Starswirl the Bearded has cracked the code to life, how did he not see it before? It's everywhere. It's in the sky, the earth, the animals, even the fruit!
Starswirl the Bearded has been alone for so many years, for millennia. He has no idea how he came to be, but all he knows is the loneliness of being the only one of his kind. That is, till he stumbled upon a jar, a jar that can capture the essence of anything. However, there are consequences to bringing about new life, consequences that require heroes. And heroes need Harmony.
Starswirl the Bearded, the only sentient lifeform on Equus. His form, a biped with a horn sticking out of his forehead. His skin, a particular grey, and his wavy two-toned hair and beard, sporting white and gray as the color scheme. His pale blue eyes held much wisdom from his uninteresting long life, and today was like every other.
Starswirl woke up, made himself a morning meal from plants grown out back, and when he finished it, he packed up several snacks and a midday meal in his trusty pack made out of sturdy leaves and silk from silk worms. For decades he has done this, and the movements were well practiced. Once the pack was filled, Starswirl slung it over his shoulder, picked out a nice walking stick from his large collection, and headed out the door.
This ritual was started about 50 moons ago, when Starswirl had enough of doing nothing in his little hut atop a gorgeous hill. He made it his mission to go out and find something new every trip; only recently has this goal made him search further and further. Any further and Starswirl might have to move, not that it bothers him, there is nothing for him to do. The diversity in lifeforms was not many, only in this particular region at least, for Starswirl had only encountered birds and deers and the occasional bee.
As he trudged along, taking a route he hadn't taken in a while, he thought of one of his past times. Several moons ago, he decided to go birdwatching and record as many as he could. Using a reddish rock that leaves a line wherever he pressed and paper he made from a plant, he was able to record 36 different birds that live in the area.
Starswirl was lost in his thoughts when he suddenly heard a clink. He looked down at his feet and saw something shiny next to his walking stick. Taking a few steps back, he crouched and peered at the mysterious object. It being mostly covered by large grass, he pushed it to a more suitable location using his stick. There have been several incidents in the past that ended badly because of Starswirl's lack of knowledge; one of these encounters was a hungry boar.
Now that the object was in clear view, Starswirl was able to look at it without hinderance. It's circular and wide, one of its ends is completely open, and Starswirl had the sense that something could be put inside. The material was an interesting one; it was completely clear; however he could see it and the sun reflected off of it.
After a couple of more whacks, prodding, and staring, Starswirl deduced that nothing bad would happen if he were to pick it up, and pick it up he did. It felt cold and smooth and this made Starswirl even more curious. He decided to head back home, considering this curious object as something new. So, stuffing it in his bag, he turned around and headed back.
He stopped halfway to sit on a beautiful peak for his midday meal. The scenery was truly spectacular, trees of different colors, all ranging from vibrant pink to shimmering green. In the distance, the glint of reflected sunlight on a large surface of water. Starswirl went there once, his curiosity overwhelmed him one day, and it took three nights to reach the bank, and what a sight rewarded him.
After finishing his delicious Bittergreen Leaf Salad, Starswirl packed up his gear once more and headed home. It didn't take any longer than 200 countings to finally see his hut. His home was made out of fallen branches and the holes were patched with mud, while the roof was covered in large Flatleaves, protecting him against the elements.
Starswirl pulled over a large flat rock that he found at the foot of a mountain and placed the curious object on top. Sitting down on another rock, padded with leaves and fallen feathers, Starswirl peered at the curious object. It took several countings for him to come up with a name, and once it popped into his thoughts, it was like lightning. Starswirl had always prided himself on his ability to come up with names for things, be it fauna or floral. He ultimately decided that this object before him was a cup and the material was glass. Since there is nobody else to question him, it became so.
Feeling pleased with himself, Starswirl picked up the cup with his calloused hands and twirled it in his grip, looking at it at different angles. Then he decided to lift it towards the sun, see if it could shine through the glass, and Starswirl was surprised to see that it did. However, something peculiar happened; the longer he held the cup up, the more it filled up.
It truly was a marvel and he decided to see what would happen if it he kept it up till it filled up. As he watched, it seemed like the sun's rays were gathering inside the cup, pooling into a pure white mess. Starswirl tilted his head when suddenly, blotches of pink started to show up within the white.
A few more countings later, the whole glass cup was filled with the white and pink liquid. Starswirl kept it up higher, wondering if it would spill over, but no matter how long he held it up, no such thing happened. Intrigued, Starswirl placed the cup back down and looked at the concoction closer. Before his very eyes, the whole thing started glowing, and a picture, he couldn't describe it any better, started to appear. Starswirl hastened backwards, frightened of what might happen.
Starswirl lost all sense of time, and before long, the picture was fully formed and he crept on all fours, to see it at a closer angle. However, he was peering over his stone table and poised to jump away, just in case something would happen. The picture depicted on the glowing glass was a stylized sun.
Then the whole cup started to shake, scaring Starswirl so bad that he fell on his rump, letting out an interesting noise. On normal circumstances, he would stop and would try to make that noise again, but these aren't normal circumstances. He quickly got up and didn't bother with the dirt specks on his skin and scrambled away. Then, the shaking stopped, followed by a bright white flash. Starswirl waited for a couple of countings, then cautiously peered over the corner of his hut.
There, atop his stone table, stood a very confused...being. Upon closer inspection, Starswirl determined that the look in the new being's eyes held sentience. Overjoyed and terrified at the same time, Starswirl made his approach carefully. The being turned its head and saw him. Starswirl immediately stiffened at the sudden gaze that held intelligence. Then the being smiled.
"Hi! My name is Celestia! What's yours?"
***
Far away, over the water and through the trees, the shadows stir. Unbeknownst to all, a second being emerges into the world, eyes aglow.
Language. The ability to converse with another of the same species. Starswirl pondered on this notion. He has spoken before, way back when, but gradually stopped using it. There simply was no purpose to it. However when this new being, this...pony, appeared, speech now seemed important.
Over the next few days, he tried to come to terms with what had happened and then, somehow regain his ability to talk. For the time being, he would watch and care for Celestia. The...filly, yes that was the word, had a never ending amount of energy, exploring every nook and cranny of the house the moment Starswirl opened the door.
By the third day, Celestia had settled in quite nicely, which was beneficial to Starswirl, because he still had no idea how to speak with the filly. He just hoped he didn't seem too distant due to his avoidance of her. Every morning, he went down and made his morning meal and made some extra for his guest. Guest, an interesting word. And when Celestia would wake up, she would come down and gobble up the plants and smile.
This day was going to be different, Starswirl decided. Today, he was going to return to the wild, which he hasn't treaded since the surprise of Celestia. However, the difference was, that he was going to bring the filly. A peculiar notion arrived in his head that morning that a growing pony needs their exercise. So, he packed the gear that they potentially needed in his pack, and waved for the filly's attention.
Celestia was a biped, like himself, as well as a horn, although much smaller. Her whole form was smaller overall. Her hair was a nice shade of pink while her magenta eyes held mirth that youth can only have. This, Starswirl remembered vaguely from his first walk on this world.
"Where are we going?" Celestia asked after he gestured for her to follow. Still unable to answer, Starswirl couldn't do much more than shrug. That seemed enough for the hyper filly, so she slid off a cushioned log and hopped behind the homeowner. Together, they headed off.
For the path today, Starswirl chose one that was hidden by bushes. He chose this particular one because he wanted to show Celestia a location that was very dear to him. The duo hiked for a while and after the sun had moved a considerable length across the sky, Starswirl stopped to take a breath. The filly behind him whimpered slightly and collapsed on the grass, her chest heaving.
"Mister...are we...there...yet?" Celestia gasped with each breath. It was way past high sun, so Starswirl sat down beside the filly and took out two meals, one smaller than the other. He handed the smaller one to Celestia who took it gratefully. He munched on the other and stared off in the distance. "So, are you going to answer my question?"
Question, another peculiar word. "Almost there." What followed was stunned silence, by both Starswirl and Celestia. The former was frozen stiff by shock while the latter was leaping around in joy.
"You finally spoke!" Celestia leaned in with her big magenta eyes. "Does this mean you'll tell me your name?"
"I am Starswirl the Bearded." He spoke again, once again surprised. His voice, he had forgotten what it sounded like. "That is my name."
"I like it!" Celestia made a noise that caught Starswirl off guard. He had no words to describe it and contemplated on what it was as the duo finished up their midday meal.
"I apologize for not answering your questions previously. I was...incapable." Starswirl said, brushing off scraps that had fallen into his lap.
"Aw, that's alright! I forgive you!" Celestia perked up and bounced back to her feet. "So where are we going?"
"A special place." Starswirl got up, although a bit slower than the filly. "Let us go."
Celestia made that peculiar noise again and set off, bouncing around trees and boulders with a big smile. Starswirl felt his mouth twitch at the sight, then frowned wondering what that was. He shook his head, thinking it was nothing to worry about and followed the hyper filly.
They crested over a hill and Celestia gasped in awe. The duo stood upon a cliffside that overlooked the faraway lake and the trees of many colors. They arrived just at the perfect moment when the sun's rays glanced off of the water, creating a glorious spectrum. Perfect, glorious. Starswirl tilted his head, contemplating on those words, words he had never used before.
"Swirly! It looks so beautiful!" Celestia's big smile was interrupted by a huge yawn. "How are we gonna get back in the dark?"
"We are not." Starswirl looked through his pack, bringing out more food, Shimmer Redleaf Salad for the night meal. "We are staying here for the night. Gather fallen leaves, they will be our comfort."
Celestia nodded and hopped around through the forest, collecting the various leaves and held them using her arms. After they had gathered enough leaves to create two reasonably sized sleeping areas, Starswirl passed some of the salad to Celestia. It was quite filling and soon the duo were relaxing, looking up at the slowly darkening sky.
"What's that?" Starswirl looked to see what the filly was pointing at.
"That is the moon."
"What does it do?"
"I do not know, maybe I will find out one day. Until that day, it remains a mystery."
"Oh."
***
A rustling noise awoke Starswirl from his peaceful slumber. His eyes slowly opened, revealing that it was still night. Groaning, he slowly got up and looked around, wondering what the noise was. There, a figure atop a large boulder. As Starswirl looked closer, he saw a familiar glint, a glint he'd only seen once before. Glass.
He started walking towards the figure, his gait uneven as he battled himself. His fear and curiosity. However, from this distance, he was able to make out the glass glowing once again. Then the figure got off of the rock and came closer to Starswirl, still holding the glowing cup.
As the figure neared, he could make out Celestia coming out of the shadows, her face illuminated by the glow. Starswirl looked down at the cup and saw it was glowing a dark blue with a picture of a cut moon. Just as before, the glow started getting brighter and brighter, forcing Starswirl to look away.
As he looked away, he heard a whisper, "I just want a sister."
Starswirl the Bearded, the only intelligent lifeform on the planet Equus. Or he used to be.
"Luna! Please come down!" The filly smiled bashfully and slowly climbed down from the roof. Once she touched the floor, she streaked off, no doubt in search of her sister. Starswirl stared after her for a while then sat down on one of the padded rocks. This past week has been an adventure, filled with chaos and new words.
The night that Luna appeared was eventful to say the least. The filly, another biped, and had dark blue skin. Her hair, a lighter shade of blue and a horn, smaller than Celestia's, adorned her forehead. What surprised Starswirl the most was the innocence in her teal eyes. Despite Celestia having the same childish attitude, Luna had even less knowhow of the world.
The days after that, Starswirl was running around after the fillies trying to get the two to behave. Their constant emissions of loud noises made his ears hurt and sometimes made his head pound. There was even one night where Luna got lost and the Starswirl and Celestia spent many countings looking for the blue filly. The search nearly brought Celestia to eye-water and such a pitiful sound came forth, such a sound Starswirl had never heard. It compelled him to comfort the little pony until she fell asleep. He decided that it would be best to bring her back to the hut by keeping her on his back. On the way back, Starswirl found Luna atop the roof, sleeping soundly.
"I'm booooooored." Luna whined, breaking Starswirl out of his thoughts. New words, indeed.
"What would you like to do then?" He replied, his gaze trained on the filly's.
"Can we go outside again?" Celestia rumbled through the hut and sat down beside her sister. "It was so much fun last time!"
"That sounds fun!" Luna nodded, a smile forming. "Can we go do that?"
"Alright, just let me pack first." Starswirl heaved himself off his padded rock and grabbed his pack. This time, he packed for three. Some Shimmer Redleaves in case they stayed out late, Bittergreen Leaves for midday meals, and Snap Beans for snacks. Snacks, it used to be a lovely word, now after many pesterings from the fillies, it is anything but.
He picked out a stick that seemed right for today and headed out, the girls following. The noise they made harmonized and gave Starswirl a pained head, but he smiled. Together, the three of them headed off in a direction pointed by Luna. The two played as they walked, throwing rocks, spot the leaf, running ahead, play fighting, or hiding and seeking. The last two were particularly interesting to Starswirl because their names were peculiar as well as the actions. Fighting seemed very rough for the fillies but they didn't mind. And Hiding and then Seeking, another interesting action.
"Swirly? What's this called?" Starswirl looked to where Celestia was pointing to, and saw a round thing poking out of the grass.
"I call it Capplant, because of the cap it has."
"I don't like it. It sounds boring." Luna exclaimed, then fell to the floor to look at it closely. Starswirl watched from a distance as the blue filly touched it and sniffed it. "I got it! I will call it Woona!"
"Hey! You can't name it after yourself!" Celestia shoved Luna lightly causing her to slide away while letting out a noise. "She can't do that, right?"
"I think not." Starswirl mused, his hand slowly running through his lengthy beard. "It has to be something we all agree to. I agree with Celestia, little Luna. It does not seem fair to name it Woona."
"Aw." The filly's eyes fell to the floor, but then it rose up just as fast. "What about Mushwoon! It's mushy, I know because I touched it. Also woon because I found a name better then Capplant!"
"That is fair and the new name seems to fit." Starswirl had to give Luna credit, apparently all sentient life was good at naming things.
"Hmph." A huff drew Starswirls attention. "Fine, if she can name this one, I name the next one!"
"That is also fair. Let us continue our walk."
It didn't take long until Celestia spotted something to name hanging from some small trees. "What's that?"
"I call it Two Redberry, because it..."
"Nope! I'm going to call them Cellies!" Celestia beamed up at Starswirl. There was no other word he could use to describe it. He stared at her, then shrugged, thus sealing the deal. Luna didn't say anything and that made Celestia curious. "What'cha looking at?"
"These leaves, they look pretty." Luna pointed at the trees around them. "They aren't the colors like the trees closer to the hut. Why is that?"
Starswirl looked up at the leaves that surrounded them. Trees were interesting in his view. From his many wanderings, he has encountered trees of all shapes and sizes, some producing berries, nuts, or cones. Some not at all. The only constants the different trees have, are the leaves and their beautiful colors. Pink, purple, blue, green, red, yellow, orange, and even white. However, something seemed to be changing, the leaves were now a brownish color. It wasn't a bad brown, it was a melancholy kind of brown. Melancholy...interesting.
"I do not know. There are many wonders in this world that are still to be found." Starswirl finally replied. After another few more countings of staring at the new leaves, he snapped himself out and continued to walk. "Come on, we are almost there."
"Race you there!" Celestia called out before taking off, Luna chased after her. Starswirl watched the two girls with a contented smile on his lips. Then something falling caught his eye. The force from the fillies running was causing the newly browned leaves to fall.
Horror. That was the right word. Horror was what Starswirl was feeling when he saw the leaves fall from the trees. Something completely new and different, but he felt no sense of wonder. No, something...wrong was happening.
***
The shadows stirred once again, but not from wakefulness, but because of mirth. The glowing eyes sparkled with cruel laughter.
"These ponies have no idea what's in store! Muahahaha!" Laughter of such malice made every living thing within close proximity shivered with dread.
Two moons had past since The Fall. The world outside Starswirl's little hut was barren. The usually luscious trees were utterly naked. Their leaves lay scattered upon the ground, their vibrancy no longer visible instead, they all bore shades of brown. Careful observations of the sky proved fruitful as well, as it seemed the moon stayed in the sky longer than the sun. It was most peculiar.
To make matters even worse, the surrounding temperature was dropping significantly. Starswirl, together with the hyper Celestia and Luna, led an expedition to find more soft leaves and padding to comfort their home more. It was most curious, Starswirl thought on this particular journey, how words of previously unknown meaning, came so easily. And the fillies, their joyous attitudes give him such a different worldview. Starswirl was not above admitting that without them, his life would be very mundane indeed.
"Swirly?" A voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Yes, Celestia? What is it?" The stallion didn't bother stopping, he wanted to gather everything he could before something even more terrible happens. He had no idea why, but a certain feeling had been resonating in his bones for quite a while now. An...inevitability, if he thought more about it. He decided he would not fight it, but he would weather it, like the trees of old.
"What are we?" The white filly looked up with childish innocence.
"How do you mean?" Starswirl looked at a very big piece of padding clinging to a large tree trunk. He quickly squatted down and with careful hands, he peeled the green padding off and placed it in his pack.
"I mean you, Luna, me. There are birds, right? They have names, but that isn't them. They are birds! And we are...what are we?" Celestia's voice sounded very far away despite carrying a childish demeanor. Her gaze was trained on Luna as she danced amongst piles of fallen leaves.
"Ponies. We are ponies." Starswirl turned to face the other filly as well. A small smile played on his lips as he watched Luna slip and fall, sending a nearby leaf pile into the air. "We roam this earth, this Equus, tending to nature, helping it as it helps us." Starswirl cringed inwardly just as he said those words. Cringe, this word holds many curiosities. Anyway, the stallion felt guilty, he hasn't given back to Mother Equus in many many moons. Tomorrow, he decided, he would give back. "We are the guardians of knowledge, the protectors of those who can not, the upholders of harmony. We are ponies."
Celestia was no longer looking at Luna, neigh, her gaze was staring in awe at Starswirl. Even more neigh, this wasn't Starswirl, this was Starswirl the Bearded, the First. It took a while for the filly to break out of her trance, but when she did, she nodded aggressively. She would do her part to keep the harmony.
***
Starswirl lounged on a padded rock, the new padding proved worthwhile. The fillies, both worn out from playing and hiking, were sleeping in warmed cots. This was a time for peace and quiet for the stallion, something he didn't always have the pleasure of having nowadays. Today, it seemed, was a great time to think of the new things he had learned or encountered over the past few days.
As he began recalling these things, the glass cup beside him started glowing. Surprised, Starswirl started to slowly inch away. Despite it working twice already, he did not trust the object, especially when he didn't remember how the cup got there in the first place.
Behind the cup, Starswirl saw the sky turn into a glorious orange with hints of red and pink. The sun was slowly dipping below the horizon, the line that divides the world of the living and the one of the doomed. Then something peculiar happened, it was so fast that Starswirl started having second doubts on whether or not he saw it. A shimmer before the sun disappeared for the day.
The world was put into darkness for a second, but it quickly lit up, capturing Starswirls attention. The cup was quickly filling up with a strange deep crimson and then soon there was another stylized picture. This one a sun, similarly to Celestia. However, the closer Starswirl looked, the more he realized it was different. This one had more details as well as having two different colors.
Before anything decisive could be discerned, the world lit up again. Starswirl quickly averted his gaze just in time, so he wouldn't be blinded. After the flash was done, he let himself see what was the product. An orange unicorn filly, somehow even smaller then Luna, with a shocking yellow and red mane. Then the filly opened her eyes and Starswirl couldn't hold back a gasp. Vibrant teal eyes stared at him and somehow even deeper, right into his soul.
***
"SUNSET SHIMMER, PUT THAT DOWN!" Starswirl yelled with a frantic urgency. The reply came back in the form of an innocent giggle. The stallion chased the little chaotic filly around the hut, trying to grab her before she hurt herself on the pointy rock in her hand.
While the toddler caused mayhem in the little home space, the two sisters watched from outside, through a crack in the wall. Celestia was watching with a curious smile, her head cocked to one side. Luna, on the other hand, was scowling fiercely. It had barely been four hours since Sunset's appearance before all hell broke loose. These thoughts raged throughout Starswirl's head as he dove once again for the orange filly but came up short. Words and emotions, all of them new, were bursting at seams he never knew he had as he tried to keep Sunset calm.
After the seventh miss-lunge, the stallion collapsed to one side, his sides heaving. Celestia walked over and rubbed his back, speaking with soothing tones Starswirl never knew she possessed. Luna stood off to one side, a frown still visible on her face.
"Let me, Swirly." Celestia smiled, her magenta mane sparkled with something Starswirl never seen before. It seemed today was a first for many a thing. As he tried to catch his breath, he stared at the filly before him...wait, no. He cocked his head to the side. Celestia no longer seemed like a filly, but more of a...young mare. As he stared harder, he could've sworn he saw her pink hair flicker into a rainbow slightly, but before he could take a closer look, it was gone.
"Alright." Starswirl finally consented, his breath finally back. He carefully pulled himself up and dragged himself to a padded rock, easing himself downwards with a groan. "Oh, hang on. Could you, perhaps, take care of Sunset for longer? I want to go out for a while. Luna, you can come too."
"Really? Yay!" The dark filly's sour mood turned bright once again.
"I will try my best, Swirly." Celestia smiled again. Once again, Starswirl noticed something different in her behavior, but he couldn't place a finger on it.
"You have my gratitude." With another groan, the stallion heaved himself up and prepared his pack with several food items as well as a walking stick. "Come Luna, let us go somewhere."
Many countings had passed, the duo were far out in the barren forest, before Luna spoke. "Swirly? I have a question, it might be silly...but I need to ask you."
"Alright."
"Sunset feels wrong, right?" Luna sounded worried, her frown had returned. Starswirl blinked, he wasn't surprised by this question, in fact, he had been expecting it. Fact, what an interesting concept.
"Yes, Luna. Something feels wrong, but many things feels wrong these past moons. I worry of what might happen in the future." Starswirl stopped walking and crouched down to be on Luna's level, so he could look directly into her eyes. "There may be many wrong things in this world, but that does not mean we must stop being happy. We, the ponies, have the power to be happy. It is a waste to not be what we can be. Do you understand me?"
"...yes. I understand." Luna tried for a smile, but it came short. Starswirl smiled back, sympathetic. Another peculiar word. The two set off again, their feet brushing fallen leaves, making strangely relaxing crinkling noises. The tranquility lasted for many more countings before the filly asked another question.
"Where are we going?"
"Somewhere new, somewhere different." The stallion looked up to the sun, slowly rising up above them, he sighed wistfully. "Our duty of harmony, remember that? It has been a while since I have given back to Equus. That is what I intend to do today."
"That...makes sense, I guess." Guessing, an action that holds much power, much more than Starswirl first gave credit for.
***
Midday came and went, as well as their meal. The duo found themselves at the bottom of a beholden sight. Water, of massive quantities, was falling down a cliff, down into a pool of equally impressive size. It seemed appropriate to announce this peculiarity as a waterfall.
"It's...beautiful." Luna whispered in awe, her eyes wide as she stared at the crushing weight of water.
"And exactly what I needed." Taking his time, Starswirl made his way to the side of the waterfall, close enough to feel the spray, but not as close to getting drenched. It was times like these to let whatever possessed him, to finish the work it started. The moving of his body without his consent has happened several times over an exceptional time of moons, after the first few times, he has resigned to letting it do whatever it wills.
As he positioned himself carefully next to the rocky outcrop next to the waterfall, Starswirl heard an audible gasp, even over the roar of the water, from the filly still at the water's edge. Ignoring her, the stallion raised his walking stick and struck the rock.
To the outside viewer, nothing happened, at least, not in the next few countings. But inside the rock, it was changing, slowly. Starswirl smiled at the confused filly and made his way back to her. Luna tried to ask several questions, but he decided to answer none of them, instead to just continue walking back to the hut.
The sun had sunk considerably by the time the duo returned and what was waiting for them was quite a surprise. Celestia talking to a sitting still Sunset with a soft but powerful voice. The filly itself was listening with her mouth opened slightly. When the white unicorn heard their approach, she stopped talking and looked back with another one of those strange smiles.
"All is well?" Starswirl asked, his gaze trained on the now unarmed orange unicorn. The bundle of untamed energy was now...tamed. The stallion peered at the newly appointed young mare with fresh eyes. After several countings of inspecting, he gave up. Nothing seemed out of place, yet everything seemed different. Perhaps, a mystery for another day.
"Yes! Sunset is just adorable and she showed me the most wonderful thing, her ho...look! She's doing it again!" Celestia pointed excitedly at the giggling filly. Sunset's horn was encased with a shimmering teal hue. To make matters even more exciting, the padded rock the filly was sitting on was also encased with a similar hue. As Starswirl watched to his utter fascination, the rock began to tremble and then lift into the air, Sunset giggling all the while.
Moons passed, The Fall turned into The Cold. Another word to grow the already massive collection. It happened on a particularly exhausting day, Starswirl was returning from a collection hunt, bringing back multiple items, most of which were edible. Just moments away from stepping into the now completely barren world into the chaotic home filled with bored fillies, he saw it. Specks of white falling from the sky.
