The Selection
It was almost a century ago that the great kingdom of Equestria was founded. The brave leaders of the unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies finally learned to forgo their differences and live in harmony. Every year since, the ponies celebrated with great feasts, songs, dancing, and gifts so that they too could delight in the fires of friendship shining brightly above Canterlot city. Clover the Clever became one of Equestria’s greatest magical leaders, bringing happiness and guidance to the ponies with her amazing talent for magic. She lived in the Canterlot castle with a wing of her own, where her she wrote the wisdom of her mentor Starswirl the Bearded.
Starswirl the Bearded was a legend. He held more magic than any pony could conceive. He was immortal, spending his days training those worthy in the ways of magic. But the more decades he lived, the less he was seen by ponies. After some time had passed, he had made it a habit only to show himself to other ponies when he trained a new apprentice. Every hundred years Starswirl would appear and select a pony with great magical potential. This apprentice would study with him until such a time that he deemed them ready and disappeared again leaving the task of magical leadership to his prodigy. The magical leaders he trained became legends themselves with their magical contributions to pony kind. Clover the Clever was no different; she had left her mark by bringing the ponies together and igniting the first fire of friendship that had saved every pony’s lives.
It had been exactly one hundred years since Starswirl’s last appearance, and it was time for him to select a new apprentice. Clover the Clever had been a magical leader for ninety nine years and had reached an old age where she could not fulfill her duties anymore. In the past, only a unicorn was selected as an apprentice, but now that Equestria had been formed, Clover the Clever had decreed that any pony may audition for the coveted role. On the longest day of the year, Starswirl would make his appearance, and more importantly, his selection.
~*~
On the outskirts of Canterlot city, a quiet settlement of earth ponies greeted the dawn prepared to work the fields. A young pony with a coat as dark as night and a mane as bright as the sun was curled on her straw bed pouring over one of Clover the Clever’s volumes in fascination.
“Astelle!” a filly called out to her, Astelle pushed the book out of sight before angrily replying.
“What is it now?”
“Papa wants you; it’s time for chores.”
Astelle looked out the window, amazed that dawn had come so quickly. She dowsed the lantern she had been using to read and joined the filly downstairs. Their mother placed a bowl of fruit before them for breakfast. She noticed the dark circles under Astelle’s eyes and scolded her.
“You’ve been up reading again, haven’t you?”
“Only for a little while.” Astelle mumbled.
“Astelle we’ve talked about this! There isn’t time for study in this house. We need to plant the crop, sheer the sheep, and attend to the farm. Your father cannot do everything himself.”
“And that’s all we ever do! Don’t you think, maybe, I have a shot of Starswirl choosing me? I’ve read all of Clover the Clever’s works and I think he might be impressed if I--“
“What on earth are you talking about? You know very well that you cannot abandon your family and this farm. Do you want us out on the street so that you can pursue this… fantasy?”
“Of course not! If I’m chosen you, papa, and little sister would live in Canterlot in luxury for the rest of your lives!”
“If you’re chosen. And what if you’re not? Astelle, dear, I have to insist on this one. Fetch me the book.”
“I’ll get it mother! I know where she keeps it!” chimed her little sister, racing up the stairs.
“No! Mother please! This is all I’ve ever wanted. It’s all I’ve dreamed.” Astelle pleaded, her eyes watering.
The filly returned with the book in her mouth, dropping it on the table between their mother and Astelle. Astelle reached for it in protest, but her mother scooped it away.
“I’m sorry, dear. We just can’t afford any distractions right now.” She turned to her younger daughter and tucked the book away in her school satchel. “Now I want you to return this book to the library on the way to school. Don’t stop for anything else, you hear?”
The little filly nodded and her mother tied the satchel to her back.
“Your father’s outside," Her mother said, sending the little sister on her way to school with Astelle's precious book. "You best be getting on with your chores Astelle.” She noted the tears forming in her eyes and nuzzled her oldest child. “This doesn’t bring me any joy seeing you like this. I wish things were different, I wish I could give you two the life you deserve but--“
Astelle pulled herself away from her mother and ran out the door, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her mother knew better than to believe someone as important as Starswirl the Bearded would see anything but a poor earth pony and pass her by for a Canterlot scholar. She almost resented Clover the Clever for giving Astelle the idea in the first place.
~*~
The city of Canterlot was never dark, even at night. Clover the Clever had created a beautiful array of streetlamps that illuminated the city when it was dark. Each street had a row of lamps that gave off a color of light from the spectrum, and the ponies of Canterlot could find their way by following the specific color of light; different for every street. The red lamp lights took ponies down to the main square, the blue lamp lights lead to residential areas, the green lamp lights led out to the Canterlot gardens and fields, and so on. The rows of lamps all joined together in the center of Canterlot, just a few feet from the castle gates. In the center, a large open white flame burned that lit the front of the castle and the town square. The white flame was ignited by the last ray of sunlight when the sun set in the evenings. From this flame, the light scattered and lit the rows of streetlamps that wound through the city; it was quite a sight to behold. When the sun rose in the mornings, the first ray of light dowsed the flame, which caused a domino effect among the other street lamps as their light was extinguished. On the longest day of the year, Clover the Clever appeared from a castle tower overlooking the town square as soon as the sunrise had dowsed the white flame. Unicorn guards trumpeted her arrival, alerting the ponies below her.
