Moving the Stars

Moving the Stars

Story 2

Chapter 1: Another Chance

By: WriteAnything

It was late; the moon was out and the sky was dark. Despite the beauty of the starlit sky, my knees were shaking as I opened the gates to my mentor’s manor. Each step along the stone walkway to the door was long and slow as I wanted to delay the inevitable as much as I could. Eventually though, I’d have to face him. Images of what my punishment might be ran through my head as I opened the door into the foyer. Oddly, no lights were on, but I knew both my mentor and my way around the manor well enough to know that he had probably ascended the left of the two staircases that greeted visitors when they came in. Using a simply illumination spell, I lit up the interior and made my way up the expensive marble steps. My instructor had way too much money.

Of course, my hunch was correct. He had done just as I’d thought: he’d gone up the stairs on the left, past the first right turn, and onto the balcony outside his massive library. There was no mistaking that ginger mane and green coat. He was leaning on the railings as I made my way to him, looking out at the lake nearby the manor. I just stood there for a moment, somewhat fearful of a pony so powerful, yet so gentle. Astro Stellaris, a record setter. He pushed his name into the history books by becoming the youngest unicorn powerful enough to create his own constellation. He would tell me over and over about all the years he spent practicing and reading and training himself to obtain that power, and as a reward, Princess Celestia gave him a teaching position for instructing gifted unicorns. Of course, he wasn’t good enough to have students like Twilight Sparkle, that little wench.

Quickly pushing the hostile thoughts out of my head, I slowly approached Astro and joined him on the balcony. He spoke calmly, but his Sirish accent still came out quite clearly.

“So, the Alicorn Amulet? Trixie, I’ve warned you about how dangerous an artifact that is, and yet you still chose to use it. And to enslave a town, nonetheless!” The stallion turned to me, a displeased, but not angry expression on his face. Astro didn’t get angry very often, but his disappointment more than made up for this, and the times he did get mad were very frightening. He tapped his hoof impatiently, raising his brow at me. “Well?”

He began to pace around me in circles, and I was still speechless, unable to defend myself or justify my actions. “First this whole ordeal with ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie’, and now this business with the Alicorn Amulet. Trixie, I’m trying to teach you the best I can, but how can I be expected to instruct you when you continually disobey me and go about your own ways?” The green aura of his magic surrounded my starry cape and hat as they were lifted off my body and shredded into pieces. I could do nothing but watch as my mentor and friend turned his back to me. The whole time he had been speaking, I’d been trying to think of something to say. Slowly opening my mouth, I said the only thing I could manage.

“Astro… I’m sorry.” My head hung down, and my ears fell flat. I stared at the scraps of cloth that had made up my performance costume, wondering if this last mistake would truly be my last. Looking up to Astro, I saw that he was facing me again. In fact, he had come closer to me, reaching out and gently patting my shoulder.

“Trixie, I know you want to be powerful, but there’s a reason I keep reminding you of all the trouble I went through to get where I am. I’ve told you before, you’re not too different from that unicorn Celestia herself mentors, but that’s just raw power. Without proper training, you can’t use it, and by lowering yourself to a mere showpony, you are really handicapping yourself.” He made his way around me, drawing my attention to my cutie mark. “You see this? This isn’t something that signifies a simple magician. This cutie mark symbolizes a pony that will become a great spell caster one day.”

Eventually, my gaze fell upon Astro’s mark. The golden crescent moon and three stars stood out like a sore thumb on the green fur. “I know what I’ve done was wrong. It’s just… I couldn’t help it. Please forgive me, I really want to be powerful like you. Powerful like… her.”

For being only a few years older than me, he was surprisingly mature and understanding. The stallion moved up beside, sitting down and making sure I was looking him in the eyes. “Don’t compare yourself to Twilight, lass. The princess has something planned for her, but that doesn’t mean she’s the only unicorn allowed to have strong magic. It will take some time, but I promise that one day you’ll be able to cast spells that you can only dream of right now.” After seeing my rather hopeless expression, he looked up to the starry sky. The constellation he had created was coincidentally right above us, and I stared at it too.