It was so foreign and unnatural that Starswirl had to stop and stare. The longer he stared the more white appeared. More and more and soon the sky was nearly impossible to see. It was cold to the touch and it seemed to be sticking to the ground. A large noise from the hut took the unicorn's attention. He shook his head and marched forwards before a gust blew his way, sending him into a fit of shivers. He gasped dramatically and sped up.
The moment he opened the door, he was greeted by three expectant faces. Starswirl smiled faintly before turning around and closing the door before any of the cold got in. He sighed heavily, wondering what would happen in the future moons. He soon got quickly lost in his thoughts.
"Swirly!" A chorus of voices brought him back. Starswirl, despite living with other ponies for several moons, had to keep on reminding himself that there were others, others that needed his help. He turned around, expecting the worst. Before him were three fillies, their ages quite varied, and their eyes were filled with shame.
"What happened?" He tried his best to make his voice sound condescending. A word and skill he learned recently, although the latter was still a work in process.
Sunset burst into tears, her fillyish sobs broke Starswirl's resolve. Celestia immediately went to the orange filly and tried to comfort her, while Luna just stared at the ground. The four of them stood like that for a few countings until Luna mumbled something.
"Can you say that again?" Starswirl leaned forward so he could hear her better. Somewhere in the back of his head thought perhaps something was happening to his hearing. It was quickly dismissed.
"The...glass cup thing...broke." Luna's voce trembled and she idly kicked the floor. The stallion could see tears forming in the dark filly's eyes. Before the dam could break however, Starswirl decided to embrace Luna. It was so unexpected, that everypony froze, including Starswirl, but he didn't break his hold.
"It is alright Luna. I forgive you." That word resonated deeply within the hut. It was a word that had never been uttered on Equus, but it seemed right. Before he found the cup, Starswirl would normally pore his thoughts on the word, but now, many moons later, he accepted it as normal. "Come here too."
He had gestured to Celestia and Sunset and it didn't take long for the young mare and filly to join the hug as well. Despite being very young and her brain not completely grown, Sunset knew that all was alright. They sat on the floor, embracing each other, dried tears on their cheeks, and warmth in their chests. As Starswirl reached with a finger to brush away a tear that had somehow formed, he noticed a light.
Softly breaking away from the group's embrace, he slowly made his way to the light, making sure to keep the fillies behind him. He ignored their questions and whimpers and got ever so closer. There on the floor was the cup, however it looked different.
The cup itself, ignoring what was happening, Starswirl could make out cracks on the glass. There was no better word to describe it. The cracks expanded on the front, creating two shapes on either side. Something about it looked familiar but the unicorn couldn't place a finger on it. Then he focused on the light.
Despite the cup being broken, it still worked. As Starswirl watched as the cup filled up with a deep, bright pink. He couldn't describe it any better, there seemed a heftiness to the color. He could feel the fillies slide in next to him and together, and with bated breath, the four of them watched the process. This one seemed to fill up slower then the other ones Starswirl had watched, but they waited patiently. Soon enough, a picture was emblazoned. A blue crystalline heart with golden trims on either side.
With a bright flash, causing a temporary blindness, a new pony appeared. Starswirl opened his eyes, curious to see what the new pony looked like, then gasped. The pony had wings!
***
"Mi Amore, can you help me with the padding? I can not seem to work this...magic." Ever since Sunset figured out how to work a horn, the other three unicorns have been trying to work their own magic. However, the only pegasus on Equus, who seemed only slightly younger than Luna, leaving Sunset still as the youngest, seemed the most competent with her body. Using her wings to maximum efficiency. It awed the stallion to no end whenever she used the feathery appendages.
"Swirlyyyy! You know I hate that name!" Mi Amore whined but trudged over to where Starswirl was gathering moss. He decided, because of The Cold, to pad up his hut, making it more suitable for himself and his residents.
"But you were the one who said that was your name." The stallion said plainly. It was true, after the initial shock, the new pony announced herself as Mi Amore Cadenza and that she was a pegasus. She then got quickly overwhelmed by the four eager faces.
"Because that is my name!" Mi Amore grumbled while piling some of the scraped moss, using her hands and wings to lessen the workload. "I just don't like it."
"Then change it." Starswirl shrugged, not caring either way. After he said that, he reflected on how much he had changed over the past few moons.
"You can do that!?" The mare beside him was in so much shock, the moss she was carrying fluttered to the ground. Starswirl made a disapproving sound and cleaned the moss of any dirt that had gotten on it.
"Why not. My name is Starswirl the Bearded, yet everypony calls me Swirly. Celestia started it and now it seems to have stuck." The stallion shrugged again. He had gotten used to the name.
The duo fell into silence, the pegasus no doubt contemplating on what he had said. It was after gathering as much moss they could carry and during their walk back, that Mi Amore gasped loudly, nearly startling Starswirl into dropping his bundle of moss. He made that disapproving sound again. She smiled sheepishly before saying.
"Cadance! That will be my name now!" Mi Am...no, Cadance looked extremely proud and in the remaining countings in the walk back, she looked happier. Starswirl smiled as well, he liked it when his fillies were happy. Wait. He blinked. His fillies. Where did that come from?
***
More moons had passed, the five of us huddled in that hut, that small hut. It was crowded and the hut was made for one. Outside was a nightmare, that word surfaced in a conversation one time, with heavy White Cold everywhere. The temperature was freezing, another new word that perfectly describes everything, and that padding they got earlier was slowly degrading.
Starswirl was at his wit's end. He and Celestia, thank Equus for the young mare, were able to handle the three younger ones. Sunset with her sporadic magic bursts and chaotic fillyish innocence. Luna with her quiet brooding. And Cadance with her sassy attitude.
Then, salvation came unexpectedly.
"Swirly? S...Something is happening!" Cadance's panicked voice rang out. The stallion in question got up from playing with Sunset and looked for the pegasus. He found her hugging the doorframe at a really odd angle. "My wings are acting crazy!"
"What do you mean?" Starswirl picked his way through the scattered items and made it to Cadance's side. Celestia came soon after.
"I mean it's trying to drag me away!" Cadance looked around frantically, her eyes speaking volumes. Starswirl didn't need any other incentive and quickly grabbed an arm while Celestia grabbed the other. "P...Please don't let me go!"
The three of them stayed like that for several countings, while Luna held back Sunset. Starswirl and Celestia were breathing heavily, their arms hurting from the exertion of holding the pegasus in place. Then within a split second, Cadance wrenched herself free and the door flung open, sending the pegasus out into the blistering cold.
"Cadance!" Starswirl forgone any caution or fear and immediately chased after her. He still had a piece of mind to yell back to Celestia. "Stay there! Keep Luna and Sunset safe!"
It went on like this for quite a while. Cadance's shrieks and sobs were heard over the roaring wind and every so often, Starswirl would see a flash of pink or purple in the everwhite. Meanwhile, he chased her over fallen logs and past bushes and trees. He could feel the fatigue slowly setting in, but he wouldn't give in. He couldn't. His filly was in danger and nothing would stop him from seeing her safe.
Starswirl lost sense of time before he finally caught up to Cadance. His feet, hands, and face were not feeling and he doubled down, trying to regain the breath he had lost. While he was recovering, he felt arms wrap around his midsection and heard sobs as Cadance buried her face into his chest. He attempted to wrap an arm around her while simultaneously trying not to collapse of exhaustion.
Once he felt well enough to actually return the embrace, he looked up to see where they were. After blinking through tears and White Cold, he made out a pointy shape. Starswirl wrapped his arms around the pegasus and slowly moved closer to the shape. Soon he made his way to a cliff edge and the sight he saw took away his breath.
A six pointed shape engraved into the ground while in the middle, a massive crystalline pillar stood. As Starswirl looked at the magnificent view, he couldn't shake the feeling of something terrible was going to happen. He subconsciously held Cadance closer, as if to reassure her.
***
The shadows chuckled, its eyes aglow in red malice. It gazed upon the ponies that dared intrude on his territory. It supposed it'd have to enact the proper punishment. The mere thought made the shadow's grin grow wider.
Starswirl the Bearded and Cadance stood side by side, huddled, trying to keep each other warm. Before them lay the massive spire atop a six pointed star. Normally, Starswirl would be intrigued of this structure. He would spend days here. But this wasn't normal. The weather wasn't normal. This horrible feeling of dread wasn't normal.
"Ca-Cadance. Let us le-leave." The gray unicorn gently tugged the pink pegasus in hope of getting her to turn back. To return to the ponies they left behind. Starswirl had just found them, their...love, yes that was the word, and he wasn't about to leave it. "It is c-cold, we m-might g-get sick." Sickness and health. What a strange concept, but one that held many dangers, of that Starswirl was sure.
"I can't, Swirly. It's calling me. The heart." Cadance suddenly lurched forwards, her wings buzzed angrily and she got swept away in the blistering wind, straight to the crystal tower. Starswirl yelled in shock, but that quickly didn't last. Cadance needed him and he wasn't about to abandon her!
Throwing himself off the cliff, he landed in a snowy bush, causing relatively minor injuries, but with the freezing cold and adrenaline, he didn't notice. Nor did he notice the new sensations or the new words. There are more important things. Roaring a challenge, a challenge to the unnaturalness of this storm, did the stallion charge.
Mere countings, that's how long it lasted for Starswirl to end up beneath the crystalline tower. There was a ramp that he quickly found and then scaled. He did not notice the fact that it led inside the tower, nor the beautiful fractions of the light on the crystals, or even his senses telling him that it was warmer inside. No, he ignored all that and he called with all his might. "CADANCE!"
He listened as his cry echoed through the halls of perfectly shaped walls. He stood there, listening and hearing, waiting for that reply. Nothing. Starswirl opened his muzzle to cry out again, but then he heard it. A soft whimper. It was quiet, but it was there. Not wasting a single counting, the stallion ran off, heading towards the sound.
He didn't notice the shadows seeping in areas with light. He didn't notice the soft cruel laugh. All that Starswirl cared about was saving Cadance. She appeared because of his love for Celestia, Luna, and Sunset, he was sure of it. If he didn't love love's incarnate, then what was he? He could not allow this. Pure determination filled him up and he increased his speed and frantic looks.
An archway bore down on him and he quickly passed underneath and rushed in. It was a circular room with a chair in the middle. It would have made him curious, but instead his eyes were focused on the prone pink form to the side. He made a step towards Cadance, but before he could get any closer, a loud whoosh forced him back.
He watched in mild horror and fascination as the shadows pooled together. Despite being on the other side of the room, Starswirl could feel the malice oozing from the shadowy mass. A few more countings later, and eyes appeared. It stared at Starswirl and the stallion in turn couldn't do much but stare back. They were red and glowed green. The corners sprayed out a purple mist. The sight terrified Starswirl.
He watched as the form solidified more and more until before him was a pony. A unicorn like himself, a dark gray coat, a mane of shadows, and a curved horn tipped with red. "Starswirl the Bearded." The figure threw it's head back and laughed violently before abruptly stopping, fangs glinting in the light. "Here we meet. Oh, my apologies, you may call me...King Sombra of the Crystal Empire."
Rage. That was all that filled Starswirl at that moment. It was unlike any other emotion he had felt before, and he needed it fed. It broke him out of his terrified stupor and he charged, his body moving of its own accord. He quickly made it to Sombra's side and he took a swing with a balled fist. His Majesty dodged it with ease and retaliated by pushing the stallion away.
"My my, my bearded friend. Still don't know how to use magic yet? How disapointing." Sombra threw his head back and laughed. "Perhaps I need to give you an incentive!" Starswirl watched as His Majesty threw his right arm out and the tip of his horn glowed with malevolent power. It grew brighter and brighter until in the outstretched hand, appeared a staff topped off with a large crystalline piece. Wasting not a single counting, Sombra thrust the staff forwards and a bolt shot forwards, striking Starswirl in the chest. The stallion flew backwards and slid across the floor, his chest burning like it got scorched under the sun.
"H-How do you have so m-much power..." Starswirl the Bearded rose up unsteadily, an arm clutching over the magic bolt wound. All these new words just flow into his head without any thought and he decided to trust it, it hasn't led him wrong yet. "Th-that violates ha-harmony."
"This is harmony, you old peasant! Harmony gave you the creation of life, the gift of magic, the meaning of love. What is harmony to do but exact a counter balance?" Sombra was walking up and down, but after the last word, he turned and faced directly to Starswirl. "I am that balance! I am that evil, the destroyer of lives, the corruption of magic, the teacher of hate. I am Sombra, King of the Crystal Empire, and I shall reign forever!"
Something made him mad. Starswirl wasn't sure what or who, but he was mad. He charged forwards again but this time instinctively reaching outwards with a hand, and soon enough, a staff appeared. Giving no time for Sombra, Starswirl braced himself a fired a crackling energy through him, to the staff, and out the other end, hitting Sombra directly.
In that moment, Starswirl decided to take a look at the staff he made. It was of normal make, wood old but sturdy, a golden inlay already crumbling, the grip rough and untreated, but most importantly, it shone. Determined rage was what drove him. Shot after shot did Starswirl fire magic bolts to the one who hurt him the most, King Sombra. It was at that moment did the stallion decided that His Majesty was no longer worthy of the crown.
The crackling energy sparked and fizzled out on the columns and walls. The magical endurance of Starswirl was incredible, and so was his spell casting ability. With a growl, the stallion whipped his staff in a circle around his head, summoning a whirlwind with such intensity, King Sombra had a hard time staying on his hooves. But the he had enough focus to throw a bolt at Starswirl forcing him to roll to the side to dodge, abandoning what he was doing previously. While he was rolling, he heard a crack and he knew that the dark unicorn was still throwing bolts after him, so he kept on rolling.
In the corner of his eye, Starswirl noticed the wall getting ever so closer and he needed to do something otherwise he'd be burnt badly. After half a counting, Starswirl hurled himself to the left, effectively dodging yet another magic bolt in addition to no longer in any danger of banging against the wall. He never stopped rolling. He waited until he heard another bolt miss and he quickly shifted to the side he was allowed full range of his arm and swung his staff and created a bolt of his own. Instead of the dark bubbly substance with a putrid green hue of Sombra, Starswirl had a pure white glow to his magic.
His aim was true and it hit His Majesty on the side, not enough to damage him, but enough for him to flinch away. Starswirl took his chance and leapt to his feet and once again charged the King. Before Sombra could do anything, the charging unicorn swept his wooden staff upwards and the dark stallion flew upwards. Starswirl wasn't sure how tall the structure was but he couldn't see Sombra anymore and could only hear his roars of outrage.
He could worry about him later, right now, Cadance. Starswirl ran to the prone pegasus and shook her. "Come on Cadance, wake up!" Starswirl checked her eyes and underneath the eyelids, they were glowing unnaturally, but she was still breathing. Before he could do anything else however, a loud whoosh entered the room, sending Starswirl sprawling. Determined not to be on the floor again, he quickly got up and faced the dark King once again.
"Starswirl." Sombra smiled with a calm demeanor. "You surprise me."
"Must we fight?" Starswirl tried for peace once more. His arms trembling and his chest aching.
"Of course not, you could surrender." The dark unicorn tilted his head and grinned. "But of course, if you did that, I would just kill you and that pegasus over there. You don't want that, so we have to fight. It's what Harmony wants."
Without warning, King Sombra whipped his staff forwards, a beam of icky darkness shot forwards. Starswirl instinctively thrust his staff forwards too, a pure white streak that clashed with Sombra's. A loud crackle and sparks filled the room. The brightness was to intense for Starswirl to look directly at it, but he dared not to take his eyes off his opponent. During this statement, he chose to lament over the tragedy of the situation and the new words that have entered his head.
The two beings of tremendous magical power stood there, their awesome powers colliding and not budging, neither giving ground. Then the strained semi-silence was broken by a loud guffaw from King Sombra. The dark lord doubled over, but his staff and magic never wavered.
"Oh Starswirl, this has been the most fun I've had in eons. We really could have been the best of friends, but unfortunately, I have to end this." Sombra grinned wildly, his fangs shining in the refracted light. He took a step forwards and thrust his staff forwards and then he stepped again. Slowly, Starswirl felt the pressure increase more and more, the dark beam inching ever so close. The intensity of the magic was too much for Starswirl and he couldn't break away, the only thing he could do was howl, howl for the pain and the aches.
Just before Sombra could claim his prize another flash entered both of their visions. This one pink and warm. His Majesty started shrieking, an ugly sound, and stumbled away, hands covering his ears. Starswirl collapsed to the ground, too exhausted to continue. Through his half lidded gaze, he saw Cadance step in front of him. Something was different about her, but before he could decide what it was, he blacked out.
Starswirl the Bearded, the de facto leader of this merry band of ponies, was looking over the world. It had been a few nights since the battle with Sombra and the stallion was still aching. Apparently Cadance saved him by 'a love blast' and then dragged his unconscious body out of there. Starswirl crouched down painfully, his joints starting to hurt a bit more with every moon that passed. He decided to abandon his hut and find a warmer climate down south. The stallion, with a heavy heart, packed as much as he could, bundled enough warmth for his...family, and set out.
Together they braved the cold, seeking shelter among the trees and overpasses when night fell, sparing them of the frigid cold. Sunset Shimmer, the foal, somehow knew of their predicament and summoned fire through her horn. It was quite the blessing and Starswirl was so very thankful, but he still had a heavy heart. He knew, deep down, that Sombra was still alive. Still awake and planning. That, pairing with the unrelenting cold, he knew that they couldn't stay there anymore.
He gazed once again, over the frosted winterland and planned the journey for tomorrow. His focus was so intense, so determined to get somewhere safe and warm, that he completely ignored the scholarly part of him. He had ignored all the new words, new feelings, and more importantly the new magic. He had to, there simply wasn't enough time for these sort of things. He frowned and looked back at the fillies behind him.
Celestia was comforting a shivering Sunset, her nose worryingly blue. Luna had a scowl on her muzzle and anger was quite visible in her gaze. Cadance...Cadance. Starswirl sighed and inspected the pink pegasus...no, pegacorn...unisus? The filly had grown taller and slimmer, a horn had sprouted on her forehead, and the most intriguing was the picture on her flank. A blue crystalline heart adorned with golden filigrees. She said that this...transformation happened when she blew up Sombra with that weird blast. It only made Starswirl more curious and it angered him. He hated not knowing. He hated traveling like this. He hated this whole circumstance! He growled at the unfair world.
"Hey Swirly?" A pink hand rested on Starswirl's shoulder. The stallion jerked to the side, forcing the hand off of him. He then turned and looked at the offender with a raised eyebrow. "Are you alright?"
"I am not alright. I am doing terrible." Starswirl snorted, a plume of cloud rose up.
"Is there anything I can help?" The sweet filly raised her hands and her wings in an attempt to hug the clearly troubled stallion. Starswirl shook his head and pushed her away.
"We do not have the time. We need to move." The gray unicorn stood up and shook off some snow that fell on him. "Come on, we need to make it to those caves before night falls." Luna started to grumble something but Starswirl shot a look that made everypony silent, even little Sunset.
So, together, they walked. For a moon they walked and the traveling companions were getting worse and worse. Sunset was getting more needy and hungry. Luna was completely rebellious and wouldn't do anything but walk and sleep. Celestia was tired all the time and couldn't handle her sister and Sunset. Cadance was still trying to be an optimist, but Starswirl could see the bags under her eyes. As for Starswirl himself, he was getting more irritable and more gruff. The others started to avoid talking to him in case he snaps.
Their suffering and hunger ended one sunrise when Starswirl saw green. When he relayed the news, everypony was ecstatic, even Sunset, who babbled her excitement. They set off that day with their hearts lifted with hope. It took several nights but the traveling group made it and the relief was enormous.
"Swirly! The grass is so soft!" Cadance giggled and rolled around on the floor, her wings spread out wide. Starswirl saw and chuckled tiredly, the first positive noise that had come out of him in moons.
Luna slowly took off her protective coverings and basked in the heat of the sun that bore down on them. The clouds of the north, no longer covering the celestial bodies above. "What more is out there?"
"Sunset Shimmer, get back here!" Celestia, too preoccupied with a giggling toddler, ran around, dodging blooming trees and flowering bushes.
As for Starswirl, he stroked his beard and watched the ponies he had come to know as his family. He looked ahead to the blooming trees ahead, greens of all kinds, not like the multicolored leaves of the north, but beautiful nonetheless. A sparkling river could be seen as well as a mountain that towered over everything. The stallion smiled. "I think this place will do nicely."
***
"Swirly! Come quick!" Celestia's panicked voice roused Starswirl from his nap. He quickly got off the nice sun-stoked boulder and rushed over. It has been several moons since they arrived and everypony was settling in nicely. They walked for a couple more nights before they found a nice valley to take residence in. No infrastructure was built up yet but Starswirl was sure he would come to it later. "It's the cup!"
The gray stallion ran over, deep gasps racked his body, but he peered at the cracked glass cup that started everything. The color was green, a maternal kind of green, bright and warm, stern and wise. The two watched for a bit before Starswirl asked the question.
"How did this happen?"
"Oh, Sunset somehow found your cup and started waving things around it like she knew how it worked. I admit, I wasn't really paying attention, I shouldn't be allowed to take care of her." Celestia hung her head sadly, her pink mane drooping over her features.
"You are fine Celestia!" The stallion tried his best for a smile. "Sunset just adores you, nopony else could take care of her like you. Now back to how this happened?"
"Uh, right. So, somehow, Sunset got her hands on this green looking...fruit? It had some faint white spots on it too. She then waved it over the cup and then it started glowing. I ran to get you and when I came back, Sunset was already gone. I don't know where she is!" Celestia started panicking, her breaths coming up shallow and quick. Her eyes were frantic and her fur was matted with sweat.
"Hey, hey. Calm down, we will find her. Let us just wait for the new pony to come." So the two waited and it lasted many countings, much more then anypony else. The only thing that changed was a picture formed, it looked like a brown dome with a silver bottom. It was so long that Starswirl even began to doubt a pony was coming, but the moment he began to open his mouth to say something, a bright flash blinded them.
"Well, ah'll be. Ain't this a fine lookin' strip of land. Great fer farmin' too!" A raspy voice spoke out. "Mah word, what're y'all doin' on the floor. Oh, pardon me, it seems ah have forgottin' mah manners. Ah'm Granny Smith!"
***
Life after the appearance of Granny Smith was sure unexpectedly fruitful. The mare, most definitely a mare, was eager and strong just like how Starswirl was in his prime. It made him feel nostalgic and when he gazed at his family at work, work that Granny Smith put them up to, he smiled a sad smile.
Soon after her arrival, Starswirl barely had anytime to contemplate or speculate on why the green mare came out without a horn or wings or any defining features, before he was put on building duty with Luna. Any chance to ask her what they were doing was dashed when the green mare shoved large logs underneath his nose and pointed to the ground. He opened his mouth but then wilted under the intense glare, so he got to work with Luna by his side.
"Swirly?"
"Yeah?" The two of them heaved a log up and nestled it between two other logs, effectively making a barrier frame.
"About Sombra, what are we going to do?" Luna asked, concern quite evident on her face. She was so focused, se didn't even blink when a twig flew past her head and landed in the bushes far away.
"I do not know Luna, I do not know." He sighed and heaved another log onto his shoulders. "What I do know is that he is up there, in the cold, while we have our warmth down here. It's much better here."
"Right. Better." The dark blue unicorn kicked the ground lightly. There was a troubled look in her eyes and it was clear she wanted to ask Starswirl something.
"What is it Luna? You can tell me." The gray unicorn heaved a log upwards before slamming it deep into the ground, creating a post.
"It's just, I miss our home. I miss the hut and how cozy it was. I miss the cold and how it felt on my skin as I relaxed and looked at the stars. I miss the moon, Swirly." Luna sighed, half heartedly dragging another log over. "I know we can see the moon here too, but it's less...visible? Less real. I'm sorry, this must sound dumb. Just forget what I just said, let's just get back to work."
"Luna..." Starswirl packed another log into the ground. His back hurting considerably, but he didn't notice or care. "That does not sound dumb. I miss the hut too. I miss the colorful trees and the wildlife. It was home. But home is not a place, it is a people." The stallion smiled softly and lowered himself so he could be eye level with the filly. "Home is where family is. Now, about the moon and stars, we will go on a trip. You and me, after all this is built. We will find a place to see the night sky in peace. How does that sound?"
"That sounds..." Luna blinked rapidly, a bright smile adorning her face. Starswirl smiled, knowing already what her answer would be. Instead of waiting for the filly, he reached out and grabbed the filly and gave her a big warm hug. "Thank you Swirly."
A few moons have passed and the trees are bursting with new life. It warmed Starwirl's heart. As the sunrises passed, more and more critters of all shapes and sizes emerged from wherever, filling this bountiful valley with even more life and happiness. More then once, they had seen them frolicking about, giving smiles to anypony who was watching.
During this time, Granny Smith had them building their new home and with all the breaks they were taking, it was taking quite a while. Starswirl was currently on one such break, sharing a meal with Granny. The two were watching Celestia and Cadance as they tried their hand at educating Sunset Shimmer, much to the displeasure of the green mare.
"Those yung'uns will be the death of me." Granny grumbled and took a massive bite out of her salad of various leaves and flowers.
