occasional deer. Whenever Sunny or Izzy would spot them looking, the furry observers would hide behind a nearby tree or inside a bush.
Finally, during the fifth search of the area, Izzy's hoof hit something hard and familiar.
“Oh — OH! Here it is, Sunny!”
Sunny was a stone’s throw away, hunched over and looking through a hollow, bug-ridden log. She smiled and immediately trotted to her friend’s side. Izzy picked up one of the saddlebags, then the other, dusted them off best she could, and threw them onto her haunches. The sound of jingling metal caught Sunny’s ears, which flickered in Izzy’s direction.
“I need to make sure everything’s still here,” Izzy said. A loud grumble rang out from her stomach region. She blushed a deep scarlet, apologized with a quick “Sorry!”, and Sunny laughed.
“Let’s get something to eat first,” Sunny suggested, “Then we can go by the shore and talk, okay?”
Izzy still looked unsure - her brow furrowed. Sunny pleaded.
“Please, Izzy? You know you want to try some more of Maretime Bay’s cuisine!”
* * *
Sunny had selected her favorite restaurant for lunch. It was located at the edge of the market, with a cozy eating area for locals and tourists. Izzy was getting a kick out of the rustic wooden table and chair. She looked around the market, admiring the look of the town.
“You’re so lucky to live here, Sunny,” Izzy said with a longing sigh. She moved her wheat goulash around with her spoon. “You seriously have no idea how… depressing where I’m from is.” Izzy looked around the immediate area. There were a few other ponies seated at the restaurant who didn’t pay Izzy and Sunny any mind, but some of the merchants in the market were staring. Izzy swallowed.
Sunny took a giant bite out of her hay sandwich and chewed with an open mouth.
“Yeah dere ‘ookin’ o’er ‘ere,” she said between chews. Izzy rested her head on a hoof and took a sip of the goulash, smiling sheepishly as Sunny continued talking with a full mouth, “I’nore ‘em.” Sunny swallowed her bite. “The merchants always stare at anyone new to town. We’ll talk once we’re done eating.”
But something strange occurred to Sunny as she got halfway through her sandwich. She swerved around in her seat and scanned the market, brow tight and jaw still going up and down as she chewed. Merchants were usually pretty open about how much they disliked having Sunny around, even when she was just eating lunch. And her schoolpony peers would generally have accosted her by that time. Sunny stopped chewing and swished her tongue against her cheek.
“What a bunch of weirdos today…” she said quietly. She locked eyes with Amos the merchant all the way on the other side of the market, past all the ponies who were shuffling by. Past the statue of Rockhoof. Amos was looking right at her. There was a look in his eye Sunny didn’t like one bit. It was as if he was looking at a ghost.
Despite the whole situation, though, Sunny finished her meal and Izzy was satisfied with only eating three quarters of hers. Sunny reached into her side satchel for some bits to plop onto the table when Izzy cut her off with a hoof.
“W-wait, I got it.”
Sunny looked up and cocked her head. Izzy smiled and reached down to her saddlebags. She rummaged through for a second. Sunny heard more jingling inside the saddlebags, and before long Izzy pulled out a hoofful of bits. Sunny’s eyes nearly jumped outside of her head.
“W-WHAT KIND OF TIP IS THAT?!” she shouted. The other patrons of the restaurant turned around to look and Izzy immediately flopped down the bounty of bits and turned red again. She glanced down between her hooves.
“S-sorry!” she stammered. “I-Is that a lot?”
Sunny counted them all with an unhinged jaw hanging from her chin. Forty bits. For a hay sandwich and wheat goulash. She counted twice, just to be sure. Then she counted thrice, because she couldn’t exactly pinch herself to see if she was dreaming. She looked up at Izzy, not realizing how much attention she was pulling toward the duo.
“The meal only costs 6 bits, Izzy!”
Izzy looked over both her shoulders. Ponies nearby were whispering. One stallion even got out of his seat and peered over with a craning neck. He gasped. Others followed suit. Sunny was still flabbergasted when Izzy cleared her throat as if to signal Sunny.
“We need to go,” Izzy said quietly.
Sunny shook her head and exhaled with incredulity.
“No kidding,” she joked with a laugh, “Ponies will start getting worried you’re going to buy the town and turn it into a Unicorn resort or something!”
Sunny’s throat closed up and her eyes immediately became pinpricks. Izzy lowered her head and her ears followed, becoming flat against her mane. Sunny had spoken a bit too loud. Some ponies had already been looking at the duo, but at the mention of “Unicorn”, every head within earshot was aimed at Sunny and Izzy. Sunny realized her mistake as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She gulped, and Izzy covered her open mouth with a hoof.
“G-get your saddlebags and let’s go,” Sunny said, smiling nervously in an attempt at looking normal.
Izzy ‘mhm’d’ quickly and the two mares jumped to their hooves. Izzy scooped up her saddlebags and secured them to her haunches as quick as she could. The waiter from the restaurant stepped forward and blocked Sunny’s path.
