A bonfire night to celebrate another year of friendship, just a short ways from a fair cottage, usually abundant with animals. A group of friends ate s'mores and drank punch, enjoying conversations amongst themselves until the wind howled a drawn breath of cold. Chilling to the bone, even the fire seemed to shiver from it. But the breeze passed by and the air warmed the group once more. It was then, one of them suggested that they should all share a story, tales of old and kind. Ones that served to instill some sense to children and make well of their world. Even if they were scary, even if they were kind.
“Who wants to go first?” said one coddled up in a soft woolen blanket, dark as the night.
“I'm all that great at tellin' stories.” One answered, chewing into a confectionery treat.
“Oh don't look at me, the only stories I could tell would be of sewing and terrible customers.” Another jeered, the fire gleaming off her jewel encrusted gold bracelets. “And she would only go on about parties.” She pointed at the pink one, hair like cotton candy with a arcing tip a hairbreadths away from the fire.
“I could tell one about my animals but you've all heard those before...” the shy pegasus trailed off, suddenly finding the ground far more interesting than the dancing fire.
“Why don't you tell one? You live in a library, after all.” A second pegasus taunted.
“Yea. There's got to be at least one that I haven't heard yet.” the small purple dragon ecouraged, his segmented green belly lit dully.
“Ugh, fine.” She complained. The others cheered and leaned in as the fire dimmed ever so slightly.
What story could this librarian tell, out of the thousands in her possession. A knight slaying an evil dragon and winning favor from his land.Surely one that's typical to entice without a care. But no, that's too easy. Perhaps one that tells of a poor colt who grows up to big king, treating his kingdom well and fairly. While having three trails daring his mettle. The librarian shook her head, too common tale, surely. Could it be one of a princess, casted away by an evil sorcerer. Who then returns after much tribulation and travel, to defeat the sorcerer with new companions.
Again, no. Those stories she knows her friends have all heard before, when they were fillies and babies alike. Nary a story she could think of that felt right. But then, a sudden snap of ashen twig flicked a switch in her. Ah, now what could this story be? Her friends became more excited, intrigued with her newly founded prospect of thought. She cleared her throat and began to speak.
Once upon a time...
...long before Ponyville and well before Canterlot was a castle, it was a small village at the bottom of the valley. There it sat like a stone in the river, it was an appropriate description, as a small river did fall from one peak and course through the other. In that village was a young colt, not yet a stallion, who could not hear. There were some who surmised he could see sound or that he could feel it, as they thought he couldn't hear it. Rather, sound was something he was quite never fond of, having hating the absurd amount of noise one could produce. Ugly flirtation, lies and flagrant insults.
Still the young one found a way to know his way around fairly well and took comfort in the night, silent and true.
And though all in the village knew him, he was lonely and orphaned. Taking to newspaper and worn clothes to keep warm at night. He even took to digging through garbage and stealing from food stands. He never knew why his parents had left him there, but he did not long for them. Nor did he wish for a friend. He felt that he was fine on his own.
However, on the first night of the Northern Star Shower, he found himself gazing up at the them. The streaks of white racing against the darkened sky, almost black but not quite there. Even the moon was in attendance, full and wondrous despite the cratered surface. Upon glancing down, he saw the villagers were sleeping soundly enough. Nary a window lit and he knew them all well enough to know no one was awake at this hour.
So he ran. He ran over stone and rock and over the bridge that stretched across the river. He wanted to see where the stars fell. Wanted to know why they fell. But even more, he wanted to fulfill his curiosity. Having heard the tale of those who find the remnant of a fallen star are granted a wish. Another if they bare a gift and three if they brought a very specific thing.
In his excitement, he had forgotten he had stolen flowers from the florist. Forgetting the single prickling thorn in his lip, even if it was clipped. He kept chasing one of the hundred streaks in the sky. That was until it found itself past a high hill. A delicate flicker of lights bloomed from the other side. But only for a moment was the colt stunned. He dashed, pushing himself harder than ever. Faster than he had ever run from any one.
And on the other side of the hill he found it. Sitting in a soft glow of light, seeming to set the grass aflame, but not quite there. In the middle, there he saw a light as bright and as yellow as the sun. Slowly and anxiously he approached, the light dimming as he did. When it had faded, what remained was an almond shaped pod that split open like a tiger lily.
From the center, a bright being, mysterious and undefined and whose appearance could simply be described as a slowly pulsing orb. To his surprise, it spoke. “You've found a fallen star and for that, thou shall receive a single wish. However, you bare a gift as well, so then you have two wishes.” A limb reached out and took the flowers from him.
But the colt did not speak, for he knew not how. Then she asked him to write, but again, he knew not. Astounded by this, she fell quiet, pondering why a silent creature of the day would find her in the night if he could not speak or write. There were many before him, that had found her and wished selfishly their desires. The colt tugged at her golden leg, now visible to him. He pulled her from her pod and much to her reluctance, she followed him back across the plain and to the village's edge.
