"Twilight Sparkle, have I ever told you the tale of Star Swirl?" Princess Luna asked, changing drastically the subject. Twilight suddenly stopped reading her book (Magic and Meditation - A reference guide into achieving self-control) and looked up to Luna, eyes beaming with curiosity. Up until now it was just Luna talking and the occasional uninterested muttering of Twilight "Yes", "Uhm" and "Really?"
"You couldn't possibly mean-" Twilight started but Luna cur her off.
"Yes, Star Swirl the Bearded... the most important conjurer of th-" now it was Luna's turn to be interrupted by Twilight.
"... Of the pre-classical era, the father of the amniomorphic spell." It was only after Twilight stopped reciting what she once had read in her book about obscure unicorn history that she acknowledged that she just trampled over Princess Luna’s sentence. Blushing slightly, Twilight looked up expecting a reprimanding gaze from Luna, but it was not anger that lingered in the princess' eyes. "I'm sorry, Princess, it's that I've read that book so many times that I feel I already know everything about him..." Twilight looked down on the floor, feeling ashamed.
"You certainly know most of it from the books, but you still don't know his story." Luna said, pointing out matter-of-factely.
"And you would know?" Twilight was a bit harsh in her tone, she didn't like others to tell her that part of her knowledge was either wrong or missing.
"Yes, Twilight Sparkle, although it was a long time ago, before Celestia banished m- Nightmare Moon, I still have a vivid memory of that day... it's the tale as to how he discovered his talent in magic."
"But I thought he already was destined to become a great conjurer, I mean-" Luna lift her hoof, politely silencing twilight.
"And he was. Indeed he was one of the most famous ever known, but he was not always like that." Luna said as she closed her eyes, focusing on the particular memory. "Before he was famous, he was an outcast from the other ponies, not doing anything bad per se. You could picture it better if you saw him as a kind of... mercenary."
"A mercenary... ?" Twilight looked quizzically at the Princess. None of her books said anything about Star Swirl being a mercenary. ‘Come to think of it, none of my books never said anything about his life at all...’
"Why yes!” Luna beamed excitedly. “Although he vowed to only use his magic for good, he only did so for a price.” Luna’s expression acquired a slight tinge of sadness. “You see, he was very fond of his magical abilities. And he felt that since he was too good for it, they ought to pay him for help.” Luna’s spirit seemed to lift up a little, as she left out a light giggle. "He, in his younger days, reminds me of your friend Trixie." Twilight's attention on Luna’s story was brought to a halt when Trixie’s name made sense in her brain.
“Wait- how do you know Trixie?” Twilight asked, prompting Luna to giggle once more and move closer to Twilight, sitting next to her.
“Twilight Sparkle, I do make a point in knowing all of my subject’s names. Especially the ones that come from such important bloodline.” Twilight’s eyes shot open.
“Important...? Trixie...?!” Twilight raised one of her brows at the princess. “I’m sorry, Princess, but I’ve seen Trixie. She’s just a showmare... and very arrogant one at that.”Twilight said, remembering the events that happened months before. “And she’s not exactly my friend...”
“Yes, Twilight Sparkle, I too think that Trixie needs to rethink some of her ways. But she’s still young. She will learn her lesson. As for your other question...” Luna started, turning her neck a bit to face Twilight. “... She’s just a direct descendant from him.” Luna said, lifting both her brows to Twilight, prompting her to blush.
“I... Wha-... Eh-...” Twilight stammered.
“Why the shock, Twilight Sparkle?” Luna looked at her quizzically. “I thought that you our of all ponies would know better than to judge the others.” Twilight lowered her head near the ground in shame. Luna gently lifted her Twilight’s head with her hoof and looked into her eyes. “It’s alright, Twilight Sparkle. I doubt that if you knew of this fact back then it would’ve made little difference anyhow.”
“I’m sorry, Princess. It’s just that... it’s hard to imagine the boastful Trixie as a direct descendant from Star Swirl.”
“Maybe not.” Luna said as she got up and walked towards the balcony, bathing herself into the moonlight and the chilly breeze. “It was a long time ago. Before my sister and I revealed ourselves to the ponies of Equestria...”
* * *
Star Swirl folded his map and placed it inside his saddlebags. ‘Soon...’ was all he thought as he got up from under the tree and walked on the dirt road. The sky was painted in an orange tone, presenting the dim light of stars that were brave enough to shine during the Sun’s reign. Star Swirl kept walking a steady pace to the small settlement before him. As he approached the city, all the other ponies would start to murmur to one another about the mysterious stranger that was now coming closer. He loved that feeling, being treated with fear at start, and with respect after, like a shadow... just passing by and gone by the end of the very next day or so.
