From forever, with love

The next morning, Starswirl woke up slightly earlier than usual. He made his way down to the kitchen, where he hastily picked up two apples and a prepared a thick oat porridge that he put on a tray, then climbed the stairs back up and stopped in front of the door of the library’s annex. Yesterday night, he had hastily teleported a makeshift cot in the small room with the necessary sheets and pillows, and had carefully tucked the young alicorn in; when her howling had finally subsided, she had abruptly fallen asleep, as if the emotional strain had snuffed their consciousness out.

He knocked at the door. “Come in!” responded a cheerful voice inside. Starswirl opened the door and froze.

Comfortably nestled in her bed, her invitée impromptue was reading a book, that she had probably borrowed from one of the nearby shelves; five or six big books had been hastily heaped by the bed side. She rolled slightly on her side in order to see the door frame. “Hi!” she said with the same merry voice and a large smile. Then she became aware of the strange expression on Starswirl’s face and slightly blushed. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologized. “I woke up with dawn, and since I didn’t want to disturb you, I decided to read a bit while waiting for your visit. I hope you won’t hold a grudge against me.” She grinned, and winked two or three times.

“Hmmpppfff!” grunted Starswirl, somewhat fazed by the alicorn total change of mood. “Of course not. Those books are here to be read, not to be reverently admired. Go ahead. I have prepared a tiny breakfast for you. I’m glad you feel better, but you obviously need some rest, so please take your time. If you’re still hungry, you can grab more food in the kitchen, down at the basement level, where I found you yesternight. If you’re looking for me, I’ll be in my study on the third floor. We shall lunch together if you want.”

“Fine!” answered the alicorn. “Thank you so much for caring for me. I think I’ll stay in bed a while longer, just reading. Have a great morning!”

“Hmmmpf!” groaned Starswirl again. “By the way, you still remember nothing?”

The smile on the alicorn’s face dissolved as she tried hard to dig into her brain. But she eventually shook her head: “No,” she replied in a sorry tone. “Still nothing. A big void, that’s what my mind is. Not even my name…”

“It doesn’t matter,” shrugged Starswirl. “That’ll come back in due time, I’m not afraid. See you at noon. Good reading!”

“Thanks!” chirped the alicorn. ”Oh, by the way,” she added, while Starswirl was walking through the threshold, ”what's your name?”

“Oops! Sorry!” apologized Starswirl, whirling to face her guest. “I’m Starswirl – ‘the bearded’ as they call me. But Starswirl is just fine.”

“Great name! I like it. See you!”

He shut the door behind him. Strange, he thought as he slowly walked away. With dawn, she said. That’s only two hours. Six books, amongst the most abstruse, in two hours? She must have skimmed through them or otherwise she’s gulling me. He sniggered, wiped these thoughts out of his mind, and focussed on his ongoing research.

⁂

He had been slogging for two more hours when a sudden loud musical note made him start. It was followed by more low pitched, almost throbbing sounds, echoing in a seemingly random way, that were shaking all his apparatus. Sweet Celestia, he sighed, that little brat has discovered the old organ. Did I ever permit her to go into that room? He left once more his study and bustled down the stairs, as the ongoing discordant melody threatened to whack his eardrums. He found the door of the chamber opened and stormed inside. “HEY!” he yelled as loud as he could. “How could you be so brazen as to–”

Immediately the booming blare died away, and the alicorn – it was indeed her at the keyboard – put one of her forehoof on her mouth. “Ooops!” she said, slightly embarrassed. “I caught a glimpse of that strange contraption when I was passing by from the kitchen, and thought I might give a try at it.” She grinned once again, as to apologize. “Errr… That wasn’t much of a success, was it? I still have some progress to make.”

“Definitely,” Starswirl mumbled. “Please would you refrain from using this… contraption, as you call it, until at least the morning is over? I would be very grateful!” he asked in a clearer, but harsh voice.

“Oh!” exclaimed the alicorn, still smiling broadly, “No problem. If you wish, I shall go back into my room and carry on reading. I’m so sorry to have caused you trouble. By the way–” She paused, and a small piece of cloth materialized above the keyboard. Magically, she rubbed the various keys with it. “Here!” she said, satisfied. “Now it’s as clean as I found it!” She giggled. “Or maybe even cleaner!”

