Swirling Stars
The mare sighed. She was certainly tired, as usual, but it was her job. The library wouldn’t take care of itself. Splinter Star hesitantly made her way to the dressing room located across her chambers and took a quick glance around, forcing a smile at her pink casual dress. ‘Ponies say a smile brightens up a day’, she thought to herself before using her magic to help her fit into the dress.
“Darling, it’s late! I’m off to the Palace,” a rather deep voice called out from the living room. Splinter Star cantered toward its source and nuzzled the blue stallion. “You’ll do great today, my dear,” she whispered, and placed a quick peck on his muzzle. Then, with a wave, Stomphorn made his way out of the house in his royal guard uniform.
Splinter Star sighed. She walked over to the kitchen and began preparing two bowls filled with oatmeal and milk. She disliked seeing her husband like this, working for the Guard. He was a stallion, so there was not much else he could do without the magical superiority unicorn mares had been graced with. ‘If only it had been they with the power to raise the sun,’ thought the mare, annoyed, ‘Stomphorn would have been a wonderful king, and would have embraced me as his equal.’
Splinter Star was born into a relatively wealthy family of nobles. Her mother, Ruby Star, always told her not to mind the lesser stallions; that she should not set her eyes away from the selected few the Palace chose every year for the noble mares to consider marriage. She was a beautiful young mare, but that was not enough for her. One day, when visiting the Palace on request of Princess Silver Rain, she met her personal guard, Stomphorn. Needless to say, the two unicorns soon started going out in secret to the Palace Gardens and spent their time there. Eventually, because of her daughter's insistent nature, Ruby Star talked the Princess into handing over that particular guard to serve as a bodyguard for Splinter. Yet, the young and tenacious mare decided to take it even further, and soon found herself in a secret marriage ceremony, standing next to the stallion.
Reduced to a simple librarian, Splinter Star’s beautiful face was doomed to be covered in wrinkles and bags from an unsatisfied lifestyle. She often felt regret, but there was a certain something that, no matter when she decided to look, she had to smile and regain hope.
“Starswirl, time for breakfast!” she exclaimed, as the two bowls swiftly made their way through the air towards the round wooden table. The tall unicorn mare gracefully took a seat on a purple cushion with golden lining, Ruby Star’s present from her last birthday. Soon, the young foal’s hoofstomps against the wooden staircase could be heard close by. A few seconds later, a small, blue creature stepped into the kitchen. His eyes were a mix of purple and pink, just like his peculiar mane and tail. A wide smile spread on his face. The smile Splinter Star loved and always felt forced to return. He’d become seven a week from then, and officially find himself in Shantalar City’s Starter School for Colts, a place his mother would have never sent him to, should she have a choice.
“Mother, why do we have horns?” was something Starswirl always asked.
“It gives us power,” was the mare’s usual response.
“Power over what?” he’d ask back.
“Over everything,” would be the final reply, usually followed by a command such as ‘eat your oatmeal’.
“This afternoon, dear, you’re going to help me!” Starswirl’s mother exclaimed, gleefully. “Father’s gone to work, but I have to go pick up a few books in Mane Street. Honestly, I’d much rather for you to stay home, but you’ve always asked me to let you help at work,” she said, smiling. A spoonful of oatmeal approached her muzzle.
“Can I stay with you in the library afterwards, Mother?!” the young foal asked, hope in his voice. “I would like to read a few books!” The blue pony grinned.
“Alright. Please, though, remember to stay in the foals’ section,” she said, as she took the empty bowls to the sink.
The mare then took his sprout with her toward the door. They walked along the street calmly. Eventually, the foal looked up. “Mother, do you like working in the library?” the small pony asked, tilting his head in curiosity.
“Of course I do, dear,” she responded, without even thinking about the answer. The foal, however, was clearly unsatisfied.
“Why is that?” he asked.
“…Well, simply put, I can read all I like,” was the mare’s reply. It didn’t take long for her to think that up. “That way, I can… leave. I can visit worlds that never were, and that never will be. That’s also why I like fantasy novels the most, my dear,” she added later, deciding to be much more honest. “But come, my little pony. We’re here!” she exclaimed, looking up at an unkept, gray house. She knocked, and an elderly stallion welcomed her. He hoofed over a few books, which were placed into the mare’s saddlebags. “Very well. Now, we return to the library, my dear!” she announced, before taking the route Starswirl already knew by heart.
Hours later, the foal found himself looking up at the top shelf of a bookcase. He had been looking around the library for answers: He wanted to know the truth behind everything. However, he was unsuccessful: He could find no title called The Truth behind Everything, so he’d have to improvise. After trying out several sections, the young unicorn came upon a certain one. The section sign simply red ‘On Unicorns and Lore’. He looked at the top shelf of the farthest bookcase. A large blue book, Guide to the Unicorn’s Magical Prowess, leaned on several smaller, lesser books. He had to get that one down somehow, if he wanted to know the reason unicorns held so much power over everything, as mother always said. At least, that was his reasoning.