As he walked down the trail towards the center of the small settlement, he looked up in the sky and saw the red glimmer of the setting sun. He glanced to a two-story simple wooden building and trotted nearer. The plaque in front of it read ‘Tavern’. Star Swirl couldn’t help but smile a bit knew it was also an inn, a perfect place to relax, have a few drinks and spend the night before continuing on with his journey. He pushed the wooden door and walked slowly inside, eyeing everypony around him. Everypony except for the cowering barcolt glared daggers at him. It was a pretty bold move; a unicorn walking inside what was still considered earth-pony territory. He walked to the bar and kept staring at the barcolt until the latter felt uncomfortable enough.
"E’- e’llo, chap. Care fer’ s- someth’n' ta drink, e- eh?" He said, trying his best to control his fright.
Star Swirl just kept staring at the barcolt and tapped slowly the bar three times with his forehoof. The barman understood and quickly turned around. He took one of the bottles and with trembling hooves, undid the cork and poured him some brownish liquid in a wooden mug. Star Swirl just nodded and levitated his mug. The earth ponies all stiffened at the sight of the lavender aura that enveloped both his horn and mug. Star Swirl grinned internally and made way for a table in the most desolate part of the tavern. It was the time of the day that he liked the most, when the drunken strangers would slowly start to acknowledge his presence and give him curious looks, some filled with mystery and some with envy; but that wasn't the reason... He just needed some time alone to collect his thoughts.
Star Swirl often found it odd that every time he sat down to drink, things started to make sense to him; formulas for new spells, a way to correct, amplify or simplify already existing spells, the unification of two spells and so forth... His mind drafted aimlessly for what could've been centuries without him moving, but something- or rather somepony broke his attention. A bulky earth pony got up and staggered towards his table. Star Swirl remained calm and silent, only accompanying his movement with his eyes. The earth pony put both his forehooves on top of the table and inclined his head towards Star Swirl.
"Oi! Ah've seen ye’ before!" The large earth pony said, spitting tiny drops of saliva into Star Swirl's face as he spoke. "Yer tha' nosy fella who does all them magic ta' help one's problems, ain't ye' not?" Star Swirl didn't bother to move, but his mind was alert now, he knew that these highly alcoholic beverages had some strange effect in the minds of other ponies, especially the bulky and brainless ones.
"Maybe ye' should use all yer gimmicks and get yerself a fit dressing." The sentence was soon followed by a huge gargantuan guffaw from the pony. Star Swirl started to pay close attention to his surroundings, only the faces of the ones not drunk enough to sense imminent danger had some cracked smiles to them, chuckling. The big pony didn't stop there: "Oh, yer a wee little miss, ya’ are! What is the problem? Cockatrice got yer tongue?" And with that, the big pony tried to grasp Star Swirl's mug, only to be surprised when it didn't budge even an inch. The mug started to levitate, carrying the earth pony who resented letting go with it until it made a full stop in the air and came down upon the pony's face and. Both connected to the floor with a crashing sound.
The earth pony then got furious, he got up and in an enormous fit of rage, threw Star Swirl's table out of the way. But Star Swirl didn’t even move. The pony was now face-to-face with the young Star Swirl and he screamed as if the conjurer was deaf. "YER LOOKIN' FER A FIGHT?! CAUSE YER GOT ONE RIGHT 'ERE! COME ON! AH'LL MAKE YE REGRET MESSIN' WITH ME! SHOW ME WHAT YE GOT!"
Star Swirl just looked to the stallion and grinned; speaking in his defiant tone. "If thoust wishes...” He grinned deviously as both his eyes and horn began to glow. The earth pony’s face now bore an expression of terror. He managed two steps back before the whole tavern was surrounded in a bright white light. Anypony who dared to open his or her eyes into such blinding light could see the earth pony gently floating in the air, shaking his legs trying to free himself from Star Swirls grasp. Star Swirl magicked the earth pony and both were now face-to-face again. Star Swirl touched the pony’s head with his left forehoof and muttered something in a language that the earth pony didn’t recognize. The mind-erasing spell would last for 2 days maximum and then the earth pony would start to remember his whole life just as soon as he would re-learn how to use the bathroom again.