“What did you just say, Sunny Starscout? I thought we agreed you’d keep that language away from the restaurant or there’d be no more service!”
The waiter had gold-colored fur and a slicked back mane that was a slightly darker shade of gold. He wore a tight, fancy black vest with a white undershirt. His one eyebrow was raised so high it nearly touched his maneline.
"This is the fanciest establishment for many miles! We can't have talk of those other types of ponies being spoken out loud without restraint!"
The other patrons were whispering among one another while they glared at Sunny. A few stood up and started to move towards her. Sunny chewed her lip and looked around nervously. She snatched Izzy’s hoof and started galloping away with her friend in tow.
“Enjoy the tip!” Sunny called back. The waiter cried in protest.
“STOP!”
A few other ponies shouted the same thing, more or less. Sunny and Izzy did no such thing, of course. A feeling in the pit of Sunny’s stomach made her ill. Izzy whisper-shouted from behind.
“SORRY BUT… WHY DID YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT?”
Sunny replied, “Well it’s not like I was thinking before I said it, okay?! It just came out! I got excited!”
As if right on cue, while the mares made their escape and turned into an alley that led to Pier Street, Sunny heard a loud, gruff throat clearing noise. She looked back for only a second to see who made the noise.
It was Old Man Withers.
“Sunny,” the elder pony said sternly. It was in a tone Withers never used before, and it was so surprising that Sunny stopped in her tracks. Izzy tapped her shoulder.
“Hey, we should ignore him and just leave!”
Sunny replied to Withers.
“What is it?”
Withers narrowed his eyes and gestured behind his shoulder with a flick of his head.
“I need to speak with you up where your parents are. Alone.”
Sunny looked back toward the market. Ponies were giving chase. Sunny turned back to Withers, who was walking away calmly. He called back, a frog clearly stuck in his old throat.
“Lose them and come meet me. It’s important.”
The cries of the ponies following Izzy and Sunny got louder and closer. The Earth Pony and Unicorn twosome galloped down the alley as fast as their hooves took them, Izzy struggling to keep up behind Sunny. They weaved and bobbed through the narrow passages then broke out onto Pier Street once more and sped off without turning back. They reached Horseshoe Wood in record time.
Once inside, the mares risked a moment to catch their breath. Izzy was wheezing and had to roll onto her back.
“So… much… running…”
Sunny was lathered in sweat. She peeked out from behind a tree back towards town and didn’t see any pursuers. Feeling safe in that moment, Sunny plopped onto her flank and sighed out with exasperation.
“You got that right, Izzy!”
Once both mares were confident they weren’t going to pass out from a lack of oxygen, Izzy stood up and Sunny turned to face the path as it winded up the hill and towards the cliff where her parents laid. She closed her eyes.
“Izzy, I’m going to see what Old Man Withers wants. He’s never talked to me that way before so I’m worried.” She turned to her new friend with an apprehensive smile and opened her eyes. “I understand if you want to leave town sooner rather than later… but if you could…” She dropped her gaze and looked at the soil. “Could you wait for me, just at the bottom of the hill? And when I’m done with Withers--”
Izzy laid a hoof on Sunny’s shoulder and nodded with a smile.
“I’ll wait.”
Sunny smirked and wrapped Izzy in a giant hug, taking the Unicorn off guard. For a moment she was stunned, unable to process the fact that an Earth Pony was hugging her. Then with a smile, she closed her eyes and returned the embrace.
“Wow,” Sunny said, “I hugged a Unicorn and didn’t explode. Or turn into a frog.”
The two pulled away from one another and Izzy giggled.
“Not yet. The frog spell is only for when you get on my nerves.”
Sunny closed her eyes and grinned wide. She opened them then cleared her throat.
“Okay, I’ll try not to be too long!”
* * *
The sun had passed the halfway mark in the sky, signifying noon. Its light and heat was as strong as it was going to be for the day, and it beat down on Sunny’s back as she trudged up the hill that led to the clearing in Horseshoe Wood on the cliff. She saw the familiar grey stones that marked where her parents were. She also spotted the wizened form of Old Man Withers seated in front of them. As Sunny got closer, he saw a smile on Withers’ face.
“They were good ponies, your folks.”
Sunny cocked her head. Old Man Withers wasn’t looking as old as she thought he normally looked. There weren’t as many heavy wrinkles as before, his jowls looked five years younger, and she could have sworn some of his bald spots had white hairs again. Stubble covered his chin.
Withers looked up at Sunny and gestured her to sit beside him. She did so.
“W-what’s this all about, Old Man Withers? And why are we here in front of mom and dad?”
Withers looked behind his shoulder, keeping his gaze on a lone seagull flying out into the Bay. Sunny turned around, too, trying to spot what Withers was transfixed on.
"Your parents," Withers began, "Made this place bearable for the many years I spent here while they were alive. Professor Tyson, too."
Sunny looked back at Withers and opened her mouth to speak, but the older pony of the two cut her off.