He broke a twig off from a nearby tree and began drawing in the muddy bank of the river. Drawing the mouths of others and the likeness of words from them. He began crossing the likenesses out and looked up to the tall mare. She was a bit confused at first and took several guesses before getting it right. He had wished for no sound. She granted the wish, unusual as it was. She urged him to make the other wish but he shook his head. Instead he brought out a broken pocket watch and traced a circle across the face. She understood this and agreed that she would return at midnight of the next day.
And so, morning came by and he heard the rooster crow. He walked the streets for most of the morning. Slowly but surely, the streets filled with confusion. It only took a moment for many to notice what happened. Others continued to yell at each other, as if it would break the spell of silence. The colt stayed by the fountain and watched them all. A few continued on calmly, others stayed in a panic regardless of what help was offered. Then, a sudden burst of fire shot through the roof of someone's home. Glancing around he saw that no one felt the shake of the air or saw the sudden plume of smoke. They had all seen him run around the village before, so they paid no mind.
He ran to the edge of the village and saw the nearly engulfed home. He heard the cries of a baby over the crackling flame. Normally, he wouldn't care for such a thing, but he hadn't imagined a fire breaking out from a selfish wish like this. So he ran in, dodging falling beams and planks. Crawling through under a collapsed door into the back room where the cries assailed his ears. He hated that sound the most but he knew fires would take more than just that away.
Finding the baby in an old crib, he pulled the baby from it and escaped from the home and just as he had left, the house collapsed. As he tried to quiet the baby down, a crowd began to form with angry looks in their eyes. He knew what they thought. He set the baby down with its parents rushing from the crowd, happy that their child was safe. Sulking away, he heard them start crying and the father approach him.
Scared, the young colt bowed his, awaiting punishment. What he received instead was thanks and an explanation that he had left the fire going without a screen to keep the sparks in. The soot covered colt was dumbfounded, realizing that even without sound, you can hear what one has to say. The colt returned to his favorite alleyway after the villagers turned their attention to the fire. He climbed the stack of large crates to the rooftop and watched as the smoke vanish from view. Before falling into short nap, he thought he heard music begin to play.
After basking in the sun until it settle beneath the horizon and the moon found itself in the sky once more. The colt found his way to the other side of the river and past the house that had burned down. He turned around and thought about running away from it all for a moment. Until he felt the warm glow of the golden mare creep over him. Regret in his eyes, he looked up to her once more and she saw his wish. It was simply enough to undo such a small thing and so she did. When she had finished the spell, she awaited his third wish.
Confused, the colt caught her eyes with his. She told him that he had fulfilled the requirement for the third and final wish. He shrugged and pointed at the house with the stick again. He began to draw out what happened. It didn't take long for him to realize that she had watched the story from the start.
And so, a new house rose from the ashes of the old one. Clean of any soot or fire-stained planks. As if the mare had simply reversed time. It stood there, unscathed of its recent event, newer than what it already was.
Without a word, the mare vanished into golden plume of dust. The colt walked across the plains until he found the spot where he first met her. He found her there, preparing to leave. When she notice, their eyes locked. With a trouble and stammering voice the colt sought to speak but the mare hushed him, knowing what he was going to say. “You're welcome.” The colt smiled and watched her become enclosed by her pod. In a flash of light, it vanished.
The colt returned to the town and fell asleep in his alleyway once more. Having a new appreciation for the things he once hated.
Since then, every fifty years when the Northern Star Shower comes through, a bonfire is made and folks dress like the colt in his memory. Some say that if you look under the tree that he had his wish granted under, you could see both the mare and colt just after midnight. Some say that the mare had returned and took him away with her.
The librarian took a deep breath, closing her eyes and brushed the fire's sweat from her forehead. “And that is the end of that story. The event isn't celebrated as much anymore, unfortunately. And there aren't really a whole lot of details of the colt, despite the entire town seeing him.”
“That was a fantastic story, dear.”
“Aw, I was hoping for some more action than that. I'll admit the fire thing was pretty cool.” the blue one shrugged lightly.
“Did that actually happen?”
“It could have, I believe it.” the giddy pink one assured.
“The whole three wishes thing sounds pretty typical if ya ask me.” said the farmer pony. “But hey, we live in a world full of weird magic.” She pointedly added, quickly glancing at the pink earth pony.
“What?” she exclaimed.
“Nothin'.”
“Don't confuse me!” She cried, chewing into another s'more.
A short laugh came out from the rest of group. Something slowly interrupted by the snoring of the librarian's assistant, the small dragon.
As the night went on the group went to their own homes to turn in for the night. The librarian stared out her window toward Canterlot and for a moment, she saw a faint golden light. After a blink and a quick rub of her eyes, the light had gone away. With a quick dash, she went to the balcony and looked to the sky to see two streaks of white light fire across the dark blanket of space. It drew a smile from her, knowing that by chance, the story just might be true.