"Give them a break, they are learning." The gray unicorn stretched back on his padded rock, allowing for some satisfying cracks.
"Bah, why can't they learn somewhere else!" The earth pony harrumphed, finished her meal, got up and then went back to building. Starswirl smiled, remembering how Sunset misfired a spell once and made a huge hole in the previously finished wall. Everypony cowered from her for many sunrises before she visibly calmed down. Not many breaks were taken during that time. But Starswirl knew she had a kind heart, he once saw Granny comforting Sunset after the filly took a bad tumble and went out for many countings to find some healing herbs.
The gray unicorn sighed contentedly then frowned as his eyes landed on a certain unicorn. Luna, the solemnest of them all, was behind a tree far away from everypony else. Starswirl sighed again, but this time with a heavy heart. He'll go talk to Granny, see if he can find him and Luna some time off to finally fulfill his promise. He nodded, this was becoming more of a fine idea the more he thought about it.
But first, the unicorn got up with a groan, his body aching from all the labor this past moon. He then made his way to where the three fillies were playing.
"Hey Swirly!" Celestia beamed once she saw him coming over. "Look at what Sunset can do!"
"Yesh! Lookie lookie!" Sunset giggled before her horn erupted in teal light, making everypony watching blind for a few countings. When Starswirl was able to get rid of the spots, he gasped loudly. The orange unicorn was bathed in a fiery light, no, actual fire. Starswirl stumbled back, as did Celestia and Cadance who were both gaping at the sight.
As they watched, the fire twirled around Sunset for a few countings before started forming into a shape. It didn't take long and what beheld left Starswirl speechless. Sunset's hair was wreathed in flames as well as her tail, but what shocked the unicorn even more was the wings attached to her back. It took several countings for him to snap out of it and once he did he realized that no heat was radiating off of the fire which intrigued him even more.
Before he could investigate even further, Sunset's horn shut off and she collapsed. Starswirl swept in and grasped her before she could hit the ground and comforted her now unconscious self. He heard worried mutterings from Celestia and Cadance behind him. Starswirl checked her breathing and confirmed that she was still alive, just sleeping, but then something caught his eye. He gasped once he saw a picture adorning Sunset's flanks, just like Cadance. But unlike Cadance, the orange unicorn had a sun made out of yellows and oranges. Contemplation could be done later, but first, make sure she's actually was okay.
They quickly got Granny Smith to come over and did several check ups before she confirmed that Sunset was perfectly fine, if not exhausted. Starswirl breathed a sigh of relief and allowed him to sag against a padded rock. His family was safe.
***
Starswirl and Luna were hiking up a hill, carrying a pack filled with padding. It had been several sunrises since Sunset's...accident? and she still hasn't woken up from her slumber. Starswirl was of course worried, but Granny Smith insisted that nothing was wrong, she just needed to sleep and recover.
He then had a talk with Granny, asking if they could all take a break from building. Relax, explore the valley they were in, perhaps find some new things. It took a few well placed arguments before the green mare finally agreed. She then left with a pack muttering something about seeds, fruits, and vegetables. Celestia and Cadance elected to stay behind and effectively shooed Starswirl and Luna away.
The duo had started late, hoping that when they found the perfect place, it would be already nightfall and they would have plenty of time to gaze at the stars. Starswirl noticed, as the hike continued, that Luna looked more and more happier, her smile and general warmth increased the more steps they took. The gray unicorn smiled at this and promised himself to take her out more often.
"Hey Luna?" Starswirl asked, something in mind.
"Yes?" Her reply was hesitant. He couldn't blame her.
"Have you done any magic recently?" The gray unicorn hopped over a large rock. "Or have some urges that you felt deep in your soul?"
"...no?" Luna's face twisted in annoyance and confusion. Starswirl sighed before smiling.
"That is okay, I was just wondering."
"Is this because of Sunset?" The dark blue unicorn sounded angry. Starswirl looked over and was taken aback by how conflicted she looked. "Her sudden surge of magic!? Her sudden adoration from you and the others!? The picture on her flank, just like Cadance!? Their destinies realized!? What about me!I HAVE FEELINGS TOO!"
Starswirl stepped back with every step Luna took. When she was finally done with her rant, she plopped down on her haunches, her had hung and breathing heavily. A counting, a second, then Starswirl rushed forwards and gave Luna the biggest hug he could manage. He ignored the aches and pains all over his body because Luna needed him and he wasn't going to let go.
He had no idea how long they lay there together, but he didn't care. He let his shoulder get damp, he allowed the bone crushing strength of Luna's hug, and he permitted the sorrowful cries deafening his ears. His daughter needed him and he wasn't there, but he was here now.
Night had fallen when Luna finally finished. He watched with a small smile as she gathered herself, wiping away the tears that still remained.
"...thank you."
"Luna, I am always here. Find me if you fell like this again, okay?"
"...okay."
They got up together, both of them feeling lighter, and continued their hike up the tall hill. It didn't take long and soon the peaked the crest. They spread out their padding over the ground and laid down on them. It was soft and comfortable. The duo raised their eyes to the sky and to the lights that decorated the night. Starswirl sighed at the magnificence of it all.
"We really should do this more often." Starswirl muttered as he watched a particular star. It fascinated him because it looked like a different color.
"Why didn't we?" Luna replied. Starswirl frowned at her response and at her lack of emotion.
"I do not know. I suppose I was too overwhelmed with everything." The peculiar star moved slightly...wait. Starswirl bolted upright, startling Luna. She opened her mouth to ask a question but the stallion shushed her. He peered at that single star, wondering why it was moving and in the back of his mind, he felt a flicker of fear.
Luna finally asked what was happening and Starswirl pointed out the star and together they watched in strained silence. Many countings had passed before something finally happened. The star stopped moving and then the whole sky was alight. Through lidded eyes, Starswirl could make out a picture being drawn in the stars, a...beast of some sort. Then, just as it appeared, it disappeared.
The two were silent.
"What do you think it means?"
"I do not know." Starswirl, at that moment, hated the stars. It gave him another mystery and he loathed mysteries. "But I do know what that means."
Luna looked at what he was pointing at and whimpered. Starswirl quickly packed all the bedding back into the packs and grabbed Luna's small hand. He set a swift pace, back down the way they came from. More then halfway down the mountain, the storm clouds caught them and the tempest raged. Winds of terrifying speeds threatened to throw them down to the floor, rain of the coldest temperatures chilled them to the bone, and the thunder and lightning aggravated their senses.
By now, the two were running. A moon earlier, Granny and Starswirl had decided on a cave they had found while scavenging, that it was going to be their hiding place. The gray stallion was sure that the others were already there and he picked up the pace. Luna attempted to do so but tripped on a slippery rock and collapsed on the ground in a wet mess. Starswirl ignored his creaking joints and picked up the crying filly. He needed to get to safety and with a determination he never knew he had, Starswirl sprinted with all his might.
When he finally arrived at the cave, his and Luna's pelt were drenched and caked with mud. Their packs gone and forgotten, but they made it. Luna had passed out in Starswirl's arms, and when they made their way inside, Granny took her off his hands and placed her down on some padding. Celestia and Cadance were huddled together with frightened looks and Sunset could be seen on some more padding. A fire had been set up in the middle, so everypony could be warmed.
"Starswirl, ya'lright?" Granny appeared behind him, putting some padding on his shoulders, giving him the much needed warmth.
"Yeah...yeah, I am alright. Thanks Granny." The gray unicorn sat down and laid back, a tired sigh escaped his lips. He turned to face the cave entrance, expecting to see a storm of immense power but instead saw a maroon unicorn filly staring at him with sorrowful jade eyes. He yelped and lurched backwards. Where did she come from?
"Yer glass cup did that. The moment the storm started, out popped this filly. She wouldn't tell none name though." Granny commented from the back.
"My name is Fizzlepop Berrytwist." Came the reply.
Starswirl the Bearded awoke from a dreaded feeling. Something in the air fouled his senses, something...unharmonious. He casted his gaze across the dark room, searching and sensing. After a few countings of nothing, the unicorn finally relaxed. Must have been a bad dream.
"Oh, a bad dream?" A voice echoed in Starswirl's head. He immediately froze. That voice. "Is that what ponies think I am now?"
"Who..." The gray stallion had to swallow. "Who are you?"
"Ah, who am I?" A whoosh of air went by Starswirl's ear, making him involuntarily flick it. He turned wearily wondering what he would see. Nothing. "I am Chaos. I am Discord. I am Eris and Strife. I am Disharmony. What are you, my little pony?"
"Sta...Starswirl the Bearded. I am the Guardian of Harmony, chosen from those above." Starswirl stuttered, but the more he spoke, the more confident he felt.
"Chosen? Mmm, yes, I suppose that is true." The mysterious voice was directly in his ear, startling the poor old stallion, sending him to the floor in fright. "Haha! I think I'll have fun with you, Guardian."
There was a snap and soon Starswirl found himself in a land not his own. There were trees and grass, flowers and animals, yet, none of this was real. It couldn't have been real. The clouds were pink and raining something brown, the dirt trails were replaced with something bubbling and wet, and the little critters were monstrous.
"Wha...what have you done!?" Starswirl gazed at this new world with horror-filled eyes. The more he looked, the more he felt disgusted and wrong. This was all wrong!
"I have merely changed the world in my image. Isn't it beautiful?" The gray unicorn turned to where the voice was coming from and was surprised to see two peculiar trees with large fern-like leaves sprouting from the top, hanging from the trees was a carpet of some sort, and the strangest creature Starswirl had ever seen sitting on said carpet.
The creature raised a clawed hand with a glass cup filled with a yellow liquid and a... blue stick sticking out of it. "Well?"
"No, it is not beautiful." Starswirl frowned, finally saying something after the strange sight. "It is wrong. This is now how the world is suppose to be."
"Tch, you're no fun." There was another snap and within a blink of an eye, the trees and the carpet was gone and the creature was right beside Starswirl. He pressed his face right next to the unicorn's and extended his golden paw outwards, gesturing to the chaotic world. "You don't see the world like I do. How sickeningly perfect it is. Dontchya see the beauty in how none of this makes sense? How laughable this whole situation is? It just wants to make you lose your mind at how impossible this is." He cackled like he made a joke then he disappeared with another snap.
"Stop playing around! Tell me who you are, what you want!" Starswirl growled and shouted at nothing and everything at the same time. The sense of wrongness was deep in his bones and he couldn't shake the feeling.
"What I want? Oh no, little Starswirl, this isn't what I want, it's what you want." A deep laugh echoed throughout the entire landscape, making the wind pick up, the clouds shoot off into the distance, and make the vegetation shiver. "So, little pony, what do you want?"
"What does this have to do with what I want! You are the one who is ruining this world, this pristine place Harmony created!" The stallion stomped his hoof in anger, but the moment his hoof touched the floor, the world broke apart like glass shattering.
Starswirl fell screaming and kicking. The shattered world above slowly disappearing, replacing the vibrancy with a black void, nothing in sight nor sound. Then he blinked and everything turned blindingly white. Once he recovered, he didn't have a chance to figure out what was happening before he noticed two chairs and a TV. He blinked, what were these words, this knowledge?
"Yes, Starswirl. What is this knowledge? It is what you want, isn't it?" One of the chairs was occupied by the creature, a draconequus he now knew, and he wore a black trenchcoat and black round sunglasses. "Welcome to the Construct, a loading program if you will."
"Wha...what is happening? Why do I know...?" Starswirl shakily made his way to the other chair.
"Like I said, this is all about what you want." The draconequus grinned. "And you want knowledge, I granted that wish. Unless you want a refund? Perhaps eternal protection for you many daughters, good for you by the way! Or perhaps something else? Anything you want, and I can give. Just ask."
"And what do you get in return?" Starswirl asked, suddenly suspicious. "I do not even know your name!"
"Call me...Discord, a good enough name. For what I get in return, why, that's for you to figure out! It would be way to easy for you if I told you outright. Let's go on a trip, shall we?"
The moment after he said those words, Starswirl felt himself get sucked into the TV. It was the most jarring experience he had ever felt, but in only lasted a few seconds and he popped out in a completely different scenery. The floor and walls were metal and glass, machines of all types were blinking red and green and outside was...nothing.
"No...please, stop." Starswirl placed a hand on his belly and leaned forward slightly. There was a snap and the feeling passed.
"But we cannot, Swirly! We've only just gotten started!" Discord laughed jovially before snapping his paw again, the outside was filled with a bright green laser, heading directly for a spherical object in the distance. Starswirl instinctively knew that something terrible was going to happen so he looked away before the laser could collide. He peeked at Discord and saw he was looking away so he took his chances and bolted. Galloping around machinery and corners, through hallways and passages.
"Oh Swiiiiirllyyyyyyyyy, you can't hide." The taunting voice of Discord made Starswirl shiver. He shook off the uncomfortable feeling and dove into a vent and stayed as quiet as possible. He took a chance and peeked through the grate and saw Discord's shadow slink away and when the last of the darkness receded, did he allow himself a breath. His calm and relief turned into a terrified shriek once he noticed that the draconequus was right next to him, in the vent, with a cocky little smile. "My little pony, you must understand that I am all powerful! You can't do anything to me with your pitiful magic." With a talon, he flicked Starswirls horn, making it go stark white.
Another snap, another world. Starswirl was getting sick of it. "STOP! Just...stop."
"What's the matter Guardian, can't handle a bit of exercise? Or perhaps you want some extra rice!" Discord snapped his fingers once again, which teleported the duo to a large flowery field and dumped a bowl of rice on top of Starswirl's head. The teeth grinding could've been heard for miles.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" A large buildup of sweat pooled on the unicorn's forehead and after a few awkward moments of silence, did Starswirl realize something wasn't happening. "What...did you do to my magic?"
"HA! He's only had it for a couple of months and he's already so reliant on it!" Discord did a pirouette atop of a trash can within a blink that Starswirl allowed. "Imagine that but much worse. Tiny devices that hold everything. That's what's in your future Starswirl, although, I suppose no, it wouldn't." A lopsided smile followed that confusing statement.
The gray stallion didn't let it get to him and with a guttural cry, he galloped and tackled Discord head on. There was an 'oomph' when the two connected and Starswirl couldn't help but cheer, which slowly died when he realized that Discord was watching with a disappointed frown.
"I had hoped for more, Starswirl the Bearded, but I guess all good things slowly wear down overtime. Bah, there are more important matters to attend to. Follow me!" Discord grabbed Starswirl's hand and twirled him on a dime, literally. Somehow, underneath them, there was a dime and soon the twirling became dancing. Discord hummed a jaunty tune and his grip was iron, forcing the unicorn to dance alongside him. It happened, but not soon enough, when the duo finally stopped.
A quick snap and a wardrobe appeared next to them. "Inside, I say!" Discord chuckled merrily before opening the wardrobe's doors and disappearing inside. The moment he went in, the beautiful sunny weather was replaced with the most terrible of storms, forcing Starswirl to follow the draconequus. Where they wound up was in the middle of a forest with a lamppost dug into the ground. Discord was swinging around the pole again and again, singing something that sounded like "Leeries! Trip the light and lead the way!"
With that last verse that Starswirl caught, the whole forest was filled with blue ghostly lights. "Discord! Please make this stop! All I want is to go home right now!"
"But my dear Starswirl, we haven't discussed what I wanted, and that's what you want, right?" Discord did a double backflip off the lamp and landed with a flourish and a goofy smile. He now had a top hat on his head and a cane in his hand. He struck a pose before dancing off into the distance, following a path that only he could see. Starswirl heaved a heavy sigh and followed, all of this walking and nonsense wasn't doing any wonders to his joints and back.
"Don't be such a sourpuss Swirly! Here! Have a spoonful of sugar, it makes the medicine go down I've heard!" Discord teleported behind him with a spoon filled with crystal white grains. Starswirl grumbled and knocked it away, not bothering to say anything. "My, that wasn't very kind. I wonder how a butter-yellow pegasus would feel...mhmm, what if we ask this tree?"
Before Starswirl could look up from his brooding, he got swept away in a windstorm, giving him the feeling of falling upwards. He was terrified and wasn't scared of admitting it. Then just as it started, it was over and the wind and the forest burred away into a lonely clearing with a single tree. It took a few moments but the gray unicorn spotted the draconequus sitting underneath the boughs of the willow tree.
"This tree, holds a special place in my heart, did you know that? I care too, Starswirl. I'm not heartless nor a monster. This, right here, is a tree that keeps on giving, no matter the cost." Discord turned and Starswirl was surprised to see his eyes had misted up. The stallion was beyond confused now and he wanted to go home even more now. But Discord seemed to have other plans.
The duo landed once again back where they started. Discord was back to his peppy self with a grin so massive, Starswirl felt like it could break walls.
"Enough with the mushy stuff! Let's get to tangoing! Hiya!" Discord started dancing, occasionally pointing in random directions. Objects of all sorts appeared where he pointed and soon the grassy hill was covered in items. Then with a flourish of his hands, Discord produced the cracked glass cup, the special one that makes ponies. Starswirl immediately opened his mouth to protest but then thought better of it. Best to get this over with.
He watched as Discord played with the toys and tidbits, humming to himself all the while. Then he finally held something up. It was two paper cards, one showed a picture of a Jack and the other showed a picture of a spade. "This one is particularly fun, I present to you, Blackjack!" He waved the cards in front of the glass and within seconds, a new pony appeared.
"Gah, dammit, not again." Blackjack, Starswirl guessed, rubbed a hoof on her head. She was a white unicorn with a black and red mane. She also had a heavy looking jacket with 'Security' emblazoned on it. The gray unicorn was speechless as he watched the mare look around for a bit, then she spotted Discord. "Oh [redacted] me, what are you doing here! How are you even [redacted] alive! Hey, why can't I [redacted] curse! [redacted] you Discord!"
The mare looked like she was going to shoot somebody and Starswirl involuntarily took a step backwards, but before anything could happen, Discord merely laughed. "Blackjack! How have you been?"
"[redacted] you. You better snap me some Wild Pegasus into existence or else I'm going to [redacted] in your [redacted[ until you can't [redacted] walk!" The face on the new unicorn absolutely terrified Starswirl and he took cover behind some scrap Discord summoned.
The draconequus laughed again and snapped, giving the shooty mare her prize. She cursed at Discord before trotting away. "Haha! I forgot how much of a riot she is, now where was I?" Starswirl shook his head, hoping that Discord would stop his antics, but it didn't look like he was anywhere near from stopping. He snapped some snow into existence, but summoned them too high up and then they dropped right in front of the cup. Then the cup glowed brightly.
A white and really light blue filly pegasus appeared. She shook her head from side to side with a bewildered look on her face. Starswirl gasped once he realized that she was blind. Before he could rush to her side, comfort her, the filly flew away. Discord giggled which made the gray unicorn glare at him.
"Would you stop? I have seen enough."
"But you haven't, oh no, you haven't at all!"
It went on like that for many hours. Discord laughing hysterically at every new creation the glass cup would make. One moment he would pull a cat made out of dust and the cup would produce a beige unicorn with a handlebar mustache, the next, he merely said nope and for some reason the cup spat out a white alicorn with a bored look.
After the fiftieth summon, which involved a cup that burned that Discord somehow also washed with and he shouted something like 'Washburn', Starswirl had enough. He stormed over, bucked Discord away and then stomped on the glass cup, shattering it.
"NO MORE!"
***
Starswirl woke up, sweat beading on his forehead. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He took a look around and saw his mismatched family scattered on the cave floor. He smiled at how peaceful they all looked, and with the newfound comfort, he leaned backwards and attempted to sleep once again.
But before he could, he heard a very distant laugh.
Starswirl the Bearded groaned. This was the fifth sunrise since the storm started, at least, he thought it was. They hadn't left the cave since and nopony dared to, if they took a peek out, all they would see was a downpour, rivers of mud streaming past the cave entrance, trees and rocks floating like they weighed nothing. It was getting harder and harder to entertain the fillies and the cranky Granny Smith didn't help either.
"Starswirl! Where ya at! One of yer daughters lookin' me funny!" As if on cue. Starswirl heaved himself upwards, trying, unsuccessfully, to ignore the cracks and aches in his back as he did so. Once he stretched everything out, he made his way to the green earth pony.
"Fizzlepop, do you need anything?" The newest pony looked up with wide eyes. Since she had shown up, she hadn't spoken a single word except that one time she uttered her name. It has been...an adjustment with her here because of how quiet she was, quieter than Luna even. The maroon filly shook her head, her crazy mane shaking along, in response to his question before scampering off.
"That filly, ah'm tellin' ya, she's gonna be trouble later. Ah can see it in her eyes." Granny nodded her head and spoke with such conviction, Starswirl couldn't help but agree. But not matter what he thought, he'll do his best to help her, like everypony else.
"Granny?"
"Whatsit?"
"Do you ever think of the future? What is out there, for us, as a species?" Starwirl mused out loud, his left hand stroking his beard as he lounged on a not particularly cozy rock.
"...did you miss mornin' chow? Yer spittin' nonsense, ain't nuthin' ah can do with nonsense. Come ask me again when yer done mumblin' yer heebie jeebies." The green mare made a waving motion with her hands as if blowing him away. Starswirl obliged.
Deciding he didn't want to talk to anypony, Starswirl chose to walk around the cave. It was mighty impressive how big it was, enough to house 20 ponies, maybe more. He stopped moving and looked around, estimated again at 40 ponies, then continued moving. He made his way to the back of the cave where the chatter of the fillies faded away and left him in peace. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew this wasn't how sound worked, but he ignored it. Right now, he didn't want to think.
***
An unknown amount of countings later, Starswirl came out of his nothing-induced trance. It was like waking up slowly but he never felt asleep. It was a strange feeling. He stretched for a bit, got his blood flowing. He felt like thinking now.
The first thought that popped into his head was 'words'. He nodded softly to himself, this was a valid thought. Over the past moons, oh so many moons, he has learned and created new words to help himself and those around him. Truly a fascinating phenomenon, the expansion of one's language. It was like tasting a new flavor or seeing a new sight, it was completely magical to Starswirl, even more than magic itself.
For him, magic was simple, something he understood. It has boundaries and power, limitations and creation. It was beautiful yet understandable. Words...wasn't any of that. The power of words, in his mind, was immense as the night sky. One could mean everything and another could mean nothing at all. There are no limitations in words. Nothing about it is understandable, yet you need to understand. For a being who has endured a millennia without the glory of words, it was breathtaking.
"Swirly!" Celestia's voice snapped Starswirl out of his thoughts. The panic in her voice brought him immediately to his hooves and he started running. Scenarios, thoughts, all sorts of things were running through his head before he stopped dead by what he saw.
There, in the middle of the cave, a not moving Sunset Shimmer was being cradled by Granny Smith.
"She ain't breathin'! Starswirl, ya need to do something!" The desperation in the mare's voice brought Starswirl to reality and he rushed forwards and made it to Sunset's side in record time.
"What happened!?" He demanded, his gaze moving from one filly to the next. Cadance and Celestia were crying. Luna was looking away and Fizzelpop was watching with wide eyes.
"I...I was trying to hic to...to teach her some muh...more magic, buh...but she started shaking uncontro...uncontrolla..." Cadance broke off her explanation with a wail before burying her muzzle into Starswirl's back and sobbed.
"She...she caught on fire." Luna said plainly, but Starswirl could tell this had shaken her too.
The gray stallion nodded before gently pushing Cadance away from him. Granny Smith immediately took the pegacorn...unisus and hugged her tight. Starswirl in turn took Sunset and started checking her over. Everypony, except Fizzlepop, watched with bated breath as they watched him.
"Okay, she is still alive, but you need to step back for the next part." Everypony complied. Starswirl shut his eyes and channeled some magic into his horn. He's never done this before, but it seemed fairly simple. The more and more energy he drew up, his inner pleading for this to work increased. Then before he overloaded, he released in the direction of the prone Sunset. There was a bright light, then silence. Starswirl cracked open his eyes and saw that the filly didn't move, he collapsed in himself, despair slowly filling him up. He had failed.
Noise and sight slowly started to fade away, leaving him in the black nothingness of despair. He could feel wetness in the corners of his eyes and a tightness in his chest. Before he could let out an anguished scream, a sudden gasp forced him to snap his eyes open. Sunset was alive!
"Oh, ya sweet magnificent child!" Granny Smith grinned happily as I tackled the poor orange unicorn with the biggest hug imaginable. Everypony around started cheering, Luna included and Fizzlepop excluded. It wasn't before long before it became a group hug and Starswirl started feeling crushed.
"Help! Granny!"
"Oh, alright ya ninny. Leave the poor fellow alone." Starswirl waited until everybody calmed down and pulled away before he looked down at the now confused Sunset.
"How are you, are you hurting anywhere?" A shake. "Good, good. I am sorry for not being there, I promise to help you with your magic if that is what you want." A nod. "Great! Now how about we go to sleep, it is getting late."
Starswirl smiled as he made his way to his makeshift sleeping area. He did good. That smile quickly turned into a frown. Sunset caught fire, how is she still here? Was it like the fire from when she got pictures on her flanks? From the horror on Celestia and Cadance's faces, Starswirl guessed it was much different. He groaned slightly, tomorrow he will deal with it.