“Tell me something: what did you tell me when I asked you why you wanted to be my student?”

He’d asked me this many times before, but his response to my answer was always different. Looking back to him, I let out a sigh before responding. “I want to be somepony. I want to have the power to do something with my life, and help others. I want to learn all I can about magic and be a splendid unicorn.”

To my surprise, his lips turned up into a small smile as he set one foreleg around my shoulder. “Trixie, you’re more than just my student, you’re my friend. Let’s make a deal, alright? If you can promise to follow my lessons from now on, I’ll start again from the beginning, and up the pace to match what I believe you can handle, deal?”

After a moment of thought, I gave him a quick nod. I had truly expected a hard lecture and a bit of yelling, so this small talking to gave me tremendous relief, as did his offer of another chance. “I promise I will. Besides, it’s not like I can parade around anymore, my stage outfit is kind of… scrapped.”

Astro let out a small chuckle, standing up and nudging me back inside. “Go get some sleep. Tomorrow morning, after breakfast, meet me back in the garden and we’ll begin again.”

I did as he instructed, making my way through the library and to the door on the right. As I made my way to my bed, I found myself thinking about how much this place felt more like a cottage than a manor. I really couldn’t complain, though, as I honestly preferred Astro’s little country mansion as opposed to a big, fancy, fifty-acre fortress. Nestling beneath the starry blanket of my queen-size, I stared through the circular skylight above the pillow. The narwhal of stars was easy to spot among the stars, and my thoughts drifted back to Twilight Sparkle. “One day, I’ll have my own constellation. Then we’ll see who’s more powerful.”

I peeked my head into Trixie’s room after about an hour, making sure she was asleep before I made my way to my study. Deciding the best way to determine exactly how to plan her lessons was to give her a little test, I grabbed a quill, inkwell, and parchment and began to write questions. Trixie was nothing like Celestia’s protégé, and I hated seeing her compare herself to a mare with such inborn talent. She never really excelled when it came to mathematics or science, but when confronted with written or practical applications of magic, I honestly don’t think Trixie realized how above average she truly was.

Each question I wrote was less about academics and more about the mare herself. I made sure to write “Answer each question honestly, I will know if you’re not being sincere” in bold letters at the top, as only completely honest answers would do. Before long, I had half a scroll of questions, and after reading through them decided the answers to these would give me plenty of information to work off of. However, I decided to add a little note at the end. I finished it by cutting the empty area of the scroll off and writing a note to stick on the inside of Trixie’s door. When the note had been planted, I wrote a second to Sapphire, my draconic assistant who, despite being very young, always woke up before Trixie and normally had breakfast ready. Her note was simply to make Trixie a special breakfast for the morning and to give her the test afterward.

It probably wasn’t a good idea not to be there when Trixie woke up, but I had rather urgent business to attend to now, and I know she wouldn’t betoo upset at me.

-*-*-*-

A loud knocking woke me up as I heard the baby dragon through the door.

“Trixie, wake up! I’ve got a special treat for you this morning, and I think you’ll like it!”

Sapphire was always so sweet and upbeat, and hearing her certainly made getting up a lot easier. Of course she knew that I had a morning routine before I came to breakfast, so I proceeded to fix my bed up, brush my mane, and open the curtains for both windows. After I was finished, I approached my door and read through the note stuck to it.

“Dear Trixie, I had to step out for a few hours, so I’ve given you a test to complete while I am gone. Don’t worry, you won’t be graded, I simply want to read through the answers so I can make a suitable lesson plan for you. I’ve instructed Sapphire to make you a special breakfast, so enjoy it.