After a pair of minutes of planning and calculating, the foal’s hooves folded, and he attempted to leap toward the book, with little success. His body hit one of the lower wooden shelves and almost threw the bookshelf back. However, it easily managed to regain balance. A sigh of relief left the unicorn. He then took a careful look around. If he tried to leap once again, he’d most likely knock the bookshelf down, and troubling mother was the last thing he wanted at the moment. A air of seconds later, though, he saw it a movable staircase, at the far end of the opposite aisle. With a wide grin on his face, the pony galloped toward the tall object and, with all his might, he began pushing it between the bookshelves, in an attempt to get it to the larger shelf he had seen earlier.
A few minutes later, Starswirl found himself carefully balancing the book on his back, carrying to the nearest reading table. He carefully pushed it over the edge and placed it on the surface. Once he felt it was stable enough, he hopped on one of the chairs and leaned his forehooves on the table. The unicorn’s mouth took over. He carefully turned the pages over, until he came to an index. His face gained color and his eyes glistened with hope as soon as he saw an entry on unicorn magic basics. He turned the pages with joy, and read carefully. “Unicorns with great talent in magic will more often than not start off their lives with no sign of it,” he read out loud. “For that very reason, the following spell is the very first thing taught to young mares at school. The size of the magical wave resulting from it indicates the young unicorn’s magical prowess.” Starswirl smirked. Could colts try that out too? Everypony knows only mares succeed greatly in magic. That is why they make stallions keep the hard jobs, so that they won’t be completely useless. But he decided to try it out, anyway. Nevertheless, he decided to try it out. ‘A lost chance is a lost life,’ father often said. The little unicorn’s horn began sparkling. He was focusing, but it was hard to unleash his power. A few seconds later, though, a bolt shot off the tip of the horn, and gleaming light left its base. It was as if that single pony was a lightshow. Kind of like the displays made during festivals at the Palace. The light illuminated the entire library. Its wooden floor effectively reflected it, creating a fantastical atmosphere.
Star Splinter’s voice could be heard calling out for the colt, but he didn’t mind it. Her hurried hoofsteps approached the source of the light. The bookshelves surrounding the reading table released their treasured collections. The scrolls and tomes circled around the pony in an organized frenzy. A few pages had been ripped off by an unknown force. It seemed as if gusts of air were leaving Starswirl’s horn. The mother attempted to reach her foal. However, the magical forces spun and spun. They surrounded the foal completely, as his hooves left the ground and hovered slight centimeters from the chair, which instantly was knocked away by one of the forces. Soon, Star Splinter had lost sight of her young pony. She swallowed, worried, as she fruitlessly attempted to charge into the magical shield that had enveloped the pony. The wind-like forces slowly got closer to the pony’s body. His eyes lost the sight of everything he was familiar with, to face only colors. Pure colors. The size of the magical whirlwind diminished, until it only covered the young pony.
But then it stopped. It simply stopped. The pony plopped down to the cold wooden surface. His mother didn’t lose time and galloped in his direction. With mixed feelings, she noticed something different about the unconscious young unicorn: His flanks were no longer blank. A white star, surrounded by multi-colored gusts, and smaller stars, was now there. He had achieved his cutie mark, and a very impressive one at that. Sadly, there was simply one problem: He was not a mare. “My child… In the world we live in… You have made a dire choice, for it is best for a stallion to remain blank forever, than to try and excel in what he’s not supposed to,” she whispered, nudging the unconscious sprout. “However, let me assure you… You can count on me. And let us hope somepony fixes it all. Let us hope you manage to become what you were always meant to be,” she finished, smiling, as a tear rolled down her muzzle, slowly.
***
“Mother, why do we have horns?” asked the tall unicorn. His mother sighed.
“Do you always have to ask me that, Starswirl? I always answer the very same thing,” she complained, annoyed. The two plates floated over to the table, and the male pony poked the salad with his hoof, a rather disgusted expression on his face.
“It’s just… Mom, what’s power? And… What’s everything?” the teenager asked. The mare’s annoyed frown soon turned into confusion and ignorance.
“I… Well, other ponies, I suppose?” she finally answered.
“And who is the one that gave us this authority over them?” the colt asked once again, hesitantly taking a forkful of salad to his mouth. The mother blinked. What was he thinking?
“You cannot get rid of your horn. It comes naturally,” she finally answered after a few seconds of thought, leaving her salad still untouched.
“It’d all be much better,” Starswirl mumbled, “If only stallions weren’t forced to do certain jobs and were given freedom of choice. Wouldn’t it?” he asked, blinking his large eyes at the confused mare.
He was right. Splinter Star would still be in a large manor, hosting balls and having afternoon dinners in the gardens with her family. Starswirl would be able to display his cutie mark without getting ponies outside to whisper about it. Over all, Stomphorn’s fate would’ve been changed. He would still be here.