***
"Alright Sunset, I want you to focus your energy into your horn. Not too much, but a slow trickle. Just let it build up." Everypony had gathered in the morning and were now sitting on the floor of the cave, watching Starswirl and Sunset do their magic. Even the cranky earth pony was here, watching with a mildly annoyed expression.
"Good." Starswirl said after noticing a sparkling hue surrounding the filly's horn. "When you start feeling pressure, you can go ahead and release it, but make sure you aim." She didn't aim. It took several countings of panic before they could put out the fire on Granny's mane. After the fire was put out, the mare grumbled something about kids and how they can't be controlled and then left the circle.
"Right, let us learn about aiming, shall we?" The gray stallion chuckled a bit before teaching the orange filly how to properly aim. By the moon rise, the two of them made great process and they only had to put out three fires. Sunset was beaming proudly at her accomplishments and went to sleep rather quickly, but had the biggest smile Starswirl had ever seen on her face. He also couldn't help but notice that the pictures were glowing slightly. He tilted his head at that. Maybe magic was less understandable than he thought.
***
"Swirly, Swirly! The rain is stopping!" Celestia started beating her hooves into the stallion, forcing him to roll over with a pained grunt. "Come on!"
Several more sunrises had passed and Starswirl had completely lost count, but the daily magic training sessions with Sunset did well to alleviate his boredom. After he finally rolled out of his sleeping area, did the words finally process. The rain was stopping!
He quickly got up much to Celestia's joy and together they took off to the entrance. Sure enough, sunlight was streaming through the previously heavy clouds. Rain was still dripping from the sky, but it was significantly less then the previous sunrise.
"Do ya think our hut made it?" Granny asked, her composure going down immediately as if she knew the answer. Which of course, she did.
"I do not think so."
"...consarnit it all." The green mare grumbled something before turning around and walked back into the cave.
"What is that?" The sudden soft voice caught Starswirl off guard. He looked around and then noticed that Fizzlepop was the one that had spoken. Before he could ask what she meant, a light lit up in his head. She's never seen the sun.
"That, my dear, is what we call, the sun."
"It's beautiful."
"Yes. Yes, it is." The two sat down beside each other and watched as the sun rose slowly, it's rays casting it's light through the rain and into the cave. Fizzlepop's mouth curved ever slightly upwards when some of it hit her face. It was quiet and peaceful, which was surprising considering how loud the other fillies are. Then he frowned, why were they quiet? He turned around and saw a familiar glow.
He got up quickly and hobbled to where everybody else was gathered. The glass cup was being filled up again, but this time without a picture. It confused Starswirl, but he didn't question it. He watched as the glass cup was filled with a fiery teal light, it got so intense that he, and the others, had to look away in the last few countings. Then it was over.
"And who might the leader of this merry band might be? In exchange I will give you my name." The decidedly NOT-pony lowered her massive bulk into a bow in which Starswirl could only stare in shock.
"Hold it right there, filly. This 'ere, is none other then Starswirl the Bearded, our 'leader' through better or worse. Ah'm bettin' worse." Granny Smith added the last part with a cackle. The strange creature ignored her but did turn her head to look directly into Starswirl's eyes.
"Greetings great Swirler of Star, you have quite the name. The power you wield must be immense and a destiny even greater! Unfortunately, I am graced with but a humble name, Shining of Rain. My future doesn't hold much for me, yet it is a vast one. With the proper introduction of leaders finished, it is the greatest of honors to be here. What are the rest of your names, oh great ones?"
There was a silence, no doubt induced by the shock of this...polite? creature. Then it was broken by loud cackling.
"Hooey Starswirl! Ya sure do have the best entertainment a mare could ask for!"
Several sunrises have passed since the new creature appeared. Starswirl the Bearded didn't know what to do with her but everypony else seemed infatuated with her. In that time, Sunset had more control with her magic and seemed to prefer Rain Shine over anypony else, Celestia and Luna seemed to be getting on a lot more, Cadance was more carefree, Fizzlepop was coming out of her shell more, and the grumpy Granny Smith was having a blast.
The gray stallion heaved yet another log into a hole and patted the bark almost affectionate-like. This particular piece of wood finished up the wall, leaving one side left. Granny and Starswirl have been hard at work rebuilding the remains of their hut after the torrential rains swept the wood away, they even had help from Rain, but most of the time she was off with the fillies.
He swept a hand across his brow, sweat coming off his forehead in bunches, and looked around. The aforementioned creature was... meditating, if he were to guess, in the middle of the field while the fillies were playing around her, even Luna. Nearby, underneath a tree, was Granny, eating a hearty meal. Starswirl smiled and made his way over, picking up several leaves and flowers for his own hunger, and sat down next to her. What surprised him was to see a genuine cheerfulness in the otherwise cranky mare.
"Starswirl. How's the wall?" From a glance, he could make out dandelion, chestnut, and mint leaves wrapping around daises, petunias, and lilies. Names that all came from Rain Shine. Granny took a big bite.
"It is going smoothly. We only have one more wall left to do."
"Then it's the roof."
"Yes." For his meal, he picked out dandelion leaves as well, in addition to aspen and beech leaves. He also had dandelion flowers and poppies. He had no idea why, but he adored the beech and aspen combination, another thing the new creature showed them.
While he ate, he thought of Rain Shine. She scared him in ways he could not even comprehend, but she was gentle and caring, but most importantly, knowledgeable. She showed him words and feelings he never knew, but there was something beneath those eyes. He was grateful of her taking the fillies' attention, allowing for Granny and him to work peacefully on the hut, and yet, frightened at the same time. Even after all this time, he still had no idea what to feel for the creature.
"Granny?"
"What is it, ah'm a tad busy." She then proceeded to take another huge bite. Starswirl felt the urge to roll his eyes but didn't act on it.
"How do you feel about Rain Shine? It has been playing on my mind for a while." He said hesitantly.
"Ain't nuthin' wrong with a bit 'o rain. Ah think somethin' else's got ya in a tizzy. Why don't ya go hash it out wit' the creature, and if ya do, go over yonder, leave me to mah meal." Granny glared to get her point across before going back to her salad.
Starswirl stared for a while before sighing and getting up. He quickly finished his salad and made his way to Rain. It didn't take long before the creature noticed his presence despite her not even opening her eyes. He was still getting used to it.
"Ah, Swirler of Star, your presence has been noted. What do you require?" She kept her eyes closed and sat in that very awkward position. Legs crossed in front of her and her arms resting atop her thighs. Yet again, more words from Rain Shine.
"A talk, if you are willing." Starswirl then turned to leave, not willing to wait for her. He wasn't all that surprised to see her after turning his head to the side.
"Let us talk then, Guardian of Harmony." The two of them walked together for a while, eventually stepping into the nearby forest.
"Rain Shine. What are you?" Starswirl gestured at everything. Her curly green mane around her neck, her very tallness, her scaly back, and the very peculiar horn that curves and then splits into two at the top.
"I am a Kirin. I find it most curious that a mage of your intellect and capability does not know of the Kirin race. How is this be?" She lowered herself to the ground and peered into his eyes. Starswirl shifted uncomfortably.
"You are the first of your kind since I have arrived on Equus. I do not know why, but perhaps it is the glass cup shaping our futures."
"What is this glass cup you speak of?" Rain asked, unrestrained curiosity clearly evident in her eyes. Starswirl always made sure the cup was on his person at all times after several...er, misuses. He carefully took it out and presented it to the Kirin. "Swirler of Star, that is no mere cup! That is the Chalice of Life, he who holds the Chalice, holds the entirety of life and those who kneel before it! I have gravely mistaken your role in the universe, forgive this old Kirin for her blindness, I swear it upon name and fate that it would not happen again!."
Starswirl was taken aback. He didn't want this responsibility, being the Guardian of Harmony was enough, not that he did much mind you, but still! He shook his head at first, mumbling words that went along the lines of "no, I can not," and "why me?"
"Because you are special." Rain Shine looked very determined and the sense of wrongness Starswirl felt from her rose even higher. He unconsciously took a step back, and unfortunately, she noticed. "What is this? I have not done anything wrong, I seek only for your and yours' protection, nothing more." There was a pause and then, her expression of betrayal fell away into soft understanding, although, still one of hurt. "You fear the fire that rages within me. You sense it and you cannot help but cower from it. It is okay, Swirler of Star, I understand and do not hold it against you. If such fear holds your heart, then I shall leave. Perhaps I could find more of my kin. You have need for me, seek for the land of the rising sun. Until we meet again, o great wielder of life, may your last be as great as your first."
Starswirl barely had anytime to react before she bounded into the forest, her bushy tail disappearing into the bushes, leaving no trace of her existence. Deep inside, he felt the wrongness lifted, but he could not help but feel guilty. As he trudged back, wondering how he would break the news to the others, yet another concept from the Kirin, the light started fading. He glanced up and wondered where the sun went and saw that a relatively large cloud and moved in front of it, casting a gloomy atmosphere in the forest. As we watched, a really dark shadow casted it's darkness onto the Chalice and it started to glow an unhealthy pitch black glow. It was so dark that he couldn't see a picture it depicted, but it was still bright enough that Starswirl had to avert his eyes.
"Oh, hello. I'm Stygian. Who might you be?"
***
Two whole moons had passed since Rain Shine left and Stygian appeared. Nopony was too keen on the new unicorn, his whole vibe didn't feel as quite right as anypony else's. Granny Smith even accused Starswirl of getting rid of Rain Shine because she was a different creature and replaced her with a unicorn, another pony. He was aghast at such claims and told her the entire story, swore on it by his name, the Chalice, and Harmony itself. He even got to his knees, begging that that was the truth. It was only then did Granny accept his story. He hasn't seen her smile since then.
The fillies also looked more miserable and it was heart wrenching for Starswirl to see that, but there wasn't much he could do. His gut feeling, that wrongness she exuded, it wasn't meant for a place amongst ponykind, at least, not yet. Starswirl was certain of that.
During that time, the hut was finished, furnished with several padded rocks and floors, walls to have privacy indoors, and several storage places for extra supplies. They even had a small table built for Starswirl and his projects.
His heart did mend somewhat once he learned that Stygian was as much of a scholar as he was not to mention he was a stallion, the first beside himself. Starswirl was beside himself with joy at that revelation and the two of them would go out together for little research trips, exploring and noting down things in their memories and as the sunrises passed, the closer they got together. Too close in fact.
"Swirly?" A voice that sounded familiar and yet, not all that familiar, spoke out. Starswirl turned away from a little side project he and Stygian were working on and looked to see who the speaker was. He was taken aback from the sight. Celestia had grown up, no longer was she the young filly/mare, but a full grown mare. How had he missed this?
"Yes, dear?" He quickly excused himself from his table and followed his daughter out. He paused, his daughter. He felt wretched.
"I miss you, Swirly." The white mare said after they went a significant distance away. "We haven't done anything together in moons! Just the two of us! Not only that, everypony else has been missing you, Luna especially."
Starswirl dropped to his knees and he heard a tink behind him, but foreign noises didn't matter right now, his daughter did. He took her hands in his and held them together, he let the tears fall and he looked up in the most pleading way possible. "I am sorry. I had no realized how much time has passed, look how big you have grown!" He chuckled halfheartedly, his heart fracturing as he realized how much he had missed, absorbed in his projects and Stygian. "Yes! Let us do something together, the two of us! Whatever you want, I will do! I want to make up for all the time we had lost, please forgive me!"
Celestia held his watering gaze for a moment before bursting into tears herself. The two unicorns hugged each other tight, not realizing there was a certain earth pony watching with a smile.
***
The Chalice of Life slipped from Starswirl's pack from the sudden movement. It fell and hit a rock, making an audible 'tink.' It was not noticed. Being on a slope, the Chalice started moving downhill. It picked up speed, hitting rocks and twigs, over flowers and through grass. It kept on rolling until it came to a sudden stop underneath a large tree, so large, no sunlight made it through the canopy.
Underneath a certain branch, lay a cocoon of simple proportions. One that would soon become a beautiful moth. But that cocoon caught a certain something's attention, a certain Chalice. It started to glow a putrid green, fog of the same color spewed from the top, and before long, the entire clearing was covered in gross fog. Then there was silence, not even a single cricket chirped.
It was broken by laughter, one made only by cruelty and hunger.
Starswirl sighed, he thought he would be doing one thing with Celestia, but it seemed she had other plans. Wasting no time, the white unicorn had dragged the poor old stallion to make amends with everypony. Despite her size, she had incredible strength. The very first pony he had to reconcile with was Fizzlepop Berrytwist. Celestia chuckled and left with a perfectly innocent smile. He blinked, then grinned.
Wasting no time, he swung the young shy filly onto his shoulders and together they ran around in the field laughing and howling with glee. Their game became so intense that the maroon filly collapsed in a fit of giggles. Starswirl ignored the sharp pain in his back and collapsed next to her with a huge grin.
Before he knew it, he was whisked away by a white hand. Celestia's pink mane whipped into his face, but he didn't mind. His face hurt from all the smiling, but he wouldn't stop, he couldn't. He was having too much fun. With another giggle from the mare, Celestia dropped him off with Mi Amore Cadenza.
Cadance wore a predatory grin, she stalked closer with her wings fluffed up in a very aggressive manner. Starswirl's previous joy was replaced with a fear he never knew he possessed. Every step the alicorn took, oh wait, that's a new word! The revelation was quickly washed away, just like his joy. Every step the alicorn took, he took a step back. Then within a blink of an eye, she pounced. There was no time, but still Starswirl tried. He whirled around but his hooves slipped and he took an undignified fall, landing with an oomph. His voice went incredibly high, much higher than he thought was possible, when she landed on him and started tickling him mercilessly. The torture lasted an uncountable amount of time.
Starswirl came to with a tired sigh but then got hauled to his hooves without his consent, and then got twirled on a dime by none other than a grinning Celestia. Her expression hasn't changed and with a flick of her wrist, Starswirl was sent spinning on the slippery grass before he crashed into a padded rock. Groaning, he looked around and saw nopony. Then his vision was covered by a cup. He looked up and saw Granny Smith smiling somewhat kindly.
"Starswirl. Apple Cider?" She helped him to get comfortable on the seat.
"Apple Cider?" He took it cautiously and looked in it. It bubbled slightly, it was reddish orange, and were those...fruit bits? He threw a questioning glance at Granny. She motioned as if saying for him to continue. Starswirl took a tentative sip. The flavors hit him like a bolt from Kind Sombra, but infinitely more delicious. He drank it all in one gulp.
"Ah made it several sunrises ago, Sunny helped me. She's quite the saint." Granny chuckled and took another gulp of this...this...this heaven! He was so enthralled he completely ignored the fact that Granny knew somepony called 'Sunny.' He definitely did not notice the creeping unicorn before it was too late.
"Enough rest time Swirly!" With a shove, Starswirl fell forwards before getting surrounded in a teal light. He gasped in astonishment when he started floating and then started rising up. There was a whoosh beside him and he had to blink several times to understand what he was seeing. Sunset Shimmer giggled loudly, much bigger than he remembered and adorned with fiery wings on her back.
The two of them flew together, the entire time under Sunset's power. It was amazing and Starswirl shed several tears. Up and down, side to side, through the clouds and the sky. When they landed, Sunset looked completely exhausted, her forehead completely drenched in sweat, but she was grinning. He swept the filly in a large hug and whispered his pride into her ears.
The moment he let go, his hand was grabbed, he barely glimpsed white before he smacked into a tree. He heard a giggle in the background as he rubbed his head. A dark blue hand extended into his vision, offering help. He grasped it gratefully and Luna hauled him back to his hooves. She too was strong, they all were strong. Getting stronger without him. A lonely tear slipped over his cheek.
"Starswirl, do you remember the stars?" Luna guided him to a soft patch on a hill, away from the hut and the others, and sat him down. Night had fallen and Starswirl was surprised to see how fast the day went by. Taking his daughter's lead, he laid down and looked up.
The two of them stayed on that hill together for the rest of the night, she would point out a cluster of stars and gave them a name. After the fifth one, Starswirl was beyond impressed. By the 12th, he couldn't hold himself back and crushed the young mare with a hug. Luna squeaked in surprise, her cold and aloof attitude melted in his grasp.
That night was the most rested he'd ever had in a while. He woke up to see a grinning Celestia. Before he could have a chance to groan, he was dragged away. It did ease his heart slightly to see that Luna was already awake and watching with an amused expression.
"Swirly." She finally said after dragging him a considerable distance and letting him reorient himself.
"Celestia." He found the strength to smile with all the warmth he could muster. He was surprised to notice how easy it was and he smiled even wider.
"It's my turn now, do you want to go on a walk? Like we did way back then?" Her face lit up with hope. He chuckled, there was no way to say no to that.
"Lead the way, your highness!" He bowed, both mocking and genuine at the same time. The movement and the words were foreign to him and felt weird, but it felt right at the same time.
"What?"
"Ignore this old man, shall we?" He smiled. She smiled back.
***
The two unicorns walked, packs on their backs, and the horizon in the distance. The wind was in their manes and bright grins on their faces. Step by step, they made their journey.
"Hey Swirly?"
"Yeah?" They had stopped for a small midday break. They sat on a log they had padded with moss that overlooked the glistening lake. The multicolored leaves painted a beautiful landscape below them.
"Do you think Rain Shine is happy?" She sounded uncertain. Starswirl turned to look at her.
"I think she is where she belongs, she did have a leafy mane and tail. That and my gut did not feel bad after she left." He took a bite of his salad. It was delicious.
"Your gut?"
"Yes. Always trust your gut, Celestia. When you grow up and nopony is around to tell you what is right or wrong, trust your gut. Promise me you will trust your gut." Starswirl looked deep into her eyes, determined to get that promise.
"I promise."
"Good filly!" He smiled.
"I'm not a filly anymore, Swirly!" She crossed her arms and pouted. Starswirl couldn't help but laugh.
"Of course, I apologize. But you will be my filly forever, nopony will take that. I want you to remember that." He leaned over and hugged Celestia much to her displeasure. She tried, feebly he might add, to escape his grasp but gave up once she realized he wasn't budging.
***
The two were heading back, the sky above slowly darkening. The stars started to show themselves and Starswirl was pleased to recognize some of the patterns Luna showed him last sunrise. When he asked Celestia if she knew about them, she nodded with pride.
"Luna has been waiting forever to show you, last night meant so much to her." She was also beaming and he wasn't sure if he was tired or a trick of the light, but he thought he saw her mane flicker into something more ethereal. It was gone before he could look closely. "I know I'm proud."
"As you should. I am proud of you two as well, you both have done so well." He ruffled her mane much to her annoyance. He merely grinned.
They walked for a few more countings before Starswirl noticed a glint in the grass. He paused and deciding quickly, he made his way over. He ignored the questioning glance Celestia threw and brushed away the grass. His gasp was so loud, it echoed in the thick canopy.
There lay the Chalice of Life, even more cracked then it was before. Shivers went down his spine as he picked it up. The glass felt cold and unnatural. Quickly shaking his head, he gestured for Celestia to keep on going and he hurried after her. They barely made it 20 steps when they encountered a strange creature.
"Help meeeee..." The creature was wrapped in a black substance, as large as Rain Shine, had holes in its legs, and had an insectlike back, wings included. To make the creature even more curious was the jagged horn on her brow as well as the fangs that adorn her mouth.
Wasting no time and acknowledging how queasy his gut felt, he helped the strange creature to its hooves. He nearly froze in shock to feel the same exact cold as the Chalice on the creature's...skin. Together with Celestia, they were able to haul the creature with them.
"Thank yoooou..." It sounded in pain. The three of them nearly made it back to the clearing, back to the hut when the shrieking began.
Starswirl dropped the creature in surprise and stared in horror as the black being had its jaws opened wide and was sucking a pink tendril out of the terrified Celestia. Thinking no of himself, Starswirl rushed forwards and blasted the creature, it letting go of his daughter, After a quick hug, the two stared off into the distance and heard a cackle that made their blood turn cold.
Celestia and Starswirl stumbled into the clearing and Granny Smith was the first one up.
"What happened? Starswirl, dagnabbit, ah trusted ya and ya repay me with hurtin' mah poor filly!"
"Your filly!?"
"She's just as mine as she's yours! Now spill, we ain't got time for this nonsense!" She was right. Celestia was shivering and looked considerably pale, which was a feat considering her coat was white. Even her lustrous pink mane took on a sickly hue. Together, the two of them helped the unicorn to a padded rock while Starswirl told the story.
After he finished the story everybody else was gathered around, looking fearful except Stygian. He seemed more thoughtful, but Starswirl didn't have time to dwell on that. The longer they talked and fretted, the more Celestia shivered and whimpered. Her eyes were closed but he could see the rapid eye movement beneath the eyelids. She was dreaming.
"Quick, everypony! Step back." He waited for them to do exactly that and lowered his horn. He started casting a spell, the same exact one he used on Sunset, and waited. His heart was beating far too fast to be normal and he didn't notice how uncontrollably fast his breath was until Granny put a hand on his shoulder. He nodded his thanks but didn't dare look away from Celestia.
After a considerable while, her breathing eased and her coat shone a bit more, but it wasn't enough. Starswirl released the spell with an exhausted sigh and slumped down, choking back a sob. Luna was by his side immediately and wrapped herself around him and the two of them held back their tears. The two of them have been with her the longest, moons of life and fun.
"I...I do not know what to do." It came out as a plea, a cry for help, but nopony answered. Through the haze of unshed tears, he saw Fizzlepop and Stygian leave. Sunset and Cadance were hugging each other and Granny was standing beside him with a comforting hand.
"Ah'm sorry. Ah don't know what we can do for her, all we can do is wait and pray." Her usual crankiness was replaced with motherly warmth. It surprised him but he accepted it all the same.
Several sunrises passed and nothing felt the same. Celestia was moved inside and the moss and leaves underneath her were replaced daily and to keep her from getting worse, Starswirl subjected himself to casting the same spell over and over again every morning. For the rest of the day, he spent recovering and researching with Stygian on figuring out how to make a better spell. They were getting nowhere.
"Starswirl. I think you need to rest. When was the last time you slept?" The gray unicorn had a tone of worry. He never really showed emotions before and it surprised Starswirl. He quickly recovered and shook his head violently. He will not abandon his daughter!
"I am well. I have no need for rest." As if listening, his body decided to betray him and his mouth opened wide. Recently, he figured out that was a sign of needing rest. He quickly covered it, hoping in vain that Stygian didn't see it. He saw it. He merely looked pointedly and raised an eyebrow.
"Fine!" He threw his hands in the air in defeat and stomped back to his padded floor and fell down on it like a filly having a tantrum. He harrumphed before promptly falling asleep. Guess he was tired after all.
***
He awoke to a blue ethereal atmosphere. Starswirl couldn't believe what he was seeing. There was nothing around him, just blue. There wasn't even a ground beneath him causing him to scramble around for a few countings. It took him a while but he slowly calmed down and gazed around in curiosity. How did he get here?
He wasn't sure how long he was in here but he tried everything he could think of. Running, walking, jumping. Nothing seemed to have any effect on his surroundings or himself. He felt no tiredness. It was at that moment that a wooden portal opened up.
"He...hello?" A scared voice called out. A familiar voice.
"Luna?" Confusion.
"Swirly?" Hope and desperation.
Starswirl ran through the portal into another environment. This one is infinitely better than the one he was in previously. It was a starry night sky with a grass hill. Around the hill was clear still water that reflected the night sky. The wooden portal he came through disappeared landing him into the water below. He was pleasantly surprised to find it really shallow and allowed him to walk over to the young mare gaping in surprise.
She quickly got up and charged into the water to meet him. They collided together and hugged tightly. The water lapped at their hooves yet he didn't feel wet. Luna didn't feel wet, even though she should have been after that run. He loosened himself out of her grip and held her at arms length.
"What is happening? What is this place?" Starswirl took it all in again, feeling the calm overtake him. If he could, he probably would stay here forever. There was a tug, he looked back down at Luna. She shook her head fearfully.
"Don't get drawn in! It'll corrupt you! You wouldn't be Swirly anymore and I don't want that to happen." She uncharacteristically burst into tears and gripped him even tighter. She kept on babbling about how this place was for nightmares and how she'd been the only to visit. How this place was evil and good at the same time and how she got lost the first time she visited. How a creature of shadow saved her. This place scared her because of how peaceful it was.
"Alright, alright. I will do nothing. I am here." Starswirl hugged her daughter again and the sobs slowly subsided. "How do you know all this?"
"Tante told me. The shadow I told you about. It...it tells me things." Starswirl paused at that. He opened his mouth to say something, to defend his daughter, but then stopped. She 's growing up and needs to do things her own way. He carefully lifted Luna's head so she was looking at him and he smiled softly.
"What does your gut tell you?"
"My gut?"
"Your gut will never lead you astray. Always trust your gut. When nopony is around to tell you what is right or wrong, trust your gut." He smiled sadly at the memory of him saying exactly that to Celestia.
"Okay...my gut." She looked downwards, towards the grass at their hooves, and thought. Starswirl waited patiently and thankfully, it didn't take long. She looked back up and her eyes held something, something that made Starswirl smile with pride. "I trust Tante. It helps me and whenever I'm around it, I feel safe."