-Astro”

I let out a small sigh, only imagining what kind of test Astro had made up to punish me with. He always did know what kind of questions to put down to trip me up, and while failing his tests was very rare for me, it did happen, and I was sure this was his way of punishing me for what I had done. However, I was looking forward to the breakfast as I made my way downstairs and behind the staircase into the kitchen. The amazing aroma of Sapphire’s culinary genius made my mouth water, and it only got worse when she brought the plate to the circular dining table next to the window I liked to sit at.

It was a clear morning, and there was plenty of natural light coming in to show off the young dragon’s blue scales and pink spines. She was always a pleasant sight, especially with food. My stomach just couldn’t keep from growling as she set multiple plates before me and uncovered them, naming each dish as she did.

“I thought of the best breakfast I could on such short notice, and I hope you enjoy! Wheatgrass bacon, biscuits battered in butter and baked soft and fluffy, hash browns with sprinkles of pepper like you like, and of course, salted hay fries.” The little dragon gave me a soft smile, sitting in the chair next to me and uncovering her own plate. “And for me, a big stack of ruby and turquoise pancakes. Yummy!” I could help but chuckle as Sapphire dove into her treat, ravenously chomping the gems in her pancakes like they were just as soft as the pancakes themselves.

Luckily, she didn’t make too much of each dish, as it probably would have been too much for me to finish. However, I did finish everything, and enjoyed every single bit of it. After a soft belch, I covered my mouth and a small blush crossed my face. “Heh heh, excuse me. So, Sapphire, where’s this test Astro made up for me?”

The little dragon hopped out of her chair, walking over to the larger dining table in the center of the room and returning with what seemed to be half a scroll, ink, and a quill. “It’s right here! Astro said not to worry, the questions aren’t hard. And he also knew you wouldn’t really believe you weren’t being graded, but once you see the questions, you will.”

As she handed the paper to me, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. My mentor was known for saying things to try and get me to lower my guard when it came to papers, and I was sure this was no different. That is, until I read his notice. “Answer each question honestly, I’ll know if you weren’t being sincere. Oh, who does he think I am? I may have been conceded and disobedient, but I’m no liar!” Actually, after a moment of thought, I realized that I may have had the smallest habit of fibbing.

Shaking off these thoughts, I went through each question curiously. They weren’t really about things I had learned, but more so things about me, such as what kind of magic I liked, where I wanted to be in ten years, why I wanted Astro to teach me, and things like that. Most of the questions weren’t too terribly difficult to give an honest answer to, until I came down to the last one. I had to read the question twice just to make sure it was really on there. “Are you satisfied with who you are? If not, who would you like to resemble more?” It took a great deal of thought, and swallowing of pride, to write down an honest answer. I even had to say it out loud just so I could write it. “No, I’m not. As much as I hate to admit it, I want to be more like Princess Celestia’s student, Twilight Sparkle. I want the kind of power she has, I want the kind of knowledge she has.” There was also one more thing I thought of before I ended the sentence as well, and as I wrote it, it stung deep down in my heart. “I want the kind of friendship she has.” Before I rolled it up and gave it back to Sapphire, I noticed that there was another section underneath the last question, and I thought I was going to cry as I read it.

“Trixie, I’m giving you this test so I can know you better. I promise you that I’ll do my best to teach you all I know, so that one day you might truly be ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie’. But what I want you to know is that you don’t have to compare yourself to anypony. You are special, just as you are, and I am proud to have you as both a student and friend.”

Normally I’m good at keeping a handle on my emotions, but I couldn’t help but let a few tears fall as I finished reading. Astro’s words really sunk in, and while I began to feel as if I just wasn’t good enough, I also felt a small warmth inside. My teacher was proud of me, even despite my mistakes. I decided to grab my own scroll, and ask advice from the one pony I knew would know just what to say.