Starswirl didn’t noticed she was poking fun at him. His eyes widened. “How did you do that?” he asked, unsettled. “I thought you had lost all memories of—”

“Oh! I do!” interrupted the alicorn. “But this is one of the spells I learnt from your own book ‘730 Handy Incantations for witty unicorns’ I read this morning in bed. At page 215. A cleaning hanky. That’s all! No mystery!”

“What?” croaked Starswirl, taken aback. “You mean you actually did peruse the whole book?”

“Of course!” protested the alicorn. “What did you expect? That I was just leafing through it?”

“Well…” admitted Starswirl, feeling, now in his turn, abashed.

“Pffff…” shrugged the alicorn. “I can tell you, that, for example, at page 23, there is a spell called ‘A vase full of imperishable flowers’. At page 457, ‘How to mute a rooster’. Or at page 198 ‘How to gild a lily (at least for a while)’. You see?”

Starswirl was now totally blown away. “You memorized… you memorized all… the spells?” he sputtered incredulously.

“You’re taunting me, aren’t you? That’s no fun. Why do you seem so gobsmacked?” Her horn glowed, and, in row, there appeared on the organ console a vase full of paper daffodils, a mat decorated with rhombic patterns, and a dozen red tapers, which she kindled one by one. “See?” said the alicorn, opening her bright eyes, with her large, now characteristic, grin.

I can’t believe it, Starswirl thought. It’s not possible. I must be dreaming… I will awaken… He tottered.

“Are you alright?” asked the alicorn, suddenly concerned. “You’re turning pale.”

“Nothing,” replied Starswirl shaking his head. “A sudden fit of fatigue. I haven’t slept much last night, you know…”

“Ooops. Of course you must be tuckered, and I’m here, holding you away from your bed and showing you tricks that you yourself wrote. I am just a feather-brain. Have some rest. We can lunch together when you feel better. Okay?”

“Very well,” acknowledged Starswirl. “You can go back in your room and read as many books as you like while I try to recover.”

“Perfect!” approved the alicorn, and Starswirl left the room.

Sweet Celestia! Sweet Celestia! Sweet Celestia! She’s amnesic… but exceptionally gifted. No, not exceptionally gifted. That’s an understatement. She’s… but WHO IS SHE?, he wondered, as he trundled along the way to his bedroom.

⁂

They had lunch together in the kitchen, but ate without uttering any word. Starswirl was almost dreamy and absent; he barely took any food, satisfying himself with a light nibbling. In front of him, the alicorn pigged on the apple pies and knocked down a couple of cider bottles. When both were slacked, and the lunch was over, Starswirl cast a spell and made all the leftovers and the earthenware disappear.

“No need to wash the dishes that way,” he said to the alicorn.

“Rather a handy way to deal with that chore!” she japed.

Starswirl smiled, and looked at the alicorn straight in the eyes. “Still no memories?” he asked.

The alicorn shook her head. “Nope,” she confirmed. “My past has been devoured by the flames of oblivion.”

“Elegantly put,” remarked Starswirl. “To speak candidly, if your past is a mystery to you, you are a mystery to me… You should come with me to visit Princess Celestia in her Canterlot’s summer castle. Maybe she could somehow revive that forgotten past using some enchantment unknown to me…”

“Princess Celestia?!” exclaimed the alicorn.

“Yes,” answered Starswirl surprised by his guest’s reaction. “Does that name evoke something to you?”

“No,” sighed the alicorn. “But a princess! You’re the friend of a princess?! You must be a noble yourself?” She gazed at him with eyes full of wonder and admiration.

Starswirl giggled. “Oh no, I am afraid not…” And frankly, that’s the last thing I would like to be. Every single day with those moronic, fawning hoity-toity snots. The fluff, the spangles, the ceremonials… Yuck! Yuck! Yuck! But you, my little freak out of nowhere, technically, the noble, it’s YOU. I’m sure Celestia could find a path out of this quagmire. If only she had not gone away on that mission for a month with strict orders of not disturbing her for whatever motive, leaving her sister in charge… Luna. Luna… I don’t trust her anymore. There’s something creepy about her these days… Like ominous clouds slowly gathering just beyond the horizon, waiting to muster and unleash a pandemoniac armageddon. No, definitely no, I won’t introduce you to Luna. Better keep you safely hidden until Celestia returns.