"Well then, I trust it too!" He ruffled her mane with a chuckle. New words and actions. They didn't come as a surprise any more, they felt more natural with every passing sunrise. "Well, now what should we do?"
"Look at the stars?"
"I could not imagine anything else."
***
Starswirl awoke feeling more rested than ever. The dream he just had was certainly a weird one to say the least. He stretched before getting up and walking towards Celestia. He performed his ritual of casting the healing spell, easing her as best as he could, murmured some words into her ear, and then went outside. He was greeted by a familiar face and one he wouldn't think he would see again.
"Rain Shine!"
"Swirler of Stars. It is my most displeasure to arrive here again." Starswirl's gut didn't clench like last time she was here. She's here because Harmony allows it. That made him curious and fearful.
"Whatever do you mean?" He led her to a padded rock, Granny was already there with a critical eye.
"I have felt a disturbance in Harmony. A putrid fog of anti-love. Beware Swirler of Stars, the future is grim and uncertain. That is all I have to say, I am no longer needed here. Farewell and may the stars shine brightly on you and yours." With a nod in his direction and then a bow in Granny's, much to her amusement and allowed a smug smile to slip through her stoic demeanor, Rain Shine bounded off once again.
"Ain't she a hoot." Granny chuckled, before her features went hard again. "She's right ya know. We need to prepare. That bug messed with my filly and she ain't gonna get her again."
"Let us get to work then."
For the next few sunrises, everypony was hard at work, even Fizzlepop, building barricades and digging hideaways. Alternating between researching and experimenting with Stygian, caretaking for Celestia, and helping with the fortifications with Granny, Starswirl was extremely exhausted. His magic spluttered when he tried to lift a boulder and before he knew it, he was on the ground.
"Ah told ya to rest but ya never listen, do ya? Come on, let's get some Apple Cider, that'll fill yer bones." Granny led the exhausted stallion to the padded rocks and poured him a drink. He blinked gratefully and attempted to take the cup with magic. He nearly dropped it. "Tsk, relyin' on yer magic gonna get ya in trouble one day, Starswirl." She patted him on the arm twice before getting up and going back to work.
Starswirl was in the middle of drinking his third cup when a sudden glimmer caught his eye. Without thinking, he pulled out the broken and battered Chalice and held it up. It reacted almost instantly and started glowing bright blue. A picture of a...shield, the word popped into his mind with only countings to spare, was seen on the cup.
He placed the Chalice down on a flat rock and watched. It didn't take long for the others to start noticing, Stygian especially. Together, they watched with various forms of awe. Then with a bright flash, blinding everypony, a new pony entered the world.
Starswirl was relieved to see that it was a stallion, but something tugged at him wrong, not gut wrong, but wrong nonetheless. The stallion had a pure white coat and a handsome face. His two-toned mane was caught in the breeze and the way he stood made him look better. Then Starswirl caught the look Cadance was wearing. He frowned, feeling suddenly very protective of her and very weary of this new stallion.
"Introduce herself, dagnabbit! Standin' there, lookin' all high and mighty, ain't helpin' nobody!" Granny yelled across the clearing. Her words, as if magic, unfroze the stallion. He immediately fell over and crashed into a heap. He popped back up before Starswirl could think to offer help and offered a sheepish smile.
"Oh, uh, hi." He kicked at the grass. "My name is Shining Armor, what's yours?"
"Stygian, come here, tell me what you see." Starswirl was hiding behind a particularly big rock and was waving his fellow stallion over. He came over, holding an invention he called a book and the reddish rock that Starswirl used many times has been more condensed as well. Starswirl was very proud of Stygian and all of his inventions and his intuitiveness, but that wasn't important right now. Stygian trotted over with a sigh and plopped down next to him. "Shh, you got to more quiet!"
"Right." Stygian sighed again and leaned forward, spying the scene that was causing Starswirl so much grief. Cadance and the new stallion, Shining, trotting together with their heads together. "I believe that is what you call love, something all couples do. Have you not noticed the birds?"
"Of course I have noticed the birds! But this is different!" Starswirl glared over the rock and then panicked when he noticed that Cadance was turning around. "Quick, duck!" Not waiting, Starswirl jumped atop of Stygian and pressed both of them to the floor. After a few countings and making sure that Cadance wasn't looking back, he let him up.
"Starswirl, why are you acting like this? This is most unnatural behaviour. You should be focusing on that creature that attacked you and Celestia, your other daughter?"
"I have tried, Stygian! But I can not concentrate, do you know how frustrating it is to see...whatever this is!?" Starswirl gestured at the couple helplessly. "I do not see them anywhere near us except at mealtimes, it is causing me worry."
"No, I do not. Perhaps you should confront the stallion, yourself. Maybe understand who he is and what he wants instead of immediately alienating him." Stygian paused, muttered something, and then wrote down the word in his book. "Have you tried talking to Granny Smith? She is wise."
"I do not need to talk to...actually..." Starswirl paused and started stroking his beard in thought. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Stygian jotting down notes in his book. "I shall go do that, thank you Stygian."
The unicorn got up but the sudden movement caught the attention of Shining Armor and he whipped around. Starswirl panicked and threw himself back onto the floor, causing him to growl in pain. Thinking not to cause anymore suspicion for him, Starswirl started rolling. Thank goodness it was only Stygian who could see him, anypony else wouldn't let him forget this.
***
"Starswirl! Haven't see ya on this side of town in a while, ya done skulkin' about?" Granny Smith cackled with glee while simultaneously heaving logs into her barrier. She kept on insisting that it's still not done and gets real defensive when mentioned.
"Perhaps. I have a question." Starswirl decided to help since he was here. Picking up a few logs with his magic and floated them over. "What do you think of Cadance and that...Shining."
Granny stared, her eyes slowly widening. It made Starswirl feel uneasy, then she broke into a grin. That grin turned into the loudest guffaw the stallion had ever heard from her. It felt like hours before she slowed down to a chuckle. The entire time, Starswirl felt uneasy, shifting his forehooves back and forth. He felt...embarrassed.
"Starswirl, that was, bah far, the most idiot thing ah've heard from ya." The mare chuckled some more. Starswirl opened his mouth in indignation, preparing for a comeback but before he could utter a word, Granny held up a hoof. "That, mah dear friend, is young love. Perfectly normal for kids their age. Heaven knows ah'm too old for that, mah back wold't be able to handle that."
"Bwa…but, you are still young! Much younger than me." Starswirl protested than fell silent, thinking on what the mare said. "Love, Stygian said that too."
"Did he? Guess that stallion ain't useless after all." Granny cackled, but still held that solemn expression. She was waiting for him, he realized.
"But…it feels wrong."
"What yer feelin' is protectiveness, perfectly normal for any parent, ah should know, ah feel the same. It's alright, Starswirl, there are moments where ya just have to let go." Granny chuckled, but this time without mirth. She stopped hauling logs and sat down on a padded rock. The mare poured herself some cider and took a sip. When she offered him a cup, he shook his head. "Mah advice, is to get to know him. And from his name, he sounds like a fighter, we need more fighters especially with that creature on the loose."
Starswirl sat down as well and contemplated that. Looking inside, he finally understood what was bothering him so. It was exactly like Granny Smith said, and looking even deeper, he sensed through Harmony, that this was indeed, perfectly alright. He groaned at all the conflicting feelings. Looking up, he decided to take a break from Cadence and spotted his other daughters playing.
Celestia and Luna were getting bigger every sunrise, their manes growing in size as well. Sunset and Fizzlepop were growing much slower but both were getting more energetic. It was a pleasure to see all four of them giggling and running around, their horns and multicolored magic sparking every so often. It lifted his heart to see them happy and it helped him decide his next course of action.
"Alright, thank you for your wisdom, Granny, as always."
***
"Starswirl." His full name being used in a cold way hurt him more than he expected. As much as he wanted to return the favor, he knew it would worsen the situation.
"Cadance, can I borrow Shining Armour for a moment?" It was polite to ask, especially with an angry teenager daughter. Huh, teenager. He made a mental note to tell Stygian about the new word.
"And why should I allow that?" She crossed her arms, it made her look very intimidating.
"Uh, I'm right…"
"Stallion talk." He felt sweat start to drip down his forehead. He hated this feeling.
"I've seen you, stalking the two of us. I'm my own pony! I don't need you to watch over me anymore!" Another blow. He kept his smile up though and held up his hands as a placating gesture.
"I know, I know. It is just, if you go down this route, I want to know the stallion that has captured your heart. To bond, you know?" That caught her off guard. He allowed himself to hope the longer the stunned silence went on. Then she whipped her head up as if she couldn't stand to see him anymore. Three blows.
"It's up to Shiny." She already had a nickname for him!
"I'll go. He seems alright, Cady, why are you making such a fuss?" He had one too! A nickname for a nickname. Starswirl's smile wavered.
"It's…it's nothing." Cadance looked down as if ashamed. She scuffed the dirt with a hoof and muttered under her breath. "It's nothing. Kick him if he does something, though, Swirly can handle it."
Shining laughed before giving her a hug. "I'll make no promises. See you around." He trotted up to Starswirl and gave him a friendly smile. It eased some stress as he reciprocated. "I don't think we actually made acquaintances. Hi, I'm Shining Armour."
"Starswirl the Bearded." He offered his hand and thankfully Shining returned the gesture. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Cadance smiling. Perhaps not all was lost.
"So, what do you want to do?" The young stallion asked, his expression as innocent as a filly.
"How about a walk?"
"Sounds good."
"Alright." Starswirl made his way to a well trodden path and Shining followed. "We must be careful though, there is a dangerous creature loose. It attacked Celestia a few sunrises ago."
"I've heard. It doesn't sound friendly." He smirked. "Don't worry, I'll protect you."
Starswirl felt like he should have been insulted but instead he chuckled. "That will be the day."
***
They trotted out of the woods moments before the sun dipped below the horizon. They had talked the entire time and were closer for it. Stories and secrets were shared and soon they trusted each other.
When they came out, Cadance was pacing the clearing with a distressed look. Shining was laughing at a joke Starswirl accidentally made and Cadance looked up. She quickly rushed over and tackled him in a hug. Starswirl watched with a warm smile, he no longer felt weird or negative about their relationship, in fact, he encouraged it.
"Swirly didn't hurt you?"
"What? Him?" Shining laughed and Starswirl knew to not take it offensively. "I'm definitely stronger. He's just an old stallion."
Cadance looked at him with a worried expression and her mouth open ready to discourage such talk but was surprised to see Starswirl chuckling.
"Treat him right, Cadance. He is a good egg." Starswirl bowed slightly before trotting back to the house. He was tired and aching, a good night's rest would do him good. He waved to a smirking Granny and went inside. Before he could reach his resting place, he tripped and fell face flat on the floor. He groaned and lifted himself up. Rubbing his bruised muzzle, he briefly saw the Chalice slip off a piece of wood Starswirl placed it on. With a yell, he launched himself forward, determined to catch it. But the cup slipped through his fingers and landed on the floor.
He stared in shock and horror which quickly turned into amazement. Somehow, the glass didn't explode into pieces or even crack, and to make it even more miraculous, it was glowing. He reached out to righten the tipped over Chalice, but then stopped. Something told him that would be unwise, so he pulled back and watched. Like all the other times, it filled up with liquid. This time it was a light, warm, almost motherly, kind of gray. The picture it depicted were seven spherical things. They were blue and translucent and Starswirl decided to call them bubbles. Just like the others, it glowed brightly and he averted his eyes.
Unlike the other times however, there wasn't a voice to greet him. No, this time it was a yell. And a crash. Starswirl looked up in horror and saw a gray pegasus who crashed through the wooden wall and was now, somehow, stuck. The mare looked back and gave him a sheepish grin.
"I just don't know what went wrong."
***
From the bushes, a hate filled glare looked into the clearing. Chrysalis hissed with pleasure as she watched the ponies gallivanting without a care in the world. She planned to strike against them, take their love, feast upon them, become strong, but she wasn't sure how.
Then her eyes spotted two ponies. They held their head together and trotted side by side. Deep within her, her stone cold heart called. Chrysalis grinned and cackled softly. Those two will be hers.
Starswirl leaned back on a very comfortable padded rock. The wooden walls encircle the entire valley after many sunrises of hard work from everypony. Well, mostly everypony. The new pegasus, Derpy he thought it was, kept on crashing, scattering the logs or creating holes. It annoyed Granny to no end but then she would bake these delicious...muffins? He had no idea how she does them but they taste delicious! Granny immediately fell in love and tried to get the method out of her but Derpy would just shrug, smile sheepishly, and say she doesn't remember it. Then the whole cycle would begin again.
He was watching over Sunset and Fizzypop, both of which are much bigger and much more capable, but the threat of that weird creature was still looming over them. The two of them were practicing magic and it made Starswirl smile.
"Check it out, Fizzy!" Sunset sparked her horn and those fiery wings of her sprouted from her back. Starswirl has seen that spell a couple of times now, but each time is just as amazing as the last. The orange filly let out a squeal as she flapped her wings and boosted herself upwards. It only lasted for a few seconds before it dissipated and Sunset fell back to the ground with a solid thump, luckily she wasn't that far off the ground.
Fizzlepop clapped her hooves together and giggled. Starswirl was really proud of her. She had more or less come out of her quiet shell and was having a lot of fun with the others because of it. "Now watch me!" She sparked her horn and out shot a blue sparkle. It flew up into the sky and burst into a colorful and loud spectacle. It left Starswirl speechless.
Slowly, everypony in the valley looked at the maroon filly who looked embarrassed.
"That was so cool! Can you do it again?" Sunset said, her eyes wide and excited.
"No, she can't ever do it again! Ya mustn't ever do that again with that creature around!" Granny rounded on the poor filly and left Fizzlepop in a blubbering heap by the time she was done ranting. Starswirl immediately got up and ran over to her. He quickly shot a glare at the green mare before picking up Fizzlepop and bringing her over to the hut and set her down on a padded sleeping area. It was getting cramped in here with all his fillies growing up. That sudden realization left him with a hollow feeling, he couldn't explain it that well.
"Are you alright? Granny was just being defensive, that is all. She did not mean anything by it."
"I'm..."I'm not a bad...bad filly?" She said between sobs. Her eyes filled with pain and blurry tears, her lovely coat was damp with tears, and her body trembled.
"NO! No, of course not! Do not be silly!" Starswirl hugged her tight, trying to express his feelings through the hug. "You will never be a bad filly, and even if you do become bad, remember, I will always love you." Love. That word came out so easily, and he meant it with all his heart.
She clung to him, crying her eyes out. He held on, keeping her warm and making sure she knew he was there. It took a while, many countings, before she calmed down and fell asleep. Starswirl leaned her down and rested her head on some particularly soft leaves and moss. After making sure she was comfortable, Starswirl walked over to his other daughter.
"Hello Celestia, how are you feeling today?" He whispered softly. He knew she couldn't hear him and it pained him to know that. She still looked pale and sickly and would thrash from time to time. It hurt and he knew Granny was hurting too. Maybe he could forgive her for today. He lowered his horn to Celestia's horn and casted a spell. After he was done, she looked relaxed and had stopped sweating too. That eased his heart somewhat.
He made sure both of them were comfortable before coming back outside. He was pleasantly surprised to see Granny there, waiting for him. By now, he knew her well enough that something was bothering her.
"Ah'm sorry, Starswirl. Ah don't know what came over me, is she alright?" The softness in her voice surprised him. She caught his look and she soured immediately. "Ah have a heart too." With a harrumph, she stalked off.
***
Starswirl was asleep. Everypony was asleep. It was in the middle of the night. Why would he wake up?
AWAKE
He shot up and clutched his chest. His heart was thumping at unnatural speeds and before he gained full lucidity, he knew something was wrong. He was out the door before his body realized that it was no longer asleep. Unfortunately, that meant bad news for him. His numb legs caught on themselves and he took quite the spill. But there was no rest, Harmony wouldn't allow it.
He stood up, brushed his coat off, spat out some grass, and searched. If Harmony wanted him here, here he would stay. The beautiful moon had moved a considerable distance before the pain of disharmony grew stronger. He followed it warily. Such a feeling couldn't only mean bad things. He rounded a boulder and froze.
There it was. The horrible creature that attacked him and Celestia and left her on that horrible and wretched state. Hie surprise was immediately replaced by seething anger. His horn sparked and before he could blink, he was carrying a staff.
"Who are you! What do you want?" He asked, his guard up.
It merely chuckled. "What I need...? I need looooooooove. Sweet, precious looooooooove." Her chuckle turned into a cackle, a cackle into a howl. Her black chitinous face was covered in tears of putrid laughter. Then he saw it. Or more specifically, her.
"GIVE BACK CADANCE! SHE IS NOT FOR YOU!" His sense of self lost all meaning as he charged, his staff blazing with all his hatred and love. The two powers juxtaposing itself and creating a helix of dangerous magic. In the back of his mind, he knew this was dangerous. The crackle alone of the spell made his hair stand up, but he was too far gone.
The first blast blew a chunk off of a tree when the creature dodged. It hissed with laughter before bounding forwards. Starswirl swung his staff with all the intent and purposes of dealing a death blow. The unstable magic hummed with energy, volatile energy.
The wooden staff, wrapped with a golden inlay, shimmered with power. This he knew. This it knew, and it knew too late. The blow connected and the force released was enough to send Starswirl flying backwards. He slammed into a tree and the breath was knocked out of his lungs, causing him to wheeze and gasp. Despite his dimming vision, he saw the creature fly out of the valley form terrifying speeds, it's screeches fading slowly. Before he knew it, it disappeared with a twinkle.
Crawling over, he made his way to Cadance and nearly broke down from what he saw. She looked exactly like Celestia, maybe even worse. He slowly regained his strength back and gasped in horror. It was definitely worse. Her coat and mane was matted with sweat, smelt of death, and was even turning gray. Her beautiful eyes were dull and lifeless. If it weren't for her chest rising and falling, he would have taken her for dead.
He wailed in anguish and put all his power into a healing spell. Nearly double the power he uses for Celestia. He felt his limbs go limp, his heart slowing, his vision fading, but he didn't dare stop. By the end of the spell, he was far too gone. He collapsed, unconscious. The entire time, he could only think of what King Sombra had said, all those sunrises ago.
"It's what Harmony wants."
***
Ah, my poor Starswirl. You have suffered much. My condolences, but more needs to be done. Your time isn't over yet.
***
Starswirl awoke with a gasp. He would have shot up if he had the strength, but he could only let out a feeble whimper. He felt ugly, he felt wrong. Everything ached, even in places he knew didn't exist. Then he gasped, or...he would have, but it sounded more like a strangle.
"Swirly's awake!" Luna rushed over, her face stained with tears. He tried and failed to reach out and comfort her. He couldn't even open his mouth, much less reaching out.
"Starswirl." Granny came into view and she looked grim, the grimmest he had ever seen her. He started tearing. His body shook with uncontrollable sobs and frustration and not being able to do anything. He couldn't even wail out his anger, it came out more as a half broken cough. "Starswirl, ah...ah'm sorry." She broke off to turn away. Starswirl saw the tear.
"You're going to be okay, right Swirly?" Luna asked, her face hopeful but deep inside, she knew. He knew. Something inside of him has changed, permanently.
"How about ya go to Fizzlepop, she still feels down." Granny ushered Luna out. She was not impressed, but was mature enough to leave the two of them together. There was a heavy sigh and out of the corner of his blurry eyes, he saw a green blob drag something heavy, a padded stone, and moved towards where Starswirl was lying. "Ah know what yer gonna say. Cadance is...stable. Ain't no other way of puttin' it. Ah dunno what ya did, but ah know that was the work of that bug. Poor Shining hasn't left her side since. Celestia ain't lookin' better either. Sunset and Fizzlepop still don't know about Cadance, but Fizzlepop..." She sighed again, her hands in her head. She attempted to make contact but Starswirl's depressed face was enough to make her look away. "Fizzlepop is blaming herself for ya gettin' hurt. Ah have no idea how she figured out, perhaps she snuck by me, that rascal, but no matter what ah or Luna do, Fizzlepop blames herself. It's worrying me. Ah don't know what to do, Starswirl. Ah...ah don't have a clue..."
The pause was heavy. Not silent, anything but silent. Starswirl heard his own drained sobbing. Granny was struggling not to let any tears shed and was failing miserably. In the nearby distance, he heard Shining murmuring and it broke his heart hearing him in anguish. In the not so near distance, the fillies could be heard giggling, but it wasn't enough to ease his sufferings.
He closed his eyes.
Then opened them.
"Uh, Granny?" Luna asked outside of Starswirl's vision.
"What is it?" Granny replied after composing herself.
"There's some...pony here. Says she needs to see Swirly."
"Rain Shine?"
"N...no. I don't know her, or what she is."
"What?"
Starswirl closed his eyes.
Then opened them.
When his eyes adjusted, he widened them in surprise. A black and white striped face peered down at him with a friendly smile. The face was pretty enough and had quite a peculiar mane, similar to Fizzlepop's. She also had golden rings in her ears and neck. The sight was disturbing but something about her made him feel at ease.
"My my, Starswirl the Bearded. I have heard much about you. What a state I find you, your magic all askew. That creature you encountered was none other than Chrysalis. She strikes for love with such recklessness and viciousness. Her wounds breaks the spirit and soul. But I, Zecora, will purify and make you whole."
Starswirl opened his eyes. For good this time. He felt refreshed and renewed. He felt amazing. He slowly got up, checking everything and was pleasantly surprised that nothing felt off. Then a memory surfaced, that strange pony...was it a pony? He blinked and realized that he felt this great because of her. He made his way outside but then stopped. He looked back and saw the sleeping forms of Celestia and Cadance. Shining too was asleep, hugging Cadance. They didn't look very different, sweaty, pale, and restless. Starswirl's heart ached. He made his way outside was immediately tackled by a dark blue pony.
"Ah, Luna."
"Swirly!" Her face was completely wet with tears, her usual cool demeanour was completely washed away with anguish. "I thoug...thought you w...were gonna leave me too!"
Starswirl said nothing and hugged her tightly. He looked past the sobbing young mare and saw Fizzlepop playing with Sunset, who kept on glancing at him with a relieved smile. He smiled too. To the left, Stygian was gazing at the sky with with book. The mere fact that his friend, the word came effortlessly, was doing normal activities warmed his heart. To his right, Granny Smith was talking with the strange black and white pony, Zecora, wasn't it? Both were looking at him as well, the green mare was trying to hide a wide smile while the other mare looked at him with a curious expression.
After a while, Starswirl patted Luna on the back and pushed her away slightly. Thankfully, she understood what he meant and made her way to Fizzlepop and Sunset. He got up and brushed himself off and walked towards the two mares.
"Starswirl." Granny made an attempt to nod respectfully. Starswirl grinned at her failure before turning his attention elsewhere.
"Zecora, was it? I must thank you. May I ask how you cured me?" He was eternally grateful but he wasn't worried about himself. She must have sensed that too.
"You are most welcome, Starswirl the Bearded. An answer to your question lies in an orchid." Zecora said with an almost ethereal kind of way, similar to Rain Shine. She spoke with knowledge beyond his own and it both intrigued him and frustrated him.
"An orchid? What is that?" Granny too shared his confused expression. "And can it cure my daughters as well?"
The last sentence seemed to intrigue Zecora. "Neigh, the cure to love drain is beyond the power of this flower. Your magic sickness was easy, to cure love drain requires a whole different power. Your daughters, as you say, need the nectar of a coveted relic. To get there, one must brave through traps and scenarios most psychedelic." Somehow, Starswirl knew exactly what she was talking about.
"Whatever it takes. Can you take me there?" He was desperate, he knew it, she knew it. "This world means nothing if they die. I cannot allow it, no matter what Harmony dictates!"
"Fret not, for Harmony does not wish for their demise. To keep them healthy and strong would be most wise. And yes, I shall guide to the whereabouts of the healing antique. The journey will take a considerable time as it's located on a high peak. It would be best for us to leave with haste. If we wait too long, you might find your daughters' lives erased."
Starswirl went pale and turned slowly to his partner in crime, his backbone, his equal. Granny nodded solemnly and a invisible conversation passed between them. Starswirl nodded and she smiled sadly. He stepped forward and surprised her with a hug, after a while, she hugged back. Without another word, he turned and went after Zecora who was already far ahead. He didn't look back because he knew if he did, he would not be able to begin his journey.
***
The two of them traveled for a couple of sunrises and in that time, he learned many things. Zecora wasn't a pony at all, but a zebra. A species mainly found in hot grasslands, among many other exotic creatures. Her stories of the Hunt sparked a curiosity he hadn't felt in a while. Despite Zecora's unnatural speech patterns and cultural habits, Starswirl felt at ease around her. She was at ease with the world and Harmony deemed her correct.
She traveled at quite the speed, much faster than Starswirl was used to and by the end of the sun's life, he was gasping for air and sweat dripping all over. Zecora however, seemed unfazed by everything. While he would recover, she would make camp, as she calls it. Logs, bedding, and a fireplace. It was cozy and expertly done, everything about it fascinated Starswirl to no end. He made a promise to himself that he would one day visit the lands of the Zebra and other mystical creatures.