When the lightning show ended, Star Swirl didn't bother to look at what he'd done; he flayd the earth pony to the ground and stood up. He slowly walked to the counter, eyeing all the earth-ponies who now cowered and shook. He turned to face the barcolt, who just yelped and ducked behind the counter. Star Swirl magicked a small pouch filled with bits and left on the counter. It would be enough to pay for his drink, the damage and the room he would sleep in. The barcolt dared a peek at the unicorn, but cowered once again when he saw him levitating something. Star Swirl levitated a key and let it fall gently on one of his robe’s pockets before trotting up the stairs in search for his room.
He lay down onto his bed and started casting protection spells on the walls, floor, ceiling and door of his room; all that fuss downstairs would leave somepony angry and he didn't want to risk a night visit of some not-so-kind assassin or any thief. He started to ponder about what happened downstairs, even though he liked to be respected and even feared to some extent... but after a while that feeling grew old to him. He wasn't exactly sure what was it that bothered him but he couldn't put his hoof on it for some reason... these thoughts would tire him and he needed his sleep to continue his journey in the morning to... well, nowhere in particular.
* * *
The sun was already set and the unicorn’s moon glowed blue and feint in the night sky. An earth-pony guard was sleeping lazily over his desk. Should he have been awake at that time would change the very flow of history as we know it... While on his majestic slumber, he didn't notice the being that was marching towards the village. On normal occasions nobody would need to pay attention to notice what was dangerously close to the city, but the sudden arrival of a unicorn left all the population to trap themselves into their homes in fear of the unknown pony. The beast eyed the town hungrily and licked its lips. So many ponies to feast with...
* * *
Star Swirl could almost grasp the answer... the one that had bugged him this entire evening before the earth-pony disturbed his moment alone. When he was coming closer to understanding it, it suddenly disappeared. Star Swirl woke up in a very bad mood, he could hear screams and a handful of other noises that were hard for him to discern. He eyed through the window and saw fire engulfing one of the settlement’s houses. He shrugged and though that it was good while it lasted. Slowly getting up, he grabbed his saddlebags, robe and hat before heading out of the door of the tavern and into the village. He saw splinters of wood everywhere. Terrified ponies running to and fro trying to salvage what little they could of their belongings.
Star Swirl yawned and saw a Ursa Major in the distance. The monster was frantic, tearing ceilings apart and simply walking over houses. Crimson blood painted its paws and teeth as it devoured everything and everypony that it lay its gaze upon. He simply turned around and walked around the small tavern, going for the opposite way that the ursa was facing, just to remember that it was from there that he got into the village. He didn't know why, but that set something off in him, he was now boiling with anger because now he would have to either face the ursa or go around it in order to proceed on with his journey, and he knew that both would cost a lot of his time and prowess. He thought about both options and decided to stick with the latter. Casting upon him a very undeveloped illusion spell, Star Swirl was now able to blend in with the shadows.
A mare was staggered her way toward him, she was visibly shaking and had tears on her eyes. She fell on to the ground and coughed a few droplets of blood before turning her anger towards him. "How can you?! Why don't you help us! You're a unicorn and a son of Equestria! SHOW US KINDNESS AND HELP US!" The question hung on his brain like a tumor; he was already exhausted from a bad night sleep, he would have to go around an Ursa Major and now, some random dying mare tells him to confront it?! He paid no attention as the mare’s trembling became less and less erratic and she stood motionless on the ground. He looked towards the mare, a frozen expression of terror stamped to her face. He tried to shrug that image out from his mind but found out that he couldn’t. He knew that some part of him cared; and it was then that he made a choice that would alter the entire time line henceforth... "I am mostly going to regret this..." he muttered to nopony in particular as he trotted near the rampaging ursa while casting a large fireball against it. The mass of energy connected to the ursa's face and created a both deafening and blinding explosion. The monster faltered for a bit before shifting her attention towards the small unicorn.
He was surprised to see that no visible damage has been done to the ursa "Of course, thine imbecile! She is an ethereal being..." he thought aloud while mentally berating himself for doing it. His concentration came to a short when he noticed the ursa nearing him. He galloped towards a small forest beyond him and risked a glance back. He gasped when he saw the ursa completely forgetting about the village and following him as he wandered inside the woods. He could hear the angry roars of the ursa getting closer and closer by the second, which meant that any wrong turn, any second thought would earn him the title of Star Swirl the Fool. He didn't know how to handle the ursa now... she was gaining on him because she didn't need to stop to sway away from trees... she was much bigger than all them.