“What are you thinking of?” asked the alicorn.

“Nothing important,” answered Starswirl. “I was just realizing that Princess Celestia is currently away for a while. An important errand abroad. You’ll have to wait a smidgen to meet her. I’m sorry…”

“Oooh…” said the alicorn sadly. She seemed to mope slightly but finally rallied herself. “It doesn’t matter. I am not in a hurry; I suppose I can wait,” she finally declared, her grin returned. Then, after a slight pause: “Do every stallion have a beard?” she ventured shyly.

This time Starswirl guffawed. “I… I don’t think so,” he managed say after having recovered. “It’s a special trait of my family. As such, we are very proud of it.”

“Finally, you’re not such a curmudgeon!” the alicorn joked.

“Me? A curmudgeon?” Starswirl almost choked laughing once again. “Not at all. That’s the beard. Makes me look older and stern, I suppose…”

“But it suits you well. All well considered, I like it!” she stated, this time positively.

“Thanks!” thundered Starswirl with a smile. He rose. “Let's stop gabbing. Time to move on. I still have work to do, but you can enjoy the perfect weather in the garden, if you want. You will find there all sorts of flowers, plants and birds, and please use any of the deckchairs if you want to sunbath. Yet, if you get bored, let me show you something. Come with me!”

They egressed from the kitchen, climbed to the second floor, and Starswirl guided his visitor to an impressive iron door. He unlocked it, pushed it – the hinges grated somewhat – and when it was fully opened, he invited the alicorn to step inside.

“Oh my gosh!” she blurted, totally carried away. The door was leading to a large room, whose ceiling was towering so high above that the alicorn felt dizzy just looking at it; it was painted in cerulean, with regular pictures of the Sun and the Moon. The room was illuminated through large arched stained-glassed windows, shaped into various uncanny, but elegant, geometrical figures of unknown signification. Barring these wells of brightness, the rest of the walls was hidden behind what looked like a single library, made up of dozens of stacked shelves carved out of some reddish precious wood, most likely mahogany. Books were everywhere, umpteen of them, carefully stowed from the floor up to the lofty ceiling. It was like a tapestry, but a tapestry woven out of intertwined paper and leather.

“I can’t believe it…” her voice trailed off over her emotion.

“Welcome to my library,” said Starswirl proudly. “I think you’ll enjoy this place, and will find many things to keep you busy. There are sections on about every possible subject: history, geography, various sciences, magic, mythology, philosophy, literature… It almost rivals with the royal library of the two sister’s castle. Here,” he pointed at a small carrel, “you can read at ease. I’ll let the door unlocked so you can access anytime, even without asking me. I gather you know enough magic now to master the telekinesis of small objects, so you can pick up even the remotest books. Just handle them carefully, and put them back where you found them. I would hate to have to reshuffle the whole collection.”

“Of course I will…” answered the alicorn, still fascinated: she couldn’t turn her gaze away from these uncountable volumes. “How can you own so many books?” she asked. “That’s amazing…”

“Many of them I inherited from my ancestors,” explained Starswirl. “Each and every one in my family has always collected books… and some were writers, too.”

“Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” squealed the alicorn. Unexpectedly she hopped and hug him. It was so abrupt and spontaneous that the unicorn couldn’t dodge it. “It’s nothing,” he said after a few seconds, slightly uneasy. “If it pleases you, then I’m glad too. I have to go and resume my work. Have a great afternoon! But do enjoy the Sun, don’t remain locked inside!” He broke free, smiled at the alicorn who requited his glee, waved with his foreleg and left.