***
The rain hit the window crystal aggressively. “The Pegasus ponies again,” complained Ruby Star as her weight shifted on the cushion. “Those featherbrain ponies know not better than to annoy us,” she continued, a frown on her face as she stared at the fireplace. “Of course, that’s what war’s for; we’ll teach them better!” the old mare exclaimed, cackling furiously.
“Mother!” exclaimed Splinter Star as she walked into the living room. A silver tray layered with cups and a teapot floated before her. “Don’t speak like that of other ponies,” she scolded the older female. “At least not in front of Starswirl!” she added before taking a seat and smiling at her young foal. He was too busy staring out the window in wonder to pay attention to the grumpy elder. The stars were hidden by the amazing clouds. Sometimes, Starswirl wished he had wings so that he’d be able to fly to the clouds and take naps in them. But the one time he told Splinter Star about this, she simply responded with something along the lines of, ‘Don’t ever mention that again.’
“That foal is useless and you know it,” Ruby Star spouted, as some sort of counter-attack. “Having a talent in magic, as a colt? Hah! Yes, let’s let him try. He won’t be a good guard, and he’s not a mare. So he’s mediocre at most. Who cares what he listens to?” she finished, with yet another cackle.
“Mother, shut up!” the younger female cried, now filled with rage. “We… Let’s go home,” she mumbled, making her way to the window to grab the colt and place him on her back. “Good-bye, Mother,” she said bluntly, shutting the door behind them.
The soft touch of the colt’s hoof on her shoulder brought the mother back to reality. “I’m off to school, then,” the young unicorn stated, as he prepared his messenger bag. He placed a peck on the mother’s cheek and walked out the doorway. A few blocks down the street, Starswirl encountered a friend. The mare was shorter than him, and had a flowing golden mane. He always thought of her as rather attractive.
“Starswirl! Hey!” she exclaimed, waving her hoof in the air excitedly. “Bouquet, hello,” he responded calmly, smiling at her. He approached the mare, but stopped in his tracks as soon as he noticed a certain figure walking toward them.
“Bouquet, again?!” the juvenile mare exclaimed, a devilish smile on her muzzle. “Are you talking to your personal guard again? I told you, these kinds of ponies are meant only for carrying your stuff around,” she said. Crystal was just as old as Starswirl, but of very different beliefs. She was also the daughter of Duke Lake, so it’s not like one could easily respond to her. “Pfft, this one’s even worse. His cutie mark, do you see it? You’ve found yourself the most useless guard ever!” she cackled.
Starswirl narrowed his eyes and walked up to the brat. “Be careful, for nothing’s what it seems!” he exclaimed, still rather calm. “Actually, let me correct myself. Not everything is what it seems. Because you seem to be rather ignorant and childish, and, in fact, you are very much that,” he said, smiling with pleasure. Needless to say, Crystal felt insulted. She fired a bolt at Bouquet, but Starswirl was quick and managed to reflect it. As such, the bolt hit the snooty unicorn, whose body flied back a few meters. Victorious smiles turned into worried gasps as soon as tears began running down Crystal’s muzzle.
***
“Offensive behavior when addressing a mare?” the slim stallion asked. His expression displayed a lack of satisfaction. “Even worse: Offensive behavior when addressing a noble! Goodness me,” he sighed. “I apologize, but this is not something I can protect you from, if your colt also attacked her with magic amidst the street, in plain daylight,” he explained, and walked out the door. The mother sighed and let her hooves release her body, so that she’d plop down on her seat.
“It was not me, mother… She started it!” the colt repeated for the thousandth time.
“Even if you’re not being untruthful, my dear, you know better than to respond to such an aggression,” she said. But Starswirl wasn’t one to remain silent about everything.
“Mother, why do we have horns…? Everything would be different if we had no horns,” Starswirl said, and nuzzled the mother. She, for once in a few years, felt once again as herself: Star Splinter, the brave young mare whose acts threatened power.
Perhaps, it’s her bloodline’s destiny to challenge and, eventually, get rid of unfairness among genders and, perhaps, even races. Star Splinter smiled at this thought, and got up on all fours. “I want you to heed me, my dear,” she said, “Should anything happen in this trial, please remember never to lose hope. Pursue what you believe in. Don’t let anypony, not even the queen, tell you what to do if you don’t believe it’s right.
***
“Exile…” the teenager mumbled. He made his way out of the court room, wiping his tears. One of Star Splinter’s hugs was enough for him to handle himself. She had packed his messenger bag with seeds, food, water and a sleeping bag. As he walked up to her, a tear ran down her muzzle, but a smile took over her face.
“This is what you’ve been looking for,” his mother whispered softly. “This, my dear, is your chance,” she added. Her horn gleamed, and a necklace floated over to him, carefully knotting itself at the back of the colt’s neck. A belt hung from the string. “You’ll surely remember me whenever this sounds, dear son, and know that I’ll always be with you. But I’m certain you’ll soon return to my side, victorious.” And so, as he walked out of the city after kissing his mother, finally had Starswirl’s voyage begun.