He stopped when he abruptly arrived at the edge of a deep ravine that cut through the forest. Hearing the rampaging beast’s angry roars and the splintering trees behind him, Star Swirl gulped and jumped across the wide ravine, thanking himself for perfecting the telekinetic spell months prior. He began to gallop once again, knowing that even though he gained some precious ground over the monster, the ravine would be no obstacle to the ursa. A sudden noise in the bushes nearby made him stop on his tracks. His horn glimmered and a lavender aura enveloped his own throat.
"Who is there?!" His voice boomed powerfully through the amplification spell, but nopony answered... "I AM STAR SWIRL, THE GREATEST CONJURER OF ALL EQUESTRIA AND BY THAT AUTHORITY I HIGHT THEE TO REVEAL THYSELF!" But no sound except for the incoming ursa was heard. Knowing that he had some seconds to spare, he decided against his instinct to flee and galloped towards the source of the noise. He once again came to a halt, when he stepped into a clearing. There, he could see a little unicorn pony- filly to be exact, not older than his little sister that was for sure. He dared not to approach closer, but the life of a unicorn was at risk.
"The ursa cometh! Run!" He shouted, but the filly didn’t bulge. He heard the ursa tearing the canopy somewhere behind him and dashed to the filly, continuously screaming for her to move. He stopped dead when he neared her. "It- it couldn't be..." His voice almost cracked. Standing on the clearing was the statue of a little filly wearing her saddlebags. He came closer and saw the expression of terror on her face. Realization came to him and he turned around, protective of the unicorn filly. Star Swirl heard something slither out of some nearby bushes and instantly closed his eye, relying only on his hearing. He could hear the ursa approaching and something else... a snakelike sound but it had a chicken's chirp to it also. He focused on the direction where the sound was coming from and his horn began to glimmer.
The cockatrice was annoyed that the second pony that crossed its way wouldn't turn to stone when he gazed upon its eyes... It could tell that they were open because of the white light upon them; little did it know that it was instead the glimmer of the spell that Star Swirl was casting. When the cockatrice pounced to attack, his eyes really opened to confront the beast. The cockatrice recoiled from its attack and tried to dodge the massive amount of energy that was directed in its way. At that instant, time seemed to slow down and Star Swirl began to notice the cockatrice as it slowly became undone into nothing. He could grasp every inch of the cockatrice's anatomy and, for what appeared to be centuries, he just watched and thought about it. He could feel every magic that once rushed into the cockatrice; it was somewhat frightening and mesmerizing to him.
The cockatrice didn’t stand a chance; being completely evaporated, leaving behind a charred dirt soil where it once stood. As Star Swirl came to his senses, he could see the ursa in front of him, growing nearer as the seconds passed. Star Swirl turned around to gallop when he remembered that the little unicorn filly still stood in its path. He looked back just in time to see the ursa stepping onto the little filly's statue, destroying it to little crystal-like shards. He stopped running, unsure what to do next. Grief struck him when he realized that his selflessness had cost the lives of many earth-ponies and a unicorn.
With tears running down from his eyes, he stared at the ursa and yelled. "HOW DAREST THOU TREAT MY FRIENDS SO SHAMEFULLY?!" The ursa never gave a hint to even comprehend the meanings of those words, she was in a frenzied state of bloodlust. Star Swirl kept crying, but then his instincts kicked in. His horn started to glow more brightly than ever. Magic sparks spurted out of his horn as surges of energy cracked the ground under him. He stared at the ursa with hate; for what she did and for what he himself did. He didn't notice that his body was changing... it was becoming something less pony-like and more a mix of serpent and chicken. Suddenly, he became aware of what to do. He knew that the ursa couldn't be hurt by the magic itself, but it didn't mean that it couldn't affect it to some extent. He stared deep at the ursa's big eyes. The beast felt something wrong with it and charged the small cockatrice-shaped unicorn. The tumbled to the ground when its legs were frozen into stone, but it kept on crawling towards the pony.
After a few minutes it was over. The ursa was frozen solid as a stone and Star Swirl came back to his original form. He didn’t know what compelled him to do so, but he rounded the massive ursa and began walking towards the clearing. He wandered through it once more and stopped when he saw the shards that once were parts of a filly. He lay down on the floor and nuzzled the filly’s shards lovingly. His mind was being flooded by images of his little sister. He began to remember every moment of joy he had around her. He remembered stories that his father told them. He remembered how she got her cutie mark. How she cried when he was leaving to the unicorn capitol to study magic. He began to think about everything she was destined to. How she were to grow up and also follow his steps. How she were going to grow into a powerful unicorn, like him. How she were to become a selfish unicorn... like him. It was then that it hit him. The dead filly would never be able to grow. Never be able to experience life itself. All because of him.