“Announcing lady Clover the Clever, magical overseer of Equestria.”
The crowd below cheered as the old pony made her way to the edge of the balcony.
“Fillies and Gentlecolts, I bid you welcome on this most glorious day. As I foretold, the great Starswirl the Bearded has come our humble kingdom of Equestria to select the next great magical leader of our generation. Each colt or mare will be escorted into the castle one at a time where they will demonstrate their talent and magical ability before the legend himself. Whoever impresses him the most will be his chosen apprentice. Good luck my little ponies.”
The ponies cheered again as Clover the Clever disappeared from the balcony using her magic and lowered the gates. Somewhere down the street of purple street lamps an eager earth pony strained to see and hear Clover the Clever.
“Ugh, move! I can’t see! Stupid Pegasus.” Astelle muttered
“What’d you say?” the Pegasus colt snapped in her direction. She didn’t respond, hoping he didn’t know who had spoken. He snorted and resumed flying directly in her line of sight.
“Sissy…” her little sister protested a frightened look on her little face. “We’re gonna get caught.”
“We’re not going to get caught. Mother thinks I’m selling eggs at the market and I brought you along to back up my story to her later.”
“But she strictly forbade us!” she protested.
Astelle sighed and rolled her eyes.
“Are you going to rat me out?”
“N-no.”
“Don’t you want to see Starswirl the Bearded?”
“I guess so.”
“Good. Then don’t worry about mother.”
Somewhere behind them ponies laughed. Astelle turned and noticed a group of Canterlot unicorns giggling and mocking her. She turned away, breathing a sigh trying to ignore them.
“Can you believe that? A ragged earth pony thinks she has a shot with Starswirl,” one of them mocked.
“What could she possibly show him? Her oh-so-talented herding skills?” Another added.
“How quickly she can plant a seed?” the third said.
They erupted into a fit of giggles again. Astelle could no longer hold her temper; she turned to them and shouted.
“I have just as much chance as anyone! More so than you three. I’ve studied more about magic than anypony else. Just you wait; he’ll pick me for sure.”
“Puh-lease. As if reading would impress him. He’s looking for magical talent, not a history lesson.” The purple unicorn in the center said, walking up to Astelle with a smug grin. “Let’s see how your book smarts fair against my magic.” She turned to a nearby shop and levitated an apple from its basket.
“Levitation? That’s the easy trick in the book.” Astelle mocked.
“I wasn’t finished.” The purple unicorn interjected.
The apple twisted and bubbled for a moment before it turned itself into a bar of soap. Astelle’s stomach dropped. Transfiguration was an impressive talent, one that was not easy to master according to the books she had read.
“Here,” The purple unicorn scoffed, giving the soap bar to Astelle. “Why don’t you leave the magic to the unicorns and do yourself a favor; from the way you smell you could do with a nice long bath.”
The other unicorns erupted in laughter. Astelle’s little sister ducked behind her leg and pleaded with her to go home. Astelle’s anger boiled.
“How about this?” the blue unicorn said, “I can light the street lamp without the use of the white flame.” She pointed her horn at the street lamp with a smug little smile.
“No, don’t!” Astelle warned, but the blue shot of magic had already reached the lamp and the flame inside burst into purple light.
“Beat that if you can.” She started to brag, but Astelle was watching the flame in horror as it began to grow inside the lamp.
“Get down!” she screamed, covering her little sister and closing her eyes. The flame grew too wild for the lamp and it shattered the glass that held it there. The unicorns screamed and ducked from the falling glass shards and the flames that erupted. Astelle moved quickly, she kicked a support beam holding up the awning to the fruit shop causing the fabric to come crashing down. The shop owner yelled in confusion, but Astelle had already ripped off a piece of the fabric and stomped it into a puddle formed from the previous night’s storm. She draped the fabric over the lamp and stomped out the little flames that had started to grow. The fire fizzled out and she pulled the fabric away to see the remains of the lamp where only a few pieces of broken glass sill clung to the iron frame.
“The lamps aren’t lit by actual fire! It’s magical fire, and it only works if the white flame reflects the purple spectrum down this street!” Astelle scolded. The dazed blue and purple unicorns didn’t say a word, but the third unicorn approached her.
“That was a remarkable reflex. You knew exactly what to do. Hmm, I knew you would surprise me.”
“What are you talking about?” Astelle growled.
The unicorn shook his mane and he began to change before her. A long white beard formed on his chin and his grey fur coat was hidden under a cape of blue with bells around its edges. Astelle was dumbfounded and her little sister tugged gently on her mane saying, “Is that…”
“Yes child, I am Starswirl the Bearded.” He turned to Astelle and smiled.
“Magic is not about being the best; it’s about helping others.” He turned a disapproving eye to the blue unicorn who backed away in embarrassment. He smiled at Astelle with pride.
“Would you like to be my apprentice?”
Astelle couldn’t get the words out quickly enough, so instead she just nodded.
“Then you might need this.”
He touched her forehead with his horn and made a horn appear on the earth pony’s brow. “You have a lot of potential, and I know you will do great things.”