⁂

He had worked three hours in a row, without even rising his head, when he became aware of a soft song reaching his ears. He dragged himself out of his cushion and shuffled to the window. Hunching over the sill, he caught a glimpse of the purple alicorn exploring the various flower beds, humming gaily. Usually, he would simply have dismissed the spectacle as inconsequential, closed the window and got back to his bench, but inexplicably this time he was charmed by the graceful postures of his guest, and his eyes tracked her eagerly as she traipsed around aimlessly. He lost focus for a moment. Suddenly, he surprised himself crooning in unison with the song. He stopped short, and at the same instant the alicorn looked up at him. Her large and cheerful eyes pierced through him and he felt like a foal caught red-handed reading a forbidden book. Somehow, his face must have been betraying his feelings, because the young alicorn cracked up, a rich and warm laughter that unsettled Starswirl even more.

“Sorry,” he finally shouted, “I didn’t mean to interrupt you. Please continue! I like your song.”

“Thanks!” said the alicorn with another bright smile. And she carried on her humming.

Starswirl remained at the window for a few seconds, then walked back to his chair. What a big oaf I am, he chided himself. Just plain stupid. Why did I feel so ashamed in front of this… filly I don’t even know. Admittedly, she’s pretty and cute, but… Oh, the heck with that. Back to work.

He plopped himself down on his hassocks, and tried to concentrate on the magic formula he was trying to get right, but which was resisting any of his attempt. The clear voice of the alicorn was still floating around, muffled, but audible nevertheless; it brought with it the keen memories of her grin, of her warm hug, of her sleek body slinking between the various patches of flowers. He tried to get rid of these troubling images, but found out he could not. Desperate, he growled some unknown curse, got up on all fours and left the room.

⁂

The dinner was dull. The alicorn had almost finished eating when Starswirl made an appearance; he hurriedly and silently munched a couple of apples and then went out right away. He was about to round the frame of the door when he turned back and grumbled: “Don’t look for me tomorrow. I will be off for a couple of days. I must complete a belated chore that can’t wait any longer. You have plenty of food here in the kitchen, and the library is yours, as well as the garden. I entrust my manor to you. Keep it in good shape till I return! Nobody will disturb you as I will create a impervious force field all around. Good night and good bye!”

“O… Okay!” responded the alicorn, baffled by this sudden declaration. “I’ll do my best! Have a safe journey!”

“Thanks, see you at my return!” echoed the voice of Starswirl who had not awaited to begin climbing the stairs up.

⁂

The next day was bleak and rainy. The alicorn got up early, but Starswirl was obviously already gone. She morosely breakfasted alone, then spent most of the morning in the library, reading encyclopædia on Equestria’s history. The ambiant light was so dim she had to recourse to several candles she conjured up in order to help her reading comfortably. At noon, slightly bored, she decided to shift gears and play once more the organ, but found it was no fun without Starswirl listening to and complaining about her musical experiments. She barely nibbled something for lunch, and stayed almost all the afternoon at the window watching the dark clouds scud by, hoping for a patch of blue sky to reappear. But there was no respite from the rain, on the contrary, it seemed to her at some point that what was up to now just a mizzle had turned into a deluge: the drops of water lashing down from above were so serried that it was simply impossible to make out anything beyond a few feet. The world outside had become murky and gray. Disheartened, she returned to the library and resumed somewhat reluctantly her reading, until a strange tiredness washed over her. She went to bed without eating, and wriggled for a long time in her sheets before sleep at last abducted her away into an agitated but dreamless slumber.

A shaft of bright light leaking through the unfastened shutters fell plumb on the face of the young alicorn and woke her up. She stirred and opened an eye. Through the chink, she beheld a corner of blue heaven and deduced immediately that a fair weather had come back. Prodded by this good piece of news, she stood up energetically and hurried up to the kitchen.

After a roborant breakfast, she cleaned up her face and rushed outside. The flowerbeds had been badly squashed by the torrential rain and the alicorn endeavored to restore their lost beauty. She devoted the next hours to patiently digging and draining the ground with various tools, transplanting bulbs and casting miscellaneous spells to give back some semblance of decency to the devastated garden. At noon, satisfied, she picked up some of the most beautiful flowers, gathered some fronds and assembled them into a large bouquet. As she clearly remembered having spotted a large empty vase in her ‘bedroom’, she stepped inside the house levitating the bouquet behind her, trotted gaily to her quarters and slipped the whole bunch of flowers into it. She poured some water out of a nearby jug and proudly installed the composition over a squat library. Walking backwards, she appraised her work and found it really neat.