"Starswirl." It was the fourth sunrise and the terrain was looking quite different, with different trees and vegetation. "You are the first of your kind, is this not so?"
"Yes. How I came to be, I do not know. I was then to walk this world for countless moons and sunrises before Celestia came into my life." The last part he said with such wistfulness. How simple life was then. Just him and his daughters. There was no snow, no villains, no valley to build up. But things never last forever.
"From your tone, I suspect the rest of your story is filled with woe." Starswirl blinked. Did he hear correctly or did he perhaps hear a tone change in that last sentence.
"Not all. There were happy times, many of them. I would not trade anything for the life I lived previously. These ponies are my life now, my family, and I would give anything for them." He spoke with such convictions, Zecora visibly shuddered.
"You best be careful of what you say, your dedication might be too costly of a pay." Zecora warned. There it was again. Starswirl now understood that she too knew of what he was going through. A history of pain and anguish, stemming from friends and family.
The two fell silent after that and focused merely on walking. The terrain was getting more rough and more uphill. Boulders were seen frequently and some even had to be bypassed to continue their walk. And before he knew it, they were at the top of a very impressive view.
The landscape beneath him was very different from the valley or even his home in the mountains. From the pine forest they exited, according to the zebra, they were now entering the terrain called the badlands, also named by Zecora. Everything was rocky, sandy, and dusty. Foliage was sparse and few between, intimidating mountains, and other curious rock formations. It was beautiful in it's own right, but no less frightening. He never ventured this far before, he only stayed close to plains and forests in all his wanderings.
He took a calming breath and then another. He saw that Zecora was already picking her way down the cliffside and saw that she didn't seem perturbed at all. He tried to calm himself as best as he could and then took a step. That was when he noticed a light coming from his pack. He called for Zecora and opened his pack and sure enough, the Chalice was the source.
He took it out carefully and placed it on a flat rock and watched. The color of the liquid was a curious tan color and the picture it depicted once it was full was a circular object, compass was the word that came to mind. Zecora came back up the slope and watched as well from a distance, her eyes wide and mouth hanging. It was pleasing to Starswirl that he finally got a reaction from the collected mare.
A few seconds later, a pegasus popped into existence.
"Ah, the fresh smell of adventure! Hi, I'm Daring Do, and you are?" The pegasus had the same tan coat, a gray scale mane, a strange vest and hat as well. She also wore a cocky, upbeat expression, like she knew that the world was hers for the taking. Starswirl wasn't sure what to make out of her.
"My name is Starswirl the Bearded. My travelling companion is Zecora the zebra." He greeted formally.
"That's awesome! I've heard about zebras and their amazing stories, how many do you have?" Daring zipped forwards, her wings buzzing at incredible speeds.
"Perhaps another time, Daring. From here, I see you know your bearing?" Zecora was pointing at the compass on Daring's flank. Starswirl was very curious, he had never seen a pony come out with a picture already, this was news indeed.
"Of course! I adventure, it would be really lame if I got lost while adventuring. Imagine that!" She burst out laughing.
"Indeed, it would be most humorous. If possible, could we enlist your help since the ways are numerous. We seek an ancient temple in these badlands. It has been a while since I've been, perhaps it's lost within the sands." Zecora said with such humility yet with commanding grace, it awed Starswirl.
"I can't think of anything better to do, so let's do it! I'm great at finding ancient temples and ruins, you could almost say I was born for it!" She laughed boisterously and took off, but this time at a moderate speed. The two land creatures kept pace.
***
The journey seemed to be going much smoother with Daring Do in the air. She seemed to lead them through the easier paths, even went through the effort of checking up ahead if the path was clear of rubble or vegetation. However, the temperature in the badlands was much warmer, resulting in the three of them in sorry states.
"Guys! I think I see it!" Daring exclaimed excitedly on the third sunrise since leaving the shaded forest. Her wings were beating really sluggishly yet she seemed to fly gracefully in the air. Starswirl looked ahead and squinted through the heat to see what she was pointing at and his eyes widened at the sight of a stone structure. Zecora also seemed to straighten up at the sight of the temple and her gait increased.
The sun traveled quite a distance in the sky when the three of them finally scaled the mountain. The temple was impressive at close quarters, it resembled a triangle somewhat and reached upwards. The sides were smooth except for the middle which indicated steps that led upwards. They were on all four sides and at the top looked as if it was a hut made out of stone. The three of them traveled upwards and were surprised to see a hallway leading downwards in a spiral.
"Into the depths?" Daring asked in giddy excitement. Her eyes betrayed nothing as she glanced hopefully between the two.
"into the depths." Starswirl concluded followed by a squee.
The three equines entered the pyramid, the structure's title given by Daring Do, and trotted down the steps. They were made out of some sort of stone made out of sand. Starswirl and the others followed the stairs that spiraled down, with an occasional torch in an alcove also made out of that weird sand stone. There were also peculiar scratch marks in the stone and the more Starswirl inspected them, the more wrong he felt.
"Starswirl, is something the matter? You look like you are about to scatter." Zecora asked gently, her exotic accent sounding strange in the tight staircase. Daring was in front of the two of them with a large grin.
"I am not sure. This place, my gut is saying something, but if this is the way to my daughters survival, then I shall ignore it." Starswirl shook his head defiantly and increased his tempo, forcing Zecora to speed up as well.
Just when Starswirl was convinced that there wouldn't be an end, the stairs ended. What was only a single file staircase, it now opened up to a huge room with various symbols on the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. Starswirl took a step forwards to inspect the symbols but Daring shot out a hoof and stopped him. He shot her a questioning glance.
"Stallion, are you trying to get yourself killed?" Daring guffawed much to his confusion. "Let me handle this, there's a reason I have a knack for adventuring." The tan pegasus shot a cocky grin before stepping on one of the symbols. It glowed green, a very unnatural green. "Step where I step and nowhere else, got it?"
"Yes." Came the chorused answer.
And so they went. Daring danced around the floor, stepping on various symbols with no rhyme or reason and with utter precision. Starswirl followed with decidedly less grace, trying his utmost best to step on the correct symbols. There was a close call when his beard nearly brushed a symbol but he quickly caught it with his magic. Zecora followed close behind, nearly as graceful as Daring. It made Starswirl reflect on things.
Before long or perhaps it was very long and time decided to be naughty, the three of them finally made it to the other side, with only one of them exhausted.
"Cheer up, I'd say we've got five more rooms before we make it to the room with the treasure. It usually is seven rooms, ancient cultures really had something about the number seven, isn't that fascinating. Ya know, there was this one time, can't remember where, but this entire valley had an uncountable amount of tombs. The amount of treasure there..." Daring trailed off with a faraway look in her eyes, drool was even coming out of her mouth.
"Zecora, why does Daring have memories? Should she not have any? She came into this world only three sunrises ago, where does the knowledge come from? She even has the picture on her flank!" Zecora seemed to ponder that, but that didn't seem to satisfy him enough. "Rain Shine also knew a lot. Why do some have knowledge where as others do not? Their age also differs between each pony, I do not understand the ways of the Chalice anymore." Starswirl knew he should be focused on the mission, get the artifact to save his daughters' lives, but this thought has been on his mind for far too long.
"I do not have an answer, Starswirl. My best advice is to let everything unfurl. To think on it would result in desolation, let Harmony worry over creation." Zecora said, her words having a soothing effect on Starswirl.
"Thank you, I needed that. Now, let us get that artifact."
Together, they snapped Daring out of that trance, and soon they continued. Due to the lack of a sun in the sky, Starswirl wasn't sure how long they took getting through all the rooms, but he knew for sure that it was an unnatural amount of countings. Each room had some sort of theme or so Daring says and with uncanny speed, the pegasus would figure it out almost immediately. After nearly getting sliced with a giant blade, Starswirl left everything to Daring and made triple sure of where he was stepping when following.
"Alright guys, we made it! The last room. Now, because this is where the artifact lies, the last room is usually where the hardest and most dangerous traps lie. It's probably best if you two stay here while I get it." She waited for confirmation and then flicked the lever, resulting in the sandstone wall lifting upwards. On this journey, he learned many words and meanings behind them from his two companions, making this adventure very profitable, but he wasn't here for words.
Once the door slid past their eyesight, everything was in view, or more specifically, a creature of monstrous proportions. It was dark and blue. A quadruped, with a huge jaw, adorned with gold, has a tail with a claw, but maybe the most important thing was that it was sentient. His beady black eyes filled with contempt locked onto the three ponies who dared enter his domain.
"My, my, my, what do we have here?" His voice rumbled with power and Starswirl took a step back. Zecora also looked uneasy, but Daring still had her silly grin, which somehow even widened. Starswirl had no idea how she could be so happy at a time like this!
"Ahuizotl!" Daring Do flapped her wings and sped off towards the towering behemoth before Starswirl could stop her. He cringed slightly, not wanting to see what might happen, but at the same time, couldn't look away. What happened astonished him.
"Daring!" The tan mare collided with the beast as he laughed with joy. The two hugged and chuckled occasionally. "I didn't know you were coming to visit! You should have told me."
"I didn't know I was going to visit! I was just helping my friends find an artifact that heals or something like that, I didn't know you were guarding it! How long has it been? Eight years? It's been too long!" Daring somehow escaped his grip and flew up to his head and gave him a noogie. No other words could describe the action.
"It certainly has! Are you still adventuring?" Their conversation slowly faded to the background as Starswirl turned to look at Zecora who looked back at him with equally wide eyes.
"I am beyond confused, Zecora. I have too many questions, but I can not even begin to comprehend much less ask about what I have seen." The poor stallion collapsed on the ground, one hand gripping the side of his head. Maybe he was still sick, still in bed with love drain. Maybe he collapsed from sheer exhaustion and dreaming or perhaps he's hallucinating from lack of water. It hasn't happened to him in a while but he remembered the effects, oh so clearly.
"I...I don't have an answer. Perhaps this is some cancer?" Starswirl could clearly see her grasping at straws, she too was just as confused as he was. The thought wasn't comforting at all.
The two fell into an uneasy silence and watched as Daring and Ahuizotl hit off like they were best of friends. The more he watched, the more he was convinced there must have been a life before the Chalice. That he's been dragging ponies away from their lives into his. The more he thought about it, the more terrible he felt. The growing agony he set for himself nearly drove him to run back home and apologize profusely to everypony, but he was here for a reason.
"Pardon me, mister Ahuizotl, is it? But we are here for something. The artifact supposedly heals, is this true?" The chatter amongst the two immediately stopped, their expressions becoming serious, and then in sync, Daring and Ahuizotl looked at him. He began to regret speaking up.
"The Font of Restoration, yes, it heals." The creature lowered himself to Starswirl's eye level and peered closely at him. The two stood like that for many a counting. "Daring here tells me of your daughters and how Chrysalis has taken their love. I am willing to give you enough water from the Font, under one condition."
"Yes. Anything." At the back of his mind, Starswirl knew that this was a terrible idea, but then the thought was quickly overridden by the pictures of his sick daughters.
"There will be a day when I come calling, be it favor or else, you will answer my summons. If you are indisposed, the call will be sent to the next pony of equal importance. Is this agreeable?" The mirth from earlier was completely erased. It was almost as if Starswirl was looking at a different creature.
"This is agreeable."
"Good. This is very good." The way he said it made him shiver, but the stallion has said his piece. It would be against his beliefs in Harmony to go against his word. "If you would follow me."
Daring immediately flew after him while Starswirl and Zecora followed after a few countings of hesitation. He did suppose he could use his magic if the worst came to worse. The trio followed the creature through many sandstone hallways. Each hallway seemed to have a different story depicted on the walls through curious etchings. Starswirl would've loved to inspect them, maybe even bring Stygian along, but he had a job to do. He was getting really tired of reminding himself and was frustrated that he had to remind himself in the first place.
The four finally made it to their destination which was a large square room with finely shaped columns on each corner. The walls here too showed a tale, this one looked very tragic from the many battles it depicted. At the very center, lay a huge bowl filled with, what it looked like to be, water. On the sides of the bowl lay various scriptures with a hidden meaning to Starswirl.
"This, is the Font of Restoration. A single drop and any harm done is gone. The power is only to be used in a plight most serious and not for one's own ends. Starswirl the Bearded, Harmony has chosen you and yours, thus resulting in your goal to be worthy of this Font. I give you this container to take with you as it carries many drops. Use it wisely and sparingly." Ahuizotl bowed deeply while his tail with a claw held out a curious looking cup. It felt like it was made out of wood and even had a lid so none of the liquid could spill out.
"My thanks could not be expressed in words or gestures, only know that you have saved me many a heartache." Starswirl also bowed.
"Go. Save your kin, waste time no longer." Ahuizotl made a curious waving gesture with his tail and soon Starswirl was outside of the structure. He heard Zecora thrum after him but no flaps. He didn't question why Daring wasn't with them anymore, but he knew it would be alright and that they would meet again one day. Now, it was all about the distance between him and his daughters.
Starswirl had been galloping for a full sun's lifespan. He then collapsed at the edge of the desert, completely exhausted and was about to fall asleep before Zecora placed something in front of his muzzle. The horrid smell immediately sent him back up to his feet and miraculously, he had strength and energy again. He charged forwards again. The two of them went through this process four times. It was by the fifth did they realize that they should have reached their destination by now, yet, they weren't.
"Zecora...Zecora..." The old stallion collapsed, wheezing out her name. The two of them came to a stop at the foot of a ridiculously large mountain. So large that Starswirl was sure it was magical by nature. Around them was a forest, the same forest they'd been running through for the past three sunrises. Heaving himself to his elbows, he started dragging himself to a semi-flat rock and propped himself on it. "Zecora...we're lost."
"Yes, it appears that we are lost. However, we still have options to exhaust!" Zecora held up a finger like she had a solution. Maybe she did, but by then Starswirl was already asleep.
***
He awoke up in a familiar blue ethereal landscape. Luna's landscape. He waited for a while, then the wooden portal appeared and opened before him. He smiled softly, this place still amazed him. None of this follows what he knows fundamentally, but he'll accept it, just like he accepts every other weird thing that's happened to him in the many moons since the Chalice was found.
"Luna? Are you here?" He was atop that hill, surrounded by water, crushed by the enormous starry sky. It was beautiful, but no matter where he looked, he couldn't find the mare he was looking for. So he decided to wait.
He lay down in the grass and watched the stars, every once in a while making sure that he doesn't get too comfortable. He trusted his daughter and if she said that this place was a trap, then he would heed her warning. But more time passed and it was getting harder to not relax. To prevent anything disastrous, he decided to get up and start pacing. When was Luna getting here?
After many loops, Starswirl decides to go investigate. This place is most curious, it shouldn't exist, yet it does. He roams around the island, taking everything into careful consideration. The rocks are pasty white and smooth, the grass was soft and healthy green, a lone colorful tree stood proud at the top, the sand was smooth and red, and the water. He crouched and put his hands into the water. It felt smooth and warm. Deciding on something potentially dumb, Starswirl cupped his hands and brought some water to his lips. It tasted delicious. He was tempted to take more, but he didn't dare to. Who knows where this comes from.
Deciding that his curiosity had been satisfied momentarily, Starswirl went back to his lie down area. Before the floor and his head could connect, a dark flash had him sit up in surprise.
In front of him, in the water, was another creature. One that looked vaguely like a pony but was completely purple and other night sky elements, like stars and blackness. It gave its body a certain depth to it. It even had a mane and a tail like a pony, although it seemed to be connected to the body as one whole thing. There weren't any eyes yet Starswirl felt the gaze on his pelt. It made him shiver uncontrollably. Then it stuck a hand out, away from the island. It took him a moment to realize what it wanted from him.
Deciding he had nothing better to do and he was really curious, Starswirl decided to follow directions and started trotting in that direction. He was pleasantly surprised to find that despite getting further away, the shallowness stayed at a constant. Many countings later did Starswirl realize who this creature was. Luna talked about it, Tante. Her protector and guider.
He wanted to go back and ask some questions, but his gut didn't like that idea very much, so he continued forward. He went until he saw something in the distance. Thinking that that must be his destination, he started galloping, each hoofstep sending water into the air. As he neared, the object turned out to be another portal, this one was purple though, unlike his plain wooden one. Not knowing what else to do, Starswirl opened the portal and stepped inside.
Instead of a void, like his portal, also not like Luna's island, he was instead greeted by a cave. He casted a light spell with his horn and the cave was illuminated. Starswirl could now glance around without much hinderance. The walls of the cave were jagged, rough, gray, cold, natural. The floor and ceiling too. This wasn't like their cave when the huge storm swept across the land, no, this was felt more haunting. Something primordial lived in this cave. Starswirl wanted to go back into the portal, back to the island, and he made his way back, but then a terrified cry stopped him. A familiar cry.
"No!" Starswirl immediately abandoned the idea of leaving and charged headfirst into the cave. Thinking that he might need to fight, he also summoned his staff and cast it back and forth in front of him just in case. From the walls and the sounds, he was nearing the end of the cave, but before he could get those final steps in, a bright blue spark lit up the cave. Starswirl was forced to look away and when he looked back, there was nothing but cries of anguish and a severed horn. A maroon unicorn horn. He opened his mouth and...
***
"FIZZLEPOP!" He jolted upwards, slamming his head against Zecora who was leaning over him but was now on the ground clutching her own head. She didn't look angry, more mildly annoyed.
"Starswirl, it is unwise for you to sleep. Else you'll fall into a dream so deep." Zecora got up and offered her hand. He accepted and got hauled back to his feet and mumbled a thanks, his mind somewhere else entirely. "May I inquire on the name you cried? I only ask because your eyes are so wide."
"I...I had a dream. A Night...Nightmare." Starswirl sat back down and clutched his head. "I think...I think something terrible has happened to Fizzlepop. We need to get back, now!"
"I want the same as you, but we are lost, us two." Zecora pointed out.
"Yes...that is...that is true." He could feel himself unwinding. Sweat started to appear on his brows, his breathing, irregular, his imagination going wild. The one picture that stayed in his mind, no matter what scenario he came up with, that severed unicorn horn. He could feel Zecora's questioning gaze on him but he didn't know what to say, what to do. Everything was falling apart.
While the two were distracted with a certain pony, the Chalice fell out of Starswirl's bag and onto the dirt. Actually, to be more specific, mud. The glass filled up with liquid, glowing, a picture of a large rock, and then...nothing.
Starswirl and Zecora noticed the glow and watched, but when nothing came out, the two of them looked at each other with confused expressions.
"This has never happened before! Perhaps we have used it too much?" The stallion moved closer to the Chalice, inspecting the cracked glass for anything different, but nope, nothing. None of this makes any sense, he was just about to put the Chalice back into his bag, deciding that nothing was going to come of it, a young mare appeared next to him.
"Whoa!" Starswirl propelled himself backwards, completely stunned by the appearance of the mare. She wore a unamused expression, had a gray coat, and a purple mane and tail. She even had a picture on her flank, a large rock. Her whole ensemble was very...lackluster.
"Hi." Even her voice sounded monotone. It was by then did Starswirl reoriented himself and faced the new mare. Zecora was beside him as well, wearing a very intrigued look.
"Hello. My name is Starswirl the Bearded, this here is Zecora. What is yours?" He tried out for a smile, but even a new pony couldn't keep his memories straying to his nightmare and his daughters.
"Maud...Maud Pie." She then reached into a curious looking dark blue thing wrapped around her and pulled out a smooth tiny rock. "This is Boulder. He's my pet. He's also a rock."
"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Pie. If you don't find it too offensive, we must fly." Zecora bowed once before getting back up and heading off in a direction. Starswirl hesitated and look back to see Maud already moving, although much slower.
"What is the matter?" She asked, blinking slowly. Starswirl wasn't sure how to answer that. Was she concerned? Disappointed? He just decided to tell the truth.
"My daughters are sick, we are trying to get back home so I can cure them with this." He held up the strange cup. He saw her nod, slowly. "But we find ourselves lost. And on top of that, I had this terrible nightmare. I just...I just do not know what to do." He felt even more drained after he spilled his problems and slid down to the ground. Zecora must've heard his wails and turned back, concern etched in her exotic face. He put his hands over his eyes and face and held it there, comforted by the darkness. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and blinked in surprise.
"I am good at tracking. I can help." Despite her monotonous voice and her unamused frown, Starswirl saw something behind those eyes. "What do the rocks look like in your home?"
He stared at her, unsure of what to say. Deciding that he might as well, he closed his eyes trying to remember. "We...we live in a valley. The mountains look gray...? I am sorry."
"That is a good start."
"The cliff walls looks like it is crumbling, broken into other smaller rocks, despite many of them still being big. Actually, I remember it being more white than gray. Maybe both." The more he thought and said, the more he remembered. "I remember that one night in the cave, I saw a strange round picture in the rock. It kept on getting smaller and smaller, and it felt like there were ridges. Does...does this help?"
"Yes. That rock is called Limestone. It is a sedimentary rock made of calcium carbonate. I can find it. Follow me." She then took off and a considerable faster pace and Starswirl had to run to keep up. His earlier exhaustion somehow disappeared. To his side, Zecora sprinted after him, looking more collected than him. When all of this is over, he wants to ask her more about the Hunt.
The whole journey took a single sun's journey. Zecora had to keep his energy up using mysterious herbs and hand gestures. It was miraculous, but such thoughts would hinder him. Maud proved to know exactly what she was doing, because when the sun dipped below the horizon, the three of them arrived in the valley. Without waiting or thanking the earth pony, he sped up and immediately dashed into the hut. He passed a sleeping Granny who immediately bolted upwards when he barreled past.
Starswirl pushed away Shining who also awoke in surprise, but he didn't have time for any explanations. He quickly and carefully dropped a single drop of whatever substance the Font of Restoration procures into Celestia's mouth and then Cadance's mouth. He then sat back on the floor with an exhausted sigh and watched as the two mares' breathing eased and the sweating and restlessness stopped. Cadance even smiled. In the back he could hear Shining crying in relief but was too exhausted to get up, Starswirl sympathized.
Then Granny barged in, her mouth open with no doubt a rebuttal, but then her eyes spotted the two mares. She cracked a smile and made eye contact with Starswirl who smiled in return. Then her smile faltered and he frowned.
"What's wrong?"
"It's...it's...ah shucks." Granny shook her head, eyes closed, and grimaced. "Fizzlepop's missin'."
"What do you mean missing!" Starswirl was frantic, his earlier joy at curing Celestia and Cadance went off the cliff. This was something else entirely! Despite his daughters being sick and useless, at least they were here, within trotting distance! Now nopony knew where Fizzlepop was!
"Ah'm...ah'm real sorry, Starswirl. Ah haven't seen her since ya left. Ah've tried lookin' all over, ah even dragged poor Shinin' out. Couldn't find any trace of the filly." Granny Smith looked so defeated, her head hung low, mane drooping and dirty, coat unkept, and her eyes weary of sleep deprivation. Starswirl didn't care.
"You did not look hard enough!" He pushed past the green mare and out into the open. It was near moon-high and the stars were frolicking above, a perfect night, but that didn't matter now. Nothing mattered except Fizzlepop. Starswirl glanced around trying to gain some semblance of direction before taking off towards the north. Behind him he heard Granny calling out his name, but he didn't care.
Starswirl the Bearded, father to five, Guardian of Harmony, leader of the ponies. He failed. That thought resounded in his head with every step he took. Lowering his head, he let the wind stream around him. Pumping his arms, he allowed the momentum to boost him more. Screaming his heart out, Starswirl let loose all the frustrations, heartache, and stress from the many moons out into the open.
He felt good after that, but not better. He continued his run. He failed. Trees passed around him in a blur, shrubberies mattered not to his crusade, and critters made haste to get out of his way. Every hoofstep vibrated through the earth, the very core of Equus felt his despair. His vision became blurred, wet tears flowing around his muzzle. Each teardrop landed behind him with a quiet and heartbroken plop.
Then the ground disappeared and before Starswirl could react, he took a tumble. His battered, overused, and old body felt every bump and crash. He lay at the bottom of that hill, sore and tired, depressed and agonizing. He failed. He looked up, unable to do anything else, and watched the night sky. A lone gray cloud drifted by, slightly obscuring the crescent moon, but did not fully diminish it's glory.
Then the tranquility of that wretched night was broken by a little mewl. With an effort that pained him, Starswirl tilted his head to the left. There, amongst the broken foliage caused by his fall, lay a broken butterfly. With great care, he lit his horn, bathing the dark hollow with a dull light. He let his magic float over the butterfly and cast a spell. Whether he knew he could do anything or not did not mean anything to him, if he couldn't help his filly, then at the very least, he would help this poor critter and not let it suffer because of his own mistakes.
It took a few countings, perhaps more, before the soothing touch of Starswirl's magic fully healed the butterfly. The fauna got up and tried out its healed appendages and seemingly satisfied with everything, the butterfly floated over to Starswirl's head and nudged it slightly before flittering off. Although broken and in pieces, Starswirl felt something in his heart. With his newfound power and sense of righteousness, he got up, despite all of his aches and hurts.
Before he could get his bearings, an amber light glowed behind him. Turning around, Starswirl was pleasantly surprised to see the Chalice of Life intact and illuminated with a warm buttery amber. When the glass cup was full, a picture of three pink butterflies were shown and the sight made Starswirl smile, even if it was a lost one.