“Sunny Starscout, I’ve been around for a long time. A long time. We’re talking more than a lifetime, but still not as long as all of time.”
Sunny narrowed her gaze at the elderly Withers.
“Ya-huh. You feelin’ okay, Withers? You normally talk like a crazy pony, but this time it’s even worse.”
Withers looked over at Sunny and chuckled.
“I’m actually not feeling that great, now that you mention it. It’s almost time for me to go. But, I need to tell you a few things before I do.”
Sunny blinked rapidly.
“W-what?”
Withers laid his hoof on Sunny’s shoulder and looked her right in the eye. His light blue gaze seemed both as old as the sun and as recent as a new day’s vigor. He smiled.
“I am your grandfather, Sunny.”
Sunny’s eyes widened. Her mouth dropped and her lips quivered. Withers bit his lip. Then, he burst out laughing, grasped at his belly, and fell onto his back.
“JUST KIDDING HAHAHAHAHAHA!” he roared.
Sunny stared forward with a confused expression. She was still shocked and couldn’t move while Withers sat back up and wiped a tear from his eye.
“Oh goodness, I’ve become quite the jokester in my old age. Well, my advanced old age. If you had seen me before…” Withers trailed off. He cleared his throat. “Time is of the essence. Forgive me, Sunny Starscout. I’ll get down to business.”
He stared into Sunny’s eyes, as serious as the Earth Pony had ever seen him be. A thousand confused thoughts danced around in Sunny’s brain.
“The hoof of fate is closing in,” Withers said, “It’s coming here, to Maretime Bay. I can feel it. And it’s coming for you, Sunny Starscout.”
The thousand thoughts in Sunny’s head multiplied to a million. She jumped up and shouted.
“Okay, enough with the joking already! Just tell me why you brought me here!"
Withers breathed in deep and got onto his hooves as well.
“Alright,” he said, facing Sunny, who was still on the defensive, “Here it goes then.”
“My name isn’t Old Man Withers, it’s Star Swirl. I’m 1,500 years old, or thereabouts. The secret of my longevity is the last vestiges of my magic as the Element of Sorcery, which is about to run out. The reason I’ve been clinging to life all these years is… complicated, but most recently, I was tasked with watching your family, the Starscouts, and ensuring you were safe until the right time. And that time is now.”
Sunny’s expression had become deadpan.
“Another joke? Really?” She rolled her eyes and tossed her ponytail. “You read that old astrology book that the Professor has too, huh?” she said, sounding bored. "That's where you got that name, 'Star Swirl'." Withers chuckled and shook his head.
“Figured you wouldn’t take to that… okay, how’s this, then?”
He cleared his throat and became serious once more.
“Trust me when I say you’ll be leaving here soon. I can feel it. And I will be too. But I need to tell you two things first,” Withers raised his hoof and closed his eyes.
“One: ponies of ALL races lived together in harmony in the past. That is how ponies are meant to live. Forget what I've said in the past because that was just a cover! The pony races draw their respective powers from togetherness and unity, and it is also where magic comes from. Without unity, there will never be magic in Equestria again like there used to be.”
Sunny’s mouth dropped and her eyes widened. Withers continued, despite how clear it was by Sunny’s face that she wanted to say something.
“Number two: When you’ve discovered who you are, seek out who ponies call ‘The Wise One’. She can reveal the secrets that I cannot reveal to you - not yet. I’m out of time.”
“Wait!” Sunny blurted out, dancing on her hooves, wide grin on her face. “You know about magic? Tell me! Please! Tell me!” She changed her tune and glared at Withers. “Wait, if you know the secret about magic, why didn’t you tell the Professor, so he didn’t have to leave!”
Withers chuckled again and scratched the side of his old face.
“The Professor’s on a… different journey, I think. Magic is just one part of it. And no, I won’t and can’t tell you any more. That was it. You see—”
The faint sound of a bugle blowing rang from the direction of Maretime Bay. It was vaguely familiar to Sunny, but to Withers it made his ears shoot straight up. His tail briefly flicked upwards.
“That horn…” he said quietly.
The blowing of the horn rang out again. Izzy appeared at the top of the hill, waving her hoof at Sunny and Withers from a distance.
“Sorry… really sorry to interrupt," Izzy yelled out, "But I need to talk to Sunny RIGHT NOW, Mr. Old Man, sir!”
Sunny looked at Withers for some explanation of what was going on, but he only grumbled.
“So, it begins…”
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Did not see THAT coming. I have many questions...
Huh. Figured Withers was more than he seemed, but didn't think of that. How did he hide a horn for so long?
10767143
Very carefully
This is getting GOOD! I can't wait for the next update, keep it up :D
10802103
Thanks friend! These are the types of comments that keep me going :) I am ashamed updates have slowed down for about a month now, but the next chapter IS on the way!
Shit is about to go down!
Okay, that was unexpected, but it's still epic. I hope we can see other g4 characters in this story, I wonder who the Wise One will be. I bet on Twilight, Luna, Celestia or Starlight.