At this point, her belly remembered her she was getting hungry.

On the way back from lunch, she selected some books in the main library, carried them outside and wallowed in the sunlight, indulging in the warmth of this radiant Summer’s afternoon.

⁂

It was about six o’clock when Starswirl showed up. Upon seeing him, the young alicorn chucked her book, jumped on her feet and rushed to him. “Starswirl! I am so glad you’re back. I missed you so much!” she said, dunking her nose into his mane and nuzzling him. The unicorn didn’t try to escape her cuddle, this time. When it was over, she retreated a few steps.

“Where have you been?” she asked.

In lieu of an answer, Starswirl levitated his pannier, opened the lids and drew out a small box that he delicately placed on the ground. Kneeling, he removed its top.

“Look,” he said, inviting the alicorn to take a gander.

Inside the box, three small white flowers were lying on a bed of a thin foamy substance, almost alike to woven gossamer. “Oooh!” exclaimed the alicorn, “Edelweisses!”

“Exactly!” answered Starswirl. “These are the very last ones that could be found. They usually bloom much sooner in the year, and I had to wander well over the timberline to find them. Had I not set out yesterday, these three ones would probably have wilted by now.”

“What do you intend to do with them?” asked the alicorn with a hint of a smile.

“That’s my secret!” responded Starswirl.

“Are you by chance trying to find the truth about your innermost feelings?” put the alicorn forward.

Starswirl made a step backwards and looked at her guest with wide incredulous eyes. “What… what makes you think that?” he half-sputtered in surprise.

“Look, Starswirl. Edelweisses are not a useful ingredient in magic, expect for one single potion, and that potion gives you insight into the hidden dens of your heart… That was an easy riddle!” She grinned anew, and winked impishly.

Oh gosh no, she must have read some book about potions while I was away… “No, no, you’re wrong!” Starswirl denied, blushing. “It only has to do with my current research.”

“If I have some progress to make in order to be a passable organist, you should learn how to lie correctly!” giggled the alicorn. “Whom are you hiding from? Are you sure you need this potion?”

“Now stop that gushy bosh!” growled Starswirl suddenly huffy. He closed the box, plonked it in his pannier and disappeared inside the entrance of the house.

Deadpan, the alicorn watch him go, returned where she was lying before his arrival, and resumed her reading, whistling softly.

⁂

The dinner was icy. Starswirl almost ignored his guest completely. He broke into the kitchen without a word, rummaged in the sideboard for earthenware, collected some food that he wolfed down noisily and uncouthly; when his plate was emptied, he chucked it carelessly into the sink, before snatching a bottle of cider that he belted down. Only then he seemed to realize that the alicorn was staring at him strangely.

“What’s the matter with you now?” he croaked aggressively. “Why do you look at me with such stupid eyes?”

“Oh! nothing…” answered the alicorn, “I was just wondering what you were trying to achieve. Disgust me? At times, you’re so stiff and ludicrous –––”

“I don’t give a hoot about what you think of me!” he cut in angrily. “You were right the other day: I am a grumpy, asocial and bland curmudgeon. Are you happy now? And stuff into your head that I don’t intend to change. Like it, or lump it.”

“And what do you think of me, by the way?” asked the alicorn thoughtfully.

“You want to know what I think of you?” he brayed. “I think you’re an obstreperous, boisterous flighty brat with astounding mental capacities! Period. And now, I am tuckered, so good evening and good night!” he concluded, stomping out of the kitchen and slamming the door shut.

The alicorn whistled in wonder, then burst into a fit of laughter.

⁂

The next morning, after breakfasting once again alone, the alicorn crept up to the third floor. The door of Starswirl’s bedroom was ajar; she peeked inside, but found it empty. Disappointed, she was about to regain her own bedroom when she heard muffled curses coming from the study. She walked to the door and knocked. “Come in!” groaned Starswirl from inside. She trod in and barely stifled another fit of laughter. Half-torn, half-crumpled sheets of paper were strewn all over the floor. Amidst this shambles, the unicorn was lying on a cushion, laboriously scrawling mathematical signs on a fresh sheet.

“Rats!” he exclaimed. He crossed all the writing out and threw his pencil away in exasperation.