A quick flash later and in the light's place was a yellow pegasus and a pink mane. The newly born mare opened her turquoise eyes and stared at Starswirl. He blinked. She blinked. Then she squeaked and jumped behind a bush, the only thing visible was her long pink tail.
"Oh, I apologize. I did not mean to frighten you." Starswirl reached out then paused, he wasn't entirely sure what to do in this situation. His heart was delicate and his mind was fragile. He fai...
"Oh n...no, I'm s...sorry. I thought you just lo...looked like a m...monster." The pegasus hung her head and slowly walked out of the bush. The mare was beautiful as mares go, certainly older than Celestia, maybe even older than Granny. Her eyes held a certain intelligence and kindness that made Starswirl want a big, warm, feathery hug.
"Oh. I do not think we have monsters here." Starswirl tried for a smile. It didn't seem to come.
"Thank goodness." She smiled timidly, looking more relaxed than ever. Then she looked over and froze up with a slightly horrified expression. Starswirl just looked on confused.
"What is the matter?"
"Are you okay?" The mare trotted up to him with big worried eyes, it was uncomfortable to look at so Starswirl looked away, but found that he couldn't. When he looked down, he saw a strong yellow hoof keeping his head in her direction. Unable to look anywhere else, Starswirl resigned himself to his fate and gazed into the creature before him.
"What do you mean by that?"
"You have cuts, bruises, scrapes, punctures, torn fur, a concussion. But why I'm asking is because..." Her already soft spoken voice went even quieter. "...your heart. It's crying." Without needing any further justification, the mare wrapped her hooves and wings around Starswirl, a stallion she just met. Despite himself, the stallion found himself smiling and crying at the same time, leaving him a blubbering hiccuping mess.
"I'm hic sor...sorry!" He wailed through his tears. The mare just made soothing noises and rubbed his back in a circular motion. It was calming and comforting, and soon enough, he found himself calming down.
"Is that better?"
"...yes. Thank you."
"Anything for a pony in need." The mare gently pushed away Starswirl so he could witness the most beautiful smile he would ever see.
"Thank you...?"
"Fluttershy."
***
The rest of the night was spent in that hollow, the two ponies talking, or more accurately, Starswirl was talking and Fluttershy listened. She was a great listener. The moon nearly made it to the horizon when Starswirl ended his tale with a grief-punctuated, "I have failed."
"Oh no, I don't think you failed. I think you did exactly what you thought you should've done and that is admirable. No father should ever be at fault for doing something they think is best for their daughters." Fluttershy smiled again and Starswirl felt like the world lit up. Once again, he looked upon the Chalice in awe. The creatures this object has created have all been miraculous, but Fluttershy seemed to have topped them all.
"Thank you...again. But now I think I should head out, perhaps I could find some clue to where Fizzlepop has gone." The stallion flashed an apologetic smile and got up, the bones in his back cracked and his various cuts stung.
"I'll help you." She said simply. He could not think of any reason to turn her down, so the two went out to search.
The two maneuvered their way out of the hollow and made their way to a ridge. They decided to encircle the rock formation, their eyes alit with dim hope and fragile determination, but it was enough.
The sun was well into the sky by the time the duo found something. Starswirl was beyond weary as he approached the cave that held Fluttershy's interest. It didn't look special, in fact it looked very similar to the one in the valley. Without looking at the mare, Starswirl made his way inside. He flicked on his horn, lighting the way with a flickering light source. Together, they looked around. There were some three stripe marks all over the walls and floors, some rocks looked to be crushed, and the ceilings appeared to have a curious looking rock stripe. Starswirl was immediately in awe, this purple crystal looking thing looked marvelous, something Stygian would definitely approve of.
He was about to make a comment before a horrified gasp interrupted. Starswirl glanced up, dread already seeping through his cracked heart. There beneath Fluttershy's hooves lay a very familiar horn. A small maroon unicorn horn. Starswirl dropped to his knees, ignoring the pain the hard rock floor caused upon his knees. All he could do was stare at this....this...this.
He felt thoughts and emotions start to slowly creep over the shards of his heart and into his brain. They started whispering suggestions and theories. But before he could discern any of their meanings, a warm, feathery hug surprised him.
A full day's cycle had passed when Starswirl the Bearded stumbled into the hollow. His broken heart shattered into even more pieces after the discovery of Fizzlepop's horn. He was certain that he would have fallen into a pit of despair that he would not care to escape were it not for Fluttershy. The mare hugged and comforted him for longer than was necessary and even went beyond that. After his shoulders stopped shaking and his tears stopped falling, he made for the exit, feeling stifled and horrid in this cave. He fell several times, blood even spurting out his left knee, but Fluttershy was there to keep him going. Through this whole endeavor just to get back home, did he realize that he was clutching both the Chalice and Fizzlepop's horn in his hands. Fluttershy didn't say anything, so neither did he.
"Starswirl." A strong voice broke through his fog of pain. It wasn't the mere fact that there was somepony speaking, it was because he recognized his own suffering, his own grief and powerlessness, in that voice. He shifted so the speaker filled his view.
"Granny." His voice cracked. Another tear slipped out. He didn't think he had anymore left.
"Come on, you old goat." With the help of Fluttershy, whom Granny kindly didn't ask about, the two were able to heave Starswirl to the house and into one of the sleeping areas. He curled up within himself once they let him go and didn't allow himself to meet anypony's eyes, despite feeling many sets on his pelt.
***
Starswirl didn't know how many sunrises had passed when a loud crash interrupted his grief. He looked up from his moss bed and immediately regretted it from the sudden ache in his neck and shoulders. Grunting heavily, Starswirl managed to swing his legs over and pushing with his arms, he got to his hooves. Once he stretched after who knows how long, did he start to feel all of the aches and burns of his abused body.
Dim sunlight was filtering through the open doorway as Starswirl slowly shuffled his way forwards and into the light. He immediately looked to the right, the spot where he heard the noise. Muffins? He still didn't know her name, was lying in a very awkward position, her muzzle firmly planted on the wooden wall.
"Are you alright?"
"Oh! You're awake!" The strange mare extracted herself from the wall and gave a lazy salute. "Everypony's been worried. Muffin?" The adorable mare held up a single muffin in her hands complete with an innocent grin.
"...sure." He plucked the muffin and began munching away. It was delicious. As for Muffins, she giggled and scampered off. He watched, trying to follow her movements but somehow lost her after she tripped. It was like the ground swallowed her up and left nothing behind. Starswirl wasn't sure if he should be concerned or not.
"Well, if it ain't Starswirl himself." He turned to find Granny looking straight at him with a heavy glare. "Ah've got some words for ya." Without giving him a moment to comprehend, she already had him by the horn and was dragging him away. He just had time to see several more ponies on the other side of the hollow watching the scene unfold. At the mercy of Granny Smith, he couldn't do anything but let it happen. Some stallion he was.
Halfway through, Starswirl found himself drifting off. He didn't know where nor did he care. He just...floated away. It was peaceful for a moment, in a tragic way. The sun was still shining, the clouds still moved across the sky, the ground was still the ground, yet everything seemed dull. Out of place, perhaps.
"Alright. Here's good enough." He was unceremoniously dropped to the ground. He groaned and got up, looking around. Granny brought him to a cliff overlooking the hollow. There was a heavy thump beside him and he reluctantly turned and looked to see the green mare bearing down on him. "Yer grieving, ah get that, ah do. Ya know why? Cuz ah'm grieving too. That filly was good as mine, just as she was yers. But do ya see me moping about like some sad little foal? Get yer act together, Starswirl. Yer daughters need ya, ah need ya, heck, even that stick Stygian needs ya. It ain't healthy being cooped up in there, does nopony good. Now, ah'm gonna leave ya up here till ya feel better." Granny snorted, gave him one last glare, then marched back down. Starswirl just stared after her.
The sun was dangerously close to being extinguished, giving the world a warm embrace as if saying goodbye. Starswirl had managed to drag his bruised body to the edge of the cliff and looked down upon the ponies that inhabited the space. The first pony that caught his attention was not even a pony, but a zebra. He was surprised to see that Zecora was still here, he was sure she had wandered off somewhere. He was somewhat comforted to see Fluttershy right beside her, the two seemed to be comfortable with each other. The sight almost caused him to smile.
With careful movements, almost lethargically, Starswirl turned to look elsewhere which happened to be his daughters. Celestia and Luna, bless them, were relaxing in the grass, eyes closed. Even from this far away, he could feel the joy Luna was emitting from finally having her sister back. Cadance and Shining Armor were cuddling up next to each other on a particularly comfortable rock, he should know, he made it comfortable. Any annoyance to the couple taking his rock was replaced with a wary smile. Those two deserve their peace after what Shining had to suffer.
His smile immediately died when he noticed that Sunset Shimmer was nowhere to be found. He quickly pushed himself to his hooves and scanned, his eyes darting from one side to the hollow to the next. He was about to run down the hill when he suddenly heard:
"Swirly?" A small voice, the tiniest. He turned around and there she was.
"Sunset?"
"I'm scared." The orange filly, nearly old enough to be a mare, was crying silently. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her bottom lip trembled, but she held in the wails.
Starswirl didn't need any other confirmation and picked her up despite his back and knees saying otherwise. He held Sunset close as he maneuvered back to his spot overlooking the valley. The two of them sat and cried silently to their own grief.
***
"Starswirl, move yer sorry flank out here and help me harvest these apples 'fore the frost sets in!" Granny's voice broke through his sleepy haze. It's been several moons since the disappearance of Fizzlepop and everypony's seemed to have moved on, his heart said differently.
"Coming." He stepped out of the hut and into the chilly air. He thought after leaving the north and that crazy shadow unicorn behind, that snow wouldn't be a problem. Harmony said otherwise.
As he trotted to where Granny had somehow planted several apple trees, scavenged from who knows where. He's learned to not question the actions of Granny. As he slowly picked apples from the lower branches while she does the higher ones, she insists it must be done by hand, Starswirl thought of the recent moons and the absence of the quiet maroon filly, like he usually does in quiet moments like these.
With a single pony gone, even a small filly like her, it seemed like the hollow was empty. Devoid of life. Occasional moments like Ditzy Doo's hijinks or the clicking of Maud Pie mining somewhere in the outskirts brought him back to reality where ghosts don't dwell, but they don't usually last many countings. The more he thought aboutit, perhaps Harmony was right in letting the cold of the north befall them. It certainly reflects his mood as of late.
Starswirl absently tried to grab an apple, but his hoof slipped on a suspiciously wet rock and before he had time to cry out, his muzzle smacked into the tree trunk. He groaned as he peeled himself off the bark and blubbered pitifully as blood poured out of his nose at an alarming rate.
"Ah, Starswirl, ya bumbling buffoon."
"...do you even know what a buffoon is?"
"Git up, ya old colt." Granny heaved his aching body upwards and placed him on a nearby padded rock. "Now sit." He sat. She sighed. "Ah'll...ah'll just do this last part mahself, okay? Just rest a smidge."
Starswirl sighed and picked up a large chunk of moss and placed it against his muzzle, hoping to staunch the bleeding. It worked, somewhat. After making sure he was alright, he looked to the setting sun. It was beautiful in a way, the way the sun makes the surrounding area gold and blurry. Truly perplexing, one he would've thought about for many a day cycle were he still in his youth and of a healthy mind.
Before he could delve deep into his crumbling self, a bright glow caught his attention. The Chalice of Life, placed atop a tree stump, was basking the surrounding area in a lovely yellow hue. It filled up relatively fast and soon depicted a bushel of carrots. How he knew that did not matter much to Starswirl, he was long past the mystery of those marks and of the naming of certain objects and concepts.
He barely noticed Granny standing next to him wearing a curious as well as an annoyed expression. Then with a blinding flash, a new creature entered Equus. When vision returned to his eyes, he picked out that it was a earth pony mare.
"Hello!" She called out in a cheerful manner, her grin matching her tone, as she stared at the two.
"Hello."
"Good eve."
"I'm Golden Harvest, some ponies call me Carrot Top, do NOT call me that. Kay? Kay!" The bubbly mare giggled and before Starswirl could answer, she noticed the apple trees. "Oh my Harmony, are those fruit trees? Oh, yes!" She zipped off without warning and started plucking the apples with gusto.
"Hey, hey, hey! Young mare, ah will tan yer hide if ah find a single blemish on these apples! We need 'em for...for...huh." Starswirl peeked behind the earlier angry mare and gaped at the perfect apples, not a single bruise on the surface. "How is she so good?"
"It's my talent, silly!" She giggled again, somehow sandwiched between the two. Starswirl let out a gasp of surprise and pinwheeled backwards. Where did she come from!? As for Granny, she just stared at the yellow mare with...actually, Starswirl had no idea how to word whatever was on her face.
Many moons have passed since... she disappeared. Starswirl didn't feel better, but he felt more...acclimated. He was smiling and laughing, he could hold full conversations for a lengthy amount of time without breaking down. But all this positivity had an end sooner or later, and he would spend his lows either up on a hill or in the hut.
In those months, he had his family and friends expand the hut so more ponies could fit inside due to the coming cold. After the first snowfall, they hustled as fast as they could and was just in time right before the big dump. Now, the whole world was covered in white and mists appeared with every breath. It was peaceful in a way, now that Starswirl knew what to expect.
Starswirl sat in front of the open doorway and looked out into the winter wonderland. He didn't know where he got that description, but it felt right. It did feel wintery and it did feel wondrous. He sighed, his thoughts flicking back to her again. Ever since they finished with the extended hut, the lack of work allowed him to have a lot of time towards thinking. Very much unlike earlier in his life where he thought he could spend his entire existence thinking.
"Swirly?" Celestia trotted up to him with a tentative smile.
"Yes?" He didn't move a muscle. There was no reply, so he turned around. His filly was no longer a filly, a beautiful full grown mare and the sight made him smile sadly. Fizzlepop would never grow up like her. Behind Celestia, Luna was giggling along with Sunset who had a leaf stuck in her mane and was trying, with not much success, to get it out.
"Come spend time with us, Shining invented a game for us to play. It's called...Og...Ohg..." She stopped and smiled sheepishly. "I have no idea what he called it. But won't you join us?"
Starswirl thought about it then thought better of it. "Sure."
Celestia beamed and grabbed his hand and dragged him to where Shining and Cadance were setting up...something. Golden Harvest was already there, vibrating in place, while Granny watched from a corner with a thoughtful frown. Starswirl took his place next to Harvest and watched with avid interest. The other stallion was pulling out several objects, all with different shapes and colors. He also had a bunch of paper with various scribbles, no doubt given to him by Stygian. When Starswirl was looking around to figure out where his friend was, he was surprised to find that he was right next to him.
"Stygian! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" The gray stallion grinned widely.
"My apologies, it was not my intention."
"Ha, no matter. Do you know what this game is about?"
"I have no clue. Shining Armor did not share any information with me when he inquired about my paper."
"Guess we will just have to figure it out ourselves."
"Shhhh!" Harvest shushed, her playful gaze focused on whatever Shining was bringing out now.
The two stallions looked back and watched with confusion as the white unicorn brought out more objects and even more paper. What kind of game is this that requires so much paper? It took many countings before Shining was finally done with whatever he was doing. Then he looked up and looked surprised.
Starswirl looked around and noticed everypony had gathered around the large flat rock. Zecora and Fluttershy, Luna, Celestia, and Sunset. Granny Smith had gotten closer, Muad was here too...somehow. Starswirl thought she had left some time ago. Muffins had somehow found her way between himself and Golden Harvest, much to his confusion.
"Oh...heh, I wasn't expecting everypony..." Shining looked embarrassed and trailed off.
"It's okay, honey. You've got this!" Cadance cheered and kissed his cheek. Starswirl felt an old parental surge, but quickly tempered it when he noticed a glance from Granny.
"Hoo, okay. Okay, so this is a game I invented. I call it Ogres and Oubliettes, or O&O for short. It's a rocktop roleplaying game. Basically, you have this...character you invent for yourself and you play that character. With that character, I have this world where I drop your characters in and then I give you a story and you interact with my world in the way you would think your character would act. So uhh...yeah? It's better if we play." Shining smiled self consciously.
Everypony murmured their agreement in various fashions.
"Right, okay. So this is a character sheet and..."
***
It was well into the night when they finished with their first 'session'. Because of the amount of ponies, there were two 'campaigns', one hosted by Shining Armor and the other by Cadance. Celestia, Luna, Sunset, and Fluttershy played with Cadance and from the amount of giggles, Starswirl concluded they were having fun. That left himself, Stygian, Granny, Harvest, Maud, and Zecora with Shining.
Despite the large 'party', Shining, the 'Game Master', handled them pretty well. Starswirl certainly had fun, playing a sorcerer. Zecora was a tribal priest, Stygian a scholarly wizard, Harvest a perky Bard, Maud was a stoic paladin, and Granny the scary fighter. The party was 'well balanced', whatever that meant.
By the end of it, Shining was out like a nightlight with a content smile, while the rest of us sipped at some warm apple cider. It was delicious, like always. Starswirl let himself drift after the second sip, let all his emotions drain out of him, leaving only a warmed up husk. It felt nice, not thinking, for once. But before he knew it, it was over.
"Starswirl?" Granny shook him with a concerned expression.
"Heh. I am fine." He smiled and genuinely meant it. He did indeed feel fine. "Thanks, Granny."
***
A few sunrises later, the snow stopped falling and the outside was pure white. After a talk with Granny, Starswirl decided that it would be interesting to explore outside. They didn't really have the luxury when they were up further north and especially not with all these new ponies. For the majority of them, Granny included, this was their first snowfall.
"Wooo!" Sunset burst outside with a big grin and immediately disappeared.
"Sunset!" Starswirl got struck in the chest and burst through after her, desperate to find her. He couldn't lose another one! His vision started losing focus, his breaths came rapidly and erratic. He was about to destroy the winter wonderland with his magic when a hand was placed on his shoulder. He turned around. "Granny?"
"It got ya hard, didn't it?" He stared at her uncomprehending. "Look around, ya oaf. Sunset's fine, look." He turned to look and saw the orange unicorn giggling and rolling around in the snow. Starswirl felt his blood pressure return to normal as he shot a grateful glance to Granny.
Then a solid thump landed on his back. "Not it!" Celestia rushed past with a giggle, but then immediately tripped in the heavy snow. Before Starswirl could register anything, she was back on her hooves and wading her way through the snow.
"Wait!" Starswirl the Bearded, old as he was, rushed after her feeling young again. More ponies joined in the game, until it was just Stygian watching with amused disinterest. There were tackles, snowball fights, and no mercy. It was soon after tagging Maud, did everypony realize she was a force to be reckoned with. Starswirl found himself running for his life when her soulless eyes lit up with the tinniest of interest when she spotted him. All in all, they were having fun.
He had no idea how long they played when in the distance, thunder cracked. The game slowed and everypony started to gather around each other.
"How unfortunate for this storm to appear, we were having such good cheer." Zecora said sadly, shaking her head.
"Starswirl." Granny trotted up to him. "Something about this is unnatural."
He looked up then looked towards Stygian. "Stygian, tell me about this storm."
"It is most unique, no clouds were accumulating and then suddenly they were there. I think...oh, there it was again. Yes, there are magical flashes in the storm too. This is magical in nature, not natural magic. I suggest we get inside before it arrives." Stygian commented almost casually, but Starswirl noted the stress behind those words.
"Alright everypony, inside!" He shouted and was met with groans. "Yeah, yeah. I know."
They all filed in grumpily. Starswirl casted on last look behind him before going in. Through these last few days, they experimented with Stygian's paper. So Sunset and Luna immediately went back to their paper projects while Celestia started chatting with Fluttershy and Zecora. Maud started inspecting rocks she somehow had gotten while playing their game of tag. Shining and Cadance started going over some O&O stuff. That left Granny, Starswirl, and Stygian watching out a window.
"What could cause this?" The gray stallion asked.
"I'm not sure." Stygian replied.
"Somethin' hooey, ah'm sure." Granny added.
As they watched, the clouds gathered at an alarming rate and lightning strikes happened more frequently. Starswirl could've sworn he saw a picture in the darkened sky, but before he could make it out, it disappeared. He frowned. He was about to turn around when suddenly the Chalice of Life started glowing once again.
"Another pony?" Stygian asked, curious.
Starswirl didn't reply and instead held up the glass, wondering what the trigger was this time. Then without warning, the glass shot out of his hands and hovered out of a window that was somehow open. The three stared in shock as the glass rose up into the air and just at the moment, lightning shot from the heavens and struck the glass. The world was awash in blue and yellow, blinding everycreature in the vicinity. When vision came back to Starswirl, he witnessed a pony-shaped silhouette fall from the sky.
Without a second of thought, he rushed through the doorway and galloped for the pony. Luckily, due to their antics, the snow was trampled and gave Starswirl enough grip for his hooves. Then the snow storm started to pick up and he soon found himself in a snow storm. He barely had time to register the fact that none of this made any sense. As if reading his thoughts, the storm kicked another lightning bolt in his direction.
Starswirl threw himself to the side and the lightning missed, but the now the ground was on fire. He ignored that and kept on running, determined to save whoever this pony was. The first thing he caught was the Chalice, it was still intact and whole. Then the pony hurtled ever closer.
The crazy storm was messing with his concentration, but he was able to wrap his hue around the pony and break their fall. The pegasus, he saw, lay in a hole filled with dust and slushy snow. He quickly tucked away the glass and grabbed the pegasus and heaved. He was about to change tactics when Granny suddenly appeared out of nowhere and together, the two were able to heave the unconscious pegasus back to the house.
By the time they got back, their pelts were drenched and several fires were spreading around the house. Shining wasted no time and erected a shield around the house and as if offended, the storm chucked another bolt which made the white unicorn flinch in pain.
"SWIRLY!" Celestia all but tackled him, followed by Luna and Sunset. "What were you thinking!"
"You could've died!" Luna was sobbing.
"Why did you do that?" Sunset's expression was the worst, her filly eyes wide and flittering, just hit him like a punch from Maud.
Starswirl just gestured weakly to the pegasus they saved and then collapsed, his energy spent. "I think...I think I am going to take a nap."
Seven whole sunrises, that's how long the storm lasted. Thankfully, because of the heavy snow, the fires were doused, but several of the trees were now burnt. And, because of Shining Armor's shield, the house sustained zero damage. Also, throughout those seven sunrises, Starswirl endured punishment from everypony.
"Yer not leavin' that corner till ah say so." "Oooh...looks like you rolled a one, your character slips on some loose gravel and falls down the hill." "Swirly! Look! Look what I can do!" "Starswirl, the patterns in the sky are quite curious. See how the lightning flashes?" "SWIIIIIRLLLLLLLY, I SAW SOMETHING SCARY IN THE TREES!" "Buck you."
Starswirl sighed. The new pony, Lightning Dusk, was quite difficult in that time. She was always casting hateful glares with no explanation. The only thing that anypony knew about her was her name and that was right after she woke up for the first time. The filly, nearly a mare, immediately kicked and/or whacked everypony away after she woke up fully and huddled in a corner. It took a lot of talking, bribing with food and O&O, beating up Starswirl (that was Granny's idea), tackle hugs from Sunset (only two of them), and annoying the stars out of her to finally get her out of the corner she had camped in.
It was the morning of the 7th, Luna and Starswirl were doodling, it was a new word Luna came up with. The young mare was giggling to herself as she drew silly pictures of ponies, specifically of Lightning. As for Starswirl, he took a liking to drawing nature. For his current picture, he wanted to make a beautiful valley abundant with luscious trees and blooming flowers. And bushes, he liked to draw bushes.
It was then, did he notice Lightning was looking at them. Or maybe, just at him.
"Yes?" He looked up, trying to keep his expression kindly. Normally, that wouldn't be hard, but when one is cooped up for so long as well as harassed...
"Who are you?" The question was sudden and blunt, her face all but stone.
"Starswirl the Bearded?" He replied, almost questioning. He was quite certain he had told her his name. He frowned internally, did he forget to?
"No. I know that. Who are you?"
"I do not know how to answer that."
She stared for a moment, as if sizing him up, and then turned around and left. Starswirl looked, baffled, as she disappeared behind some padded rocks. Not knowing what else to do, he went back to his drawings. Beside him, Luna made even more exaggerated expressions of Lightning, he should probably have told her off, but she was having fun.
***
Later in the day, Cadance noticed the snow had stopped and announced it to the rest of the group. Starswirl barely had a moment to look to see if she was correct when everypony stampeded out. He smiled softly when giggles and squeals floated to his ears. He took a step outside and basked in the warmth.
There was a time where he would investigate the fresh snow, the glowing sun, the bitter cold, but he let Stygian do the work. Nowadays, he cared more for the smiles on everypony's faces. Feeling a bit tired, he maneuvered through the heavy snow and found a padded rock. He brushed away the snow and sat down.
It started drizzling soon after, but not enough to keep everypony indoors. He actually liked how the water ran through his pelt. The feeling was so nice, his eyes started to droop. It wasn't a bad sight at all, his friends and family playing around in the winter wonderland, a glimmering sun in the distance, a plethora of colors in the sky. He wouldn't mind if this was his last vision. He let out a contented sigh and allowed his body to sag into a more comfortable position. Memories started flickering through his head, he felt a warm embrace wrap around his chest, a small smile played on his lips.