Star Swirl began to weep. He wept for every year that the filly lost. For every joy she never would have... For everypony she could help. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" He cried to the heavens and turned to stare at the petrified ursa with eyes that resembled the fiery pits of hell itself. His horn literally ignited and it blew into the sky a powerful stream of magic. He directed the stream to the ursa, who blew up into millions and millions of shards. He was now visibly drained, both physically and emotionally. The shards were now entering the ground as-
* * *
"... as they started to twist the forest now before him." Luna kept going. "They were tainted with all his anger, sadness and guilt, not to mention the fragmented body of an ethereal being that they changed that forest permanently, giving birth to a place you ponies call the Everfree Forest."
Twilight just stared, bewildered at that story, she didn't even know what to think... she was expecting some sappy, happy story... mainly because she now knew who one of her most adored historical figures really was... a selfish deranged lunatic. "I just feel bad for all the ponies in the village and for the filly that got crushed by the Ursa Major..." Twilight said with a low, cracking voice.
"The lives lost that day, indeed were a tragedy; but the filly didn't die back there." Luna said, maintaining her stern expression.
"It didn't?" Twilight gave her a skeptical look... This wasn't making sense. Luna told her how the filly got frozen by a cockatrice and was crushed by the rampaging ursa.
"No, Twilight Sparkle. Because that filly was me."
Now Twilight's brain was really fighting against it. "But... but..."
"Hush, little pony, let me explain.” Luna said, silencing her with her hoof. “I was very young back then. My magic wasn’t as powerful as it is today. I didn't know what dangers lingered in the forests outside the pony settlements. I was hidden with my sister when we got separated and-“
"But how did the cockatrice freeze you into stone? You are an alicorn!" Twilight exploded.
Luna couldn't help but giggle at Twilight's confusion. "The same thing happened to the ursa. I’m an ethereal being myself and, as such, I am still affected by magic to some extent... you do remember that my sister banished m- Nightmare Moon to the moon only with the help of magic, don't you?" Twilight just nodded, she didn't want to interrupt; she craved for answers.
"When the ursa stomped on me, I really felt physical pain. And it was unimaginable... but as an ethereal being, I can't die, Twilight Sparkle. I just waited there until Celestia tracked me with a spell. She found me and used her magic to bring all the pieces together and release me from my prison. The ursa is still alive... I told you that an ethereal being can't die. So she lives, and her spirit is what maintains the Everfree Forest that way up until today."
Twilight seemed less confused now... but still some questions remained. "And what about Star Swirl? Didn't you tell him that the little filly was you?"
"No, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna said, her face drooping. “Me and Celestia were hidden back then. We didn’t show ourselves to the ponies back at that time. You understand if I tell you that I can’t go into further detail as to why, don’t you?” Luna said, to which Twilight resentfully nodded. “The tales were quite accurate. They described how he was selfish back then and how he turned from an arrogant pony to a loving one... a caring one. But they never said what caused him to change. I was there, Twilight Sparkle. Even if trapped in a million shards, I could still see his sorrow."
“Princess... how did he defeat the ursa?” Twilight asked.
"Well, he didn't know about his most famous spell right then... his magic simply manifested itself because he felt helpless and, in that state, the magic inside of him just took control over himself. Very much what happened to you in your school entry exam, so Celestia told me. He knew that the spell existed but he couldn’t reproduce it willingly... It took years of research for him to master that spell and, in the process, he wrote down many other spells and enchantments that he had created or perfected, being the first pony to catalog spells and other magic related issues in a book."
"But what about his name? Star Swirl the Bearded... that doesn't make sense! He was rather too young to have a beard back then!"
"He left his beard to grow as a symbol that there's something bigger than us out there... something that we cannot grasp. It reminded him every day of what his past decisions had caused to other ponies’ lives. He henceforth became very friendly towards all kinds of ponies, but still rather quiet and somber." Luna added as if it were all some kind of joke to her.
"His actions and learnings compelled him to show compassion to other living beings, for he used the rest of his life to gather as much knowledge as possible to help the other ponies lives. To help the three tribes unite even further. He started being the difference that the ponies needed, and they saw him not as a mercenary of sorts anymore, but as a wise, friendly pony." Luna started walking towards her balcony, while she gazed upon the most peculiar star formation; which made out, if you really tried, the form of a pony with a long beard, a magic hat and a cloak.
"It was then, that the legend of Star Swirl the Bearded was born.”