“I’m sorry to disturb you,” she said, “I had come to apologize for yesternight. I didn’t mean–––”

“Forget it!” interrupted Starswirl without looking at her. “It’s okay. If someone should apologize, it is I. I’ve behaved like a pig. I’m sorry too, and really I mean it. I hope you won’t hold me a grudge. I was just a silly idiot. But this… this… darn computation gets on my nerves.”

“What is it?” inquired the alicorn.

“Determination of the trajectory of the Glaney comet,” explained Starswirl. “Can’t get it right. The position I calculated is wrong: when I point the telescope using my purported coordinates, there’s just nothing but blackness. Yet, I can’t find out where I made a mistake. It just… drives me nuts.”

“Can I have a look?” proposed the alicorn.

Starswirl lurched and stared almost absentmindedly at her. “What do you know about celestial mechanics?” he asked.

“I’ve read the book you wrote about it yesterday,” she answered candidly.

Starswirl shrugged. “Go ahead,” he said. “If you can decipher my handwriting…” He handed a dozen carelessly creased sheets to the alicorn who unfolded them. She lay down, and began scrutinizing the formulae, while Starswirl was magically collecting all the straggled paper balls and throwing them into a wastebasket. She had been perusing Starswirl’s equations for three or four minutes when she tittered. “Come here!” she said.

“What is it?” asked Starswirl approaching.

“Look here. You’ve inadvertently dropped the minus sign here before your energy term. Therefore, your subsequent differential equation is wrong. The solution is not a parabola, that you get for a positive energy, but an ellipse, albeit with a very large major axis. No wonder you can’t find your comet, you’re missing it by several tens of thousands kilometers!” she joked.

Starswirl grasped the folio and examined it closely. He facehoofed. “What a clumsy nitwit I am!” he grumbled, shaking his head. “Thanks so much. Without your keen examination, I think I would have squandered away many more hours chasing a stupid mistake.”

“My pleasure, master!” she replied, bobbing a curtsy.

“Pff… Make fun of me…” He seemed to muse a few seconds, then resumed: “Now come. I have a serious offer for you. Would you like to work with me? I am sure as a tandem we could achieve some major breakthroughs.”

The eyes of the alicorn widened. “Really? Are you serious? Or just kidding me?”

“No, no!” protested Starswirl. “I am very serious. Your mental capacities and your thirst for knowledge are stupendous. I am positive that in a few months we could even work as peers.”

“Oh thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!…” squealed the alicorn, hopping all around Starswirl. When she stopped, she once more dipped her nose in his mane and nuzzled him tenderly.

⁂

Darkness had fallen, and the clammy, smothering heat of the day had finally subsided, giving way to a much welcomed coolness. Crickets and cicadas were gaily thrumming their minute fiddles, filling the Summer’s night with their unceasing stridulations. Atop the house, Starswirl had opened the roof of the observatory, and was adjusting the telescope when her now official apprentice joined him. The observatory was no large room. Round-shaped, its center was occupied by the bulky instrument, while a small pedestal table could be easily moved around to take notes or draw pictures from any position. On the walls, a few sconces were dispensing a meager light, that flickered and threatened to die with each draft.

“Did you find it?” asked the alicorn.

“Well, judge by yourself!” answered Starswirl with a grin.

The alicorn put her eye on the lens. “Ooooh!” she marveled. “Beautiful!”

“Isn’t that a wonderful spectacle?” commented Starswirl.

“Let me show you an even more wonderful spectacle,” proposed the alicorn, and she gently pushed Starswirl outside the room. They descended the stairs, and, once arrived at the threshold of the main entrance, the alicorn pointed at the sky and made a gesture that took in all the heavens. “Aren’t they just breathtaking when you look at them with your naked eye rather than through the lens of a clunky instrument?” she asked.

Starswirl gazed aloft, smiled, and finally: “You’re right,” he answered, ”but there is still a more marvelous spectacle I know of…”

“What is it?” inquired the alicorn suddenly curious.

Starswirl turned to face her. “Their shining and sparkling reflections in the gorgeous eyes of a young and foxy alicorn close to me.”

She did not reply, but took a step forward and bent her head to kiss him.