Then his eyes shot open. Wait a minute. Starswirl looked back to the sky. Colors? In the sky? He scrambled to his hooves and shook off the snow and rain that had gathered on him and stared with such intent. There it was, shimmering on the horizon. An arc of color. Then that exact color palette started glowing from next to him. Starswirl glanced back and felt his mouth drop at the sight of the chalice floating and depicted a picture of a cloud and a lightning bolt.
Without warning, a loud bang threw him off his hooves before he felt a sharp pain in his head and then the world went black.
***
"Dangnabbit Starswirl, if every time a pony spawns into existence and ah find ya unconscious, what's a mare supposed ta think?" He awoke to find a glowering Granny Smith. The sight was so familiar that he didn't even feel the urge to yelp.
"Granny."
"Git up, ya buffoon." Granny grasped his arms and heaved him up without much effort. He sighed heavily once he found his footing.
"Who is it this time?" A pony that came out with an explosion could mean quite a few things. Starswirl wasn't sure if he wanted to deal with such explosiveness.
"She calls 'erself Rainbow Dash. She and the other filly have been sizin' each other up fer the past hour or so." The green mare spat to the side before looking off into the distance. Starswirl followed her eyes and spotted Lightning Dust facing off a cyan pegasus with a shock of a...rainbow? mane. They were circling each other, their stance low and their wings high.
"Wha...what is happening?" He slowly got to his hooves, his vision a bit blurry.
"Weren't ya listenin'? Tcha, old stallions. Ah said, they're sizin' each other up." Granny hummed. "Call it a battle of wings if ya will."
As they watched, the two kept on circling. Neither ever letting their gaze fall off the other. Each tested out their wings, see if the other would react. A sudden breeze blew through the valley causing their manes to flow in the wind. It made the whole scene even more intense. Starswirl wasn't sure what was going to happen and he didn't like that.
He was about to step in and stop the showdown when suddenly, the two pegasi shot upwards. He's seen pegasi fly, mainly Derpy and Cadance, but it seems like he's never seen a pegasus fly fly. He watched in awe.
The two spiraled around each other, like a double helix. Starswirl had no idea what that meant, but those words felt right. When they got to the point where the clouds floated, they dove back down. Behind them, their tails seem to be glowing and exuding a...contrail. Rainbow's was rainbow and Lightning's was turquoise with a lightning streaking down the middle. It was incredible.
But before he could fully enjoy what he was seeing, they had reached the ground and both had pulled up before they crashed. The pegasi kept on flapping their wings as hard as they could, reaching untold speeds. The snow around them flew in all sorts of directions, creating a barren path where the grass could be seen again. All the while, the two were circling each other, looping around, pushing forwards, and falling backwards. It almost seemed like they were testing each other.
Then they dove into the forest and soon the woods were awash with transparent colors and after images of the ponies themselves. Starswirl was beyond baffled.
"I need to inspect them later. The way they use their wings is incredible." Stygian muttered, suddenly appearing next to him. Starswirl yelped only slightly, before nodding. No other creature he's seen was this fast nor had the mobility these two had.
"Yeah...I wonder how they're doing that." There was an almost wistful tone to Cadance's voice as she made her way next to Granny. Starswirl sympathized, he remembered those days when she was a filly, trying his very best to teach her how to fly despite being a unicorn. And then that time when her wings got possessed and dragged them to King Sombra and his weird empire, she was too scared to use her wings for many sunrises. It took the combined effort of Celestia's, Luna's, and Sunset's foal eyes to persuade her to give it a try again.
"Maybe you could get one to teach you." Starswirl offered, he didn't want his daughter feeling sad.
"Yeah. Maybe." She didn't sound convinced.
"Oh, here they come."
The two zoomed past the group that had gathered to watch, sending piles of half melted snow into their pelts. There were shouts of indignation and Starswirl could've sworn he heard a raspy giggle. Then the most unexpected thing happened. Another streak in the air appeared. This time, it was gray and yellow.
Before anypony could react, another pegasus, flying backwards at high speeds, somehow crashed into Rainbow and Lightning. All three pegasi tumbled through the air before crashing into a snow drift. Starswirl was moving before they touched the ground and charged. He didn't make it in time, but he still galloped with everything he had, hoping to Harmony above that they were not hurt.
He skidded to a halt at the edge of the snow crater and peered down, expecting the worst, but found the three of them giggling. It turns out the other pegasus was Derpy. Starswirl couldn't help himself and was astonished to find himself guffawing. Even Granny looked at him funny.
"Derpy! What were you doing?" Cadance exclaimed and clambered into the hole and helped the pegasi to their hooves.
"Message!" She replied cheerfully, before producing a wrapped up piece of paper. On the front, it said it came from Rain Shine.
Swirler of Stars, I write to you for I am quite worried. The winds of the New Lands speak of evil. I have found my kin, it is quite heartwarming. But now I fear for them. Please, for the sake of my kin, I ask for your aid. -Shining of Rain
Starswirl the Bearded lowered his arms and dropped the paper. Granny Smith snatched it before it could land and read it for herself.
"This seems bad." Rainbow Dash commented, laying in a position that seemed comfortable in the snowy crater.
"It does, doesn't it." Lightning Dust remarked, lounging in a relaxing pose outside of the powdery hole.
"Did I do good?" The adorable Ditzy Doo asked, her eyes ever hopeful.
"Let us go and yes, you did good." Starswirl marched off, heading towards the hut. On the way there, they attracted the attention of Shining Armor and Cadance.
"What's happening?" He asked, concerned.
"Rain Shine is in trouble." Starswirl heard a gasp followed by a confused, 'what?'
That made sense, Shining Armor wasn't there when she came into this world, but Cadance was. Starswirl sighed almost nostalgically, time had gone by so fast. It's been hard recollecting who came when and who left when. It certainly has been quite a while since they've seen Rain Shine. Harmony was quite...difficult with her existence for a bit. But like the last time he saw her, Starswirl didn't feel anything horrible. Perhaps Harmony has come to terms with her.
"Stygian!" Starswirl called once he entered. The gray stallion popped up almost immediately.
"What's the matter?"
"Analyze this letter, see what you can discern from the writing." He nodded and took the letter and sat in a corner. Starswirl smiled, Granny Smith may be his work wife, but Stygian was his first friend. "Granny..."
"Done before ya even knew it." There was an amused cackle. The unicorn whipped around in surprise and sure enough, everycreature had already gathered.
"Alright." Starswirl presented himself to address the crowd. When did so many ponies come into being? "A mutual defender of Harmony is in trouble. She has not said what the trouble is, but I am going to her home to find out. She is a being unlike a pony or a zebra, but she is good." He panned a little, letting his gaze fall on everypony. He didn't realize how important this was until now. "I will not let her struggle by herself. Any of you may decide to come with me or stay behind, it is your wish. Choose soon for I am going in a few countings."
He walked outside and away from everycreature. He exuded confidence and courage. Inside, he was trembling like a leaf. He was leaving. Again. Leaving the home he built to help another creature, just like last time. Leaving his family. Just. Like. Last. Time. He took a calming breath. It wasn't going to be like last time. It wasn't.
"Starswirl, we're ready." A soft whispered into his ear. His trembling stopped and he opened his eyes.
"Celestia."
"I'm here." She smiled warmly as if knowing exactly what he was thinking. He took solace in that, perhaps, she did know what he was thinking. "Come on, let's go."
The team consisted of himself, Celestia, Ditzy Doo, Sunset Shimmer, Zecora, Stygian, and Shining Armor. Needless to say, it was a bit surprising to see. The ponies he most expected to come were not even considering it.
"You're not coming?" Cadance said she wanted to stay with Luna. Granny said she needed to keep an eye out on Rainbow and Lightning so they didn't ruin anything. Golden Harvest said she was required to stay behind, the harvest does not harvest itself! Maud...Maud was nowhere to be found. Fluttershy said enough ponies were going, with a smile that could melt the coldest of ice. Lightning and Rainbow disappeared the moment things got 'sappy', their words not his.
"You better come back, okay?" Luna pulled him aside and looked deep into his eyes. Starswirl smiled softly and pulled his daughter into a hug.
"Do not worry. I will come back, not to mention, the dream realm. We can meet there. Goodbye." He took off and offered a single glimpse back before delving into the wilds.
***
Traveling was slow going. The only pony who knew where they were going was Ditzy and she was...well...ditzy. Everycreature was polite enough not to say anything with only one slip up from Sunset. The entire way, Zecora and Stygian seemed to analyze everything, from fauna to flora. Since the zebra knew more from her wanderings before coming to the valley, Stygian was usually to be found listening to her tales with great interest. Sunset and Celestia were chatting amiably while Shining walked with him in front.
"Shining?"
"Yeah?"
"This your first time away from Cadance?"
"Well...I wouldn't say first time." The young stallion rubbed his head. "That...coma? that that creature put on Cady left me pretty alone. But, physically? Yeah, I suppose." Shining kicked a rock, his head hanging a bit low and his ears seemed to have wilted.
"Sorry." And he meant it.
"It's okay."
A few sunrises passed before exhaustion really set in. Sunset, being the youngest and less experienced, was beyond exhausted. Starswirl called for a break for the rest of the day. There was still snow everywhere, but none seemed to have fallen from the sky in quite a long time. He preferred it that way, in fact, he would much liked it to be spring instead. The beautiful leaves painting a beautiful landscape. He mulled it over while he helped prepare the sleeping area.
"Sunset?" He asked after finishing. Well, he wasn't finished, but he was sure that Celestia would forgive him. That glare might say otherwise, though.
"Myeah?" The young mare answered sleepily.
"Are you okay?"
"Myeah..."
"That is good." Starswirl leaned back on a tree stump and looked out into the snowy kingdom. "Why did you decide to come?"
"I wanted to see Rain Shine again. She was nice to me..." The wistfulness alarmed Starswirl somewhat.
"Nice to you? As in, the others aren't nice?" If this was the case, something had to be done! Before he could work himself up, Sunset shook her head. Truly, time has gone by so fast. He remembered when the fiery young spirit was small. Now, she was grown. Even her eyes had a certain...shimmer to them, for a lack of a better term.
Starswirl nodded that nod that meant he didn't know but it looked like he knew, at the very least, it showed he was listening.
"Rain Shine kind of felt like...like...like an aunt! Yeah, that's the word." Starswirl frowned. He didn't know that word. What did that word mean? "Yeah, we became close even within that short time. It would be great to see her again."
"That would be great, would it not."
***
Enough sunrises passed for Starswirl to feel anxious. It's been too long since the letter. It also didn't help that the closer they got, the more Starswirl knew what Rain Shine meant with evil carried by the winds. It felt exactly like that. The winds blew through the trees and he couldn't help but shiver from the maliciousness it whispered.
"OH. MY. GOSH!" That wasn't a whisper. What was tha...
Before Starswirl knew it, he was bowled over. He must be losing his touch because he didn't offer any resistance. The world spun around until it didn't. He got up with a groan and noticed that Shining's horn was glowing and nodded thanks to him. He nodded back.
"Bad juju!" There was an explosion and in a split second, Zecora had an old branch in her grasp and was pointed at a creature. Specifically a kirin, but unlike Rain Shine. This one is much smaller, more Starswirl's height, had an orange mane, a lighter coat, and light green scales. And very, VERY excitable.
"Oooh, that's a cool stick you've got there!" She was practically vibrating in Shining's magic. After the initial shock, the other had gathered around.
"Be quiet, Nirik! Else, things might get acidic." Zecora let that drag on, her gaze resting solely on the kirin.
"Hold on, what do you mean nirik?" Starswirl asked, desperate for things to not get 'acidic'. "She's a kirin! Kin to Rain Shine."
"Treachery! You speak not of her race! And you say you're allied, speak to me no more, you nutcase." Zecora stalked off, but somehow Starswirl felt a piercing gaze from the back of her head. But before he could blink, she disappeared.
"Well..."
"Right?"
Shining let go of the kirin and apologized if he was too rough. Thankfully, she took it all in stride, also with a huge smile. Sunset seemed to be suspicious of her, though, and decided hiding behind him was a good idea. Starswirl attempted to look behind him but felt Sunset's magic forcing him to face forwards. He shrugged, guessing an excitable kirin is not for everyone.
"Come on, let's go! Mistress Shine awaits you, especially you Swirler of Stars." The way she said his name made him shiver.
The six of them wandered through dense undergrowth, Muffins still in the lead. Autumn Blaze said it was made that way, before Starswirl could ask her what that meant, Stygian was already halfway through a conversation with her. It was almost impressive how fast he reacted to new knowledge. He wished he could be that excited. Nowadays, he felt...lost. Tragedy after tragedy, it was weighing him down more than he realized. Then he blinked.
"Celestia?"
"Yeah?" The mare looked up from her conversation with Sunset.
"Do you feel that?" Starswirl rolled his shoulders one at a time. "It feels like something is pressing down on my shoulders. Something...malevolent."
"Err...no." She and Sunset shared a glance. "I don't feel anything. You?"
He did not need to finish that sentence. If he felt something evil, it usually meant something evil was nearby. Perks of being the Guardian of Harmony, he surmised. He paused in his inner monologue. Perks. What a curious word.
"We're almost there!" Autumn giggled, before bursting into a run. Stygian stared after her receding figure, nonplussed.
"That was rude."
"Come on, we probably should follow her." Shining started sprinting too.
Starswirl heaved himself into a steady gait. It felt steady and felt sustainable, but he couldn't help but notice that he was gradually slowing down. He harrumphed, annoyed, and pushed more. Celestia and Sunset seemed to notice his distress and matched their speed with his. The scenery seemed to blur around them, the colors blending into each other until it was nonsensical. Starswirl felt to feel nausea, this was wrong, it was very wrong. He stopped running and promptly fell over.
"Swirly!" Celestia also stopped and helped him to his hooves. "Don't do that!"
"Cel...Celes...Tia, this forest. It is wrong." He felt himself tipping again so he carefully eased himself to a comfortable sitting position. "It is all wrong!" Then the world went black.
***
"Swirly?"
"Luna?"
***
"Swirler of Stars." A soft voice penetrated the fog of pain. Starswirl the Bearded allowed himself to wearily open his eyes, then immediately shut them. It was too painful. The weight was too painful. "Swirler of Stars, awake."
"Ra..." He smacked his lips. They were very dry. "Rain Shine."
"Ah, you've returned to the land of the real." A shadow fell over his eyelids, making him wince involuntarily. Then he felt something cool touch his lips. He drank eagerly. "Your companions tell of your sufferings of late. They are mere phantoms. This land is safe, I assure you."
"Rain Shine." He repeated, still keeping his eyes closed. "You called me the Guardian of Harmony. You spoke of evil in your note. Storms darken our horizons of unnatural origin. There is something terrible happening to Equus."
"It does seem that way, doesn't it? However, I did not call you here." There was a pause.
"You did not call me here."
"No."
"Pray tell then, what is this?" Starswirl reached out with his magic, still keeping his eyes closed, and tugged free the note that Ditzy had given him.
"Mmm, most curious. This here, is indeed, my handwriting. However, I have no recollection of ever writing this note. Who gave you this?"
"Ditzy Doo, or Muffins, or Derpy. I still have yet to learn her name." He chuckled. "The gray pegasus that was with us."
"..." This pause felt longer than the first one. "Starswirl, are you feeling well? Well, in a more intimate, mental kind of well."
"I feel terrible, Rain Shine. My daughter is most assuredly dead, Ponies keep appearing, ponies keep disappearing. Storms plague the skies. Fires wreak havoc. The temperatures are erratic. I have dreams, Rain Shine, dreams of utmost hilarity and terror." Starswirl shook his head. "I am not well."
"I see." Another pause. "I only ask because there wasn't a gray pegasus in your party. Merely your two daughters, that studious colt, and that handsome stallion."
"Careful, he is already spoken for."
"My apologies."
"No Derpy?"
"No."
"Perhaps I am less well than I thought."
"Perhaps."
"Go to sleep, Starswirl. You need your rest."
"Yes." Starswirl fell asleep.
***
"Pain."
"Hang on, Swirly!"
***
BOOM!
Starswirl bolted upright, terror filled him. Smoke filled the area he was in, making it very hard to see. Still, he got up and pushed out of whatever he was in. His family needed him and he was not about to stay around and let anything happen. Before he registered it, he had his staff out and waving spells around to dispel the smoke as well as locate anything, friend or foe.
His spell proved to be useful as within countings, Starswirl found his daughter and Shining hiding in a ditch, another unknown creature in the distance, and then, this behemoth that was directly in front of him. Awe and terror reigned for control as he felt his gaze slowly look upwards. A terrifying visage looked back down, a cruel red face awash with complex disharmonic spellwork, two beastly horns compelling said spellwork. Pale yellow eyes seemed to bore into his very soul, almost as if coercing it into giving up. A great white beard spilled from his face, giving him an almost timeless quality. This was a fearsome foe.
BOOM!
The next thing he knew, Starswirl found himself in the air and on fire. Being the trained magician he is, he put up a shield right before the blast hit him, but the force was enough to propel him through the sky.
"Starswirl the Bearded. I have heard many things about you, I wonder if any of it is true." A loud booming voice shook the earth. Starswirl slowed himself to a stop and let himself float in the air. He rotated and faced the demon that dared to hurt his family.
"ANNOUNCE YOURSELF!"
"I am Lord Tirek, Eater of Souls, Drinker of Mana, Render of Spirit. Who are you, Starswirl the Bearded?"
"I am Starswirl the Bearded." He looked down and saw his daughters being ushered away by Shining. "I am a guardian, a builder, an adventurer, a scholar, but most importantly, I am a father." With that last line, he whirled his staff around and around, generating friction. Before the demon could register anything, that friction turned into a beam of compressed magic. Instead of a loud boom, like Starswirl was expecting, the magic dissipated into nothing.
"So, you're a fool." Lord Tirek took a step forwards, crushing trees and pulverizing rock. He locked eyes with Starswirl and inhaled deeply.
Agony.
That's what it felt like. Pure agony.
Starswirl screamed and howled, begged and cried. He was no longer being supported by his own power, he was held aloft by the demon's power alone. Instead, his power was being drained out of him. He watched through tears as a shimmering ball of light pooled out of him and then slowly moved towards Lord Tirek's awaiting maw. And Starswirl was powerless to stop it.
But, at least his daughters were safe. If only he could hang on just a bit longer, then they could escape. Get away from all of this. Granny Smith would know what to do, he had faith in that old hag. He chuckled, despite himself. Here he was, getting his soul drained, and he was chuckling because of a cranky mare. That chuckle turned into a laugh, and before he knew it, he was in hysterics.
"It appears you have lost yourself." Tirek said, grinning gleefully. Watching the glimmering ball make its way down his throat. Then without a second left to spare, he swallowed it. Starswirl's soul, gone, just like that.
He fell. This was it, he was certain of it. He already felt himself going gray and dead inside. Nothing else to live for. Then out of the corner of his eye, right before he hit the ground, a dark miasma appeared over the horizon. It reached out and caught Starswirl as if he were a mere leaf.
"Tante?" It looked like it, but bigger. After saving him, it rose up to its full height and seemed to take in Tirek. The two eyed themselves wearily, Tirek more cockily than the entity.
"And who may you be?" The demon asked, almost jovially.
"My name is Luna of Stars, daughter of Starswirl the Bearded, Dreamwalker, Starchaser, Sister of the Moon. I will be your doom." And with that statement, the two giants clashed, sending waves of power in every direction, kicking up snow, dead leaves, and even trees.
It was in that moment, in that broken brain of Starswirl's, did he realize what had just occurred. Luna was here. Luna was here and she was not supposed to! She's just a filly! Starswirl's filly! With strength he knew he shouldn't have been able to muster, he ran.
He ran as fast as he could, his breaths coming in shallow gasps, his cold gray chest, aching with a lost something, his fur singed, and his eyes stinging. Starswirl could not, would not, let his daughter go into battle against that demon!
Then, just like before, Tirek inhaled.
"NO!"
Starswirl sped up, determined to catch up, to do anything, something! Branches whipped his legs and stomach. Sharp stones dug into his hooves. Leaves kept on flying into his eyes. He ignored it all. None of it mattered. Luna mattered.
He didn't notice it. How could he? He was focused on the sky. An unseen rock, almost as large as a small tree stump, crossed his path. Starswirl took a tumble. His unfounded energy disappeared within a flash. He was back to being a useless sack. He struggled and screamed. He couldn't let it end there!
But, nothing changed.
The sky darkened as Tante grew smaller and smaller. A silhouette was now visible within the miasma. A small mare. An alicorn mare. But he knew who that was.
"LUNAAAAA!"
The sky cracked. Light from the heavens blinded him, making his eyes water and his heart shatter into even more pieces. There was a heavy thud that was audible even over the thunder. In his heart of hearts, he knew, but he still dragged himself over to check. To witness the terribleness of everything. With each passing counting, he felt his heart cracking. He could barely see through his tears at this point, but he still kept at it.
It was when his head bumped into something soft and wet, did he look up. What he saw nearly broke him. Luna's beautiful body, lithe and lustrous, horn and newly acquired wings. All of it, broken and beaten. She was breathing, but it was raspy and ragged. Starswirl choked back a sob.
"Sw...Swi..."
"Shhhh." Starswirl touched a finger to her lips. "Don't speak, save your energy. You did amazing." He had no idea how he was keeping it together. By all rights and purposes, he should be at death's door. At his words, Luna seemed to smile and lean back. Then a shadow loomed over them.
"Isn't that precious?" The demon threw back his head and guffawed. The clouds rumbled as if trying to compete with him. They were losing. "Like father, like daughter!" He rose a hoof into the air, no doubt determined to squish them, but something had snapped inside of Starswirl.
He saw it once before, moons ago. He let Harmony fizzle away. His broken heart mended in his chest then turned pitch black. His tear-stained eyes turned a putrid green and his grimace turned into a feral grin. Horrid magicks flowed around him and he felt good.
"What's this? The little stallion wants a rematch?" Before the demon could laugh again, a hole suddenly appeared in his chest. Tirek stumbled in shock. Starswirl...no, Starfall drifted through the air to the giant who used to terrify him. The demon was no more, now, it was Starfall who was the demon. His mouth opened, unnaturally wide, and roared out in victory. He let his newfound power ooze out of him in waves of pure darkness, tainting the land, making it his own.
This was his land, his world, his domain. And here, here he was King.
Celestia stumbled with a cry. Sunset immediately turned around to help her but Celestia waved her away.
"Go! I'll catch up."
"Don't be stubborn, we need to go!" Shining appeared by her side and tried to heave her up, but Celestia had let herself go limp.
"Shining. Shining!" She knocked his head which finally got him to stop. "Shining, I need you to promise me that you'll get Sunset back home, alright? No matter what may or may happen to me, you need to get her back home."
"Stop talking crazy, you're coming too!"
"Of course, you dimwit!" She shoved the stallion away. "Now go! I just need to check on something."
"Celestia! Promise me you'll be safe?"
"I promise, Sunset. I cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Sunset nodded at that, then hightailed it out of there. Shining Armor gave her one last look then followed.
Celestia got up and sighed. She prepared herself mentally and ran back up the hill to where the explosions and thudding were happening. When she finally got to the top of the hill, she nearly collapsed in terror. Swirly was falling! She nearly charged up her horn to try to catch him when suddenly a large entity slammed into that monster and saved Swirly. She breathed a sigh of relief which immediately caught in her throat.
The entity turned out to be Luna and then she fell! Celestia found herself charging down the hill towards where her sister had fallen. She couldn't leave her alone, not now! The monster shook the world with his laughter as he prepared for a final stomp.
"NO!"
She couldn't let him! But then, a revolting presence grounded her to a halt. Celestia felt her willpower dissolve into nothing. The sky turned into a putrid green, then, without warning, the monster fell and sighed his last breath. But Celestia wasn't worried about him, no, she was worried about Swirly.
The Starswirl she knew was kind, old, and wise. This new Starswirl looked nothing like him. His eyes had no pupils and glowed a sickly green. His beard was long and ragged. His simple wooden staff now sported a very evil looking red and black metal staff. His aura felt like pure malevolence, something not even the giant monster had. Celestia instinctively took a step back.
But Luna!
She took a step forward, then another, but before she could take her third, a groan distracted her. She looked to her right and gasped in horror. Uncle Stygian, the studious stallion, was wrapped in shadows. His face looked like he was in agony and a hoof was trying to reach out to her, but Celestia was paralyzed with fear. Then she noticed the dark ooze covering the ground. She danced away from it, terrified of what might happen should she touch it.
She glanced back to Stygian, but he too, was no longer Stygian. Another monster. Celestia ran. What else was there? She ran and ran, then she remembered her sister, the whole reason she tried. She turned to perhaps catch a glimpse, but she got more than she wanted. She got the entire showing.
Her dear precious Luna, just like Swirly and Uncle Stygian, was no more.
Celestia ran and ran and ran and ran. And as she ran, she made a promise. One she would not break even if it were to cost her her life. She would save them.