“Dear Princess Celestia,

This is Trixie, the pony you had assigned Astro Stellaris to tutor. Right now, I am in urgent need of encouragement. I’ve just completed a test my mentor made for me, and I’ve realized that I simply don’t feel like I’m good enough. That’s why I parade around acting as if I’m something great, because deep down I feel the exact opposite. Those feelings only worsened when I met your student. Witnessing her amazing skill with magic only served to make me envy her, not in just magic, but in her friendships as well. I’m sending this letter to you because I am constantly comparing myself to Twilight Sparkle, and I could truly use a few words of wisdom.

Thank you for your time,

Trixie”

I rolled up the scroll, calling Sapphire back to me and handing it to her. “Sapphire, do you think you could send this to the princess?”

She gave me a quick nod, take the scroll and breathing her magic fire onto it, which sent it straight to Canterlot Castle. “So, did you finish the test?”

It was my turn to nod as I gave it to her, heading back to my room. “Just give it to him when he returns. I will be in my room if either of you need me.” My mind was a mess of emotions, and I couldn’t even pick one out as the most prevalent. I simply nestled down on my bed, pulling out from under it an old teddy bear my mother gave me. The toy was my last memory of her before she disappeared, and it was the only thing I had to comfort me without my teacher being here and Sapphire probably busy with chores. I didn’t want to cry, and I didn’t want to scream in anger. All I wanted to do was close my eyes and try to calm down. However, my pseudo trance was interrupted by a loud belch outside my door as the little dragon opened my door with a scroll in her claw.

“It’s from the princess.”

Taking the scroll, I politely asked Sapphire for some privacy, only opening it after she had left the room and closed the door.

“My dear Trixie,

Every pony in Equestria has their own specific talents, and that’s part of what makes us who we are. If you truly don’t feel as if you are good enough as you are, you don’t need to dream of being somepony else. All it takes to make yourself better is a little hard work and hope. I know more about you than you may realize, and that’s why I chose Astro to be your instructor. Do not think for even a moment that who you are isn’t good enough, and always do your best to make yourself better. I know waiting is difficult, and we all want to see change happen immediately, but things like that take time. I promise you that if you trust in your teacher, and in yourself, and put forth all the effort you can, you will be your own brand of great. I believe in you, and while my faithful student has not been pleased with some of the things you’ve done, she, too, thinks you have a lot of promise.

Always here to help,

Princess Celestia”

So that makes two times today somepony’s words nearly brought me to tears. However, my sentimental moment was interrupted by the gentle, Sirish voice in my doorway.

“Do you get it now, lass?”

I peeked up at him from behind the scroll, setting it down after a moment and making my way over to hug him. I couldn’t help it, I just had to do something, and it was the only think I could think of. “I do get it, and I’m ready to start learning.”

My teacher gave me a small smile, teasingly ruffling my mane. “Good, everything went just as I planned.”

Pushing myself off of him, I raised a brow and stared at him. “Wait, plan?”

He gave me a nod, walking up to one of my windows and looking out at the garden through it. “Yes indeed. I set up everything in order to make you see where your problem actually was. In fact, the reason I was gone is because I went to the castle to pick up a few books from the princess’s personal library, and to speak with her about you. Just as our conversation came to a close, in popped your letter.”

Now I was torn between wanting to hug him again and wanting to kick him. I settled for the former, deciding that what he’d done did cause more good than harm. As I did, he raised a book from out of his saddlebags, holding it before me. Scanning the title, my eyes widened when I realized what it was. “This is… Starswirl the Bearded’s personal spell book! Astro, how did you possibly convince either princess to let you have it?”

The handsome stallion gave a sly grin, looking to the book and then back to me. “Trixie, say hello to your new lesson plan. Everything I’m going to teach you is going to come from these pages.”

My mouth fell open, gaping at his words as I stared at the book. “Are you serious? Do you really think you can teach me any of those spells?”

He gave me a nod, the grin still on his face. “Do you think you have what it takes to learn them?”

It finally dawned on me. Looking up at my teacher, a smile formed on my face as I finally released him from my embrace. “When do we start?”